Where Matt Campbell could go if Iowa State football failures continue

A different perspective does a lot to Campbell’s image

As previously established, the most that Matt Campbell has gotten his Cyclones is nine wins, and that’s great. However, he only did so once; that doesn’t sound particularly promising when we’re looking for a performance built on consistency.

To make matters worse, that win count was hit in 2020, a year many would slap an asterisk next to because of how chaotic it was with altered schedules and rosters (big props to the COVID-19 pandemic for that doozy). He also had stars like quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall at his disposal, and they deserve their own cuts of the credit for reaching nine wins anyway.

Don’t get me wrong, Matt Campbell is still a good coach, but those facts have me asking myself what he’s done for me lately, and the honest answer is not much.

But let’s not get so pessimistic just yet. Perhaps there is still some sort of respectable standard that the Cyclones have managed to retain under his control, like a streak of positive seasons, or maybe a streak of bowl appearances? If we were discussing this topic last summer, those kinds of stretches would not only be active but also several years long. Unfortunately, the 2022 squad was responsible for the demise of both.

Upon falling to TCU by an ungodly score of 62-14, Iowa State had concluded its season with a 4-8 record, its worst result since Campbell’s first in Ames. The run was so poor that it left the Iowa State football sitting at the bottom of the Big 12 standings, as a convincing victory over a non-bowl West Virginia was the sole thing that kept them from finishing league play winless. That is objectively pathetic regardless of where you’re coaching.

But Campbell shouldn’t be judged by ISU’s 2022 display—yet

None of this is meant to imply that we should define Campbell’s worth by last season; especially when considering all that good stuff he’s pulled off at Iowa State football, doing so would be insanely unfair. Heck, even six of the team’s eight losses in 2022 were decided by seven points or less, so it can definitely be asserted that there is still more to the Cyclones than meets the eye. But what if there isn’t?

In other words, let’s say that their inability to pull away from big games follows them into the next season or two, and they spend their foreseeable future in the Big 12 basement. Would there be any heat applied to Campbell’s seat?

I think one could argue yes, as all universities—even ones as snake-bitten as Iowa State—would like to hit a higher ceiling than that of just one questionable, lightning-in-a-bottle year that was achieved in what could be a far tougher conference. But if that turns out to be the case and ISU goes as far as parting ways with Campbell (or vice versa), what would the next chapter of his career have in store for him?

At this point, his Cyclones would be years removed from even holding the status of “good,” and again, that’d be in spite of him coaching in the could-be-better Big 12. Therefore, the idea of him moving up the CFB food chain comes off as rather unlikely (unless one of the larger fish out there hits an alarming level of desperation). Instead, I’d much sooner humor the thought of him moving down to a historically and/or recently successful member of the Group of 5. But who?