Iowa State Wins Fiesta Bowl Over Oregon: Reaction, Analysis, 5 Thoughts

Iowa State wins the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl over Oregon 34-17. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.

Iowa State wins the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl over Oregon 34-17. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.


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Iowa State wins the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Final Score: Iowa State 34, Oregon 17
CFN Prediction: Oregon 26, Iowa State 24
Line: Indiana -7.5, o/u: 67.5

5. The Big 12 delivered in a big, big way

5-0 is 5-0.

You play the team in front of you, it’s not your fault if the other team has issues, and all of those other talking points. It’s all about the scoreboard and the record.

Yes, the Big 12 was favored in all five of the games. Yes, Army was one of those games, a meh Colorado was another, D’Eriq King suffered a knee injury in one, and Florida was missing way too many players in another.

A win is a win is a win, but it’s possible to slightly yuck the Big 12’s yum on a lot of this.

Not on Iowa State’s win in the Fiesta Bowl. It just beat the Pac-12 Champion.

This was a huge win for the Cyclones – more on this later, but it might be the biggest win ever – and it was the one the Big 12 should chirp about more than any of the others.

Oklahoma might have been jaw-dropping great, and Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Texas did what they were supposed to do, but Iowa State was dealing with a very talented, very active Oregon team that looked like it was about to put it all together.

The Ducks still have tremendous talent, and the sky’s the limit going into next year, but …

NEXT: Oregon’s quarterback situation is a problem

Iowa State vs Oregon: PlayStation Fiesta Prediction, Game Preview

Iowa State vs Oregon: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl prediction and game preview.

Iowa State vs Oregon: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl prediction and game preview.


Iowa State vs Oregon: PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Broadcast

Date: Saturday, January 2
Game Time: 4:00 pm ET
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Network: ESPN

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All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Iowa State (8-3) vs Oregon (4-2) Game Preview

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Three Reasons Why You Should Watch The PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

It’s the Bowl of Misfit Teams, starting with Oregon winning the Pac-12 Championship over USC after Washington wasn’t able to go due to COVID issues. Iowa State had a great second half of the season, but started with a 17-point loss to Louisiana and ended with a Big 12 Championship defeat against Oklahoma.

However, this is a good Cyclone team that’s going to be fired up to close strong, and Oregon has a very young, very talented team that fought through key preseason opt-outs and now wants to make a statement going into the 2021 season.

Duck head coach Mario Cristobal is locked into a long contract extension, the recruiting has been fantastic, and he has two straight Pac-12 titles under his belt. Oregon never quite found a groove in the shortened season, but the offense is efficient, the defense stepped up when it needed to against USC, and again, talent isn’t a question. Iowa State is a good, sound, experienced team, but the Ducks have the next-level guys across the board.

Most of the blue blood programs that get into the big bowls just throw the appearance on to the pile. This is a big deal for Iowa State, and the hope is for it to be a moment that takes the program to another level when it comes to national perception.

After losing to Oklahoma, Iowa State still has never won an outright conference title despite playing football since the late 1800s, and this is just the 16th bowl appearance. It hasn’t been pretty going 4-11 so far and 1-5 in the last six including two straight losses under Campbell, and now this is a chance to correct that, and to make amends for last year’s brutal 33-9 loss to Notre Dame in the Camping World.

Why Iowa State Will Win
Why Oregon Will Win
What’s Going to Happen, Prediction, History

NEXT: Why Iowa State Will Win, Why Oregon Will Win, Iowa State vs Oregon Prediction