Oct 4, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell talks with an official during the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Iowa State Cyclones Predicted To Play Close Game Against Colorado Buffaloes

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting set for their Week 7 matchup against the Colorado Buffaloes and will be hoping for a bounce-back performance. In Week 6, things did not go according to plan for the Cyclones.

Following their first conference loss of the season, they saw a noticeable drop in the AP Poll and the team has also seen their chances of winning the Big 12 and making the College Football Playoff take a major hit as well.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of games to play, and the team can take a step in the right direction this week. The Buffaloes haven’t been as good in 2025 after losing some of their star players, and Iowa State will be a slight favorite on the road in this one.

Can Cyclones Win?

Game 7

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— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) October 6, 2025

As a favorite to win the game, the expectations would be that they can do it on the road this time. While the loss to Cincinnati wasn’t ideal, the Bearcats are a better team currently than Colorado and they should be able to secure a win.

David Kenyon of Bleacher Report predicted that it would be another tight game for the Cyclones, but that this time they would edge out the Buffaloes by a score of 27-24.

Another Strong Offensive Showing

Checking in at 22

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— Iowa State Football (@CycloneFB) October 5, 2025

Even though a predicted three-point victory isn’t a significant margin of error, it would be a win for Iowa State, and that’s what really matters. Seeing the final score of 27-24 once again indicates another good offensive performance for the Cyclones.

In their last two games, they have been able to score at least 30 points, with the unit really starting to come together. Quarterback Rocco Becht has been playing fantastic this year and him having another good game will be important for the program.

Where the real concern for Iowa State is going to be is on defense. This was a unit that was terrible against the run in Week 6 and is going to have some issues in the secondary for the rest of the campaign as well.

However, the Buffaloes don’t have a great running game which should help benefit the Cyclones’ defense in this one. Even though Colorado might not be running the ball well, the unit has to still shut them down in that area. Overall, a three-point road win would be a good one for Iowa State. This is a team that is still hoping to contend in the Big 12 and they will need to win this game in order to do so.