There’s a reason ISU football coach Dan McCarney

constantly refers to the team’s 2006 schedule as a “season of opportunity.”

The Cyclones are arguably playing their toughest schedule in years, facing three teams that have a legitimate chance at a national title.

Two teams on the schedule are in the nation’s top five in the first USA Today/ESPN poll

of the season, and three more are in the top 25.

Nine of the 12 teams the Cyclones face this season played in bowls last year, and another opponent – the University of Northern Iowa – was the Division 1-AA national runner-up.

“We basically have two choices – believe we can be successful or believe we can’t,” McCarney said. “There aren’t a lot of people around the country [who believe we can]. It’s not that they don’t respect Iowa State. I think we’re beyond that – they see nine bowl teams and two teams in the top five in the country. I think a lot of people just think they can’t beat that schedule.”

McCarney said he believes his team has the ability to prove critics wrong.

“[Others think we] have a good program, good kids who know what they’re doing, they play hard and coach hard, but they just can’t beat that schedule,” McCarney said. “We have to put our foot in the sand and say that we can and we will. There’s no one who can convince me that we can’t be successful.”

For his part, McCarney has his team believing they can be successful.

“A lot of people don’t think we can compete with a schedule like that,” said junior receiver Todd Blythe. “As far as I’m concerned, every game that people think will be a tough one for us is a game where we can go out and show people what we’re about here at Iowa State.”

Iowa State’s first test against a national power is on Sept. 16 when the team travels across the state to face the Hawkeyes. Iowa State beat Iowa 23-3 last season when the Hawkeyes were ranked No. 8 in the nation. Iowa is ranked No. 17 in the first poll.

Iowa State goes up against preseason No. 2 and defending national champion Texas in week four and faces No. 5 Oklahoma just three weeks later.

Between those two Big 12 South powers are matchups against Northern Iowa and Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are ranked 22nd in the USA Today poll and are the early favorite to claim the Big 12 North title.

Iowa State received nine votes in the preseason poll, holding down the 37th spot on the list.

Although the Cyclones will enter many of their games as underdogs, the team approaches each game the same – no matter who the opponent might be.

“Of course you go into the season and try to win every game, but sometimes setbacks happen,” said receiver Jon Davis. “We’re not going to look at [each game] any less or any more. That’s our opponent for the week and we’re going to play them right then and do our best.”

The schedule gets tougher for the Cyclones this season thanks to a switch in conference opponents. After playing Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M the last two seasons, Iowa State drops those teams for Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech.

Since McCarney took over as coach in 1995, the Cyclones have gone 1-12 against the portion of the Big 12 South schedule they face this season. The lone win against that group was over Texas Tech in 2002.

Iowa State is 9-10 against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M in that same span.

The last time Iowa State played Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech was 2003 was a season that saw the Cyclones post a 2-10 record and post a 0-8 record in the Big 12.

“A lot of us feel, the last time we had this schedule we went 2-10 so we already thinking in our head that we’re not going to do that this year,” Davis said. “We think we have a good chance with any team in the Big 12.

“We know they’re going to have a fair enough chance too, they’re going to try to gun for us too. It’s just trying to take it game by game and play by play and try to get it done.”

Other resources:

From ISD: Big 12 Break Through

From ISD: Four Cyclone players hurt in preseason play

From ISD: Harris moves to defense

From ISD: More on Cyclone football…