ISU vs. KU CFN.com Preview...

[huntt26]

Kansas (3-1) at Iowa State (2-2), 12:30 EST
Why to watch: Iowa State was just starting to turn things around over the second half of last year with two straight wins over Kansas State and Colorado to go along with good battles in losses to Oklahoma and Missouri, and then Kansas swooped in and dropped a 45-7 hammer to close things out. In the Big 12 opener, the Cyclones will be looking to see exactly where they stand in the pecking order compared to the end of last season. While Baylor and Nebraska have improved, if Gene Chizik’s club can pull off the upset this week, there’s an outside chance of a 4-0 Big 12 start (with the Huskers and a bad Texas A&M coming to Ames). Meanwhile, KU is trying to recapture the magic of last year by coming up with a better-than-it’ll-appear road win to start the season. The wins so far have come against FIU, Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston State (zzzz) to go along with the gag of a loss to South Florida, and while the big prize, Oklahoma, is coming up in a few weeks, just getting through this trap game would be impressive enough.
Why Kansas might win: The KU linebackers should be able to keep Austin Arnaud and Patrick Bates in check. The two-headed quarterback monster for the Cyclones is at its most effective when running the ball and making plays on the move. KU has the defensive front to keep the mobility to a minimum, like it was able to do with South Florida’s Matt Grothe. If Arnaud and the passing game isn’t humming, the Cyclones will have a hard time moving the ball and an even harder time keeping up in any sort of offensive shootout.
Why Iowa State might win: The Kansas running game isn’t quite working yet. The KU offense has put up plenty of yards and hasn’t had a problem scoring against a mediocre schedule, but the Cyclones have been strong against the pass so far. To be fair, it’s not like Texas Tech and Missouri have been on the schedule yet, but even so, the secondary has been a strength. Chizik’s run defenses are strong, so the entire focus of the KU offense, for good and bad, will be on …
Who to watch: Kansas QB Todd Reesing. So far, the junior’s season has been defined by a really, really bad interception thrown late against South Florida leading to the Bulls’ game-winning field goal. That’s unfortunate because he’s been magnificent. He bombed Louisiana Tech for 412 yards and three touchdowns, USF for 381 yards and three scores, and Sam Houston State for 356 yards and two touchdowns. He’s spreading the ball around well, providing a little bit of production around the goal line, and has been ultra-efficient. Now he’ll have to be even better with the Iowa State defense likely to shut down the KU running game.
What will happen: It’ll be tight. The Iowa State defense will come up with a whale of a game, but the offense won’t have enough in the fourth quarter to pull off the upset.
CFN Prediction: Kansas 27 … Iowa State 17 ... Line: KU -12.5
Must See Rating: (5 Palin vs. Biden- 1 Beverly Hills Chihuahua) … 3

GO PATRICK BATES!! lol. Pretty fair writeup IMO.. Hopefully ISU can pull it off and win the game! Go Cyclones!

[Cardinal&Gold11]

They called him Patrick Bates. Nice research on their part

[cardinal&gold]

Originally Posted by Cardinal&Gold11

They called him Patrick Bates. Nice research on their part

They're not the only ones. At different times, the announcers on the MTN called him Phillip Bates, Phillip Bate, or Patrick Bates. They also identified Arnaud as "Arnold," which was my favorite.

CFN has been pretty kind to us, though, so I won't begrudge them a misnomer. For now.

[jumbopackage]

I think CFN is about as good of coverage of college football as you can find anywhere.

They may even have better coverage than the register, as sad as that may be.

[huntt26]

Originally Posted by jumbopackage

I think CFN is about as good of coverage of college football as you can find anywhere.

They may even have better coverage than the register, as sad as that may be.

I agree. I really enjoy reading their writeups.

[AirWalke]

Agreed that this will be a closer game than it appears... but I think we'll score more than 17 points.

[ajk4st8]

I actually thought they did a pretty good job on their hw.

[cstrunk]

They are giving us a lot of credit, I hope we live up to the hype. I think we do.

[eclone]

Pete Fiutak on CFN.com this week also listed the ISU/Mizzou game as one of five to watch the rest of the year that a big upset may come out of.