College football is officially back as two of the Power Five conferences hit the gridiron over the weekend. Also returning last weekend was the Iowa State Cyclones’ inability to win a football game during the second weekend of September.

For the last five years, the Cyclones have made a tradition out of losing on the second Saturday in September, and they just renewed the ritual for the sixth straight year on Sept. 12. Although, this year the Cyclones were vanquished by the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, not the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Ragin’ Cajuns hail from the prestigious Sun Belt Conference – known for producing football powers like Appalachian State, Texas State, and South Alabama.

While the Ragin’ Cajuns did finish second in the Sun Belt Conference last year, they are still not considered to be in the same stratosphere as the Cyclones. So, Louisiana’s 31-14 victory over Iowa State came as a shock to many.

A team from outside of the Power Five conferences marched into Jack Trice Stadium and punished the 23rd-ranked Cyclones. For reference, the last time the Ragin’ Cajuns defeated an AP Top 25 team was in 1996 when they upset Texas A&M.

By the game’s end, the shock and devastation were evident throughout the Cyclones’ roster. Iowa State looked demoralized.

Some pundits predicted that starting quarterback Brock Purdy would be a dark horse candidate for The Heisman Trophy this season. Others speculated that Iowa State would finish the season ranked inside the top 10 in the country, perhaps even making a run at the College Football Playoff.

After one week of action, all that hype has ceased for the Cyclones after one of the most devastating losses of the 2020 college football season.