Iowa St. Cyclones 2010 Season Preview/Prediction
The College Football season may be 4-5 weeks away but our man Kyle Hunter has been deep in study and will provide his take and 2010 College Football Predictions on as many NCAA teams as he can before the 2010/11 season kicks off.
We start from the top and move our way down so keep checking in for more college football previews for the 2010-2011 NCAA Football Season!
2010 NCAA Football Predictions – Teams | Analysis | Previews Online
Big 12 Football Previews: Iowa St.
Head Coach: Paul Rhoads
2009 Record: 7-6
Paul Rhoads came right in last year and produced results right away at Iowa State. The Cyclones surprised the college football world and finished with a winning record, capped off with a 14-13 win over Minnesota in the Insight Bowl. Keep in mind that this Iowa State team had won a total of just nine games in the previous three seasons before 2009. Can Iowa State continue to impress and improve on last year’s success? The schedule is much tougher this year so the challenge is a big one.
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This team will lack experience in several key areas, so it will be up to the few veterans they have to step up and lead. In addition, the youngsters they brought in will need to come along quickly. The Cyclones are a dangerous team, but they also lack some of the key components that top teams have.
Team Strengths:
The running game with Alexander Robinson is the real strength of this Iowa State football team. Robinson gained 1,195 yards last year and Austen Arnaud is a terrific running quarterback as well. The Cyclones rushing attack averaged 177.3 yards per game last season, and they could very well do just as well this year.
The offensive line returns four starters from a group that was one of the best in the Big 12 last season. The line allowed just 17 sacks and paved the way for Arnaud and Robinson on the ground. Expect this to be a real strength again this season.
The defensive secondary should be solid in 2010. The Big 12 newcomer of the year, David Sims, heads a group of talented ball hawks in the secondary.
Team Weaknesses:
The Cyclones lost all of their starting linebackers from last season. This is a huge hole and I’m not sure they have the depth to plug in a prime athlete right away at this position. I expect the linebackers to struggle this year.
The front four is another area of weakness for the Cyclones. They haven’t proven that they can put pressure on the quarterback in a consistent manner. With a new group of linebackers, this defensive line needs to step up, but can they?
The passing game must improve for Iowa State. Arnuad actually had worse numbers in 2009 than 2008. In order for this team to realize its full potential, they must be a consistent threat to throw the ball to keep the defense honest.
2010-2011 Iowa State Football Predictions: 5-7
This one of those cases where the team may actually be better than 2009, but their record probably won’t show it. Iowa State’s schedule is extremely tough this year, so there are very few cupcakes here. They play both Utah and Iowa out of conference and they must travel to Oklahoma and Texas in consecutive weeks.
This is a team that could shock a very good team, but I think the inexperience of the defense will keep them from getting to a bowl game this year.
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