While 2020 has felt like a year of losses, Iowa State football fans have had some wins to celebrate from the comfort of their homes as their team attempts to win the conference championship. 

“It is crazy to think about, that our team has come so far with its potential and capability it has shown as a team,” said Christian Graber, a senior in marketing. 

The Cyclones are sixth-ranked and are celebrating their first conference championship since 1912. Even with the wins and losses over the years, Graber explained he has been an Iowa State fan since he was a kid. 

“Seeing how much this program has grown over the years is just amazing to see and be a part of, especially being a college student,” Graber said.

This season looked slightly different than previous years because of the pandemic, with tailgating and a fan-packed stadium becoming a hazardous activity for public health. While this prevents many Cyclone fans from seeing the game, some fans won’t even be able to watch the game from their home. 

After a recent dispute between DirecTV and Tegna TV channels, customers of DirecTV are unable to view the station airing the Big 12 Championship: ABC. ABC is one of 64 stations controlled by Tegna that has gone dark since the dispute. The blackout has impacted nearly 47.1 million households since Dec. 1.

Hope is not lost for Cyclone fans with DirecTV — there will be a livestream on ABC of the Big 12 Championship, or it can also be viewed from Hulu.

Erin Conway, a sophomore in elementary education, will be watching the game from the comfort of her bed streaming from YouTube.

“I think it is pretty cool that this year, we are actually getting after it,” Conway said. “The first two games weren’t so hot, but it is definitely good to see them now rise above that.”

Conway said she does miss the fun atmosphere of the football season this year, but the adjustments to the season were likely harder for the players than anyone else. 

“When you are in your home stadium and have thousands of people cheering for you, that definitely hypes you up,” Conway said. “I can only imagine for the players, it feels like they had some of their season stolen.”

While he would have liked to have gone to the game, Graber said as a team, they are lucky for the season they have been given.