AMES – After the first-ever 10-win season in Iowa State football history, the No. 18 Cyclones have officially clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.
The news came after Iowa State’s 29-21 win over Kansas State and became a reality early Sunday morning after BYU defeated Houston 30-18.
“It was awesome,” Iowa State defensive back Darien Porter said. “A lot of good energy obviously just being able to accomplish what we’ve accomplished so far.”
That means the Cyclones will face No. 16 Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship. The Sun Devils were projected to finish last in the Big 12 in their first season.
Both teams enter 10-2 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12 Conference.
Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell said this achievement was earned.
“We were waiting until the midnight hour to figure out exactly what that’ll look like,” Campbell said. “The reality for this team and this program, and being there a couple of years ago and not having the opportunity to, you fall 31 yards short of finishing the game. It’ll be a great opportunity for our program and obviously for our fanbase to be able to be a part of that with us.”
Like Iowa State and Arizona State, Colorado and BYU finished 7-2 in conference play but were left out due to the tie-breaker system.
The waiting took a while, a few hours after the Cyclones’ game against the Wildcats wrapped up. Scoreboard watching didn’t happen a lot throughout the season, but once Iowa State had won and knew the situation, players began to watch.
Senior wide receiver Jaylin Noel said the first thing he was going to do when he got home was watch the BYU vs. Houston game.
“Head back home with our families, watch the game,” Noel said.
Others said they weren’t going to watch the scoreboard.
“I’ll probably peek at it, but I’ll wait and see what happens,” quarterback Rocco Becht said postgame after the Farmageddon win. “People are going to remember these seniors for a long time because of that 10-win season because it’s never been done. All credit to them.”
This allows Iowa State to play for its first-ever Big 12 Championship and is its first title game appearance since 2020, which is its only appearance before the 2024 season.
For the seniors on the team, the result is something they strived for. Porter was a part of the 2020 team and expressed excitement to go back, though he admitted he is not a scoreboard watcher.
“We will take full advantage of it,” Porter said.
The Big 12 Championship is set for 11 a.m. Saturday from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game will be nationally televised on ABC. The winner will head to the College Football Playoff.
