College Football Predictions – Iowa St Cyclones 2019 College Football Preview
2018 Recap
Record – 8-5
ATS – 7-6
The Cyclones came REALLY close to getting to the Big 12 Championship Game. They started out slow with a record of 1-3 (only win vs Akron) but proceeded to rattle off five consecutive conference victories to get right in the thick of the hunt. Texas ended their dream with a 24-10 home win but Iowa St served notice that they are here to stay.
That’s back-to-back eight-win campaigns for a program that has been starved for success. Should they dream even bigger in 2019?
2019 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Big 12 – #3
Iowa St Cyclones 2019 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Cyclones ranked #7 in scoring offense in the Big 12 last year (26.8 PPG) and must move on without two of the most underrated stars in the conference. RB David Montgomery posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons whilst running with extreme anger and only fumbled three times in three years (NFL – Bears). WR Hakeem Butler was an ELITE target who was a TD just waiting to happen (1,318, 9 TD, 22.0 LY). The good news is that sophomore QB Brock Purdy is a quality dual-threat signal-caller who should just keep getting better. It will interesting to see if one of the highly-regarded freshmen RBs can make a mark this season. Both Jirehl Brock and Breece Hall have nice potential. The odds of a RB breakthrough are pretty good given that Iowa St has all five starters returning to the offensive line and we expect the Cyclones to make big strides with the running game (130 YPG, last Big 12 LY). The offense has a shot to be pretty good if they can find yet another big-time #1 WR.
We project the Cyclones to finish in the same neighborhood as recent times from a scoring perspective (26.8, 29.2, 27.7 PPG 3Y).
DEFENSE
Yes, guy.
This looks like the premier stop unit in the Big 12. Iowa St finished in the top-two in the Big 12 in both scoring defense (22.9 PPG) and total defense (349 YPG) last season and there is no reason to think things are going to change in 2019. The DL and LB units look fantastic with a pair of all-conference studs on the DL (Ray Lima, JaQuan Bailey) and a good-looking pair of returning starters at LB. Defensive back Greg Eisworth led the squad in tackles a season ago and garnered 1st Team Big 12 accolades. They will miss their excellent CB Brian Peavy (8 PBU LY) but have a pair of experienced safeties to rely upon. If there is a weakness to be seen it’s the back end of the defense as the Cyclones only managed to bag 8 INTs last year and have yielded 60%+ completions in every season under Matt Campbell.
Iowa St has one of the best stop units in the Big 12 and will have similar success as the last two years (22.9, 20.9 PPG).
SPECIAL TEAMS
Iowa St had one of the better groups in the Big 12 a season ago and all the key contributors return for battle. Great defense and special teams is a fine recipe in any conference and that makes Iowa St mighty dangerous.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The out-of-conference slate is always a bit stingy since they play the hated Hawkeyes every year. Iowa visits Ames on September 14. They have three Big 12 road games in a four-week stretch mid-season and play Oklahoma and Texas in back-to-back weeks.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – ULM (September 21)
This is your classic SANDWICH GAME (Iowa, at Baylor) and don’t forget that those KOOKY Warhawks can score points on just about anyone.
Season Win Total
Over 8 -105
Under 8 -115
MEGALOCKS says:
That looks like the right number. Slight LEANAGE to the ‘over’ as we think their floor is an eight-win campaign.
MEGAmazing Tidbit
Troy Davis is considered the greatest running back in Iowa State history. Davis twice earned consensus All-American honors and was the first FBS running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (!). Nobody has been able to replicate that outstanding feat.
MEGALOCKS ATS Outlook: Positive
The Cyclones have a legit shot to get into the conversation as potential Big 12 champs. The defense should be able to put the team on its back until they can find some new weapons on offense. They just need to take care of business during the first two months of the season and then let it all hang out in November when they play the Sooners and Longhorns.
It’s difficult to have anything other than an overall positive ATS outlook. Matt Campbell is a rock solid 23-14-1 (62%) vs the number during his three seasons in Ames and has been EXTRA SPICY as an underdog 15-8-1 (65%). Added bonus? They still fly under the radar compared to their more well-known Big 12 rivals.
Good luck, Cyclones!
Want more Iowa St football ?
WEBSITE
http://www.cyclones.com/index.aspx?path=football
FORUM
http://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/forums/football.9/
https://iowastate.forums.rivals.com/forums/isu-confidential-2-0.8/
http://iowastate.247sports.com/Board/Iowa-State-Cyclones-Message-Board-Forum-101486
NEWS
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/sports/cyclone-insider
http://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/66/iowa-state-cyclones
http://bleacherreport.com/iowa-state-football
http://www.widerightnattylite.com/
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