The New Big 12 Reality
Honestly, nobody saw the 2024 season going the way it did for the Utes. You've got a program that was basically the gold standard for consistency in the Pac-12, then they move to the Big 12 and everything just... breaks. By the time November 23 rolled around, the Utah Utes football vs Iowa State Cyclones football matchup felt more like a survival test than a conference showdown.
Utah was sitting at a miserable 4-7.
Iowa State was 9-2 and smelling a title shot.
The game in Salt Lake City was supposed to be a blowout, right? That is what the "experts" said. But Rice-Eccles Stadium does weird things to people. It’s loud, the air is thin, and Utah fans don't know how to quit even when their season is objectively a disaster. What we got was a 31-28 thriller that basically summarized why we love college football and why Iowa State fans have permanent heart palpitations.
What Most People Get Wrong About the History
If you look at the record books, you’ll see Iowa State leading the series 5-1. People look at that and think, "Wow, the Cyclones have always owned Utah."
That’s not really the whole story.
Most of those games happened in the 1970s. Back then, football was mostly guys running into each other for three yards of dust. The only modern "normal" meeting before the 2024 chaos was in 2010. Utah actually destroyed Iowa State 68-27 in Ames that year. It was a bloodbath.
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So, going into 2024, the "rivalry" was barely a thing. It was just two teams from different worlds that occasionally bumped into each other. But now? Now they are in the same house. The 2024 game changed the vibe. It made it personal.
The 2024 Heartbreaker
Utah's offense was essentially held together by duct tape and prayers in that game. Isaac Wilson, the freshman everyone was watching, went 8-of-8 but got knocked out with an injury. Then comes Luke Bottari—the guy who was literally fifth on the depth chart when the season started.
Imagine that. Fifth.
The kid comes in and starts ripping off 40-yard runs. He’s not a track star, but he’s got heart. Utah actually took a 28-24 lead with less than six minutes left. Micah Bernard punched it in from the one-yard line, and for a second, it felt like the Utes were going to ruin Iowa State’s entire year.
But Matt Campbell’s teams are built different. Carson Hansen—remember that name—bulldozed his way for a 3-yard touchdown with 91 seconds left. Iowa State wins 31-28. Utah misses a 54-yard field goal at the buzzer. Game over. Season effectively over.
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Why the 2025/2026 Shift Matters
If you think the 2024 game was chaotic, look at what happened next. We are now in early 2026, and the landscape is unrecognizable.
Kyle Whittingham is gone.
That still feels weird to type. The man was Utah football. But he’s at Michigan now, and Morgan Scalley has taken the wheel. We saw the "Scalley Effect" immediately in the 2025 season. Utah bounced back hard, finishing strong with a 44-22 win over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Meanwhile, Iowa State is dealing with the typical "Ames Cycle." They had a historic 2024, but 2025 was a bit of a roller coaster. Rocco Becht had some growing pains, throwing a career-high nine interceptions last year. But he’s back for 2026, and honestly, a veteran QB in Matt Campbell’s system is a dangerous thing.
Key Stats to Keep in Your Head
- The Streak: Lander Barton’s pick-six in 2024 kept Utah’s streak alive—21 straight seasons with a defensive TD.
- H2H Total: Iowa State leads the all-time series 5-1, but the point differential is surprisingly close because of that 2010 blowout.
- The Venue: Salt Lake City is where Iowa State’s dreams almost went to die. Keep an eye on the location for future schedules.
What Really Happened with the Coaching Exodus?
When Whittingham left for Ann Arbor, he took half the staff with him. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck? Gone. Jim Harding? Gone. It felt like the program was being gutted.
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Scalley didn't panic. He brought back Chad Bumphis for the receivers and grabbed Kevin McGiven for the offense. By the end of 2025, the Utes were scoring 50+ points on teams like Kansas State. The "tough, defensive-minded Utah" is still there, but they are playing with a faster tempo now.
Iowa State is going through its own staff reshuffle. They’ve been hitting the transfer portal hard, especially looking at guys from Washington State. It’s a weird pipeline, but it seems to be working for them.
Actionable Insights for the Next Matchup
If you’re betting or just trying to look smart at the tailgate when Utah Utes football vs Iowa State Cyclones football pops up on the schedule again, keep these three things in mind:
- Watch the QB Health: Utah has had horrific luck with QB injuries (Rising, Wilson, etc.). If their QB1 is healthy, they are a top-15 team. If not, they are a coin flip.
- The Carson Hansen Factor: He was the engine for Iowa State in 2024 and 2025. In 2026, he’s the veteran leader. If you stop him, you stop the Cyclones.
- Special Teams Matter: Don't forget the blocked punt in the 2024 game. These two teams are so evenly matched physically that the "third phase" usually decides who wins.
The days of these teams being strangers are over. They are now the "Old Guard" of the new Big 12. Every game between them is going to be a fistfight in the trenches.
Keep an eye on the 2026 recruitment classes. Utah is leaning heavily into local defensive talent, while Iowa State is successfully mining the portal for skill players. The contrast in styles is exactly what makes this matchup the one you shouldn't sleep on.
To stay ahead of the curve, you should track the weekly injury reports specifically for the Utes' offensive line, as their performance has been the primary indicator of whether they can sustain drives against Iowa State's 3-3-5 defensive look.