AMES, Ia. — Iowa State football is fun to watch again.

The players like each other. They play well with each other. Playmakers make big plays together.

They’re winning together, and that’s the biggest difference between this team that dominated awful Kansas to the tune of 45-0 in a wet Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, and other Cyclones football teams of the past.

How much it continues, I don’t know. Next week’s opponent is pass-happy Texas Tech in Lubbock. But for now, no one’s got anything bad to say about a team that’s 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference and 4-2 overall.

“We’re starting to finally get it,” coach Matt Campbell said. “It’s nice to have visual evidence to show why it’s happening.”

A letdown, after the Storm in Norman last Saturday? Yeah, right.

Iowa State did what it was supposed to do Saturday, and it did so emphatically.

The last time these guys were 4-2 was the Liberty Bowl season of 2012. And yes, that’s also the last time this program played in a bowl game.

Two more wins, and postseason play will happen again — in just Campbell’s second season in charge of a program around which there’s considerable buzz.

“One of the biggest tests was trying to move forward,” said Joel Lanning, who rushed for 34 yards and led the Cyclones with 10 tackles. (And I repeat, if there’s a better middle linebacker in the Big 12, email me.)

“We can’t dwell what’s happened,” he went on about the biggest win in program history one week, and following it up with a dominating win the next. “There’s more games we’re still trying to win.”

Like the Red Raiders on Saturday, then back home against TCU. Then at West Virginia ... you get the idea.

“If we live in that world of quarter-to-quarter, game-to-game, then we’re a good football team,” Campbell said. “If we don’t, we struggle.”

After six games, anyway, these guys are for real. The Oklahoma win wasn’t a fluke. And Kansas was bad. Well, is bad. The Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3) are very bad.

They were among the worst opponents to ever play at The Jack in recent memory — right there alongside San Jose State last season. That was 44-10 Iowa State, in case your forgot.

Worst Power Five opponent in recent memory? The Jayhawks had a minus 2-yard punt in the third quarter. The 106 yards they totaled was the fewest by a conference opponent against the Cyclones since Missouri’s 59 yards in 1963.

We knew these Iowa State guys could play offense. But defense, too, a week after preventing all-world Baker Mayfield from beating you?

“Just because we came off a big win, and then shut someone out doesn’t mean we’re where we want to be,” Lanning went on. “There’s always room for improvement. We can’t be satisfied. If we are, then the next team will step right over you.”

This is Iowa State. These guys aren’t about to get all full of themselves. They’re good. They’re not saying they're that good — yet.

For the second game in a row, playmakers made plays. It’s the only way these guys can win, and so far, so good on that, too.

Trever Ryen had a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown. DeMonte Ruth sprung him with a teeth-rattling block. Kyle Kempt passed his second on-the-job training course.

You know that wet ball that Colin Downing punted so well? It should have been awarded to him.

Lanning was Lanning. David Montgomery was good, but not yet great.

“On the offensive side, we’ve got some stuff to clean up,” Iowa State’s top running back said.

So does the team on which he stars, but that didn’t stop someone from asking if I thought the Cyclones would crack someone’s Top 25 next week.

That’d be a stretch. That’d be a very big stretch. But they might get a vote or three.

Winning at third-ranked Oklahoma last Saturday, and then following it with just its fourth Big 12 shutout was impressive.

Big 12 football, as a reminder, started in 1996. That’s three Iowa State coaches ago — Dan McCarney, Gene Chizik and Paul Rhoads. That’s a lot of games ago.

That’s a lot of bad Iowa State football games ago — all of which makes what this team is doing right now even more enjoyable for its victory-starved (and rain-soaked) fans.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.