Iowa State center Jim Bonifas says ever week in the Big 12 will be a challenge. The 14th ranked Cyclones take a 5-0 record on the road to Cincinnati.

Bonifas says the Cincinnati defense is much improved from last season.

Bonifas says the Bearcats are especially tough at home.

Iowa State safety Ta’Shawn James believes depth will help the 14th ranked Cyclones overcome key injuries the secondary as they get ready to visit Cincinnati. Starting corners Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams are both lost for the season with knee injuries.

James believes the newcomers will step up.

The concern this week for the Cyclone defense is Cincinnati dual threat quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

James says facing a talented quarterback is nothing new in the Big 12.

Drake could regain the services of starting quarterback Chase Spellman when the Bulldogs open the Pioneer League Football race at home on Saturday against Valparaiso. Spellman suffered an upper body injury in a season opening win over Upper Iowa but missed road losses at second ranked South Dakota State and number 21 South Dakota. With Spellman sidelined, true freshman Logan Inagawa filled in a passed for 304 yards while rushing for 131.

That’s Drake coach Joe Woodley. The Bulldogs will be in search of a third straight PFL title this season.

Woodley says Inagawa’s ability to run made the ground game more effective against the two Missouri Valley teams.

Woodley says the formula for another title run will be the same. During the past two seasons the Bulldogs have won 10 games decided by 10 points or less.

Valparaiso opens conference play with a record of 1-3.

Off to a 5-0 start and with their highest national ranking since 2016 William Penn faces a major test on Saturday when the 20th ranked Statesmen host top ranked and defending NAIA champion Grand View. Third year William Penn coach Marc Benavidez says added experience is a big part of their turnaround.

And that experienced has showed up with the game on the line. The Statesmen dominated the fourth quarter in a 24-13 win at 16th ranked Baker and followed that up with a 34-31 win over 12th ranked MidAmerica Nazarene.

The challenge this week is a big one. Grand View enters riding a 64-game regular season winning streak and Benavidez says the Vikings consistently dominate the line of scrimmage and limit mistakes.

Benavidez feels it is a good time for a challenge like this.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women’s basketball 2025-26 season tickets are sold out for the third consecutive season, the announcement was made by the Iowa athletics department on Wednesday.

Details regarding the UI student ticket program, and limited single-game ticket availability for select games, will be made available at a later date.

The Hawkeyes hold the longest streak in the nation with 35 consecutive home sellouts. Iowa has also been ranked top 10 nationally in attendance for the past six seasons.

Iowa welcomes five newcomers in total, three true freshmen (Addie Deal, Layla Hays and Journey Houston) and two sophomore transfers (Emely Rodriguez and Chit-Chat Wright).

Fans are invited to attend “Hawkeye Hoops from Downtown presented by HyVee” on Friday, Oct. 17, at the outdoor basketball court behind Burge Residence Hall beginning at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Attendees will have the opportunity to get their first look at the 2025-26 Hawkeye men’s and women’s basketball teams. It is the unofficial tipoff to the upcoming season.

Last season, the Hawkeyes earned two wins in the Big Ten Tournament and beat Murray State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa also secured its ninth straight 20-win season, the second-longest streak in program history. In her first year as head coach Jan Jensen added to the milestone by recording the second-most wins by a first-year head coach in program history.

The Exira-EHK Spartans are preparing for a district road game at CAM Friday night. The Spartans haven’t beaten the Cougars in seven years, but after a 70-32 win against Griswold last week Head Coach Drew Buckholdt says the success rooted from the trenches.

The Spartans ran for 216 yards Friday but threw for 128, a phase of the game Exira-EHK is looking to even out.

Buckholdt made a quarterback change ahead of the Griswold game bringing in Senior Josten Kilworth in to lead the offense while Bryce Brabham moved over to wide receiver. A change the coaching staff believes both players find more comfortable.

Kilworth leads the defense in tackles by a wide margin, recording 38 tackles in the first five games.

Buckholdt knows how critical it is to play well against a team like CAM.

Exira-EHK has dropped five in a row to the Cougars and seek their first win since 2018 in the series. You can catch all the action on KJAN with pregame coverage at 6:30 pm. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm.

The Audubon Football team has been nearly unstoppable this season. The Wheelers are riding a 5-0 start scoring at least 40 points in every game. Head Coach Sean Birks says utilizing the pass game as the season progresses has been a huge factor into the success.

Besides being the Audubon Quarterback, Sophomore Aiden Kjergaard leads the team with 636 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns with his legs. Something Birks has been very impressed with.

Outside of Kjergaard, the Wheelers have four other runners with 100 rushing yards on the year, creating diversity and team building within the offense.

The Wheeler defense gives up on average eight points a game and Birks notices how locked in that side of the ball has been behind Senior Austin Christensen’s leadership.

Audubon is ranked fifth in the current Radio Iowa 8-Player poll and looks to continue their perfect season Friday at home versus Glidden-Ralston.

It is next man up at Iowa State where the 14th ranked Cyclones have suffered key injuries in the secondary heading into Saturday’s game at Cincinnati. Starting corners Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper are both lost for the season with knee injuries. ISU linebacker Carson Willich missed all of last season due to injury and says injured players still have a role to play.

The Cyclones were able to overcome some key injuries on defense last season.

The Cyclones are 5-0 for the second straight season.

Willich on the challenge of stopping a Cincinnati offense led by quarterback Brendan Sorsby.

Two years ago the Cyclones rolled to a 30-10 win at Cincinnati.

With each win the games get bigger and for the second straight year Iowa State is 5-0 as the 14th ranked Cyclones prepare to visit Cincinnati. The Bearcats are 3-1 overall and opened Big 12 play with a win at Kansas.

That’s junior tight end Ben Brahmer who says this will be a tough road test for the Cyclones.

ISU won last year’s meeting 34-17 in Ames but Brahmer feels the Cincinnati defense is better this season.