Mr. CFB No. 6: Iowa State

When Matt Campbell took over at Iowa State in 2016, the Cyclones had gone through six straight losing seasons. In that same stretch Iowa State was 13-40 in Big 12 play and, as a result, Paul Rhoads was fired.

Enter Campbell, who had posted a record of 35-15 in four full seasons at Toledo. He was hired to make the Iowa State program, which had had limited success, relevant again in the Big 12.

Did he ever.

After going 3-9 in his first season Campbell engineered quite a turnaround, taking the Cyclones to four straight bowl games, including last season’s 34-17 win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cyclones finished 9-3 which was only the third nine-win season in school history.

Campbell could have taken a bow and left Ames, Iowa for much greener pastures. Instead, he stayed and got a new contract that pays him $4 million per season.

Why? Because Matt Campbell knew what he had coming back and there was no way he was going to let somebody else coach this football team.

The 2021 Iowa State team returns 19 starters including quarterback Brock Purdy, who has thrown for 8,932 yards and 62 touchdowns while completing 66.1 percent of his passes in three seasons.

Running back Breece Hall led the nation in rushing with 1,572 yards in 12 games while scoring 21 touchdowns. Every starter on the offensive line is coming back. Charlie Kolar is one of the best tight ends in college football.

Iowa State could have the best defense in the Big 12. 

Bottom line: This is the season that Campbell has been building towards his entire coaching career. The goal is to win the Big 12 championship and earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. Nothing less.

There are several games on the schedule worth noting. The obvious one is a Nov. 20 trip to Oklahoma. Last season Iowa State beat Oklahoma 37-30 in the regular season and lost to the Sooners 27-21 in the Big 12 championship game. The odds are quite good that they’ll meet twice again this season.

This is going to be a fun team to watch.

Note: The above photo is of Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy after he was named the offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021. The photo is credited to Rob Schumacher of the Arizona Republic.