How do we finish the year?

[DSM4Cy]

10-2, win the league, go to Dallas, play in a NY6 bowl. I'm done doubting. Sure, we might go 1-3 down the stretch - tough games. Not easy to win on the road in any environment, and WV and K-State will be tough. Okie State is a good team, even though we get them at home. I can see us finishing 7-5. But I'm on board, and done with doubting. Why not Iowa State? We're gonna finish in the top 10 at the end of the season.

 

[Cyclonepride]

TCU - W
WVU - L
OSU - L
BU - W
KSU - W

8-4. BAY kinda concerns me, because they can be competitive, but their best platoon is O and it can't match our D

If our defense plays the way it has been, we beat Baylor fairly easily. They have been competitive because they score points. I don't see them scoring enough to make up for their defense against us.

 

[CloneDontCare]

Win or lose, I get the feeling each of the last four games are going to be within one score. If there is one exception, it'd be a double-digit win over Baylor. We've proven we don't get steam rolled, but the actual result in the big games seems to come down to whether those 50/50 moments go our way. It's comical how many things went right against TCU, with all their penalties and bad turnovers. It's nice to get a few breaks for once and not see any controversial replay moments.

No result would surprise me between 1-3 and 4-0, but for the first time ever as a Cyclone fan, we go into the final four with a belief that we can win out. It's actually possible. But I expect ultra competitive games where a single play could change the outcome.

 

[bosco]

I agree.

The big 12 doesnt really have the 'elite' team dominating the conference. And aside from KU and BU, things are close enough among the other 8 teams that everything is pretty unpredictable. There's no game to look at in that group and go 'we WILL lose that', just like its hard to go 'we WILL win that'

When you look around and you realize you're the elite team...

 

[bozclone]

When you look around and you realize you're the elite team...

This is great

 

[arobb]

When you look around and you realize you're the elite team...

 

[CapnCy]

I want a K-State win. We've lost 9 straight and 8 have been by 1 possession or less. **** the crypt keeper

A K-State win this year is not only needed given they are "down"....for me it'll be as big of win to get the darn monkey off our back! (And head to bowl game with some swagger).....although....maybe that's the game that gets us into the Big 12 championship?

 

[Cat]

10-2.

Oklahoma State is the toughest game by far and it's at home. Going to roll Baylor and KSU.

 

[jkclone]

Prediction is 9-3. Just to hard to win out but I don’t see a loss left. The worst one is OSU but they don’t scare me. 10-2 would absolutely not surprise me.

 

[Cyclone5050]

I'm still trying to keep my composure, I think we beat Baylor and K-State, 9 wins would be huge! More would be seriously impressive.

I still think that the season that we beat Pitt in the Independence Bowl was our best team, but I'm open to winning out and changing my mind!!

 

[GMackey32]

10-2

1 down.

 

[Playboi Carti]

I think we're going to lose 1 of the 3 road games and finish the regular season 9-3.

 

[ComCY]

WVU in Morgantown scares me...

I think we'll either go 2-2 or 3-1.

 

[madguy30]

I'm still trying to keep my composure, I think we beat Baylor and K-State, 9 wins would be huge! More would be seriously impressive.

I still think that the season that we beat Pitt in the Independence Bowl was our best team, but I'm open to winning out and changing my mind!!

2000 team was fun but got rolled by anyone with a pulse.

This team has beaten real legit teams and it would be pretty shocking if they got rolled up vs. any remaining teams. Couple that with the physical play, ability to tackle, etc. and it's clearly better.

 

[CyCloned]

I'm worried about KSU because they won't abandon the run like everyone else does. I can't wrap my ming around these teams not running it all the time when they have some success against us. Sure, we get them in 2nd and 10 a lot but we also get creased a lot. Credit to Heacock for somehow getting guys to quit running just enough to get themselves in a hole and give him leverage. TCU and OU both ran for more than 5 YPC and just couldn't score later in the game. Tech found some success with the running game at times as well but didn't stick with it.

ISU is giving up 3.6 YPC for the season. That includes a rather dismal performance against Iowa early in the year. In big 12 play that number is probably closer to 3. TCU got some yards on the outside later in last weeks game when Lima and Lanning were out of the game, and officials decided that TCU could hold all they wanted on the edge. Just don't understand how running at ISU is a guaranteed success. Look how many times in the last 4 weeks ISU needed to stop a 3rd or 4th and 1-2 play and they stuffed it. Not really sure how it is all being done, but ISU has a pretty salty defense, even against the run.

You do realize that KSU was in a dog fight with KU last week, right?

 

[CycloneErik]

When you look around and you realize you're the elite team...

This is my favorite football post of the year.
Sir, the Internet is yours.

 

[SimpsonCyclone]

I'm still trying to keep my composure, I think we beat Baylor and K-State, 9 wins would be huge! More would be seriously impressive.

I still think that the season that we beat Pitt in the Independence Bowl was our best team, but I'm open to winning out and changing my mind!!

We'll see how the season plays out but even if we go 8-4, I would still say this team is better.

The 2000 team played 2 ranked teams ALL YEAR and got blown out both times.. they lost their 3 games by a combined score of 135-44.. That team got 3rd in the big12 north.. This year's team has beaten 2 top 5 ranked teams and is in 1st place for the entire conference.

The 2000 team was our best record, but not our best team IMO.

 

[Tre4ISU]

ISU is giving up 3.6 YPC for the season. That includes a rather dismal performance against Iowa early in the year. In big 12 play that number is probably closer to 3. TCU got some yards on the outside later in last weeks game when Lima and Lanning were out of the game, and officials decided that TCU could hold all they wanted on the edge. Just don't understand how running at ISU is a guaranteed success. Look how many times in the last 4 weeks ISU needed to stop a 3rd or 4th and 1-2 play and they stuffed it. Not really sure how it is all being done, but ISU has a pretty salty defense, even against the run.

You do realize that KSU was in a dog fight with KU last week, right?

TCU and OU both ran for over 5 YPC without adjusting for sacks. I also didn't say it was a guaranteed success. I'm not saying that ISU is a sieve. I'm saying that those teams found success and Tech at times found some success there and never really seemed to stick with it. It's going to be hard to do much of anything against them but trying to drop back and throw it everywhere has played into their hands. What they want is to stop the run on 1st down and then have you go to the passing game while they have been a little susceptible to bigger runs.

 

[tejasclone]

When you look around and you realize you're the elite team...

In one of the ESPN videos after the game, one of their guys said something like, "Iowa State has the easiest path remaining among the best teams in the Big 12."

And I was like, wait a tick, that was an inclusive statement...

 

[cyclones500]

Can't recall if I already posted in this thread or a different one, now that ISU started 6-2; Anything less than 8-4 would be a bummer. ... In preseason, I couldn't have imagined saying that.