After getting their first conference win of the season - a 45-42 shootout win over the West Virginia Mountaineers at home - Jimmy Rogers and the Iowa State Cyclones (3-2, 1-1) go on the road looking to shake up the conference as they face off against Kalani Sitake and the BYU Cougars (4-0, 2-0) in a Friday night Big 12 showdown in Provo, Utah. 

Here is my score prediction for the matchup. 

Matchup: Iowa State Cyclones at No. 8 BYU Cougars

Scheduled Game Time: Friday, October 9, 2026 at 9:15 PM CT 

Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah

Weather: ~58°F at kickoff, cooling into the low-50s; clear/partly cloudy skies with light winds (~5–10 mph)

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Anish Shroff (Play-by-Play), Andre Ware (Analyst), Morgan Uber (Sideline Reporter)

Radio: SiriusXM Channel 84 / Big 12 Radio 

Student Radio: KURE 88.5 FM (Iowa State Student Radio) / BYU Student Radio (BYUradio) 

This conference matchup looks like it could be a good one, as both teams enter the game with a winning record and Big 12 Championship aspirations. Although the Cougars are favored in this one, the Cyclones have enough talent on both sides of the ball to pull off an upset. This game will ultimately come down to physicality and execution. 

The Cyclones are coming into this game with a defense that has been lacking both. Over the past two weeks, the defense has struggled to tackle ball carriers, giving up 248.0 YPG on the ground. This has led them to give up points, with 36.5 PPG given up. If this trend continues against BYU, look for the offense to have to step up.

The Iowa State offense took a step forward in last week's game against West Virginia. The passing attack finally seemed to have clicked, as Jaylen Raynor threw for a season-high 264 yards and completed 70.4% of his passes and offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl has been great with his play calling. However, matching that success against BYU’s defense will be a tough challenge.

BYU’s defense, led by coordinator Kelly Poppinga, has been great all season, and they know what they want to do, as they want to stop the run and force teams to pass, hoping the opposing quarterback makes a mistake. The Cougars allow only 75.0 yards per game (2.7 YPC), ranking them in the top 15 nationally. This lets them unleash their pass rushers up front and become opportunistic, forcing turnovers in the secondary.

I believe that the Iowa State defense will keep having problems and will put the offense in a tough spot, making them pass the ball, which is exactly what BYU wants. 

The Cyclones keep it close for awhile, but the Cougars are just too strong. 

Prediction: BYU 30, Iowa State 17 

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