Nothing very noteworthy to report on besides the Cheez-It Bowl, so these are Cheez-It Bowl notes and Cheez-It Bowl notes only.
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What Iowa State Wants from Today
It’s the culmination of a disappointing season for the Cyclones, relative to recent results though not historic precedent. Seven wins for Iowa State, not long ago, was a raging success. Now, it’s disappointing. That’s the story of what this senior class has done, and what Matt Campbell has done with them.
I’m not sure a win or a loss really changes that legacy. It’s more about the taste in the mouth the team leaves with, and honestly, as long as the game’s close, I’d imagine these guys will leave with a pretty good taste, especially if Matt Campbell does stick around, which seems highly likely now that the collegiate carousel has wound down, given he already reportedly turned down the NFL once in recent seasons.
Of course, a win would be better than a loss, and the recipe’s there. Thankfully for Iowa State, Clemson’s defense doesn’t force that many turnovers, which should hopefully help an occasional-disaster-prone Cyclone offense. Thankfully for Iowa State, Clemson’s offense is kind of a mess, giving Iowa State’s defense opportunities to keep the game low-scoring even with Mike Rose opting out. In bad news for Iowa State, Clemson’s defense is often impenetrable. So…we’ll see. It should be fun, though, and while its name is among bowl season’s sillier ones, playing Clemson in a bowl game is no small deal. This isn’t quite in the tier of bowls that comes just behind the New Year’s Six, but it isn’t far off.
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Viewing schedule, all times Eastern:
5:45 PM: Iowa State vs. Clemson – ESPN
9:00 PM: Tennessee @ Alabama (men’s basketball) – ESPN2
~11:00 PM: Alamo Bowl ending (Oregon vs. Oklahoma) – ESPN
Looking like an entertaining night.
