No. 5: Oklahoma vs. Iowa State
What 247Sports Says…
This will certainly be the most hyped Iowa State team in modern history, and for good reason. Brock Purdy is back at quarterback, and he has All-American tight end Charlie Kolar by his side.
The Sooners finally have a respectable defense after putting up numbers last season that had not be seen in more than a decade. Quarterback Spencer Rattler enters the season as the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
If these two teams enter this showdown with undefeated records, it could be the biggest late-season showdown in the Big 12 in recent history.
Outside of the Kansas State Wildcats, there might not be a bigger thorn in the side of the Oklahoma Sooners than Matt Campbell and the Iowa State Cyclones. The overall series is dominated by the Sooners, but in the last four years, Iowa State has taken the fight to Oklahoma. It first defeated OU in 2017, 38-31. It came close to a win in 2019 before winning at home in 2020, 37-30. If Iowa State wants to be contenders it will need to beat Oklahoma twice to dethrone the Sooners.
Many teams have tried to accomplish that feat, but the Cyclones have the team and coach to pull it off. This will be the one game many should circle on the 2021 schedule.