FRISCO, Texas — Iowa State had a truly historic season in 2024, setting a program record with 11 wins. The Cyclones played in the Big 12 Championship Game for the first time and went on to defeat Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Around the program, though, it still feels a little unfulfilling.
“There’s a lot of guys coming back to a team that feels like they underaccomplished,” offensive lineman Tyler Miller told CBS Sports. “Yeah, it’s a great season in Iowa State history, but at the end of the day, our goal is to win the game in December at the Big 12 championship and we didn’t do that.”
A “great season” is selling quite short. The program is undergoing an unprecedented period of success under coach Matt Campbell. The 11-2 campaign was the seventh winning season in eight years, matching the previous 35 years of pre-Campbell Iowa State football.
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But still, for the 113th year in a row, it didn’t end with a conference championship. The Cyclones have not won a conference crown since 1912.
To get another chance, Iowa State’s roster did something unusual. According to Campbell, more than 20 players on the roster took less money to return for additional years of eligibility. Despite building a conference title-caliber roster, Iowa State is…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/iowa-state-footballs-top-stars-returned-for-2025-run-despite-revenue-gap-we-want-to-win-a-title/
Author : Shehan Jeyarajah
Publish date : 2025-07-09 01:01:00
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