ESPN blog ranks ISU's non-con 11th toughest in B12

**EggMcClone** · 06-10-2009, 12:42 PM

Ranking the best and worst of Big 12 nonconference schedules - Big 12 - ESPN

11. Iowa State: North Dakota State, Iowa, at Kent State, Army
Paul Rhoads doesn't want any surprises early in his first season and his nonconference schedule. North Dakota State has posed problems to FBS teams like Minnesota in the past. Iowa doesn't have Shonn Greene back, but has almost everybody else back on a stout defense that will challenge the Cyclones. Mighty mite 5-foot-5, 170-pound tailback Eugene Jarvis will test ISU's defense and the trip to Kent State won't be a gimme. And new Army coach Rich Ellerson will bring 6-10, 283-pound wide receiver Ali Villanueva along with starting quarterback Chip Bowden from a team that won three games last season.

I'm not exactly sure how that ranks below these considering Duke is the only BCS team these three schools play (and they won like 2 ACC games last year):
10. Texas: Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida
9. Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, at Houston, New Mexico
7. Kansas: Northern Colorado, at UTEP, Duke, Southern Mississippi

Maybe he thinks Iowa isn't going to be very good? Kind of an odd list to me.

**4429 mcc** · 06-10-2009, 12:51 PM

kNebraska at #4? Florida Atlantic (H) Arkansas State (H), at Virginia Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette (H)

Except for VT thats pretty soft.

**CycoCyclone** · 06-10-2009, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by EggMcClone

Ranking the best and worst of Big 12 nonconference schedules - Big 12 - ESPN

I'm not exactly sure how that ranks below these considering Duke is the only BCS team these three schools play (and they won like 2 ACC games last year):
10. Texas: Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida
9. Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, at Houston, New Mexico
7. Kansas: Northern Colorado, at UTEP, Duke, Southern Mississippi

Maybe he thinks Iowa isn't going to be very good? Kind of an odd list to me.

Wow, we can't buy respect right now

**DaddyMac** · 06-10-2009, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by 4429 mcc

kNebraska at #4? Florida Atlantic (H) Arkansas State (H), at Virginia Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette (H)

Except for VT thats pretty soft.

And as per usual, they don't leave Lincoln for those games either.

Gotta say - I think I'd rather have those 3 home games than Kent State on the road.

**jdoggivjc** · 06-10-2009, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by EggMcClone

Ranking the best and worst of Big 12 nonconference schedules - Big 12 - ESPN

I'm not exactly sure how that ranks below these considering Duke is the only BCS team these three schools play (and they won like 2 ACC games last year):

11. Iowa St: ND St, Iowa, at Toledo, Army
10. Texas: Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida - fairly decent, and actually agreeing to play at Wyoming

9. Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, at Houston, New Mexico - fairly decent
7. Kansas: Northern Colorado, at UTEP, Duke, Southern Mississippi - WTF?

Maybe he thinks Iowa isn't going to be very good? Kind of an odd list to me.

One of these things is not like the other (I'm looking at you, Kansas...)

**LeBron** · 06-10-2009, 01:01 PM

Well, it's not very often that a 2-10 team from the year before has a chance to go 4-0 in non-conference.

**tejasclone** · 06-10-2009, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by CycoCyclone

Wow, we can't buy respect right now

Why should anyone respect us? We were 2-10 with the worst defense in the history of football played by humans, we have a Charmin Extra Soft non-conf schedule, and we have a new staff and system. Respect must be earned.

**ClimbIowa** · 06-10-2009, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by EggMcClone

Ranking the best and worst of Big 12 nonconference schedules - Big 12 - ESPN

I'm not exactly sure how that ranks below these considering Duke is the only BCS team these three schools play (and they won like 2 ACC games last year):
10. Texas: Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida
9. Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, at Houston, New Mexico
7. Kansas: Northern Colorado, at UTEP, Duke, Southern Mississippi

Maybe he thinks Iowa isn't going to be very good? Kind of an odd list to me.

Clone fans have thought Kent State was a decent team for a few years now. It turns out, they suck. Army sucks. So does the Division II team. Those three teams are really weak competition.

**jdoggivjc** · 06-10-2009, 01:09 PM

His ranking of the non-cons really is a joke - it's all a bunch of BS.

This is how I'd do it:

1 (2). Colorado: Colorado State, at Toledo, Wyoming, at West Virginia
2 (5). Oklahoma State: Georgia, Houston, Rice, Grambling
3 (1). Oklahoma: BYU (at Arlington, Texas), Idaho State, Tulsa, at Miami
4 (3). Missouri: Illinois (at St. Louis), Bowling Green, Furman, at Nevada
5 (6). Baylor: at Wake Forest, Connecticut, Northwestern State, Kent State
6 (4). Nebraska: Florida Atlantic, Arkansas State, at Virginia Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette
7 (8). Texas A&M: New Mexico, Utah State, UAB, Arkansas (at Arlington, Texas)
8 (9). Texas Tech: North Dakota, Rice, at Houston, New Mexico
9 (11). Iowa State: North Dakota State, Iowa, at Kent State, Army
10 (12). Kansas State: Massachusetts, at Louisiana-Lafayette, at UCLA, Tennessee Tech
11 (10). Texas: Louisiana-Monroe, at Wyoming, UTEP, Central Florida
12 (7). Kansas: Northern Colorado, at UTEP, Duke, Southern Mississippi

The only reason why I don't have OSU #1 is because all of them are home games - but it's still brutal. Much more brutal than the patty-cake that Nebraska plays in comparison...

**theshadow** · 06-10-2009, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by ClimbIowa

Clone fans have thought Kent State was a decent team for a few years now. It turns out, they suck. Army sucks. So does the Division II team. Those three teams are really weak competition.

Arkansas State -- Sun Belt, 6-6 (3-3, 4th)
Northern Iowa -- Division I-AA, or "Division II" as you call it.

**DaddyMac** · 06-10-2009, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by ClimbIowa

Clone fans have thought Kent State was a decent team for a few years now. It turns out, they suck. Army sucks. So does the Division II team. Those three teams are really weak competition.

Damn - why do I keep wandering over onto the rivalry board?

I'm sure I keep clicking on the ISU football link.

But I keep getting in all these threads with iowa fans making unsolicited opinions and shots at ISU. Wierd.

Someone help, please??????

Maybe Jeremy can look into why the FB link keeps going to the rivalry board, and why it still says Iowa State Football at the top....

**jdoggivjc** · 06-10-2009, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by ClimbIowa

Clone fans have thought Kent State was a decent team for a few years now. It turns out, they suck. Army sucks. So does the Division II team. Those three teams are really weak competition.

I want explicit written proof that anyone here thought that Kent State was a decent team. I've never heard that. I've only heard by how much we should be beating them by and how ****** off we were in 2007 when we lost to them in our home opener. Not once did anyone say they have a decent team. We said they have a QB and a running game that COULD cause our defense problems (which for some odd reason it really didn't last year), but that's a FAR cry from saying they have a decent team.

**DJK15** · 06-10-2009, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by theshadow

Arkansas State -- Sun Belt, 6-6 (3-3, 4th)
Northern Iowa -- Division I-AA, or "Division II" as you call it.

Arizona - Better than NDSU, Kent State, Army, Iowa State, Arkansas State and UNI.

It's funny how you guys always leave out our toughest non-conference opponents.

**DaddyMac** · 06-10-2009, 01:18 PM

Originally Posted by DJK15

Arizona - Better than NDSU, Kent State, Army, Iowa State, Arkansas State and UNI.

It's funny how you guys always leave out our toughest non-conference opponents.

Son of a ***** - it keeps happening.