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

At this point in the season, it seems like either everything will be clicking for Texas or the wheels will have completely fallen off.

Meanwhile, head coach Tom Herman has overhauled the staff this offseason by bringing in a new offensive coordinator, Mike Yurcich, and a new defensive coordinator, Chris Ash.

The Horns enter the season ranked No. 14 and feature preseason All-Big 12 senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger. On the other side, the defense will likely be much improved with three all-conference selections among the linebackers and secondary.

Despite this, the question that remains is which Texas team will show up.

Texas was decimated by injuries late last season, so I expect them to rebound this year. However, this is the kind of game that Iowa State loves to pull the upset.

Give me the Cyclones.

Final Score: Iowa State 21, Texas 14 (6-3, 5-3)

The Mountaineers will also be looking to finish in the top half of the Big 12 in Neal Brown’s second year as head coach. However, last year’s West Virginia offense looked like nothing of the past by finishing last in the Big 12 with just 21 points per game.

Junior quarterback Jarret Doege returns following a respectable season but should face some competition from Austin Kendall for the starting role. That said, the ground game was abysmal for West Virginia last year, finishing last in the Big 12 with only 73 yards per game.

Ironically, West Virginia might become more known for their defense this year if things do not improve.

Given that this game is in December, I’m predicting that an early winter snowstorm blows through Ames that weekend, making this matchup all about the ground game. Anticipating this, Matt Campbell breaks out the all-white unis, and Breece Hall runs wild for 200 yards and three scores.

Final Score: Iowa State 31, West Virginia 14 (7-3, 6-3)