Iowa State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2020 season

The Cyclones better be ready to go out of the gate.

Louisiana is a preseason Sun Belt favorite after finishing last season 11-3. Their offense was one of the best, ranked eighth in the country in 2019, and their rushing attack will feature the dynamic duo of Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas who helped the Cajuns gain over 250 rush yards per game — sixth in the nation.

Iowa State’s defense held opponents to 140 yards rushing per game last year, which is not far from the top of Big 12 in that statistic.

The Cyclones occasionally tend to play down to their non-conference opponents having barely survived against Northern Iowa in triple overtime last season. However, I believe the players are just going to be thankful to even be playing football this year, and Iowa State will come out and cover the spread easily.

Final Score: Iowa State 49, Louisiana 23 (1-0)

Something to keep an eye on will be whether TCU sophomore quarterback Max Duggan will be available for the game. He had a previously unknown heart condition discovered during the team’s COVID-19 testing this offseason and recently underwent a procedure leaving his return to the field uncertain for the near future. If he cannot go, sophomore Matt Downing will likely start instead.

Quarterback play has noticeably not been very good lately for TCU, and the Frogs have lost their top target Jalen Reagor after he went to the pros.

However, the one constant under Gary Patterson has been defense. They led the conference last year, and they should be near the top again.

This could be a slobber-knocker by Big 12 standards. What gives me pause are the questions on the offensive line for Iowa State early in the season. TCU might be able to get by even with a backup quarterback.

Final Score: TCU 24, Iowa State 17 (1-1, 0-1 Big 12)