Iowa State came out of absolutely nowhere last year to upset Oklahoma in Norman and finish tied for 4th in the Big 12. I’m really not sure what to think about this team as most of the games they won last year were by double digits, showing their legitimacy, and they are one of the few Big 12 teams to return their QB. But on the other hand, may experts are down on this team in 2018 and they lose about half of their starters. I think that Matt Campbell is one of the best coaches in the league though and will continue to make a huge difference for this program.
Prestige Rating (If NCAA Football Still Existed): 3 Stars
Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (5-4)
Projected Returning Starters
Offense (6)
QB Kyle Kempt, RB David Montgomery, TE Chase Allen, G Josh Knipfel, T Bryce Meeker, T Julian Good-Jones
David Montgomery. ‘Nuff said. I caught some flack on Twitter last year for underestimating this kid, but I do have to admit that he is good. While his 4.4 yards per carry isn’t super impressive, that can partly be blamed on the offensive line. Montgomery is one of the toughest backs in all of college football to actually bring to the ground.
Defense (6)
DT Ray Lima, DE JaQuan Bailey, LB Marcel Spears, LB Willie Harvey, CB Brian Peavy, CB D’Andre Payne
Returning two starters at every level at least doesn’t leave any one unit too depleted, but losing half of your defense is never good. This defense will need Marcel Spears to step up and make even more plays at inside backer after the loss of Joel Lanning, the leading tackler from a season ago. JaQuan Bailey will be another very important player as he led the team with seven sacks last year and may take the next step to develop into an elite disrupter on the line in 2018.
Special Teams (1)
KR Landen Akers
Akers is the only returner for a special teams unit that was fairly average in 2017. The new punter, Corey Dunn, is a 25 year old Australian so that should be a fun story line to watch.
Key Losses: WR Allen Lazard, LB Joel Lanning
Lazard was a stud on the outside for the Cyclones last year, as evidenced by his 941 yards and 10 touchdowns on 71 receptions. Not only was he a stud last year, but he is also the Iowa State career leader in both receptions and yards. His former QB, who then converted to linebacker, Joel Lanning, is another huge loss for this team. The athletic Lanning filled a gap at middle linebacker last season when he was needed. This was one of the top storylines around the team going into the season as no one knew quite how it would pan out. It worked surprisingly well to the tune of 114 tackles (leading the team) and 6 sacks. Not bad for a QB. Both of these four year Cyclones will be missed.
Five Year Recruiting Rank (Bill Connelly): 55
Iowa State is never going to be on an elite level recruiting, it’s just not what they do. But Campbell does have them higher since his arrival than they were for years.
Alcohol Prediction for Fans by Season’s End: 7 and 7
Hey, 7 wins is good for Iowa State.
The Tyroil Smoochie-Wallace All Name Team: Oge Udeogu
Outlook
As you can tell from my alcohol prediction, I believe that Iowa State will finish with around seven wins in 2018. They have tough road matchups at Iowa, TCU, Oklahoma State, and Texas, as well as playing Oklahoma at home. Best case scenario with this schedule is likely about an 8-4 season. Their 8 wins last year was the most Iowa State had accumulated since 2000 so it’s obvious that Matt Campbell is raising the bar and has the Cyclones going in the right direction.