Iowa State’s 2012 Football Schedule Released

Finally, after weeks of waiting, the Big 12 released their football schedule.  With West Virginia and TCU joining the conference, it took much longer to get the schedule out than it usually does.  You can see ISU’s schedule here.

I actually like the schedule for the Cyclones.  Yesterday, I was hoping that the schedule would keep somewhat constant so that ISU could host Tech, Baylor, and Kansas State while playing Kansas on the road.  All of those came true.  The reason for me liking the setup is because the Cyclones should win at Kansas (I know last year was too close for comfort).  Coming into the season, I would say that Baylor, Kansas State, and Texas Tech are all around the same talent level as the Cyclones.  Having all three of those teams play at home hopefully can give the extra advantage to win those games.

My early prediction on this year’s “Oklahoma State” game is the West Virginia game at Jack Trice.  West Virginia should still be competing for a Big 12 championship in late November.  Paul Rhoads has pulled off upsets in every year so far and I think WVU may be his next victim.

What concerns me is that the Cyclones won’t have a bye during conference play.  Instead, Iowa State has a bye the week before the first Big 12 game, against TCU.  Bye weeks are crucial for players to get an extra week’s rest.  Also, it gives you an extra week to prepare for the next opponent.  Last year, Iowa State had a bye before the Oklahoma State game.  You know what happened.

What are your thoughts on the schedule?

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