Iowa State Cyclones College Football Preview 2021: What Will Happen, Season Prediction
Think about what America is going to ask of the 2021 Iowa State football program.
It’s going to ask for a Big 12 Championship – but the school has never won an outright conference title, and can only brag about its back-to-back Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association co-championships in 1911 and 1912.
It’s going to ask for a huge ranking – but the ninth spot in the final 2020 AP Poll is the best final ranking by a mile. The program has only finished ranked in the AP top 25 three times.
It’s going to ask for at least ten wins – but the program has never won more than nine games in a season.
It’s going to ask for a giant bowl appearance and possibly a push into the College Football Playoff – but last year’s Fiesta Bowl win over Oregon was by far the biggest bowl appearance, much less a victory.
America is going to ask for this 2021 team that returns loaded with 19 starters to be the best team in the best in the history of Iowa State football, and that’s after the 2020 team had the best season in the history of Iowa State football.
So if you think this win total line is a tad low, remember, you’re asking for something that’s never happened before.
Set The Iowa State Cyclones Regular Season Win Total At … 9.5
It’s a good enough team to set the bar at Big 12 Championship or Bust, but Oklahoma might be the No. 1 team in the country, or at least in the top five.
Four of the biggest games – Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma State and TCU are at home – but the Kansas State game on the road will be dangerous, Texas Tech is going to be a problem this year, West Virginia is better, and then there’s the Oklahoma game in Norman.
So yeah, “just” a ten-win regular season might be seen as disappointing, nine wins might feel lousy, and less than that will be a major catastrophe for jacked up Cyclone fans who finally get to enjoy the fun of big-time realistic expectations.
There will be one loss somewhere – likely Oklahoma – and there will be one game against an improved Big 12 when things don’t quite work.
Then it’s a question of whether or not you think the 2021 Iowa State team really does have everything in place to be historically amazing.
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– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Iowa State Cyclones Schedule Analysis