Five years is a long time for the Iowa State Cyclone football program. Five years is a long time for the Big 12 Conference as whole. The next five years are the most critical years in the history of the Conference and the Iowa State football program.
The 2016 expansion debacle and the looming expiration of the grant of rights in 2024 creates a web of uncertainty for the conference as a whole. It is widely expected that the members of the Big 12 will be absorbed by the creation of super-conferences after the expiration of the grant of rights.