As if only having two wins heading into the final week of the season isn’t bad enough, barring the stunner of all stunners, a bad season is about to get worse for Iowa State.
The Cyclones (2-9, 0-8), who lost to West Virginia 37-24 on Saturday, are now faced with the utter chore of traveling to TCU next Saturday in a game that will kickoff at 11:00 a.m. and be televised nationally on ABC.
On what is tabbed as championship Saturday for most of the country, the Big 12, which does not play a championship game, has two teams in the very real hunt to make the inaugural College Football Playoff.
Baylor (10-1, 7-1), will host Kansas State at 6:45 on ESPN.
TCU, (10-1, 7-1), will also be playing for its Playoff life and unfortunately for Iowa State, style points matter these days.
Las Vegas released the point spread for Iowa State’s trip to Fort Worth on Saturday and it isn’t pretty. The Horned Frogs are 30.5 point favorites over the Cyclones.
Unfortunately for Iowa State, STYLE POINTS MATTER in college football’s new era.
It is an unfortunate and scary situation for the battered Cyclones to have to walk into but as my Cyclone Reaction co-host and former Cyclone wide receiver Jack Whitver said on Saturday, "This is why you go to Iowa State. To play against the best teams in America."
For the final time in 2014, the Cyclones will get to do this on Saturday against a TCU team that will literally view this game as nothing more than a beauty pageant for the College Football Playoff Committee.
For Iowa State, the timing and scenario surrounding this game simply could not be worse.
