2021 Iowa State Cyclones football team
The 2021 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cyclones played their home games at the Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa, and competed in the Big 12 Conference. The team was coached by sixth-year head coach Matt Campbell, who received an extension the previous offseason. Iowa State began the season ranked seventh in the AP Poll, the highest preseason ranking ever achieved by the Cyclones. Previous season. The Cyclones finished the 2020 regular season 9–3 and 8–1 in Big 12  play to finish first in the conference. They appeared in the 2020 Big 12 Championship Game for the first time in program history, where they lost to Oklahoma by six points. Iowa State then went on to compete in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, where the Cyclones won against Oregon. The team finished the 2020 season ranked 9 in the AP Poll rankings. A number of starters from the 2020 team returned for the Cyclones, including RB Breece Hall, TE Charlie Kolar, QB Brock Purdy and LB Mike Rose.