There's no question that Saturday's 42-31 loss to Baylor was a frustrating one for Iowa State football. 

The Cyclones weren't necessarily expected to pull off a road triumph in Waco, a place they haven't fared well in recent years, but the expectations were certainly high after last weekend's thrilling victory over Oklahoma State. 

Iowa State opened this game with a quick 10-0 lead, but things really went south after Kyle Konrardy missed a 41-yard field goal and Aiden Flora muffed a punt to lead to Baylor's resurgence. 

So the Cyclones are now 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12, but as we've often said on IowaStateRoundtable.com, progress is being made every week in Ames. No one (even its own fans) expected Iowa State to even come close to sniffing a bowl game in year one of the Jimmy Rogers, but that's what is happening right now. 

Though reaching that elusive six-win plateau will require the Cyclones to win two of their final three games of the regular season - a tough test for a team that hasn't exactly been very consistent in 2026 - but if you really take a glance at this schedule, it's not really crazy to think that Iowa State could win the final three games, especially since two of them come in the comfort of Jack Trice Stadium. 

The remaining schedule is as follows: Cincinnati at home, UCF on the road, and Kansas State at home. There's of course always a chance that the Cyclones drop all three games, but Rogers and Co. really couldn't have asked for more favorable of a final stretch. 

Cincinnati definitely has talent. Its Oct. 24 victory over Texas Tech showed that, but the Bearcats also have to come to Ames on the heels of back-to-back losses against two of the league's best teams in Utah and Houston. This program doesn't seem to be going anywhere under Scott Satterfield, so how much gas does it have left in the tank at this point? 

Then there's UCF. The Knights are on the cusp of a bowl game under Scott Frost after winning two of their last three games. That's probably the toughest game of the three considering the Cyclones have to make the long road trip to Orlando, Florida, but it's still a winnable game. 

The 110th consecutive meeting (that long streak ends next year) between Iowa State and Kansas State always brings out something interesting, but it could be even more intriguing this year if both are vying for a bowl berth. The Wildcats are a mess right now after losing 66-28 at home to Oklahoma State, but you just never know. 

But what we do know right now is that the Cyclones are playing meaningful football in the month of November. Everything is still on the table for this football team. 

Iowa State returns to action next Saturday, Nov. 14 for the penultimate home game of the season against Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 5-4 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 play after narrowly losing to Houston on Saturday. 

Kickoff from Jack Trice Stadium is set for 11 a.m. on TNT.