Iowa State enters 2026 with a new coach, a new quarterback, and basically a new roster — and its final non-conference tune-up comes against a Bowling Green team that just missed a bowl by two wins in Eddie George's debut season.
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Best BetIowa State
Iowa State is starting over at basically every position, but a Power 4 roster that just added transfer difference-makers up front should still hold a class advantage over a Bowling Green team that finished 4-8 and missed a bowl last fall. Back the Cyclones to win outright at home, with the caveat that the price probably isn't cheap given how lopsided the resource gap looks on paper.
Bowling Green
+Coach entering year 2 with system continuity
+Showed real fight rallying past Toledo from 21 down
−Finished 4-8, missed bowl eligibility in 2025
−Clear talent and depth gap vs a Power 4 roster
Iowa State
+Transfer reinforcements up front (Lamb, Terrell) already ahead in new scheme
+Home crowd, final tune-up before Big 12 grind begins
−Zero returning starters after Campbell's exodus to Penn State
−Star transfer safety Braden Awls out for the year (ACL)
Matt Campbell's departure for Penn State gutted the Cyclones roster: 55 players hit the transfer portal, 24 of them followed him to Happy Valley, and that group included Rocco Becht, the guy who was supposed to be running Iowa State's offense this fall. Jimmy Rogers walked in from Washington State with zero returning starters on either side of the ball, which makes this Saturday, September 19 date one of the stranger season-defining games in program history — it's the Cyclones' last look at themselves before Big 12 play actually starts.
Rogers is flipping the defense from Campbell's old 3-4 to a four-man front, and the Washington State transfers he brought with him — defensive tackle Bryson Lamb and edge rusher Isaac Terrell, who had 7 sacks last season — are supposed to be the head start on learning it. The bigger loss is in the secondary: Toledo transfer Braden Awls, who led the MAC with 5 interceptions a year ago and was ticketed to anchor the back end, tore his ACL in spring practice and is done for the year before he ever suits up for Iowa State.
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BGSU Bowling Green
ISU Iowa State
Bowling Green, meanwhile, is the more stable program walking into this one, if you can believe that. Eddie George's first season ended 4-8 and 2-6 in the MAC — no bowl game — but the Falcons showed some fight, rallying from 21-0 down to beat Toledo in the Battle of I-75. That's a program with a returning system and a coach entering year two, squaring off against a Power 4 team that's rebuilding from scratch. It won't be enough to make Bowling Green a real threat at Jack Trice Stadium, but it's a MAC team catching Iowa State at its most vulnerable.
Bowling Green Falcons
Sep 12?@ Nebraska—
Sep 5?vs Tarleton State—
Iowa State Cyclones
Sep 12?@ Iowa—
Sep 5?vs Southeast Missouri State—
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The scoreboard matters less here than what Rogers actually learns. Whoever wins the Cyclones' quarterback battle needs game reps against real defensive pressure before Big 12 opponents start teeing off, and a MAC opponent that's beatable but not overmatched is about as safe a proving ground as the schedule offers. Lose this one ugly, though, and the outside win-total projections in the 3-to-6 range start looking generous rather than pessimistic.
Bowling Green Falcons
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Iowa State Cyclones
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Bowling Green doesn't have marquee juice, and a trip to Ames against a Power 4 defense that just added real transfer talent up front is a tough spot on paper. But after finishing two wins short of bowl eligibility, the Falcons need a signature road result to change the conversation around George's second year — and Iowa State's own dysfunction is about the best chance they'll get.
