GAME DAY: Iowa State vs. South Dakota
The Cyclones will host the South Dakota Coyotes at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, in what marks the first meeting between the two programs since the midway point of the 1959 season. It’s a series that has been dominated by Iowa State, which triumphed 41–6 in the last matchup and has won all nine prior meetings dating back to their first encounter in 1899. This weekend’s game also marks ISU’s home opener following a season-opening win in Ireland over Kansas State. Each program enters the year campaign coming off strong 2024 seasons. Both ended last season at 11‑3 overall, with the Cyclones advancing to the Big 12 Championship Game and later recording a win over #15 Miami (Fla.) in the Pop-Tarts Bowl and Coyotes moving to the FCS semifinals.
ISU, which debuted at 22nd in the first AP poll. opened the 2025 campaign with a huge 24-21 victory over 17th-ranked Kansas State at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic last weekend. It marked the first time since 1973 that the program recorded consecutive wins over top 20 opponents. Iowa State’s Matt Campbell recorded his 100th-career victory as a head coach in Dublin. He’s the third-longest tenured head coach in the conference and has accounted for 46 of the Cyclones’ 90 all-time wins in Big 12 play. On the field last weekend, Iowa State was outgained by a 383-313 margin but still managed to record a fifth victory in six tries in the Farmageddon rivalry. It committed just one penalty (for five yards) during the contest, forced a pair of turnovers and was a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions while turning the Wildcats over on downs three of four times.
Although it’s a time of transition in Vermillion, the Coyotes still enter the 2025 campaign with high hopes after being ranked fourth in the FCS preseason poll. South Dakota elevated defensive coordinator Travis Johansen to head coach in the offseason. USD has rolled to consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time since the mid-80s, but 2024 was its best in program history with the first-ever final four playoff finish. As should be expected in the transfer portal era, and especially during a head coaching change, the Coyotes saw several players either graduate or move on. Johansen and his staff added a top 10 transfer portal class last offseason. USD’s first week depth chart features 14 transfers new to the roster, including seven who will be making their first starts. Let’s begin breaking down of all five phases of Saturday’s matchup.
READ FULL IOWA STATE VS. KANSAS STATE ULTIMATE PREVIEW
