Quick Summary: Iowa State Faces Last Place in Big 12 Preseason Rankings
- On July 6, the 2026 preseason All-Big 12 team was announced, and Iowa State had zero players selected.
- Iowa State is ranked last among the 16 Big 12 teams in the USA TODAY Sports Network’s 2026 preseason league ranking.
- This marks the first time since 2015 that Iowa State had no preseason All-Big 12 selections.
- The Cyclones’ roster features over 60 new players, contributing to their last-place ranking.
- Despite returning key players, Iowa State is seen as starting over, not reloading.
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In a stark fall from grace, Iowa State finds itself at the bottom of the Big 12 barrel. The Cyclones, once a formidable force, are now grappling with a harsh preseason reality: they have been ranked last among all 16 Big 12 teams for 2026. This comes hot on the heels of an embarrassing shutout from the preseason All-Big 12 team, a first since 2015.
The Cyclones’ offseason has been tumultuous, marked by a massive roster overhaul with over 60 new players. This upheaval, coupled with the departure of longtime coach Matt Campbell, has set the stage for a challenging season under new coach Jimmy Rogers. The media’s consensus is clear: Iowa State is not reloading; it’s starting from scratch.
Historically, Iowa State has been a competitive team, finishing 8-4 last season. However, the current perception is one of skepticism, as the team faces a daunting task of proving itself amidst a sea of new faces. The USA TODAY Sports Network’s ranking, placing Iowa State behind teams like Colorado and West Virginia, underscores the uncertainty surrounding the program.
While the Big 12 has not released its own preseason standings, the USA TODAY ranking serves as a critical barometer of the league’s expectations. It’s a wake-up call for the Cyclones, who must now navigate a challenging schedule and a skeptical media landscape.
With no preseason stars to rally around, Iowa State’s journey will be one of grit and determination. The Cyclones must rise above the noise and prove that they can compete at the highest level, despite the odds stacked against them.
On July 6, the 2026 preseason All-Big 12 team and individual awards were announced as Big 12 media days opened in Frisco, Texas, and Iowa State had zero players selected to the preseason all-conference team. For now, the standout revelation from this week’s reporting is that Iowa State is being treated not as a middle-tier transition team, but as the Big 12’s consensus last-place risk in 2026.
The Register’s reporting called it the first time since 2015 that Iowa State did not have a single preseason All-Big 12 selection. Iowa State’s offseason reset has turned into one of the sharpest perception drops in the Big 12, with the Cyclones now picked 16th out of 16 teams in the USA TODAY Sports Network’s 2026 preseason league ranking just days after they were also shut out of the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Even with 2025 all-conference returners Aiden Flora and Kyle Konrardy back, the Cyclones were omitted entirely from the main preseason team, reinforcing the idea that the conference and media see this roster as starting over, not reloading. On July 6, preseason awards and all-conference selections were released in conjunction with Big 12 media days in Frisco.
15 Colorado, after finishing 8-4 last season and then replacing longtime coach Matt Campbell with Jimmy Rogers. The central tension driving the story is whether this is a rational reaction to upheaval or an overcorrection against a program that still went 8-4 last year.
The reporting is explicit about the scale: “more than 60 new players” are on the roster, and that kind of churn has become the defining argument against Iowa State. The debate now is less about one weak position group than whether any team can absorb a coaching change, a portal-heavy makeover, and a conference schedule without bottoming out in Year 1.
com On July 6, the 2026 preseason All-Big 12 team was announced, and Iowa State had zero players selected. On July 6, the 2026 preseason All-Big 12 team and individual awards were announced as Big 12 media days opened in Frisco, Texas, and Iowa State had zero players selected to the preseason all-conference team.
For now, the standout revelation from this week’s reporting is that Iowa State is being treated not as a middle-tier transition team, but as the Big 12’s consensus last-place risk in 2026. The Cyclones, once a formidable force, are now grappling with a harsh preseason reality: they have been ranked last among all 16 Big 12 teams for 2026.
It’s a wake-up call for the Cyclones, who must now navigate a challenging schedule and a skeptical media landscape. The Cyclones’ roster features over 60 new players, contributing to their last-place ranking.
The scale and speed of this development has caught many observers off guard. Each new update adds another dimension to a story that is still unfolding, and the full picture will only become clear as more verified details emerge from the people and institutions directly involved.
Analysts who have tracked this issue closely say the current moment represents a genuine turning point. The decisions made in the coming weeks are expected to set the direction for months ahead, with ripple effects likely to extend well beyond the immediate actors in the story.
For those directly affected, the practical impact is already visible. People navigating this fast-changing situation are dealing with real consequences while new information continues to reshape what is known and what remains open to interpretation.
Historical parallels offer some context, though experts caution against drawing too close a comparison. Similar situations have played out before, but the specific combination of pressures, personalities, and timing here makes this moment distinct in ways that matter for how it ultimately resolves.
The political and economic dimensions of this story are deeply intertwined. What appears as a single event on the surface is in practice the convergence of multiple pressures that have been building quietly over a longer period than most public reporting has captured.