The hype is already building for the 2021 college football season, and two teams expected to be near the top of the Big 12 and national rankings are the Oklahoma Sooners and Iowa State Cyclones.
Well as ESPN continues to use its FPI rankings to try and figure out which teams are likely to be in the national conversation this fall, there was an interesting development: Iowa State showed up twice in their four most likely possible College Football Playoff scenarios.
Their most likely Playoff scenario includes: Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma. But their second-most likely scenario includes two Big 12 teams: Alabama, Clemson, Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Then there are two more scenarios, which each having one Big 12 team in it. Number 3 includes: Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Texas A&M. That’s followed by: Alabama, Clemson, Iowa State and Ohio State.
First off, the fact that the second most likely CFB Playoff scenario includes two Big 12 teams is awesome as we gear up for the 2021 season. But also, with two of the top four most likely scenarios including Iowa State, gives Cyclone Nation another reason to pinch themselves heading into this fall.
Iowa State will be a Top 10 team before the season starts, but their biggest issue is to get off to a better start than they traditionally have under Matt Campbell. If the goal is to win a Big 12 title, then losing a game to Iowa or Louisiana Lafayette isn’t as big of a deal. But you can’t make the Playoff with a bad non-conference loss, unless you plan to run the table after that.
Also, it’s important for the Big 12 to get back into the playoff, and to also finally win a game there, which they haven’t done since the CFB Playoff was implemented.
**Want to win a $25 gift card?  Go sign up here and join our conversation! The best poster each week wins a gift card to your favorite establishment!**Â
