If Iowa State’s football players expect to make it back to Ames after their game this weekend, they had better hope they can beat Colorado.

“Coach McCarney said we’re not getting on the bus or the plane without a win,” ISU tight end Kyle Knock said. “Losing is not an option this week.”

But a win will be anything but easy for the Cyclones. They travel to Boulder, Colo. to tangle with the Buffaloes in the midst of a three-game losing streak in contests away from Ames.

This week marks the end of what has turned into a brutal string of road games for Iowa State.

The Cyclones (7-4, 4-3 Big 12) soared all the way to No. 9 in the national rankings before losing to then-No. 2 Oklahoma 49-3 on Oct. 19. Texas defeated the Cyclones the following week, and Kansas State embarrassed them 58-7 last Saturday, ending Iowa State’s eight-week stretch in the polls.

ISU head coach Dan McCarney said his team is out to change that trend in this game.

“We’re hoping to really channel the frustration of Saturday’s game and turn it into a positive and finish as strong as we can,” McCarney said. “We don’t like being a punching bag in the Big 12. Those are the old days.”

Colorado (7-3, 5-1) has been doing its share of punching this season, rattling off five straight wins before falling to Oklahoma two weeks ago. The Buffaloes beat Missouri 42-35 in overtime last weekend.

Colorado can clinch the Big 12 North Division title for the second year running with a win over Iowa State or Nebraska on Nov. 29.

The Cyclones still have an outside shot at the winning the division, but would need to have Colorado and Kansas State lose both of its remaining games.

Although that is an unlikely scenario, McCarney pointed out that there are other goals his team can still reach, including the 10-win plateau.

No Iowa State team has ever won 10 games in a season, something the 2002 squad could accomplish with two wins to close out the regular season and a victory in its bowl game.

But first, the Cyclones must deal with Colorado.

McCarney and several ISU players characterized the Buffaloes in three words earlier this week: Big and physical.

Chris Brown, Colorado’s star tailback, definitely fits the mold. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound junior is the nation’s leading rusher, averaging 161 yards per game. He has 17 rushing touchdowns and gets 6.47 yards per carry.

“Brown just keeps on coming at you. He wears you out and he makes a lot of guys miss,” McCarney said. “He’s passed out a lot of stingers in the Big 12, where those guys come off the field and their arm looks limp and they don’t feel very good and they lose some feeling. It’s because he is so physical running the football.”

“It seems like he gets a lot of yards after contact,” defensive lineman Jordan Carstens said. “He’s not afraid to hit you and he’s a great north and south guy.”

But Colorado head coach Gary Barnett said Brown will be challenged by Iowa State’s defense. He ranks Iowa State’s starting linebackers — Jeremy Loyd, Matt Word and Brandon Brown — among the best in the Big 12.

“Their three linebackers I compare to Oklahoma’s three,” Barnett said. “They are just as active and just as strong; really, the strength of their team.

“I think they are a [typical] Big 12 defense. They are really impressive. They tackle well, they’ve got size, speed, and they run [to the ball] well.”

Barnett is also wary of ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace, who has thrown for 2,657 yards and 13 touchdowns this season as he rewrites the ISU recordbooks. But Barnett knows the players on the receiving end of Wallace’s passes can make plays as well.

“[Lane] Danielsen is really, really tough. He catches the ball so well and has done so much for them,” Barnett said. “[Lance] Young has come along really well. He scares me the most. He is a big-play threat.”

Besides attempting to corral Brown, Iowa State will also look to get its ground game back on track. McCarney has been using Michael Wagner, Brian Thompson and Hiawatha Rutland regularly in recent games. The system worked for 177 yards against Missouri two weeks ago, but only netted 71 against Kansas State.

“They’re all good solid backs. I love them and they do a good job, but there’s not an all-Big 12 back there this year,” McCarney said. “We’ll continue to go by committee and whoever does the best job will get the most snaps and the most carries.”