Iowa State football: FOX ranks all non-conference games in top 16

The Iowa State non-conference slate is going to be a thrill ride as FOX ranks all of their games in the top half of the Big 12 schedule.

David Ubben of FOX Sports kicks it up another level from Athlon Sports and ranks all 30 non-conference games for all 10 Big 12 teams. He has the Cy-Hawk rivalry game ninth, the Toledo game 14th, and the season opener against North Dakota State 16th.

Here’s what he said about the game against the Bison:

"NDSU beat reigning Big 12 champion K-State in last year’s season opener and knocked OU out of the NCAA Tournament in basketball. Pro tip: Stop scheduling these guys. You have nothing to gain. Coach Craig Bohl is gone after leading the Bizzzzzzzon to three consecutive national titles, but NDSU should still open the season as one of the best teams in FCS."

Back in Athlon’s rankings, I said that the game against NDSU deserves to be in the top 10, much more than even Kansas-Duke.

That’s why I’m a little befuddled at these rankings. Even based on what he writes I don’t understand why he has it behind the basketball powerhouses’ matchup, the other non-conference game against Toledo, and Baylor-SMU.

Not to harp on SMU, but I’m probably more excited for Iowa State-NDSU than any of the Big 12 matchups they’re in.

In Ubben’s top three, he has the games in this order: Kansas State-Auburn, Oklahoma State-Florida State, and Texas-UCLA. Regardless of the order, those are definitely the three best games on the slate.

What do you think of the rankings?