Winning with lesser talent
One of the biggest knocks on current head coach Tom Herman is coaching and development. While he has shown the ability to get his team ready for a big matchup and win like Georgia in the Sugar Bowl or Utah in the Alamo Bowl, he is wildly inconsistent. Often times losings games that he either can’t afford to lose or ones that he is expected to win.
Matt Campbell is proving that he can win with less talent. In 2019, Iowa State had the No. 59 ranked team in terms of talent rankings according to 247Sports. That team led by Campbell beat the Texas Longhorns 23-21 in Ames. Last year’s squad was ranked No. 7 in terms of talent on the roster. Herman was beaten by a less talented team and that isn’t a new revelation. It has happened more than it should. The Longhorns finished 7-5 last year in the regular season with a 5-4 conference record, as did Iowa State.
This season Iowa State was once again near the bottom in terms of talent. The Cyclones were ranked No. 57 and beat a Longhorns team that was ranked No. 5. The only teams ahead of Texas are Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson. Campbell once again showed that he can win with lesser talent by beating Texas in two consecutive seasons.