I will reiterate for anyone reading this or the linked posts. I am a diehard Cyclone fan and have been my entire life. I do not cover them professionally, but from afar. I was ecstatic to see the way the team worked through last season, even after the disappointment to open the entirely weird season. If you are just here to read an opinion on the Cyclone 2021 football team, I welcome you, but do not subscribe. I will post occasionally on my Cyclones as they are a hobby and a passion, but it is rare.
Now, onto the Cyclones. 12-0? 3-9? Where could they end up?
If you are already thinking college football playoff and you want to read a sobering piece to remind you of how not very long ago we were looking back at a 2-10 or a 3-9 season, the read this pessimist take on the upcoming season.
If you’ve had enough of that already, and want a reason to be excited, well you can read this piece, though turning on almost any content covering the Cyclones would give you a similar impression.
Realistically, I do think this team wins at least 9 for the second season in a row. I’ve tried to be reasonable and talk myself out of it, but I think 9 is the realistic minimum for this team with all of the talent they return and with the way this coaching staff has recruited and developed players.
The early games are no longer indicators for the entire season, because the coaching staff tends to lean on the fundamentals hard in the first game and build slower. The caveat for this season is that the majority of the snaps will go to guys that are already fundamentally sound and that have been playing a lot of meaningful snaps for the Cyclones. They should be able to lean hard on the early opponents, including Iowa, and then add in wrinkles as the season progresses to make themselves more and more difficult to beat.
This season is lining up to be the second in a row where Iowa State and Oklahoma will square off to determine the conference championship. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other contenders, but that the two most likely are our Cyclones, and the reigning champs in the Sooners.
If we stay healthy and there are no major surprises in the conference, I think any honest Sooner at the end of the season is going to be glad they don’t have to face Iowa State again. Even if they prevail, they’ll feel every second of football they played on the field at the end of those games.
I’m excited for this season to begin for a multitude of reasons, but the most important is that it is an escape for me. For those that follow my blog, you know that I spend ample time trying to stay on top of current events. The last 18 months have been quite depressing for me with the only highlight being the 2020 Cyclone football team. It is my entertainment. College football is a passion of mine since I was a young teenager.
In light of my freedom mindset being essentially ostracized in the world, my country, my state, my city, my workplace, career choice and even among my church, I need that time on the weekend when I can kick my feet up, open a beer, enjoy some snacks and watch college football.
No matter what happens this season, I’m excited to watch the young men that have turned the Cyclone football program into a nationally relevant brand. I hope they earn every bit of the expectations that fans have placed on them. If not, I hope they forgive us for our passion. We aren’t used to such lofty expectations and I’d be ignorant if I said we would all carry them gracefully.
Just as the Cyclone football team had to learn how to win and develop a winning culture, the fans are having to adjust to that same expectation of winning. We’re getting there.
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