Football

Williams Blog: Tough luck scheduling

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

Only Iowa State would have this kind of luck.

The Utah Utes went 4-7 during the 2000 football season under head coach Ron McBride. At that time, Utah was your typical, decent mid-major college football program. They were the MWC’s co-conference champs in 1999, but keep in mind that back then, the Mountain West wasn’t the league thatt you know it as today. In the spring of 2001, Iowa State scheduled a home and home with the Utes for the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Some guy named Urban Meyer arrived in Salt Lake City in 2003.

When Utah invaded Jack Trice Stadium back on Oct. 9 and beat the Cyclones 68-27, the Utes had won seven straight bowl games (including the 2009 Sugar Bowl over Alabama), three Mountain West Championships and will be a member of the new Pac-12 in 2011.

When Iowa State scheduled two games with UCONN (for the 2002 and 2011 seasons) back in the fall of 2001, the Huskies had just become a D-1 program. In the year 2000 (the program’s first year as an D-1 team), UCONN went 3-8. Over this past weekend, UCONN defeated South Florida to win the 2010 Big East championship. They’ll now go head-to-head with Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1. Iowa State will travel to Storrs, Conn. on Sept. 17 of next season.

Who woulda thunk what I just mapped out for you?

If you say you saw this coming, then I’ll go ahead and call you a liar right now.

Keep an eye on San Jose State Cyclone fans. Iowa State has the Spartans on the schedule for 2016 and 2017. With Iowa State’s luck. San Jose State just might be the next Boise.

@cyclonefanatic