The Iowa State Cyclones knocked off another powerhouse with a huge home win against No. 4 TCU on Saturday.
The Iowa State Cyclones might be the most fun program to watch in college football this season. They go out each with the confidence that they can defeat anyone and they have proven it again in Week 9.
After going on the road to defeat Oklahoma earlier this year, the Cyclones decided they were going to take down No. 4 TCU at home. With a fired up crowd, the Iowa State state defense made sure that the TCU offense never got rolling.
In fact, TCU didn’t even get on the board until the start of the second half when KaVontae Turpin returned the ball 94 yards for a touchdown. Their offense couldn’t help them out the rest of the way, as Kenny Hill really struggled to move the ball.
Two key interceptions late in the game nullified any chance they had at winning and now only six undefeated teams remain in college football. Kyle Kempf did enough for the Cyclones with two passing touchdowns and again, they get to celebrate knocking off a top program. Here are three takeaways.
Matt Campbell does it again. How many coaches have been able to do the job that Matt Campbell has this season with the Cyclones. In just his second season, he has taken a 3-9 team and turned them into a bowl eligible team. Not only that, but they’re taking care of their conference games and are knocking off the elite that typically rule over them.
The job he has done in Ames is going to put all eyes on him and he certainly deserves the accolades that come with it. It’s hard to imagine that anyone saw his squad beating both Oklahoma and TCU coming into this season, but it speaks to the way he’s had his players ready on game day.
Can Iowa State win the Big 12? Not only did Iowa State knock off TCU on Saturday, but they improved their conference record to 4-1 to go with their 6-2 record overall. They’re right in the thick of things in the Big 12 Championship chase and they have a real shot. The wins over Oklahoma and TCU give them a huge leg up.
While they can celebrate this one, they have some big games on the horizon. Oklahoma State, West Virginia and a road tilt with Kansas State are all on the way. If they want to win the conference, they’ll have to win those games.
Can the Big 12 still make the College Football Playoff? Now that TCU has fallen and has a blemish on their record, the Big 12 has no remaining undefeated teams. The Horned Frogs and Oklahoma both share a common loss having lost to Iowa State. Now though, the conference has to wonder if they’re going to make it into the College Football Playoff. A one-loss team could still very well get in, but is the Big 12 at the risk of getting passed over for a one-loss Big Ten or SEC team?