A roller-coaster regular season will be extinguished Friday night in Lincoln, when the Cyclones (8-6-3, 4-4-1 Big 12) take on coach Rebecca Hornbacher’s alma mater, Nebraska.

The perennial national power Cornhuskers (5-10-3, 1-8) are down this year in a big way. The team will finish with fewer than 10 wins and a sub-.500 winning percentage for the first time in the team’s history. Hornbacher thinks it’s just a stint and the team will be back on top soon.

“I have a great deal of respect for John Walker and the soccer program that he has grown into a national power,” she said. “They have had a difficult season, but I know that he will do what he needs to do to get it going in the right direction again. He is a great coach, and he knows what it takes to be successful.”

The bad news for Iowa State is that the Huskers lead the all-time series against the Cyclones, 9-2. The good news is that those two wins have come in the last two meetings. After being outscored 40-5 in the first nine meetings, the Cyclones have rallied and have outscored the Huskers 5-2 in the last two meetings.

Even with this potential extra confidence, senior captain Erin Witte said no team in the conference can be taken lightly, especially at this time of the season.

“Having two straight wins against Nebraska in the past is exactly that, in the past. We are focused on Friday and what we need to do to win,” Witte said. “In practice this week, we are practicing as if we are playing the top team in our conference. We are not going to underestimate Nebraska. We are going to show them the respect that they deserve by coming out hard the full 90 minutes.”

This game has a great deal of significance for the Cyclones. They could finish as low as the eighth seed in the conference tournament with a loss, or could finish as high as fifth with a win.

Win or lose, the team is going to be ready for whatever challenges they face in San Antonio, where the Big 12 Tournament will be held starting on Wednesday.

“No matter what the outcome is on Friday, we are going to bring it in San Antonio,” Witte said. “Of course we want to win on Friday night, and are very focused, but we are ready for any team that we have to play come the first round.”

The game will be played at the Nebraska Soccer Field in Lincoln on Friday at 4 p.m.

Oh, the possibilities (Big 12 Tournament scenarios)

Iowa State currently stands in a tie with Oklahoma State for seventh in the Big 12 with 13 points. The eight-team field has already been finalized with Baylor, Nebraska and Oklahoma being eliminated. Texas A&M has clinched the regular season crown and the accompanying top seed. Iowa State can finish no higher than the No. 5 seed and no lower than the No. 8. Below are the Cyclones’ postseason scenarios:

If Iowa State defeats Nebraska:

The Cyclones clinch at least the No. 7 seed, beating Oklahoma State on the tiebreaker.

The Cyclones would move ahead of Kansas and Colorado for the No. 5 seed if both teams lose their final games to Missouri and Texas, respectively. Iowa State would finish sixth with a win and a loss from one of the two teams.

If Iowa State loses to Nebraska:

The Cyclones could finish no higher than the No. 7, a scenario which would make an Oklahoma State loss to Oklahoma necessary.

The Cyclones would finish eighth in the conference with a loss and an Oklahoma State win. They’d then face Texas A&M in the opening round on Nov. 7.