Cyclones ranked No. 8 in preseason coaches poll

Jan 2, 2021; Glendale, AZ, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell is dunked with Gatorade by his players in the second half of the Fiesta Bowl against the Oregon Ducks at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Coaches across the country officially consider the Iowa State Cyclones to be a top-10 team in the preseason.

Iowa State came in at No. 8 in the first USA Today Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. It is the highest preseason ranking in the program’s history, and its first time ever appearing in the preseason top-10 of a major poll.

This is Iowa State’s third straight appearance in the Coaches Poll’s preseason ranking, having come in at No. 21 in 2019 and No. 23 prior to last year. The Cyclones finished the season ranked No. 9 in the poll last year after finishing the year 9-3 overall and winning the program’s first New Year’s Six bowl game, a 34-17 thumping of Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.

Defending national champion Alabama unsurprisingly sits atop the poll, followed by Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Georgia to round out the top-five. Texas A&M, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Cincinnati make up the rest of the top-10.

Cyclone opponents Iowa (No. 18), Texas (No. 19) and Oklahoma State (No. 22) also appear in the initial rankings while TCU and West Virginia each received votes.

Iowa State will open its season on Sept. 4 against Northern Iowa in a 3:30 p.m. kick at Jack Trice Stadium.