Before the start of the 2005 season, a bowl trip for the ISU football team was almost a certainty.

After a victory over Iowa, the bowl for the Cyclones appeared to be somewhere near New Year’s Day.

Three consecutive conference losses sent the Cyclones into a tailspin, and a bowl suddenly didn’t look so sure.

“Losing three in a row is hard on any team at any point in the season,” cornerback LaMarcus Hicks said. “We knew that with the amount of games we had remaining to play, we could turn the season around and get rolling again.”

Victories against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M have Iowa State at five wins on the season, just one game away from making themselves bowl eligible for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

“It’s something that means a lot to you, but at the same time you want to go on and get more then six wins,” strong safety Nik Moser said. “Hopefully it’s just another win with a couple more to go.”

The Cyclones have three chances to clinch a postseason appearance. Iowa State hosts Kansas State and Colorado at home, then finishes their season at Kansas.

“The next three games, we can win them all or lose them all,” Moser said.

As far as their bowl destination goes, the team just wants to get that final win.

“We’re a team with five wins right now,” Moser said. “I don’t know if we can say we deserve to go to this game or that game. Any bowl game is going to be good for us.”

The Big 12 conference has ties with eight bowls, including an automatic BCS bid for the conference’s champion.

The following is a look at each bowl possibility and a prediction for the Big 12’s representative:

Bowl Championship Series

Rose Bowl

Location: Pasadena, California

Matchup: Top two teams in the final BCS Standings.

Pick: Texas Longhorns

Texas will represent the Big 12 in the BCS, completing their run for the national championship and a second consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl where they will meet USC.

Cotton Bowl

Location: Dallas, Texas

Matchup: Big 12 No. 2 vs. SEC

Pick: Texas Tech

Tech only loses one game all year, a pounding by national championship participant Texas. The Red Raiders won’t be able to grab enough points in the BCS to earn an at-large bid.

Holiday Bowl

Location: San Diego, California

Matchup: Big 12 No. 3 vs. Pac-10 No. 2

Pick: Oklahoma

A rebuilding season for Oklahoma still sends them to a good bowl. Of course, good bowl is relative for a team like the Sooners. Bob Stoops leads his team to their first non-BCS bowl game since 2001.

Alamo Bowl

Location: San Antonio, Texas

Matchup: Big 12 No. 4 vs. Big 10 No. 4

Pick: Colorado

The Buffaloes will win the North and then get pounded by Texas in the Big 12 Championship game, in a scene very reminiscent of last season.

A history of poor travel by Colorado fans keeps them from moving up and earning a Holiday Bowl bid.

Independence Bowl

Location: Shreveport, Louisiana

Matchup: Big 12 vs. SEC

Pick: Nebraska

After missing bowl season last year, Nebraska follows up Iowa State’s successful trip to the Independence Bowl with one of their own.

Houston Bowl

Location: Houston, Texas

Matchup: Big 12 No. 5/6 vs. SEC

Pick: Iowa State

The Cyclones had higher hopes than this at the start of the year, but five bowls in the last six seasons isn’t bad.

Champs Sports Bowl

Location: Orlando, Florida

Matchup: Big 12 No. 7 vs. ACC No. 4/5

Pick: Missouri

Can a bowl showing save Gary Pinkel’s job? Only time will tell. A game in Orlando gives Brad Smith one last chance to shine before he takes a job at something other than football.

Fort Worth Bowl

Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Matchup: Big 12 No. 8 vs. C-USA No. 4

Pick: None

Sorry Big 12, only seven teams will earn the six wins needed to make a postseason appearance.