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If you could craft the perfect Iowa State football schedule, what teams would you want us to play?

  • Iowa – obvious.
  • Nebraska – arguably the game many older Cyclones miss most.
  • Minnesota – border state, historic series, easy travel.
  • Kansas State – Farmageddon must remain protected.
  • Colorado – old Big 8 memories and a fan base that travels.
  • Missouri – another natural Big 8 fit that should never have disappeared.
  • Oklahoma State – probably ISU’s most respected Big 12 opponent.
  • Wisconsin – Midwest heavyweight, incredible tailgating matchup.
  • Utah – physical football, passionate fans, beautiful road trip.
  • Arkansas – SEC without the SEC arrogance.
  • Tennessee – bucket-list atmosphere in Knoxville.
  • Kansas – conference history and a game ISU should still expect to win.
 
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OP is pretty close. Agree with Bird, would trade UNI for one of the Dakota States.

The old Big 8, plus Iowa, a rotating MAC team, a Dakota St - that's 10 games.

The other 2, maybe rotate Minny & Sconny, and leave one open spot for rando fun home-and-away deals w someone further afield in Texas, the coasts, something like that.
 
If we are just blowing up conferences/past ties, I have no interest either Oklahoma or Texas schools. Also wouldn't want the same 12 every year, so leaving a few "random regional spots".

Season opener against a rotating combo of UNI/Dakotas/NIU
Iowa
Illinois
Missouri
Nebraska
Minnesota (I personally don't care about this one, but good for overall fan base)
Wisconsin
Kansas State
Colorado
ASU (son graduated from there a couple weeks ago/good occasional road trip)
Pick a west coast school
Pick an east coast/Florida school
 
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Mine would be built almost entirely around regionality. Some of these schools are programs Iowa State has a long history with, such as Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Mizzou, while others are teams we do not have much history with. In a perfect world, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota would be on the schedule.

Realistically, a schedule like this would never happen in today’s college athletics landscape with how heavily everything revolves around television contracts and revenue. I also did not include any FCS opponents, which probably is not practical since most schedules include at least one softer non-conference game.

What I like most about this setup is that every road game would be within roughly a 2–7 hour drive for fans. It would preserve rivalries, create new ones, and make traveling to away games far more realistic and affordable.

So here would be my ideal schedule:

  • Minnesota
  • Iowa
  • Illinois
  • Northwestern (where Iowa State earned the “Cyclones” nickname after the famous 1895 matchup)
  • Wisconsin
  • Mizzou
  • Nebraska
  • Kansas
  • Kansas State
  • Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma State
  • Arkansas
 
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I would dump Iowa off the schedule.... mostly because of their insufferable fans. Would love to never see them wandering the parking lots of JTS ever again.
 
cytor said:
I would dump Iowa off the schedule.... mostly because of their insufferable fans. Would love to never see them wandering the parking lots of JTS ever again.
Click to expand...
I understand the sentiment but rivalries make CFB special.....we've seen so many of them die due to conference realignment as it is.
 
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Dakota Whoever
Iowa
Mizzou
Nebraska
KSU
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Notre Dame
Okie State
Northwestern
Kentucky
KU
 
CyTuT said:
  • Iowa – obvious.
  • Nebraska – arguably the game many older Cyclones miss most.
  • Minnesota – border state, historic series, easy travel.
  • Kansas State – Farmageddon must remain protected.
  • Colorado – old Big 8 memories and a fan base that travels.
  • Missouri – another natural Big 8 fit that should never have disappeared.
  • Oklahoma State – probably ISU’s most respected Big 12 opponent.
  • Wisconsin – Midwest heavyweight, incredible tailgating matchup.
  • Utah – physical football, passionate fans, beautiful road trip.
  • Arkansas – SEC without the SEC arrogance.
  • Tennessee – bucket-list atmosphere in Knoxville.
  • Kansas – conference history and a game ISU should still expect to win.
Click to expand...
This would be a fun schedule

Then I'd rotate that Tennesse game slot with either another fun road trip location or a game against a high profile "marquee" matchup to give us that chance at a stunning upset
 
Year 1Year 2
(H) non-MVFC FCS(H) non-MVFC FCS
(H) G6(H) G6
(H) Iowa(A) Iowa
(A) Big Ten (MN/WI/IL/NW)(H) Big Ten (MN/WI/IL/NW)
(H) Kansas State(A) Kansas State
(A) Kansas(H) Kansas
(H) Missouri(A) Missouri
(A) Nebraska(H) Nebraska
(H) Colorado(A) Colorado
(A) Mountain/Pacific P4(H) Mountain/Pacific P4
(A) Oklahoma State(H) Oklahoma State
(H) Southern/Eastern P4(A) Southern/Eastern P4

Every year:
*7 home games
*3 super easy road trips
*1 western trip
*1 southern/eastern trip

Also, **** Oklahoma.
 
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