AMES – The 2025 Iowa State football campaign began with whispers of hope for something special.Belief that the Cyclones, coming off a best-ever 11-win season in 2024, would have themselves a squad capable of winning quite a few football games in the fall, maybe even a little more than that. Maybe a Big 12 title. Maybe a spot in the College Football Playoff. The 5-0 start turned those whispers into outright ambition and expectation, only to be dashed by a midseason four-game losing streak that took the air out of those dreams. Iowa State pulled out of that tailspin to finish the regular season with three-straight victories to give them a more-than-respectable 8-4 season, but, after two years seemingly on the cusp, that next step – a conference title and a spot in the national tournament – is ever so tantalizing. The 16-team Big 12 and the 12-team playoff offer Iowa State real opportunities to do both. But the path is fraught with obstacles we can see now in December, and certainly ones that are hidden away in the adversity and unknown that make up every single season. So what steps does Iowa State need to take to give it the best shot to walk the path from 8-4 into the 2026 CFP? Let’s take a look. Can Iowa State retain its stars?There have been a lot of wins for head coach Matt Campbell in his time in Ames. Literally more than any other coach to do it here, actually. Some of those biggest victories, though, haven’t been on the scoreboard, but in keeping his best players on the roster. Especially in the NIL era, as retention has become more important and harder than ever. The Cyclones have lost players to the portal, sure, but they have, with few exceptions, kept the players that were most critical to their success. Defensive end Tyler Onyedim is probably the highest-profile departure, and he had three sacks over four seasons with the Cyclones. That gives you an idea of how good Campbell and Co. have been at recruiting their own roster. They’re going to have to do it again this year. .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}.subtext-iframe{max-width:540px;}iframe#subtext_embed{width:1px;min-width:100%;min-height:256px;}Sixteen of Iowa State’s 22 starters for its regular-season finale against Oklahoma State have eligibility remaining. That’s not accounting for starters like Jontez Williams, Jeremiah Cooper, Ta’Shawn James, Gabe Burkle and more who missed the game due to injuries. That makes for a lot of returning mouths to feed within the football program’s allotment of Iowa State’s revenue-sharing budget. Getting most – or, really, nearly all – of those guys to come back is forever and always going to be the first step in building forward. Campbell’s track record suggests they’re well situated to do just that. The Cyclones need more from their wide receiversIt was almost impossible for Iowa State not to see a drop in talent and production at wideout this past season with the departures of Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel to the Houston Texans, but the drop-off was starker than expected and a real hindrance to the offense. Higgins and Noel caught a combined 167 passes in 2024. Iowa State’s top-two wideouts in 2025 – Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell – caught a combined 62 this regular season. Now, certainly, that is not a fair one-to-one comparison, but it gives you an idea of how significant the drop in production on the outside was, and that doesn’t even account for the persistent drops that plagued that group. More: Iowa State recruiting grades, how 2026 class stacks up on signing dayMaybe the improvement is internal with all of Iowa State’s top receivers retaining eligibility, but that has to be a better and more consistent group in 2026 for the offense to take a step forward, especially considering the way the passing game unraveled down the stretch this season. It was clear that quarterback Rocco Becht and the wideouts were often not on the same page and probably didn’t have the mutual trust that is so important in the modern passing game. Again, not fair to evaluate it next to veterans who played together for multiple years, but at the end of the day, the results are the results and if Iowa State wants a better passing game, it needs more production from its wide receivers. Iowa State’s offensive line will need to be rebuiltFor as much criticism as Iowa State’s offensive line has gotten over the last decade, 2025 felt like one of the better years for the group under Campbell. They were middle-of-the-pack in sacks allowed, but helped power a running game that absolutely came alive during the homestretch of the season. Now, they’ve got to replace three starters at arguably the most important three positions along the line of scrimmage. Tyler Miller and his team-leading 50 career starts will vacate the right tackle position, while James Neal (31 starts) leaves at left tackle and Jim Bonifas (24) is gone at center. The Cyclones will have internal candidates to fill those positions, but it’s extremely hard to get younger and better on the offensive line.  Can Iowa State find an edge rusher?Iowa State’s pass rush may have taken the lead over its offensive line for the most-criticized group in 2025. With good reason. The Cyclones’ seven sacks during Big 12 play were tied for the worst in the conference. The only Iowa State defensive lineman with multiple sacks on the season was Toma McDonough, and his two sacks came on back-to-back snaps in Week 2. It’s probably unfair to expect that Iowa State’s defensive ends are going to be to JaQuan Bailey and Will McDonald – the former being Iowa State’s career sacks leader until the latter broke it – but the Cyclones simply have to get more out of the position than they have since McDonald broke the program’s first-round draft pick drought. There’s hope within the program that there are some talented youngsters already on the roster who might be able to break through, but that’s been the theme of the last couple years that has yet to come to fruition. It’s a tough spot for Iowa State if there isn’t internal improvement, as edge rushers are among the most-sought-after – and most expensive – in the transfer portal.  Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Iowa State football can reach 2026 playoff, offseason to-do list