Iowa State

Football first made its way onto the Iowa State campus in 1878 as a recreational sport, but it wasn't until 1892 that an organized group of athletes first represented Iowa State in football. In 1894, college president William M. Beardshear spearheaded the foundation of an athletic association to officially sanction Iowa State football teams. The 1894 team finished with a 6–1 mark, including a 16–8 victory over what is now the University of Iowa.

One of the pioneers of football, Pop Warner, spent time at Iowa State early in his career. In 1895 despite already being the coach at Georgia he was offered $25 per week to come to Iowa State, whose season started in mid-August while Georgia's started a month later, as well as to provide weekly advice during the rest of the season. Soon after Warner left for Georgia, Iowa State had its first game of the season. Iowa State came into Evanston as the underdog Iowa State then defeated Northwestern 36–0. A Chicago sportswriter called the team "cornfed giants from Iowa" while the Chicago Tribune's headline read, "Struck by a Cyclone". Since then, Iowa State teams have been known as the Cyclones. Overall, the team had three wins and three losses and, like Georgia, Iowa State retained Warner for the next season. In 1896 the team had eight wins and two losses. Despite leaving Cornell in 1898, Warner remained as the head coach of Iowa State for another year. During his last three years at Iowa State the team had a winning season but Warner was unable to match his 1896 triumph. After playing at Iowa and then serving as an assistant coach for two years, Clyde Williams came to Ames as an assistant coach for ISU. Williams served as the Cyclones' head football coach for six seasons from 1907 to 1912. During that time, he had a coaching record of 32–15–2. This ranks him fifth at Iowa State in total wins and fourth at Iowa State in winning percentage. In addition, he led Iowa State to two Missouri Valley Conference football titles in 1911 and 1912, which are the only two conference football championships in school history. In addition to his football contributions Williams was the school's first men's basketball coach from 1908 to 1911, where he compiled a 20–29 record. He also served as Iowa State's baseball coach, and was their athletic director from 1914 to 1919. In 1914 Iowa State completed construction of their new football field and it was named Clyde Williams Field in honor of the former coach. Williams was inducted into the State of Iowa Hall of Fame in 1956. He is also one of the few people inducted into both the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame (inducted 1993) and the Iowa State athletics Hall of Fame (inducted 1997). The success Iowa State found in the inception of their football program was not replicated for most of the mid-20th century. In 1922 after having two different head coaches in as many years, ISU hired up-and-comer Sam Willaman away from East Technical HS in Cleveland, OH. When Willaman came to Iowa state, he brought with him six of his former East Tech players, including Jack Trice. Trice was the first African-American player at Iowa State, and one of the first African-Americans to play football in the Midwest. Trice suffered a severe malicious injury during a game at Minnesota in 1923, and died from complications. In 1997, Iowa State's Cyclone Stadium was renamed Jack Trice Stadium in his honor, becoming the first and as of 2020, the only, major college football stadium to be named for a black man. In his first season, Willaman's team finished with a 2–6 record, but posted a winning record in each of the three years that followed. His career coaching record at Iowa state was 14–15–3. This ranks him 16th in total wins and 13th in winning percentage in Iowa State football history.

In February 1931, George F. Veenker accepted an offer to become the head football coach for Iowa State. Under Veenker, Iowa State experienced a brief period of success. When Veenker joined Iowa State, the team was coming off a winless season in 1930 and had lost 16 consecutive games dating back to October 1929. In his first year, the 1931 team defeated Missouri 20–0, Oklahoma 13–12, and Kansas State 7–6, compiling a 5–3 record and finishing in second place in the Big Six Conference. In November 1931, the Ames Daily Tribune-Times called Veenker "a veritable miracle man of football" for taking a school where "Cyclone football morale couldn't have been lower" and turning the program around in his first season. The highlight of Veenker's career as Iowa State's football coach was a 31–6 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in 1934. The game was the last meeting between the two schools until 1977. Veenker resigned in 1936, leaving an overall record of 21–22–8. Shortly after Veenker's death in 1959, the university-owned golf course was renamed Veenker Memorial Golf Course in his honor. During the 1938 season, James J. Yeager was in his second year as head coach. Despite going 3–6 in 1937, the Cyclones would go on to a then-best record of 7–1–1. The team was led by outstanding senior guard, Ed Bock. At the conclusion of the season Bock became the first consensus first-team All-American in Iowa State history. Bock was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970. In 1942, Iowa State hired former Green Bay Packers All-Pro guard and three-time NFL champion Mike Michalske to be the new head coach. Michalske achieved moderate success in his five seasons at Iowa State, finishing with an 18–18 record. Abe Stuber took over as the Cyclones head coach in 1947 and coached the team until 1953, compiling a record of 24–38–3. Vince DiFrancesca was the 21st head coach at Iowa State, leading the team to a record of 6–21–1 from 1954 to 1956. Oregon State assistant coach Clay Stapleton was the head football coach at Iowa State for ten seasons. He is known mainly for his 1959 team the "Dirty Thirty". The Cyclones' struggles continued under his tutelage. Seven-win campaigns in 1959 and 1960 were the only winning seasons of his tenure. Stapleton was relieved of his duties following the 1967 season.

In 1968, in an attempt to turn the team around, Iowa State hired former standout Tennessee running back and up-and-coming Arkansas assistant Johnny Majors as the 24th head coach in program history. The rebuilding process got off to a slow start as the Cyclones finished 3–7 in his first two seasons. In 1970 the process started moving forward, and the team finished tied for 6th in the Big Eight with a record of 5–6. The 1971 team was picked to finish last in the Big Eight, but overcame odds to finish 4–3 in the conference and 8–3 in the regular season. The only teams they lost to in the conference, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado, ended up first, second, and third in the final rankings. The team was led by junior running back George Amundson, who Majors called "the finest athlete I have coached in any job I have had." Iowa State had one defensive all-conference pick, LB Keith Schroeder. Amundson rushed for 1,260 yards, including a school-record 15 touchdowns. End Keith Krepfle had 40 receptions for 570 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Dean Carlson threw for a school-record 1,867 yards. These efforts were enough to earn a bid to the 1971 Sun Bowl, the first bowl game in program history. Iowa State was slated to play against LSU on December 18, 1971. Iowa State was outmatched by LSU and future NFL quarterback Bert Jones, falling to the Tigers, 33–15. LSU was ranked 11 after the bowls, but Iowa State was left out of the top 20.

In 1972, Iowa State saw the loss of five starters and the move of George Amundson from running back to quarterback to replace Dean Carlson. The Cyclones lost linebacker Matt Blair to a pre-season injury, which forced him into a medical redshirt. The Cyclones tied Nebraska 23–23 on a missed extra point by Iowa State's Tom Goedjen. Three players went on to be named to the first team All-Big Eight team as well be honored as All-Americans, offensive lineman Geary Murdoch, defensive end Merv Krakau and quarterback George Amundson. Amundson was named Big Eight player of the year over Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Rodgers. It was in this year that Iowa State became known as D-Tackle U, similar to Penn State's moniker "Linebacker U". Iowa State's 5–5–1 regular season record was enough to earn them an invitation to the 1972 Liberty Bowl against Georgia Tech. Despite outstanding play, Iowa State lost 31–30 on a failed late-game two-point conversion attempt by George Amundson. At the conclusion of the 1972 season, Majors announced his departure from Iowa State to take the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.

In order to continue the success experienced under Johnny Majors Iowa State hired Earle Bruce out of Tampa. With newfound excitement around ISU football, the university broke ground on a new $7.6 million stadium that would eventually become Jack Trice Stadium. Despite future Minnesota Vikings star linebacker Matt Blair being a first team All-American, the Cyclones struggled to a 4–7 finish in Bruce's inaugural 1973 season. Over the next two seasons the Cyclones experienced moderate success but both seasons ended again with 4–7 records. However, Bruce's fourth team blossomed as one of the best teams in school history. En route to their 8–3 final record, the Cyclones scored wins against No. 7 Missouri and No. 9 Nebraska. In spite of the Cyclones' finishing the 1976 season ranked No. 19 in the AP Poll, Iowa State was ultimately snubbed by the bowls. Even so, Bruce was selected as Big Eight Coach of the Year. Iowa State followed up their strong 1976 campaign with another eight-win season in 1977. The Cyclones beat No. 9 Nebraska for the second time in a row and were ranked as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll at one point. Their 5–2 conference record and 8–4 overall record were good enough for a bid to the 1977 Peach Bowl against North Carolina State. Ultimately Iowa State lost the game 14–24. The Cyclones returned 14 starters from the 1977 Peach Bowl team including Heisman Trophy candidate, Dexter Green and Outland Trophy hopeful, Mike Stensrud. Iowa State's post season hopes came down to their last game against Colorado which was nationally televised. The game was close throughout, with ISU clinging to a 17–10 halftime lead. The second half was a defensive battle, but the ISU defense came up with big plays down the stretch. Mike Stensrud had 16 stops and caused a fumble to help ISU preserve a 20–16 win over the Buffaloes. The win earned ISU a bid to the 1978 Hall of Fame Classic against Texas A&M. Iowa State opened the game with two touchdowns, but was unable to convert the extra point on either attempt. The Cyclones were not able to contain future first round NFL draft pick Curtis Dickey, who rushed for 278 yards and a touchdown, and Iowa State lost 28–12. At the conclusion of the 1978 season, Bruce announced he would leave Iowa State to take the head coaching job at Ohio State.

In order to continue the success found under Earle Bruce, Iowa State hired Oklahoma assistant Donnie Duncan as its 26th head football coach. He held the position for four seasons, from 1979 until 1982. His 1980 and 1981 Cyclones squads both made appearances in the national rankings. The 1981 Cyclones began the season at 5–1–1 and rose to No. 11 in the AP Poll. Led by future NFL players Dwayne Crutchfield, Dan Johnson, Karl Nelson and Chris Washington, the Cyclones tied No. 5 Oklahoma 7–7 and downed No. 8 Missouri 34–13. However, the success was short lived, and Duncan resigned with a career record of 18–24–2 after the 1982 season.

Following the 1982 season Iowa State hired Jim Criner, who had won the 1980 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship as the head coach at Boise State. During Criner's tenure the Cyclones experienced mild success, however they were embroiled in controversy, with multiple players arrested on different charges as well as several NCAA allegations of wrongdoings. The allegations included coaches giving players cash as well as giving recruits rides and meals. Criner's rough tenure came to an end November 12, 1986, when the school announced his firing. Criner's final career record at Iowa State was 17–25–2.

Jim Walden succeeded Jim Criner at Iowa State, where he compiled a 28–57–3 over eight seasons. ISU had been hit with scholarship reductions by the NCAA, both because of infractions by the previous coach, and an overall reduction in scholarships for Division I-A for the 1988 season. In his first four years as Iowa State's head coach, he had just 57, 61, 63, and 67 scholarship players. Walden had only 47 scholarship players on the squad that he took to Lincoln to play Nebraska on October 28, 1989, and they lost 17–49. Walden was the last Iowa State coach to defeat Oklahoma, until Matt Campbell, which they did on October 20, 1990. Oklahoma was ranked 16th in the nation at the time. They had narrowly missed an upset the year before, losing in Ames 40–43. Walden's best record with the Cyclones was 6–5 in 1989. After the 1989 season, Walden was offered the head coaching job at the University of Arizona, but he declined, citing a number of people at Iowa State telling him it would be "devastating" if he left. In retrospect, Walden said he was "too dumb" to leave.

Walden's teams were plagued with injuries, especially at quarterback. In 1991, third-string quarterback Kevin Caldwell, who had begun the season as a tailback, started the final five games under center for the Cyclones. Walden played four different quarterbacks in a 41–0 loss to Kansas in 1991. In 1992, Walden installed the triple-option offense and had mixed results. Iowa State lost to in-state rivals Iowa and UNI early in the 1992 season. The loss to UNI was Walden's first to a Division I-AA school. It was also UNI's first victory over the Cyclones since 1900. Iowa State bounced back to shock the seventh-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers at home on November 14, 1992. The victory was even more improbable as Walden's third-string quarterback, Marv Seiler, would make his first career start. Walden's 1993 squad went 3–8, but with an upset of 18th ranked Kansas State. Walden ended the 1993 campaign with a walk-on quarterback, Jeff St. Clair.

In the spring of 1994, Walden recruited running back Troy Davis out of Miami, Florida. Davis later had consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons, but not until after Walden's departure. After starting the 1994 campaign 0–2, many fans began to criticize Walden's coaching ability. He began his weekly press conference by handing out the records of Dennis Erickson, Johnny Majors, and Earle Bruce while they were at Washington State and Iowa State. He then handed out Iowa State's overall record in football since fielding its first team in 1892, which, at the time, was 423–461–45, a .480 percentage, and compared his record to that one. Walden claimed that he was as good a coach or better than Erickson, Majors, and Bruce. On Thursday, November 3, 1994, after starting the season 0–7–1, Walden informed his team that he would resign at season's end. He was allowed to coach his final three games by the university, but was banned from coaching his last game at Colorado because of criticizing the officials after the Kansas State game. Kansas State's Nyle Wiren had body-slammed Walden's quarterback Todd Doxzon into the turf head first. No penalty was called and Walden, with nothing to lose, went off on the officiating after the game: "I've kept quiet too long, but since I'm leaving there's nothing they can do about me. I think the refereeing in this league is atrocious ... What do you do with bad officials? Do they get fired? You fire bad players and bad coaches. Bad officials get a raise and go fishing." Walden coached his final game on November 12 against Nebraska in Ames. Iowa State had an 0–8–1 record and Nebraska was undefeated, with a No. 1 ranking. Unbelievably, Walden's Cyclones hung with the Huskers. At the end of the third quarter, Nebraska led by only two points, 14–12. The final quarter proved to be too much for Walden's team, and Nebraska won the game 28–12. The Cyclones finished with a winless 0–10–1 record in Walden's final 1994 season. Walden ranks sixth at Iowa State in total wins and 22nd in winning percentage.

To turn the program around Iowa State hired Wisconsin defensive coordinator, Dan McCarney. The lone bright spot that McCarney inherited was sophomore running back phenom Troy Davis. Davis would go on to break nearly every Iowa State rushing and touchdown record, most that still stand. Davis twice earned unanimous All-American honors, and became the first NCAA Division I-A running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, a feat that has yet to be repeated. Davis finished 5th and 2nd in Heisman voting in his 1995 and 1996 campaigns respectively. McCarney would go 10–34 in his first four seasons as the Cyclones head coach. In McCarney's sixth season, the Cyclones were finally able to put together a competitive team. The 2000 Cyclones were quarterbacked by Sage Rosenfels. Sage is among many former Cyclones from the 2000 team to make it to the NFL. Others were J. J. Moses, Reggie Hayward, Ennis Haywood, Tony Yelk, Mike Banks, Jordan Carstens, Tyson Smith and James Reed. Despite Iowa State being picked by the media to finish 5th in the Big 12 North Division, the Cyclones finished with a 5–3 conference record and a 9–3 overall record. ISU finished the season ranked No. 25 and their nine wins were the program's best total since 1906. The Cyclones were then invited to play in the Insight.com Bowl against Pittsburgh, Iowa State's first appearance in a bowl game since the 1978 Peach Bowl. Iowa State was able to beat the Panthers 37–29, earning their first bowl victory in program history. In an interesting side note, Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator in this game, Paul Rhoads, would eventually become the 31st Iowa State head coach.

The 2001 season saw the emergence of JUCO transfer Seneca Wallace and star wide receiver Lane Danielson. The dynamic duo led the Cyclones to a last-second win over Iowa, a 7–5 overall record, and an invitation to the Independence Bowl against Alabama, their second consecutive bowl game. The Cyclones just missed a 47-yard field goal attempt with 0:46 remaining in the fourth, which would have given State the lead and potential victory. The Cyclones lost the game 13–14. Subsequent to the game there was some question about whether or not the field goal was actually good, as it sailed directly over one of the uprights. Seneca Wallace would lead the Cyclones to a 6–1 start in 2002, including a near-win against the Florida State Seminoles in the Eddie Robinson Classic at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Wallace dove towards the goal line at the last second but was ruled out shy of the end zone. During a later home game versus Texas Tech, Wallace scored on a 12-yard touchdown by running an estimated 120 yards backwards, forwards, and sideways on the field. Wallace dodged tackles and received numerous blocks from his teammates, including one devastating block by running back Michael Wagner. The play briefly catapulted Wallace into Heisman Trophy contention and was recognized by ESPN as the "Play of the Week." It has since been recognized as one of the great plays in college football history. The play is known among Iowa State fans simply as "The Run." Ultimately their 7–7 record was enough to receive a bid to the Humanitarian Bowl against Boise State on the Broncos' blue home field where they were defeated, 16–34.

The 2004 season would be much more successful than the disappointing 2–10 2003 campaign for the Cyclones. Redshirt freshman Bret Meyer took over the quarterback spot and paired up with fellow redshirt freshman receiver Todd Blythe to make a lethal combination. The season got off to a slow start with a 2–4 overall record and a 0–3 record in the conference. McCarney turned the season around by winning the next four games in a row. The Cyclones had a chance to win the Big 12 North title but fell short after a Missouri defender intercepted a pass intended for Jon Davis in the end zone. The Cyclones would go on to play the Miami RedHawks in the 2004 Independence Bowl. In the Independence Bowl, Iowa State prevailed for a 17–13 win as Meyer rolled up 236 yards of total offense. Meyer and Stevie Hicks each rushed for over 100 yards, an Independence Bowl first. All-Big 12 cornerback Ellis Hobbs iced the win with a 41-yard interception return in the game's final minute, and the Cyclones held on to win 17–13. The Cyclones continued their success under McCarney in the 2005 season. High points during the season include a blowout win against No. 8 Iowa and a home victory over No. 22 Colorado. They missed out yet again on the Big 12 title when they lost in overtime to Kansas after a missed field goal by Bret Culbertson. They led the game in the 4th quarter but allowed Kansas to come back. The Cyclones earned a berth in the 2005 Houston Bowl, but lost 24–27 to the TCU Horned Frogs. TCU opened the game with back-to-back first quarter rushing touchdowns. The Cyclones responded with two Bret Meyer touchdown passes and forced a TCU safety. Late in the fourth quarter the game was tied at 24–24 but the Cyclones ultimately suffered yet another bowl loss on a fourth-quarter field goal. McCarney stepped down as head coach after a 4–8 2006 season, and finished his Iowa State head-coaching career as the program's winningest head coach with a 56–85 all-time record.

To replace Dan McCarney, Iowa State hired much-touted Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik. The Cyclones wore 1977 throwback jerseys for the 2007 contest against Iowa and re-introduced gold pants as a standard part of their uniform. It marked the 30th anniversary since the resumption of the Cy-Hawk rivalry as well as the 30th anniversary of the 1977 Iowa State Peach Bowl team. They finished the season 3–9, including a 15–13 win over Iowa, and back-to-back wins against Kansas State and Colorado. All three wins were upsets. In 2008, Iowa State opened with two wins against weaker non-conference foes, before losing their next 10 games to finish the season 2–10. Chizik left the Cyclones suddenly after the season to become the head football coach at Auburn amid great acrimony.

Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads was introduced as the 31st head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones on December 20, 2008. Rhoads had previously spent time at Iowa State as an assistant coach in the late 1990s and was raised only 20 miles from Ames in Ankeny. His father, Cecil, was one of the winningest coaches in Iowa high school history, coaching for more than three decades and has been inducted into the Iowa High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. Rhoads' contract was reported to be a 5-year deal worth $5.75 million plus incentives. To round out his coaching staff, Rhoads hired up-and-coming offensive coordinator out of Rice, Tom Herman and veteran defensive coordinator Wally Burnham.

Rhoads opened his ISU career with a win over FCS North Dakota State. He then led Iowa State to a victory at Kent State first year, ending a 17-game Cyclones road losing streak. In October 2009 the Cyclones defeated Baylor to end an 11-game losing stretch against conference opponents, and then went on to defeat Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time since 1977. Their 6–6 record was enough to earn them an invitation to the Insight.com Bowl against Minnesota. Rhoads would win his first bowl game in his inaugural year as coach at Iowa State, beating the Golden Gophers 14–13. The lone highlight of the 2010 season was the first ever win at Texas in school history, upsetting the 22nd-ranked Longhorns 28–21. The Cyclones would finish the season 3–5 in the Big 12 and 5–7 overall.

In 2011 Iowa State started off the season 3–0 including a triple-overtime win over Iowa in Ames, and a win over Connecticut in East Hartford. The Cyclones would drop the next four games, starting out 0–4 in conference play, but they quickly bounced back with a 41–7 win on October 29 at No. 19 Texas Tech. In that game, Iowa State managed to rack up 512 total yards, the most since the Nov 22, 2008 game at Kansas State. Several other school records were broken, including first-ever win in Lubbock, largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent, and most points scored against a ranked opponent since November 9, 1996. On November 18, Iowa State faced off against undefeated No. 2 Oklahoma State led by Heisman frontrunner Brandon Weeden and two time Biletnikoff winner Justin Blackmon in Ames. Down 24–7 early in the second half, Iowa State came back with 17 unanswered points to force overtime. In overtime, Iowa State scored on its first play from scrimmage, but Oklahoma State answered back with their own touchdown. In the second overtime, Iowa State forced an interception and ran three Jeff Woody dives in a row to beat Oklahoma State 37–31, smashing Oklahoma State's chances of playing for a national championship and Brandon Weeden's Heisman shot. Iowa State became bowl eligible with the win and improved to 6–4. The win over Oklahoma State marked Iowa State's first ever win against an opponent in the top 6 (AP polls). The Cyclones finished the season 6–6 and would receive an invitation to face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the Pinstripe Bowl, which they went on to lose, 27–13.

The Cyclones opened the 2012 season 3–0 including a 9–6 win at Iowa for the first time in 10 years. The other major highlight of the season was ending TCU's then-longest winning streak in college football by upsetting the No. 15 ranked Horned Frogs in Fort Worth 37–23. The 2012 season ended 6–7 and a berth in that year's Liberty Bowl against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Iowa State opened the game strong but they ultimately lost 31–17. While things appeared to be moving in a positive direction for the Cyclones, Rhoads' future teams were unable to continue the success of his earlier teams. In his final three seasons, the Cyclones won just four Big 12 games (including a winless conference record in 2014) and went 8–27 overall. The 2015 season proved to be particularly difficult, as the Cyclones held double-digit halftime leads against both Oklahoma State and Kansas State only to lose both games late in the fourth quarter. Following a 38–35 loss to Kansas State on November 21, in which he came under heavy criticism for play-calling in the game's final 90 seconds, Rhoads was fired as head coach, effective at the conclusion of the season.

Matt Campbell, who had been the head coach at the University of Toledo, was named head coach at Iowa State on November 29, 2015. Campbell signed a six-year contract worth $2 million his first year. Campbell finished his first season as a Cyclone with a record of 3–9. Despite the disappointing record there were several high points during the season that showed progress including several near upsets and a blowout win over Texas Tech. The 66–10 rout of the Red Raiders included breaking several school records including points scored in a conference game.

In Campbell's second season, the Cyclones experienced greater on-field success. After opening the season 2–2, the Cyclones upset the eventual conference champions the No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. This was Iowa State's first win in Norman since 1990 and only their sixth win against Oklahoma all-time. They followed up the Oklahoma win by going undefeated in the month of October, including a win over No. 4 TCU. During the season the Cyclones were ranked as high as No. 14 in the AP Poll. Finishing the regular season 7–5 and fourth in the Big 12, Iowa State was invited to the Liberty Bowl where they defeated No. 20 Memphis 21–20, their first bowl victory in eight years. Campbell agreed to a six-year, $22.5 million extension with the school on November 27, 2017. On November 30, 2017, Campbell was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year. In the 2018 season, the Cyclones had a disappointing 1–3 start. However, coach Campbell lead the Cyclones to a regular season record of 8–4, including 6 Big 12 conference wins, and a win over No. 6 West Virginia. The Cyclones were invited to the Alamo Bowl, where they lost 28–26 to Washington State. On December 3, 2019, Campbell and Iowa State agreed to a contract extension through 2025.

Featuring Quarterback Brock Purdy, and All-American Running Back Breece Hall, the 2020 season was one of the most successful seasons in Cyclones history. Despite losing their season opener to the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns from the Sun Belt Conference, they recovered quickly and defeated No. 18 Oklahoma two weeks later in Ames. Two weeks later, the No. 17 Cyclones lost to No. 6 Oklahoma State 21–24 in Stillwater. This would be their only conference loss for the season, as they went on to win the rest of their regular season games and clinched a spot in their first-ever Big 12 Championship Game, a rematch with No. 10 Oklahoma. At the time of the Big 12 Championship Game, the Cyclones were ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, their highest CFP ranking ever. Although the Cyclones lost this game 21–27, they were invited to the Fiesta Bowl, where they defeated the No. 25 Oregon Ducks 34–17 in their first-ever New Year's Six bowl game. After the season ended, the Cyclones finished ranked No. 9 in both the AP and Coaches Poll, their highest final ranking ever. On February 8, 2021, Campbell and Iowa State agreed to a contract extension through 2028.

In 2023, the Cyclones team became embroiled in an illegal sports-betting scandal. Both defensive lineman Isaiah Lee and the Cyclones’ leading rusher for the 2022 season Jirehl Brock were charged following an investigation into illegal sports betting, and they subsequently left the team. Three other players charged in the investigation were quarterback Hunter Dekkers, offensive lineman Jacob Remsburg and tight end DeShawn Hanika all of which remained on the team roster, with Remsburg being the only to play again for the Cyclones.