The Iowa State Cyclones are now the leaders in the Big 12 Conference but folks probably don’t know much about them.
College football is the best sport in the world because it’s just so dang unpredictable. You come into the season thinking you know how things are gonna shake out, and then you get punched in the mouth with something you never saw coming. You know, like the Iowa State Cyclones being the leaders in the Big 12 Conference after Week 9 of the season.
Yes indeed, if the regular season were to end after this week, Iowa State would be in the returning Big 12 Championship Game as the top team in the conference. No one predicted this prior to the season getting underway, yet here we are, watching one of the feel-good stories play out for this season.
So, who exactly is this Cyclones team that’s captivated the Big 12 and the nation? Here are a few things you need to know about this squad.
They were just ranked for the first time since 2005
Not many college football fans out there know much about this Iowa State team because, well, they haven’t really enjoyed that much success for over a decade. In fact, when they entered the AP rankings last weekend at No. 25, it was the first time the program had enjoyed being called one of the 25 best teams in the country since 2005. That’s a long time for a team from one of the Power Five conferences to go without that distinction.
But, with wins over Oklahoma when they were No. 3 in the country and now TCU, who was ranked fourth in the nation, their stay in the rankings will be lasting much longer.