For anyone who has been following Iowa State football for a while now, Saturday’s matchup against UNI is going to be nerve-racking.
On paper, yes, Iowa State should win the opening game of the season. I mean, the game is in Ames, and Northern Iowa (UNI) does not hold a candle to the competition that Iowa State is going to face in the Big 12.
However, the Cyclones have a tendency to start slow. That slow start is something the Cyclones cannot afford this season.
Questions are all over the place surrounding Iowa State. With the gambling investigation hitting the starting lineup hard, and the added pressure of following up a 4-8 2022 season, there is no doubt that the team is in the hot seat right now.
The Cyclones can either ride the wave of low expectations coming from all sides, or they can come out of the gate firing and show the football world that they aren’t going down without a fight.
The answers to everyone’s questions will come this Saturday in the season opener. However, the Cyclones’ play could very well dictate how the season will play out. That means a lot considering how troublesome the season openers have been in recent years.
Not counting last season’s matchup with Southeast Missouri State (SEMO), the Cyclones have not had a comfortable win over a team in the season opener since 2017. Even with the win over UNI in 2017, the Cyclones also lost the previous year to UNI.
Every year seems to hold the same story. Even if the Cyclones are good, the season opener is still one game to worry about.
In 2019 UNI took Iowa State to triple overtime before the Cyclones eventually came out on top. In 2021, the same story nearly played out as the Cyclones squeaked out a one-possession win over UNI. Again, UNI nearly played spoiler, something that wouldn’t be ideal for Saturday’s matchup.
In the Cyclones’ outstanding 2020 season where they found themselves in the national rankings, they still dropped their season opener in ugly fashion to Louisiana 31-14.
No matter what expectations the Cyclones have entering the season, the season opener bug is one they can’t seem to kick. Although last season’s opener was smooth sailing, that is no reason to look past the UNI game and already put a mark in the win column.
UNI will be a tougher team to beat than SEMO. Along with that, the next week after is the Cy-Hawk matchup.
If the Cyclones don’t get wins in the first two weeks, be prepared to buckle up for another rough ride. They don’t necessarily have to get both wins, but if they end up starting 0-2, we should all be worried.
There is more on the line this season than ever. It is going to be important for Campbell to put together a solid season despite the tough obstacles. Dealing with adversity is going to be important when looking at Campbell’s tenure.
He will be asked to craft a team with the talent he has remaining on his roster to deal with a tough Big 12 slate. The Cyclones only got one win against Big 12 competition in the 2022 season, so it shouldn’t be too hard to follow.
If Campbell can’t put together a good season to follow up his 4-8 showing last season, he will be on the hot seat. Putting together a good season begins with the first two games.
