I’ll get it out of the way. The 23-22 loss to Texas Tech at home hurts.

This loss single-handedly ended now-No. 17 Iowa State’s hopes and dreams of potentially having an undefeated season. 

While it would’ve been nice to see the Cyclones achieve this feat, it just wasn’t in the cards for the dream to become a reality.

With the slow starts that Iowa State has had for the past couple of weeks, it was bound to bite the Cyclones on the behind and it did with the loss to the Red Raiders.

Multiple missed opportunities on offense, along with a season-high eight penalties, killed any chance that Iowa State had in wanting to keep its immaculate season alive.

Given the Cyclone defense allowed Texas Tech to storm down the field and effectively win the game with the five-yard rushing touchdown from star running back Tahj Brooks, who had himself over 100 yards rushing, it still doesn’t help to see this team crumble the way it did.

Nonetheless, this loss should not end the hopes for Iowa State to still achieve greatness.

While the perfect season is over, the Cyclones still have the capabilities to reach heights the program has never seen before and contend for not just the Big 12 Championship game but for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Don’t get me wrong, the one loss still hurts Iowa State’s chances for those games, especially with the way that No. 9 BYU has played this season and is currently the only undefeated team left in the Big 12.

But the one loss does not tank their chances of making those important games in December. As it currently stands, the Cyclones sit tied for second place in the Big 12 with No. 21 Colorado at a conference record of 4-1.

If the season were to end today, Iowa State would be in the Big 12 Championship game playing against the No. 9 Cougars.

Now, it would most likely require the Cyclones to dethrone BYU for the conference crown to get an automatic spot in the CFP, but an at-large bid would still be considered if they failed to take down the Cougars.

Obviously, the season has not officially gotten to that point yet, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.

To finish off the season, Iowa State travels to Kansas at a neutral site in Kansas City, hosts a Cincinnati team that has shown promise, travels to Utah that has fallen off without quarterback Cameron Rising and finally hosts No. 22 Kansas State in what could be the game of the year.

The Jayhawks have been very underwhelming this season with their 2-6 overall record and 1-4 Big 12 record, so winning that game is very viable, especially with it being at a neutral site.

The Bearcats can be a game very similar to the Texas Tech game, given that Cincinnati has had its ups and downs but has looked solid thus far. This will be a game where the Cyclones will want to jump out early and hold that lead for sure.

As mentioned, the Utes have fallen off a cliff without their starting quarterback in Rising and have to play three ranked teams and a run-heavy UCF team to finish out their season. Needless to say, if Iowa State can play its form of football, it should be able to handle this game with ease.

Finally, we have the Wildcats. Last season, we saw how these two teams battled against each other in a ‘Snowmageddon’ matchup. While the Cyclones took hold of that game to finish off last season, these two teams meet in Ames this time with potential playoff implications involved. 

It will be tough against this Kansas State team, but it has looked vulnerable at times after most recently falling to an underperforming Houston team in Houston.

Now, as Iowa State enters its next matchup with a record of 7-1, they’ll be looking to shake off the loss to the Red Raiders and continue to prove the doubters wrong.

So cheer up Cyclone fans, the season is not over just yet.