Predictions?

This is a fun watch if you have time. They had some interesting takes on Iowa State, Ames, Gameday etc. I would say most of them are on point, and most of the good is what most of us know, and most of the bad, is probably also known by most.

Overall it was a fair review of ISU, too bad they didnt come on a better day/game.

My only take is I wish they had some insiders/locals to help with learning/touring ISU and our traditions a bit more, instead of just relying on random people to inform them.

But they did visit quite a bit around Ames/Campus, and it is a good viewpoint from an outsider comparing it to other places.

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Iowa Western defensive end Blake Hawkins becomes the latest defensive lineman to commit to Jesse Bobbit's defense at Iowa State.

The 6'4, 240 pound EDGE recorded 13 sacks and 23.5 TFL as a redshirt freshman for the Reivers in 2025.The JUCO product from Gretna, NE has three years of eligibility remaining. https://cyclonefanatic.com/2026/01/iowa-western-de-blake-hawkins-commits-to-iowa-state/

Fresh column from Randy Peterson for your Friday afternoon!

He breaks down the impact of Tamin Lipsey on the Cyclones and their success, plus why he deserves to be in the conversation with the great before him.

Enjoy!

Michigan State wide receiver Evan Boyd commits to Iowa State, becoming the fifth receiver out of the portal to commit to Jimmy Rogers. Boyd played in all 12 games as a redshirt sophomore, finishing the year with 3 catches for 54 yards. The 6'3, 208 pound receiver has two years of eligibility remaining.

Jimmy Rogers and his staff have already put a lot of effort into filling out the defensive line, they get their prize in a commitment from Washington State defensive end Isaac "Bobby" Terell.

When the Pac disbanded my thoughts were the BIG and SEC powers would eventually get tired of subsidizing lesser performing programs like Vandy and push for unequal shares. This would create a handful of mega powers but, so long as the Big 12 remained relevant and focused on parity, all Big 12 schools would be closer to equal footing.

With the success of the likes of Vandy, Ol Miss, etc in football AND basketball, I can easily see Texa$ and others like them pushing for something new. I can easily see Texa$ being a primary culprit in imploding it's third straight conference (more if you give them multiple credit for chasing people out of the Big 12).

Is this good for Iowa State or bad?

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Good stuff here.

Should probably do a wellness check on stansky and ears finebam lol

Comparing Sundays dual on Wrestlestat using most recent lineups (ASU dual for ISU, southern scuffle for NDSU)

125 - #16 Poulin vs #13 Witt - wrestlestat has Witt winning 7-4. Another really tough test for Stevo, who has had a tough schedule thus far. Witt is a stud freshman, winnable match though.

133 - #123 Meza vs #46 Daugherty - wrestlestat has Meza losing 5-3. Definitely a winnable match if he goes. He had two hammers this past week. (They have it 10-3 in favor of Frost if he goes).

141 - #4 Echemendia vs #85 Olson - wrestlestat has Ech winning by 11-3 MD. Should be 4, if not 5 for ISU in a mismatch.

149 - #7 Frost vs #34 Peterson - wrestlestat says Frost 12-5. Not a gimme match as Peterson is tough, should push for bonus.

157 - #10 Zerban vs #36 Drexler - WS has it 10-3 Zerban. Drexler hasn’t quite found his footing after bumping up to 157, but the guy was an AA at 149 last year. Sneaky tough match.

165 - #26 Euton vs #56 Greenley - WS says 14-5 MD for Euton. Euton seems to smash the guys he should beat. Had a rough go of it at ASU, he’s a guy ISU will need in March so hope he gets it going when he gets the top 15-20 guys.

174 - #13 Gaitan vs #58 Magayna - WS says 14-5 MD for Gaitan. It does seem as though Magayna gets better each time out, but I love how MJ looked Sunday. There will be points in this match.

184 - #24 Dean vs #19 Brenot - WS has it 8-5 in favor of Brenot. Best match of the dual on paper (aside from 125). Brenot was a blood round guy last year.

197 - #79 Carter vs #50 Wasley - WS has it 8-4 in favor of Wasley. I liked what a saw out of Carter. Not showing anything real offensive but standing in there holding center and handfighting tough. He has a shot. (They have it 10-3 in favor of Elam)

285 - #1 Bastida vs #77 Blackburn-Forst - WS says 20-4 TF for Yonger. Not much to commentary on this one.

WS has it 23-12 ISU, I’ve got it 28-6 with these lineups.

A few fun match-ups (125, 184) to look forward to, and will be interesting to see if 133 and 197 starters make it back.

Iowa State lands Washington State defensive lineman Jack Janikowski. As a redshirt sophomore in 2025, Janikowski played in all 13 games while recording 10 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack. The 6'2, 242 pound product has two years of eligibility remaining.

Main screen today

Spent a lot of time thinking about last night's game and looking at conference play so far...

Iowa State earned a commitment from another former Washington State player in transfer Malaki Ta'ase.

Jake Brend, Rob Gray, and Ben Hutchens recap Iowa State’s gritty win over Baylor, highlighting the full-circle growth of Tamin Lipsey. Then the three express their concern for Bill Fennelly’s squad and the tough road ahead before evaluating Jimmy Rogers’ 2026 transfer portal class. Presented by Kelderman Manufacturing.

Enjoy!

There's enough boot wears here I figure this is a good place to ask. I got some new boots a few weeks ago, normally I've worn 6" tall lace up boots and have for years but decided to try some slip ons last year and liked the idea but not the execution for the 6" slip ons. So a few weeks ago I got a pair of taller Wellington style pull on boots. What I wasn't prepared for is needing taller socks. I've been messing around with a few different ones but I haven't found any yet that consistently stay in place. I've rubbed my calves raw in a couple spots because of my socks slipping down. I think I want some over the calf socks but I don't want to spend $30 a pair on darn tough ones, they don't stay in place anyway. Anybody got some recommendations for decent tall socks that stay put? I'm mostly indoors so if they were thinner athletic style socks I'd prefer that.

Since @stuclone decided he has better things to do this weekend than being our tour guide in Fargo as he promised, I'm looking for advice on places for my wife and I to get dinner and some breakfast. TIA

Can’t wait to listen to this

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Posted this in the game thread but I felt it deserved its own post.

I theorize that Dom Nelson takes this Iowa State team from a top 20 team with most likely a Sweet 16 peak to a legitimate national title contender. He is the most important bench player for any national title contender. And somehow, someway, he has single handidly taking this teams offensive efficiency through the roof.

After reading these facts, please try to make a counter argument.

Tonight, Iowa State scores 8 points in 8 minutes. Dom comes in, goes bull in a china shop, turnover, bad free thrown shooting and he goes out. 5 minutes of playing time. Iowa State on pace for a 40 point night. Enter Dom Nelson. After he enters, scores at a 78 point pace.

Mississippi State. 67 point game pace. Enter Dom Nelson. 101 point pace the rest of the way.

Creighton? Start the game at a 20 point pace. Enter DOM Nelson. 84 point pace the rest of the way.

Syracuse? Start the game at a 30 point pace. Enter DOM Nelson! Dom comes in for 3 minutes and the team scores 8 points, a 107 point pace. Next 7 minutes team scores at an 80 point pace. Re-Enter DOM Nelson!! Rest of the game is a 112 point pace. Gambling was very similar to those with a 115 point pace after Dom's seconds insertion into the game.

Iowa? 44 point pace before Dom, only plays 3 minutes. No cyclone points while Dom was in. 80 point pace the rest of the first half and the game. Poor coaching not to try the Dom Nelson effect a 2nd time.

Eastern Illinois? 64 point pace before Dom. 83 point pace after.

Purdue game Iowa State scores 16 points in twelve minutes. Enter DOM NELSON!!! Dom draws 2 fouls, commits one, has 2 turnovers and misses a shot and completely changes the momentum of the game. Dom only plays 9 minutes but before he enters, they are on pace for a 54 point game. From the moment he enters they are on a 93 point pace.

It's not every game, but the only games where this pattern doesn't hold, Iowa State hasn't struggled on offense at all. And there hasn't been a single time where the offense was struggling where the turning point was DOM FREAKING NELSON!!!! Entering the game. And these aren't minor improvements. They are massive improvements. Our offensive efficiency after DOM NELSON enters the game must be through the ******* roof. Can any CF staffer por through the data and give us complete stats on offensive efficiency bere Dom enters and after?

And it's not like he is generating all this offense. A lot of these games he barely plays. He just changes the vibe. If Tamin, Jefferson and Milan were replaced by decent Big 12 players and Dom was the main scoring threat, he would average 17 points a game on 20 shots, 6 boards, 1.5 assist and 4.7 turnovers a game and the team is on the outside looking in.

The Achilles Heel of all these good TJ teams has been offensive funks. It is what has limited TJ to having Top 15 teams to.having a Top 3 team. We all assumed the missing piece was more reliable offensive consistency. Maybe a Tyrus McGee or Donovan Jackson off the bench or a Georges Niang or Marcus Fizer who you could go to any time and know they would deliver. Turns out that missing piece is Dom Nelson, a senior transfer who plays sparingly and has middling stats, who just might be the most important bench piece on a Final 4 team

Vinnie Johnson was called The Microwave because he could come off the bench and heat up an offense quickly by scoring in bunches. That's not Dom. From now on, for me, Dom Nelson shall be known as "The Defibrillator". I need an NIL shirt of Dom using a defibrillator on Cy and I need it yesterday.

For the first time in program history, No. 3 Iowa State is 15-0 following a 70-60 road win over Baylor.

Watch everything T.J. Otzelberger, Tamin Lipsey and Joshua Jefferson said following the win below.
https://cyclonefanatic.com/2026/01/...lipsey-and-joshua-jefferson-after-baylor-win/

Chris Williams and Jake Brend react to No. 3 Iowa State’s road win against Baylor, courtesy of Karl Auto Group.

Enjoy!

This was one of the most disturbing shows I've seen in a while. I had no idea stuff like this happens often in Colorado due to lack of regulations.
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Tonight I've twice had my security software shut down the site (I was listening to Chelsea Poppens WBB postgame of the Cincy game) and give the following message (see attached image)