The Iowa State Cyclones have made a change to their 2026 football schedule, according to their official athletics website.

Iowa State was previously scheduled to open the 2026 season against the Northern Iowa Panthers on Sept. 5 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa. Per their website, the Cyclones will now host the Southeast Missouri Redhawks on the same date, which is Week 1 that season.

Southeast Missouri is a member of the Big South-OVC Football Association in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). In their first-ever gridiron matchup with Iowa State in 2022, the Redhawks traveled to Ames and were defeated, 42-10.

With Southeast Missouri on the slate in 2026, Iowa State has rescheduled its contest with Northern Iowa. The Cyclones will now host the Panthers five seasons later on Aug. 30, 2031.

Iowa State and Northern Iowa also have an existing agreement to meet in Ames on Sept. 2, 2028, which will mark the 35th meeting between the two schools on the gridiron.

Iowa State and Northern Iowa first met in football in 1899. In their most recent matchup last season, the Cyclones defeated the Panthers, 30-9.

Northern Iowa, a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, is now scheduled to open the 2026 season on the road against the Eastern Washington Eagles, which we reported earlier today. The game is part of a home-and-home series that begins at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sept. 13, 2025.

Football Schedules

• Future Iowa State Football Schedules
• Future Southeast Missouri Football Schedules
• Future Northern Iowa Football Schedules