Matt Campbell has his Iowa State football train moving in the right direction, but Saturday night’s cancelled game vs. South Dakota State could prove costly.
Last season the Cyclones qualified for the Liberty Bowl, besting Memphis to finish 7-5. That record, though, included what would be a key win over Northern Iowa, a member of the FCS like South Dakota State.
Without that victory, Iowa State would have still been 6-5, but the likelihood of playing in a mid-marquee bowl vs. Memphis would not have come to fruition.
Now, the Cyclones must figure out a number of things. Can the game be played on another night? Iowa State is free the week of October 20, but the Jackrabbits will be in a conference matchup with Northern Iowa, so that date is unavailable.
Could there be another team that would want to play Iowa State during that time-slot? Maybe, there are a number of schools remember.
More importantly, the team could need that victory – assuming they would have bested South Dakota State since they were leading 7-0 at the time of the cancellation early in the first – to reach the mark to be eligible for a bowl.
The Cyclones get in-state rival Iowa next week in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes struggled in the first half Saturday vs. Northern Illinois before rolling. That is followed up by a meeting with Oklahoma at home before facing Akron.
Assuming you give Iowa the edge being at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa State could be sitting at just 1-2 entering a Sep. 29 date in Fort Worth, Texas vs. TCU. The Horned Frogs would be favored there, and another road game with Oklahoma State follows.
Now, Campbell’s crew is staring at a 1-4 record as they enter the stretch with games vs. West Virginia, Texas Tech, Kansas and Baylor. Iowa State should be favored in at least two of those, maybe three. Say they go 3-1, that places them at 4-4 with games at Texas and vs. Kansas State to close out the year.
See how important a win over South Dakota State would be now?