Iowa State will attempt to make it seven straight victories to open the 2024 campaign on Saturday night, hosting UCF for the first time in school history. The Cyclones enter play undefeated and face a Knights team that's reeling from consecutive Big 12 losses to Cincinnati and Colorado that followed a victory over TCU that opened conference play. To learn more about the opponent, we asked five questions of a UCF football expert: UCFSports.com publisher Brandon Helwig.

CR: What is the pulse of this UCF team at this point of the conference season and the team's mindset following losses to Cincinnati and Colorado?

Helwig: UCF entered the season with the hopes they'd be a Big 12 contender. Gus Malzahn has recruited well on paper and they loaded up on plug-and-play veterans in the transfer portal, such as former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson who would be tabbed the Big 12's Preseason Newcomer of the Year. Malzahn also switched out his coordinators, including the appointment of Ted Roof who was tasked to improve the defense.

The offseason buzz was mostly positive, though there were continual whispers Jefferson was struggling in practices and not looking at all like his prior self. Alarms were raised in the season opener against FCS New Hampshire when Jefferson had perhaps the worst game for a UCF quarterback in more than a decade, though it was New Hampshire so UCF still won handily.

UCF then blew out an outmatched Sam Houston the following week, and pulled off a dramatic comeback at TCU in which the offense was rolling but defense struggled to contain the pass and had major issues with pass rush.

The signs were there, so it shouldn't have been a total shock how the next three games would play out with losses to Colorado, Florida and Cincinnati.

With Jefferson slow to make decisions, no longer a capable passer and now a slow runner, all teams had to do was load the box and the offense was stifled. A hush-hush decision was made to change quarterbacks prior to Cincinnati, and UCF interestingly started a 17-year-old true freshman, EJ Colson, who would end up seeing limited reps (there were a couple running back fumbles on his drives) before they shifted to Jacurri Brown who played the remainder of the game. He looked better than KJ and is a more proficient runner, but UCF could still only muster 13 points.

Defensively, there were signs of progress in both their pass defense and pass rush as they held Cincinnati well below their season scoring output though it remains to be seen if this is an anomaly or a trend.

So now 3-3, UCF is at a crossroads. Competing for a Big 12 Championship appears to be unlikely, so can they rebound in the second half of the season and become bowl eligible?

Of course, the team's public mindset is that they've put the first half behind them and are focusing on a "new start" as Malzahn put it. The fanbase on the other hand is in prime meltdown mode, questioning everything about the current state of the program.

CR: What have been some of the biggest obstacles the Knights have faced in moving to the Big 12?

Helwig: UCF had been accustomed to being a top dog in the American, winning conference championships in 2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018. The latter years they took somewhat of a step down, at least if we're comparing it to their undefeated streak from 2017-18, though were always considered one of the better teams. They appeared in their final AAC Championship Game in 2022, but lost to Tulane.

Their first experience in the Big 12 last year was definitely a learning experience as UCF began league play with an 0-5 record. The most shocking being a complete meltdown in the Big 12 home opener against Baylor. UCF led 35-7 in the third quarter and 35-10 as the fourth quarter began, only to see a total collapse in the final minutes, losing 36-35.

UCF did however win three of their last four games, including a surprising 45-3 home win against No. 15 Oklahoma State, and they were the only Big 12 newcomer to attain bowl eligibility.

The biggest obstacles, at least identified at the time, were UCF needed more Power Four-caliber depth. Coaches often didn't feel comfortable in the reserves, which either led to starters playing too long or not having suitable replacements in the event of injury. Those issues were a big focus in the offseason transfer portal.

CR: What type of offense does UCF use and who are the playmakers to watch?

Helwig: Gus Malzahn wrote the book on the "Hurry-Up, No Huddle" offense though sometimes fans wonder where the "hurry-up" goes at times as frequent substitutions and slow play calls have bogged down comeback efforts in recent losses. The spread-based system favors a running quarterback and the run game in general, so expect to see a heavy dose of QB Jacurri Brown and running back RJ Harvey, though I'm sure Iowa State will put the pressure on to make Brown try to beat them through the air.

Harvey is considered the star of the offense, though he's been stifled somewhat the past three weeks as defenses have game planned against the run. He rushed for more than 1,400 yards a season ago. If UCF can keep defenses honest, he can definitely go off (he rushed for 180 yards at TCU).

Kobe Hudson is UCF's best receiver and frankly, really the only one you can count on as the team has struggled to develop any other receivers since the recent opt-out of No. 2 receiver Xavier Townsend who was a one-time high school comitment to Iowa State.

Tight end Randy Pittman is usually a receiving threat, though he didn't get any touches in the last game vs. Cincinnati.

Offensive line has been shaky the past few weeks and there have been injury issues at center, though Malzahn said starting center Caden Kitler may return this week after missing the last 1.5 games.

CR: What type of defense does UCF use and who are the playmakers to watch?

Helwig: Typical four-man front and DC Ted Roof likes to be aggressive with blitzes to get to the quarterback, though that's been an issue this season. UCF logged two sacks in this past game, which got them out of the FBS cellar but they still rank next to last in FBS with 5.0 total sacks in six games.

Top defensive performers seem to change game by game. Linebacker Deshawn Pace, a former Cincinnati transfer, has looked great one week only to somewhat disappear the next. The mike linebacker, Ethan Barr, a former team captain at Vanderbilt, has been solid against the run. His status is questionable with a suspected concussion in the last game.

Interior linemen Ricky Barber and Lee Hunter were supposed to be strengths and have played solidly, but neither has made any memorable disruptive plays this season.

Secondary has struggled at times, though corner Brandon Adams is UCF's most experienced player in the back end and was expected to make a case to be the defense's top player.

CR: What are the keys to the game and how do you see this contest playing out?

Helwig: For UCF, they must get off to faster starts. They've fallen behind in each of the last three games and it's been a battle to get back in it. In this past game, a pair of fumbles from a backup running back took points off the board and in retrospect might have been the difference in the game.

QB is definitely a position to watch - Jacurri Brown is expected to make his first start and he's going into a difficult environment. How efficient can he be running the offense? Can he effectively throw the ball down field to make ISU respect that part of his game?

For a team trying to find a new rhythm amid midseason changes, visiting a top-10 team isn't the greatest recipe for success, though there were certainly positives to take from the last game. And give credit to Iowa State for their 6-0 start, they've certainly earned it. But I think there is still a question of just how good the Cyclones are - the front end of the schedule hasn't been as challenging as the back end will be.

I think UCF will be a tougher challenge than perhaps Vegas sees (ISU a 14-point favorte) but with so many questions on both sides of the ball it's difficult to predict an outright upset. But stranger things often happen under Malzahn who usually is good for an unexpected win every season (and unexpected losses as well). Last year, it was a win against Oklahoma State. Can UCF pull off a shocker in Ames? At this point, I'd be surprised but wouldn't be shocked.