The Iowa State men remain No. 3 in the latest AP Poll Top 25, which was released on Monday.

Following a win over Morgan State, the Cyclones (10-1) check in behind SEC powers Tennessee and Auburn, keeping the Top 3 the same for another week.

Duke and Alabama are right behind Iowa State, as Kentucky dropped six spots to No. 10 this week. Florida, Kansas, Marquette and Oregon complete the Top 10.

Along with Iowa State and Kansas, the Big 12 Conference is represented by Houston, Cincinnati and newcomer Baylor. The Cougars are ranked 15th, the Bearcats are No. 17 and the Bears are 25th.

Other newcomers include Mississippi State, Arkansas and Illinois, as Memphis, Dayton, Michigan and Clemson all dropped out. 

The Cyclones close out 2024 when they travel to Boulder to take on Colorado. That game is set for Monday, Dec. 30 and will be the conference opener. 

Here is the men’s college basketball AP Poll Top 25 for Week 8:

(Dec. 23)

1. Tennessee (41)

2. Auburn (21)

3. Iowa State

4. Duke

5. Alabama

6. Florida

7. Kansas

8. Marquette

9. Oregon

10. Kentucky

11. Connecticut

12. Oklahoma

13. Texas A&M

14. Gonzaga

15. Houston

16. Mississippi

17. Cincinnati

18. Michigan State

19. Mississippi State

20. San Diego State

21. Purdue

22. UCLA

23. Arkansas

24. Illinois

25. Baylor

Others receiving votes: Maryland 119; Dayton 108; Drake 91; St. John’s 90; Memphis 65; Michigan 50; Georgia 45; Pittsburgh 27 West Virginia 26; Missouri 25; Ohio State 23; North Carolina 20; Clemson 18; Arizona State 13; Utah State 9; Wisconsin 9; Texas Tech 8; Indiana 8; St. Bonaventure 4; Penn State 3.

Dropped from rankings: Memphis 21; Dayton 22; Michigan 24; Clemson 25.

Three Iowa State football players have been invited to participate in the annual Reese’s Senior Bowl. The game will take place on Feb. 1 from Mobile, Alabama, airing live on NFL Network at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Higgins and Noel are both wide receivers while Porter transitioned from that position to defensive back before this past season. 

Higgins, a Florida native, has 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns, earning second team all-Big 12 and third team all-Associated Press honors. He formed the first-ever 1,000-yard duo with Noel this past season for the Cyclones.

Noel, a Kansas City native, hauled in 72 passes for 1,077 yards with seven TDs. He was named the conference co-special teams player of the year and owns a 45-game streak with at least one reception. 

Porter, from Bettendorf became a starter, picking off three passes while also blocking five kicks in his career.

Iowa State has had at least one played invited to the Senior Bowl each of the past four seasons. 

Played annually since 1950, the Reese’s Senior Bowl is one of the nation’s best collegiate all-star games. This marks the second time in school history that ISU has had three players invited to the game (2021).

1955- Max Burkett
1962- Dave Hoppmann
1962- Chuck Walton
1963- Dave Hoover
1964- John Van Sicklen
1966- Eppie Barney
1968- Tom Busch
1972- Dean Carlson
1973- Merv Krakau
1974- Matt Blair
1975- Tom Goedjen
1977- Luther Blue
1979- Mike Stensrud (DNP)
1981- Kenny Neil
1983- Bruce Reimers
1986- Dennis Gibson
1991- Blaise Bryant
2000- Sage Rosenfels
2001- Ennis Haywood
2002- Seneca Wallace
2003- Jordan Carstens
2007- Ahtyba Rubin
2011- Leonard Johnson
2011- Kelechi Osemele
2013- Kirby Van Der Kamp
2014- E.J. Bibbs (DNP)
2017- Allen Lazard

2019 – Steve Wirtel

2021 – Charlie Kolar, Andrew Mevis, Mike Rose (DNP)

2022 – Xavier Hutchinson, Will McDonald IV (DNP)
2023 – TJ Tampa (DNP)
2024 – Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Darien Porter

On Sunday evening, we learned that Iowa officially missed out on Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula, a big target out of the transfer portal. After visits to Iowa, Missouri, UCF and Ole Miss, the former Nittany Lion elected to take his talents to Mizzou.

So what’s next for the Hawkeyes? What other available targets are worth looking into? Is their best option not in the portal (yet)?

Let’s take a look at what Iowa could do next at the QB position, with its top target off the board.