AMES – Iowa State football will begin the season ranked in the Associated Press’ preseason poll for the third-straight season.
The Cyclones are rated No. 7 in the debut poll of 2021, extending their school-record streak to 14 consecutive weeks as a member of the AP Top-25. It’s the highest ranking by a Cyclone team in the AP poll in school history.
ISU has been a member of the preseason AP Top-25 only four times in school history: 1978 (#20), 2019 (#21), 2020 (#23), 2021 (#7).
This marks the fifth-straight season ISU has appeared in the AP Top-25. The Cyclones ended the 2020 campaign ranked No. 9 in the final AP poll, only the third time in school history ISU ended the season in the poll (1976, 2000) and the first time in the top-10.
Iowa State returns 19 starters from last year’s team that set a school record for league victories (8) and tied a school mark in overall wins (9). The Cyclones appeared in a Big 12 Championship game and played in a New Year’s Six Bowl for the first time in school history, capping off the season with a 34-17 win over No. 25 Oregon in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.
Iowa State opens the 2021 season playing host to UNI on Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. CT.