ISU football boasts second toughest schedule in the nation
Freshman wide receiver Allen Lazard runs the ball against No. 7 Baylor on Sept. 27 at Jack Trice Stadium. The Cyclones fell to the Bears 49-28. Lazard had 47 receiving yards.
October 6, 2014
Looking back on the season so far, Iowa State has played some pretty tough opponents. They started out the season against FCS No. 1 North Dakota State, and have played three Big 12 teams ranked in the top 25. Iowa State’s only unranked opponent was Iowa.
The combined record of these first five teams is 22-3, with two of those losses coming from No. 1 Florida State and No. 2 Auburn.
Iowa State’s strength of schedule is one of the toughest in the country. According to the Jeff Sagarin ratings, Iowa State has the second toughest schedule, coming in behind only Southern Methodist University.
Iowa State (1-4, 0-3 Big 12) | Strength of schedule: 2
No. 1 (FCS) NDSU (5-0, 1-0 MVC) | Strength of schedule: 174
No. 17 Kansas State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) | Strength of schedule: 84
Iowa (4-1, 1-0 Big 10) | Strength of schedule: 74
No. 5 Baylor (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) | Strength of schedule: 104
No. 16 Oklahoma State (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) | Strength of schedule: 77
*Strength of schedule ranking comes from the Jeff Sagarin Football Ratings. Team rankings come from the latest AP poll released Oct. 5.
