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Iowa State Football: 3 reasons Matt Campbell should have won Coach of the Year

By Andrew Miller

AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones looks down at the ground as he leave the field after losing 49-42 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jack Trice Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Ames, Iowa. The Oklahoma State Cowboys won 49-42 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones looks down at the ground as he leave the field after losing 49-42 to the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Jack Trice Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Ames, Iowa. The Oklahoma State Cowboys won 49-42 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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One of the under the radar candidates for the 2017 Coach of the Year award in college football was Iowa State football head coach Matt Campbell.

Iowa State football was one of the more surprising teams in college football in 2017. Head coach Matt Campbell made a huge difference in his second full season in Ames,. The Cyclones pulled off some huge upsets against the TCU Horned Frogs and Oklahoma Sooners, the two top teams in the Big 12.

In the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, the Clones battle the Memphis Tigers, which will be a very intriguing matchup between two great head coaches. Memphis head coach Mike Norvell just signed an extension with the Tigers. Many expected Norvell to take the opening with the Arkansas Razorbacks.

However, Campbell also signed an extension with Iowa State, even though he was one of the hottest names on the coaching market. Campbell helped the Clones finish the regular season with a record of 7-5 (5-4 Big 12). The end of the season was not as friendly to the Clones as the beginning.

Yet, the road loss to the Kansas State Wildcats likely should have gone the other way. Kansas State got a few favorable calls that gave way to a one point loss for Iowa State. Losses to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and West Virginia Mountaineers by one possession in each contest could have gone either way also.

This was the first time that the Clones won more than three games since 2012. It was a great season, that could see Iowa State win eight games after it’s all said and done.

Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt was named the 2017 Coach of the Year on Dec. 5. However, there were some good candidates out there that could have won as well. Here’s three reasons that the head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones, Matt Campbell, should have been named Coach of the Year in 2017.

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