College Football Playoff Ranking Projections: Top 25 for Week 11
By Zach Bigalke
The magic of October wore off in Week 10, as Iowa State dropped their first game in over a month against West Virginia in Morgantown. The Cyclones fought gamely to pull off the second-half comeback. But the bid fell short as the No. 15 team in the College Football Playoff rankings stumbled in a 20-16 road loss on Saturday.
The Cyclones fell behind 20-3 in the first half, though the defense clamped down and prevented the Mountaineers from scoring in the second half. Even then, they gave up 316 yards and two touchdowns to West Virginia quarterback Will Grier. Iowa State’s offense was forced to kick field goals when they needed touchdowns, as Kyle Kempt threw for 249 yards but only one touchdown.
The team with the longest conference title drought in the FBS might have lost its best chance in decades to claim a league crown as a result. Iowa State won’t drop completely out of the College Football Playoff Top 25 this week, but they have an uphill slog to get back into the Big 12 race after losing in Week 10.