College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 final rankings
By Zach Bigalke
won 34-17 vs. No. 25 Oregon (Fiesta Bowl). 8. player. 837. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 9-3. Iowa State Cyclones
Some questioned whether Iowa State deserved a spot in the New Year’s Six ahead of other teams with fewer losses. The Cyclones acquitted themselves with a formidable 34-17 takedown of erstwhile Pac-12 “champion” Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl to cap their 2020 season. While Iowa State failed to win its first conference championship since 1912, Matt Campbell’s crew will reach a different milestone as the Cyclones finish in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 for the first time in school history.
The Cyclones didn’t do a ton on offense, finishing with only 384 total yards of offense. Brock Purdy threw for 156 yards and a touchdown and ran for 39 yards and another score. Breece Hall racked up 136 rushing yards and a pair of scores on the ground. Iowa State came up even bigger on defense, holding the Ducks to 86 rushing yards and 312 total yards. The Cyclones also benefitted from four Oregon turnovers, while never giving away the ball themselves.
At a school that has historically been an afterthought in whatever conference it occupied, Iowa State cannot be ignored as long as Campbell remains the head coach at the school. With Hall, Purdy, and a slew of Cyclones talent returning to Ames for the 2021 season, Iowa State should be right back in the thick of the Big 12 race as they continue their quest for the first league crown in 109 years.