My rankings of most to least difficult game on the schedule
1. vs KSU
2. @ Utah
3. vs Tech
4. @ KU
5. vs Cincy
6. vs UCF
Is this years' team better than we thought?
- Thread starter mjhavlo76
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1. vs KSU
2. @ Utah
3. vs Tech
4. @ KU
5. vs Cincy
6. vs UCF
After reading the article that posted a few minutes ago, the coaching staff is thinking along the same lines that I have been posting. I guess you could say they are nit picking also
cyclonefanatic.com
No. 9 Iowa State is focused on "full 60 minutes of football," not historic 6-0 start
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell and his players take the field before the game against Arkansas State on Sept. 21, 2024, in Ames. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images AMES — Iowa State’s first 6-0 start in 86 years comes with an asterisk attached. W
cyclonefanatic.com
@WVU is a tougher game than TT at home and I don't think it's even close.
After reading the article that posted a few minutes ago, the coaching staff is thinking along the same lines that I have been posting. I guess you could say they are nit picking also
No. 9 Iowa State is focused on "full 60 minutes of football," not historic 6-0 start
Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell and his players take the field before the game against Arkansas State on Sept. 21, 2024, in Ames. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images AMES — Iowa State’s first 6-0 start in 86 years comes with an asterisk attached. W
What else do you expect them to say. LOL they aren't going to come out and say yeah we have it all dialed in and we're hitting the cruise button. Obviously our biggest area of improvement is the first quarter but again, this staff isn't going to overreact right now.
Maybe, I think TT is a better team than WV, but going into WV and winning may turn out to be a better win. Lots of football to still be played.
They are saying the exact same things that I have been saying, we have not played a full game yet, and others on here call that nit picking because of our record. Its ok to admit that we have not played our best football, you have to play one game at a time, and not get caught up in the hype of the rankings and the record.
*I* don’t have to anything because I don’t influence the games.
Of course the team is saying that.
I think the defensive strategy works well because teams are having to work hard and show a ton of plays to score in the first half without our defense showing much. When we make adjustments in the 2nd half, they don't have any answers. I think if we were selling out to stop any scoring right from the gun, then we'd be more susceptible to the big play. And if we were showing everything on defense right away, teams would have a chance at half time to make adjustments.
I think everyone knows we haven't play our best football yet and yeah that's exciting. I think most of the previous discussion was around the "slow starts". With our LB situation we are going to be fairly risk averse simply because of the inexperience. Heacock isn't going to come out and say that though.
Exactly. Heacock doesn't over play his hand early and once the team finds out you are sitting on pocket aces it's too late to try tp adjust. We aren't just letting teams score early, they are having to run a lot of plays to do it.
1. vs KSU
2. vs Tech
3. @ Utah
4. vs Cincy
5. vs UCF
6. @ KU
This is how I'd roll them out from toughest to least tough at the moment. But I don't think the difference between UCF and KSU is all that large. KU might have already mailed it in for the year - honestly I don't blame them when they were hoping to compete for the top and now they're 1-5.
Our game at WVU is probably somewhere between 1 and 4 on that list.
2. vs Tech
3. @ Utah
4. vs Cincy
5. vs UCF
6. @ KU
This is how I'd roll them out from toughest to least tough at the moment. But I don't think the difference between UCF and KSU is all that large. KU might have already mailed it in for the year - honestly I don't blame them when they were hoping to compete for the top and now they're 1-5.
Our game at WVU is probably somewhere between 1 and 4 on that list.
I really don't think we've made that many mistakes though.. I think we've played pretty clean football all year. Obviously in that Iowa first half we did not but that and the first two drives against Baylor are really the only two glaring moments. And I don't think Iowa is great or anything but if not for the 56 yard bomb, we do lose that game and Iowa is probably top 15-20 at this very moment. That is a very good win in Kinnick.
I'll also say this in agreement with you. If you did want to nit pick, which is perfectly fine as fans and I do it all the time, you're looking at little things which is a great thing. That means even though we're not playing perfect, we're still dominating lots of quarters of football games. If we can put a full game together, these scores will get even more lopsided.
I also think these opening drives by our opponents being against extremely green LBs has been a huge reason we're seeing offenses score. Some of these guys have never even played in games yet and are being thrown to the wolves.
I think it was Gary Pinkel that said something like, "lose big, lose close, win close, win big." It's beginning to feel like we're in between winning close and big phase of program development. There's work to do, but continuing to win, even when we're not complete in all phases of the game for four quarters, is pretty great!
“Even out”? You mean…like, we start to have a rash of injuries at one position? The punter drops off? The RB1 has trouble hitting the holes?
Things tend to not even out during the season, but from season to season. This year we have been great out of not getting flags and beating ourselves. Special teams in the past have been a problem, this year they have been a strength, the offense has the ability to play either the passing game or running game at a high level. While we have had injuries, its just in one/two position groups, the LBs, and the Oline, the rest of the team has been very healthy the entire year
Yeah, let’s stop with this “haven’t played a very good team yet” nonsense.
Iowa’s two losses were to what have proven to be top ten teams. And WVU’s three losses were to teams with a combined current record of 18-0.
Who has either EIU or WV beat, that is what determines if you are a good team or not, not who beat you. Saying EIU is a good team after getting waxxed by Ohio State and losing to ISU is going out on a limb, they have beaten Minn. on the road and Washington at home, their two cream puffs should not count. Lets see how they do against, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
“Just” the linebackers.
I’d count how many there’s been, but I stopped at six. There’s no “just” about that.
You also minimized the injuries on the OL, where two guys getting hurt would have totally crippled this team in the past. In years past, a walkon has plugged the first hole—and that’s as far as it went.
And let’s not forget one of our mere three experienced corners getting hurt—or the fact that we somehow survived Darien’s absence filling in with green players.
Yeah, things have already”evened out”. What they haven’t done is to start going swimmingly yet. This team has been winning with hard work and grit.
Crappy argument. By your own definition, Nebraska and Wisconsin aren’t good teams, either. And you’re calling Minnesoata a cream puff after they beat USC. Such a crappy argument.
Sounds like Cyclone Jerry logic.
A good team is a good team regardless of who they’ve had a chance to beat so far.
BTW? We don’t play Eastern Illinois. It’s time to stop acting like twelve year olds, be a grownup, and call Iowa “Iowa”.
The program has grown up. It’s time for the fanbase to as well.
