Unfortunately for crazy college football fans like me, the regular season has come to an end. As the last bit of the games play out, some schools are still fighting for a conference crown.
TCU has already punched their ticket to Arlington but they have a lot more to play for than just a Big 12 title. They entered Saturday at 11-0 looking to finish the regular season with a perfect record and have a shot at the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile Iowa State is just hoping for a possible bowl invite if they can get to 5-7. In this matchup between two teams going opposite directions, TCU proved that they are one of the best teams in the entire country. Here are my thoughts on TCU’s big 62-14 win over Iowa State.
1. This Felt Like 2014
I have watched a lot of Big 12 football over the years, and I have seen some bad football games. As boring as some of those games have been this one may have taken the cake. This game was never close as TCU had a 24-0 lead after the first quarter. The Cyclones couldn’t stop TCU and they had some costly mistakes along the way. Iowa State had two pick sixes and a blocked punt which was one of the many errors on the day. I know Iowa State isn’t as bad as they were back in 2014 when TCU beat them 55-3 but this felt even worse. This was absolutely embarrassing for Iowa State as TCU completely dominated them from start to finish.
2. One More Win for TCU
This was a big day for the TCU Horned Frogs. It was senior day in Fort Worth, and it was the last home game of the season. Of course, with TCU being 11-0 they just needed one more win to get to 12-0 and they did it with ease. The Horned Frogs become the first Big 12 team since 2016 to finish unbeaten in conference play and the first Big 12 team to go 12-0 since Texas back in 2009. With their current number four ranking in the College Football Playoff, TCU will have a shot at winning a national title if they can win a Big 12 championship next weekend. Plus, they will move up a spot since Ohio State fell to Michigan on Saturday afternoon. TCU came out of nowhere and they are truly one of the best teams in the nation. They just keep finding ways to win games and Sonny Dykes deserves a ton of credit for what he has been able to do. Also, can we get Max Duggan to New York please?
3. It’s Basketball Time for Iowa State
After a 3-0 start to the season, Iowa State has now lost eight of their nine conference games. If you go back a little further, in their last 14 Big 12 games, Iowa State is 3-11. I thought this team should have at least made a bowl game but that wasn’t the case. The defense has carried this team all season long as the offense dragged its feet. Hunter Dekkers has looked like a first-year starter and the lack of any sort of run game has really hurt this offense. The Cyclones have one of the worst rushing offenses in the country and have struggled in pass protection as well. That is a recipe for disaster for any young quarterback.
Beyond that, the lack of creativity hasn’t helped much either as offensive coordinator Tom Manning has been under scrutiny for most of the season. There is a lot to like about the defense but there should be some changes made to this offensive staff if Iowa State wants to ever get back in the Big 12 title conversation. I guess if there was one positive today for Iowa State it is that Will McDonald IV became the new career sack leader in the Big 12.
