Iowa State (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) at No. 25 Arizona (5-1, 2-1 Big 12). Saturday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. MST), Tucson, ESPN2.
Your hosts are Inez Paloverde, an Arizona fan and desert-sunrise optimist who will defend this team to the last saguaro, and Twyla Hemmingsen, an Iowa State fan who forecasts every Saturday from her kitchen "weather center."
Twyla: Cyclone warning in effect for Tucson, Inez! Strong winds from the north on Saturday.
Inez: Bear down, friend! In the desert, the forecast is always sunny, and this week it's red.
Players to watch
Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita has completed 140 of 191 passes for 1,756 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. Receiver Isaiah Mizell has 19 catches for 359 yards and four touchdowns. Running back Kedrick Reescano has 262 yards and four scores. Linebacker Chase Kennedy has four sacks. Taye Brown leads the team in tackles.
Iowa State running back Aiden Flora has 680 yards and six touchdowns on 90 carries. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor has 1,001 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Linebacker Sullivan Schlimgen leads in tackles. Defensive end Isaac Terrell has three sacks.
Twyla: Flora is the jet stream, Inez. Watch the radar.
What happened last week
Both teams had a bye. Arizona's last game was a 52-31 win at West Virginia. Fifita went 16 of 23 for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and Mizell caught six passes for 183 yards and two scores. Arizona's 5-1 start is the program's best since 2014.
Iowa State last played on Oct. 9, losing 24-10 at No. 8 BYU. The Cyclones were held to 200 yards. Flora ran for 86 yards.
Inez: Best start since 2014! I'm watering the cactus with joy.
Injuries and availability
The official Big 12 availability report for this game hasn't been published yet. Iowa State receiver Dominic Overby, who had 10 catches for 212 yards, left the BYU game in the first quarter with a knee injury. No injury news has surfaced for Arizona.
What the coaches are up to
Brent Brennan was hired at Arizona on Jan. 16, 2024. He went 4-8 in his first season, then won nine games in 2025. His defense allows 19.0 points a game and 3.34 yards a carry.
Jimmy Rogers is in his first season as Iowa State's 34th head coach. He came from Washington State on a six-year contract. His Cyclones run for 181.5 yards a game.
Player storylines
Iowa State's run game against Arizona's stingy run defense is the main event. Fifita gets to test a Cyclone pass defense allowing 198.5 yards a game. Iowa State is 0-2 on the road this season.
What's happening on campus
It's Homecoming in Tucson and a celebration of 100 years of Bear Down. Fans are asked to wear red. "Bear Down" traces to John "Button" Salmon, whose 1926 message to his teammates became the school's rallying cry. It's the third straight year Arizona's Homecoming has kicked off before 5 p.m. This is Arizona's sixth nationally televised game of the season.
Anything else fun and true
Arizona leads the series 4-2-1. Iowa State won last season's meeting 39-14 in Ames. This is the Cyclones' first trip to Tucson since 1966. Iowa State's home, Jack Trice Stadium, remains the only major college football stadium named for a Black man.
Twyla: Sixty years since our last visit. Forecast says we're overdue. Barometer's falling, Inez. That's Cyclone weather.
Inez: Overdue for a sunny Homecoming loss, sweetie? Bring sunscreen.
The Cover Window
My call: Arizona Wildcats 30, Iowa State Cyclones 21.