AMES, Iowa — The future of the Iowa State Cyclones is unclear, following the departure of two teams from the Big 12 conference, reducing it to only eight teams.
On Thursday, the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns were unanimously approved to join the Southeastern Conference. This came just three days after first officially announcing their plan to leave the Big 12.
John Reis, an Iowa State fan, was shocked by the announcement.
"I couldn't believe it was accurate," Reis said. "I just could see that Texas and Oklahoma were going to leave the Big 12."
Roger Nass, another fan, was frustrated with the decision.
"It's about the time Iowa State football really gets good," Nass said. "We start beating them and what do they do? They look to leave the conference. Pretty disgusting."
Despite the shakeup, Cyclone fans had a clear vision of what they wanted to see in the team's future— a move to the Big 10, where they'd compete against teams like the University of Iowa, Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota.
Trey O'Neill, a current Iowa State student, sees potential in the move.
"They got a lot of revenue there, which I think will help Iowa State, especially with coaching," O'Neill said.
"It's the best opportunity," Reis said. "I would hate to see them go to the Pac-12 or the ACC."
"If they could get into the Big 10, I'd say good riddance to the Big 12 and good riddance to schools like Texas and Oklahoma," Nass said.
In a statement, Texas and Oklahoma said their current plan is to maintain the current contracts until 2025.
"The universities intend to honor their existing grant of rights agreements," the statement said. "However, both universities will continue to monitor the rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape as they consider how best to position their athletics programs for the future."