The Iowa State Cyclones are the program Matt Campbell built from nothing — the 2016 arrival, the 2020 Fiesta Bowl championship (the program's first major bowl win), and the greatest era in school history. The 2020 team (9-3, the Big 12 title-game trip, the Fiesta rout of Oregon) proved the Cyclones could play with anyone.
The Jack Trice legacy is the soul: the 1923 tragedy, the stadium named for the first Black athlete to die from football injuries, and the program's commitment to his memory. The Cy-Hawk against Iowa is the state's war — the 2024 upset, the annual battle for Iowa. The 2011 Oklahoma State upset (the overtime shocker) is the program's signature win.
Jack Trice Stadium's hillsides, the cardinal and gold, the student section's roar: Ames on a Saturday is the Big 12's most underrated atmosphere. The Cyclones' NFL pipeline (Breece Hall, the tight ends) is real.
The Campbell Iowa State (2016-present) are the Big 12's model of overachievement: the 2024 11-3 season (the Big 12 title game, the Pop-Tarts Bowl win — the program's first 11-win season) — the Becht quarterback's growth, the the culture — was the breakthrough. The 2020 9-3 season (the Fiesta Bowl win) was the old peak; the 2024 season the new heritage. Jack Trice Stadium's Ames crowd brings the 2024 memory: the 61,000-strong, the 2024 roar, the belief that Iowa State football matters. The Big 12 wars define the fall. What Iowa State are now is a program arrived — the Campbell culture the foundation, the 2024 11-win season the proof, and the 2020 standard the goal. In Ames, the 2024 season is the new heritage, and the Cyclones' era has just begun.
The 2000 9-3 season (the Insight Bowl win, the program's arrival) is the founding lore. The 2020 Fiesta Bowl win (the program's only major bowl) is the heritage. In Ames, the 2024 11-win season the new standard. The 2024 11-3 season (the Big 12 title game) is the new heritage. The 2025 season (the sustained success) is the present. The 2025 Campbell era (the Big 12 race) is the present tense.
What defines Iowa State is the rise: the Campbell era, the Fiesta Bowl, and a program that went from doormat to contender. In Ames, the Cyclones are the state's other team — and the cardinal is rising.
