AMES — Iowa State football (4-3) sits at No. 5 in the Big 12 standings coming off the bye week, with consecutive conference wins against TCU and Cincinnati to give the Cyclones a 3-1 record in league play.

This weekend, ISU will look to improve its conference record to 4-1 for just the third time in school history (2017, 2020). Baylor (3-4, 2-2 Big 12) may be the perfect opponent to help Iowa State accomplish those goals.

It could all come down to defense, though.

Iowa State’s defense is fourth in the Big 12, holding opponents to an average of 20 points per game. The Cyclones are also the only team in the league to register a safety this season. Baylor’s defense sits in second-last — above only Houston — allowing 30 ppg.

More: Iowa State readies for five-game sprint to the finish after bye week

Both programs have struggled at times on offense, but the Bears have a slight advantage in season-long stats. Baylor’s unit averages 23.1 points per game; Iowa State averages 23.

Here is what Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said during Tuesday’s media availability.

Campbell sees similarities between Iowa State and Baylor

Iowa State’s coach doesn’t believe that Baylor is as bad as its record shows, and Campbell shared that the Bears were a “mirror image” of the Cyclones at this point in the season.

Both teams have dealt with roster turnover and are playing with younger groups, and Campbell saw how Baylor beat Cincinnati on Saturday as it came out of its own bye week.

“They’re beginning to have a great identity,” Campbell said. “I just feel like, as a football team in general, their identity is really starting to evolve and form. Just finding out who their guys are and what they can do, and then putting them in the best position to be successful.”

Campbell credited Baylor quarterback Blake Shapen, who returned from injury and, according to Campbell, has played “exceptional” football over the last four quarters. He noted that the Bears’ receiver room, like Iowa State, lost a lot of contributors and, defensively, Baylor has a veteran group.

Cyclones progression since a major loss to Baylor 10 years ago

Last year’s loss to Baylor was a close one: 31-24.

But games in this series — in which the Bears hold the 12-9 overall advantage — haven’t always been decided by one score. Ten years ago, Baylor defeated Iowa State, 71-7, in Texas. In the years since Campbell took over, the scores have been different.

The last four matchups were decided by seven points or less.

Since 2016 — Campbell’s first full season as head coach — the margin of victory or defeat against Baylor has never been more than 14 points. Iowa State has never lost by more than a touchdown with Campbell in charge.

“There’s been a global change of, ‘We can be successful here,’” Campbell said. “How to be successful here is not easy but the time, the effort, the commitment of everybody that’s involved in the program believing that you have success here at Iowa State.

“Over the course of seven years, we know if we’re willing to do the right things and align ourselves the right way, then success can occur within our football program.”

Iowa State looks to not miss a beat after bye week

The Cyclones enter Saturday’s game coming off the bye week, but Iowa State didn’t want to lose its momentum heading into another must-win conference matchup.

In years past, Iowa State has used the bye week to get players some more reps — typically guys who don’t get as much playing time on Saturdays or younger guys getting adjusted to the college game. But with so much youth on the roster, Campbell joked that it was a different experience this year.

“I feel like you’ve seen every young guy we’ve got, so I don’t know if this year we could go into it looking like that,” Campbell said. “Really, our thought process was (that) we didn’t want to miss (the) rhythm of the season.”

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.