College Football Playoff 2017: Case for the Iowa State Cyclones

Case against Iowa State

Much like the rest of the 2-loss teams in the country, Iowa State cannot afford another defeat. That would kill any chance they have of making the CFP for the first time in school history.

But is the resume enough to get them in over some of the current 1-loss squads out there? That is also a tough call because we are still trying to sort out just how good the Big 12 is.

Oklahoma dominated Ohio State, but packed it in with a big lead and lost at home to these very Cyclones. TCU couldn’t get anything going on the road in Ames last weekend, scoring a non-offensive touchdown in falling 14-7.

Were the Sooners and Horned Frogs really Top-5 teams when they lost to Iowa State? The next few weeks will tell that story, though Oklahoma has looked sound since the defeat. Then you have the two losses.

First, in the second week of the season Iowa State let a 10-point fourth quarter lead evaporate before falling to Iowa in overtime, 44-41. They were also leading that game with just over a minute left before surrendering a 46-yard touchdown.

The second was a 10-point defeat – also at home like the Iowa game – to a Texas team that is a far cry from the Longhorn days of old. The Cyclones never led in that one, turning the ball over three times. Of course, both of those losses came before Kyle Kempt inserted himself into the role of quarterback in place of Jacob Park, who left the team days before the Oklahoma upset.