Head Coach: Matt Campbell is entering his 9th season as the head coach of the Cyclones with a 53-48 record. In 2020 he led the Cyclones to the Big 12 championship game, a Fiesta Bowl victory and a Top 10 finish. It was a weird season but still one of the best in program history. Matt Campbell also led the Cyclones to 2 wins over Oklahoma, which is impressive considering this program only beat Oklahoma once from 1962-2016.
Program Outlook: Matt Campbell has only had 2 losing seasons with the program, before he got here finishing with winning records wasn’t easy, they went nearly the entire decade before Matt Campbell without a single winning season. Now they’re looking to elevate. Iowa State hasn’t crashed the 10 win mark in their history and their next goal will be to hit that.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Iowa State is one of the leading teams in the whole nation in returning production. Their offense is led by QB Rocco Becht, he was thrust into action thanks to the gambling scandal that rocked the program before the season. He took his lumps early on but he improved as the season went on and really got hot at the end. One thing that wasn’t usual for the Cyclones last season was their inability to run the ball a lot of the time, and when it didn’t go usually their offense didn’t. Iowa State really needs to figure out their RB situation, they don’t seem to have a Breece Hall waiting around. Abu Sama III was their leading rusher last season, he had an absolutely ridiculous game in the Snow Farmageddon game, but that accounted for nearly half the yardage he compiled all season. Sama came back down to earth in the bowl game only rushing for 4 yards against Memphis so it’s not like he finished the season hot. Still it’s clear he can be dangerous if he gets a crease, and returning an experienced offensive line can really help with that. If Iowa State needs to keep throwing it around they at least have their top 4 receivers back led by Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. Iowa State was very good on the defensive side of the ball, they were 2nd last year in the Big 12. They return all 4 starters on the defensive line, and they are led by some absolute mammoths on the inside. Good luck trying to run against these guys. The Cyclones will be hoping to improve at getting after opposing QBs. The linebackers are going to be a dominant group as well. The secondary loses a stud in TJ Tampa, but they still have Myles Purchase on the other side and a great group of safeties in the back. There’s a lot of possibilities for this experienced roster.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is pretty challenging. They open the non-conference with North Dakota, and basically any team with “Dakota” in the name is dangerous. The Fighting Hawks are a top 25 FCS team. Then comes Iowa, the Hawkeyes have been a huge problem for Matt Campbell he’s only beaten them once. The next game against Arkansas State could be a challenge as well, the Red Wolves are much improved. The conference schedule has good and bad parts. The Cyclones have to face most of the top contenders but do avoid Oklahoma State and Arizona. They also have a lot of the bigger games at home, the road games at West Virginia and Utah are the only truly intimidating environments they’ll go into. This road isn’t easy, if Iowa State makes a run to the Big 12 championship game they’ve earned it.
Vegas Projection: Iowa State’s win total is set at 7.5 with the odds geared toward the over. It seems they’re expected to lose the road games but hold serve at home. They’re 5th in Big 12 title odds at +950 though.
2024 Best Case: Iowa State is ready for a breakthrough season the offense finds a run game to compliment the pass while the defense is the best in the conference. The Cyclones win the opener and then manage to take down Iowa for the Cy-Hawk trophy, they crush Arkansas State to finish the non-conference schedule undefeated. The Cyclones roll past Houston and Baylor to set up a battle with West Virginia. It’s a tight battle but a late touchdown pass from Becht gives the Cyclones a huge victory. They keep it going with wins over UCF and Texas Tech. They win a battle at Kansas and then return home to beat Cincinnati. Iowa State takes their first loss of the season to Utah but they recover to beat Kansas State in Farmageddon. Iowa State earns a rematch with Utah in the Big 12 championship and this time they beat the Utes to earn a bid to the playoff. Iowa State does end up finding Alabama in their first playoff matchup it’s a tight battle but the Cyclones lose a close one but it is a historic season for the program nonetheless.
2024 Worst Case: The bad luck returns for the Cyclones. They struggle past North Dakota before their offense struggles immensely in a loss to Iowa. The Cyclones season really falls off the rails when they’re upset by Arkansas State. The Cyclones then only win 1 of the next 4 and it sets them up to finish the season a disappointing 3-9. There’s questions on whether success can ever be truly sustained here. Meanwhile Kansas State and Iowa both reach the playoff.
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