So, do you remember last year? Iowa State led one of the top programs in the nation 28-7 at halftime.

Iowa State played like champs for one half of football; in fact, the team looked unbeatable. It was the win that would have completely transformed ISU football to national contenders.

Unfortunately, games aren’t won in the first half.

Iowa State played like chumps in the second half, and Kansas State demolished the Cyclones and sent them into a rut from which they would not recover the rest of the year.

That was then, this is now.

This year’s game has a feel of urgency for both teams. While both will most likely be playing late in December, if the Kansas State Wildcats hope to win the Big 12 North, they must win their last three games.

For Iowa State, the game will represent a chance to beat a team with tradition, something that it has failed to do this year.

The Wildcats haven’t looked that good since they started playing in the Big 12, but that isn’t hard to believe since their pre-conference schedule stops just short of playing Mt. St. Mary’s Sister’s of the Poor.

KSU beat Iowa 27-7, Louisiana Tech 54-10, Ball State, in a squeaker, 76-0 and mighty North Texas 55-10.

They started off playing solid in the Big 12, beating Kansas and Colorado.

But in the last three games the Wildcats’ record is 1-2, because they have played powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

The Sooners took the Wildcats behind the woodshed and held on for a 41-31 victory.

After squeaking by Texas Tech 28-23, Kansas State took it on the chin again against A&M.

The Aggies dominated Kansas State 26-10 at College Station, leaving the Wildcats searching for their identity.

If the Wildcats are going to win the Big 12, they will need to win games against Nebraska and Missouri along with Iowa State.

A loss to the Cyclones will cause Kansas State’s season to be a disappointment.

Iowa State, on the other hand, is riding on an emotional high. The Cyclones have secured their first winning season in more than a decade and will most likely finish in the top half of the Big 12.

However, the one thing that the Cyclones are missing is a victory that solidifies them as true contenders. They have beaten opponents that are good this year, but they haven’t beat teams that can compete on a national level, such as Nebraska and A&M.

With victory Saturday, there will be no stopping the Cyclones from going 9-2 [barring a mental lapse such as the one against the Aggies].

The Cyclones will have to earn a win in Manhattan; nothing will be handed to them like in games against Missouri and Oklahoma State.

K-State has too much experience. The starting line-up will be all juniors and seniors on offense and defense.

The outcome of this game will have national implications. Sure, it isn’t as hyped as the Oklahoma-Nebraska game, but for the two teams involved, the intensity will be the same.

Iowa State will be the underdogs, hoping to gain respect. Kansas State will be the favorite (or powerhouse if you prefer), hoping to find out where it really stands.