Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview. #39 Iowa St. Cyclones 7-5 SU; 6-4-1 ATS Fargos Take Iowa St. is the third straight team from the Big XII North in the preseason rankings showing just how wide open the division really is. The Cyclones returned to a bowl game last season for a second straight year after a disappointing 2003 campaign and the potential is there to get back to the postseason once again if they can get through an extremely difficult schedule. The offense returns almost completely intact but the defense, which finished 35th in total defense and 20th in scoring defense last year, needs to rebuild from the ground up. The offense averaged 33.2 ppg over its final six games last season and that will be the number it will strive for the entire season in 2006. It is going to take the defense a while to come around so the offense will have to shoulder the load at least early on. Returning Starters on Offense 10 The Cyclones have the potential to possess the best offense in the Big XII North. They are led by junior quarterback Bret Meyer, who had a very successful 2005 season following a disappointing year the season before. He completed over 61 percent of his passes and he gets back every receiver that caught a pass and gained a yard. Meyers numbers should be even better this season and that is due to a running game that will improve. Stevie Hicks, a 1,000-yard rusher in 2004 was plagued by injuries most of last season but he is 100 percent healthy heading into 2006. The offensive line is enormous with all five starters being seniors. Iowa St. was only 76th in the country in total offense last season and cutting that ranking in half if not more is a distinct possibility. Returning Starters on Defense 4 One of the best defenses in the country in 2005 could turn into a huge liability this season. Only four starters are back and youth is everywhere from front to back. Only four seniors are on the two-deep chart and as many as eight freshmen are expected to be thrown into the mix right away. The defensive line will be the strength with seniors Brent Curvey and Shawn Moorehead leading the way. The linebackers are young and inexperienced but Michigan St. transfer Tyrone McKenzie is expected to be an impact player. The passing defense finished 82nd in the country last year and with just one starter coming back, things will be dicey once again. All told, this unit is going to have to step up right out of the gate to take some of the pressure off the offense but that will be a stretch. Schedule The good news is that the Cyclones get seven home games this season. The bad news is that nine of their 12 games are against teams that were in a bowl game last season. The non-conference portion of the schedule is not overwhelming but it does include tough games against Toledo and at Iowa. The other two out of conference games are winnable home contests against UNLV and Northern Iowa. The conference slate is where more bad news occurs as the first four games are all likely losses against Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas Tech. The worst part of that stretch is that the games against the Longhorns and Sooners are both on the road. The final four games are all against North teams and by then, the Cyclones will be battle tested with the defense hopefully in much better shape to close out the year. You can bet on Iowa St. has been to a bowl game in five of the last six years but getting back this season will be a challenge for head coach Dan McCarney. Even though he will have a very potent offense, the defense and the schedule are not in his favor. It will take one of his best coaching jobs to get the Cyclones bowl eligible although a trip to the Big XII Championship is certainly a possibility. After going 0-10 ATS as an underdog in 2003, Iowa St. has gone 9-3 against the number in that role over the last two seasons. The Cyclones will find themselves in that position many times in 2006 including all five games away from home. They are 5-2 as a road dog over that two-year span and with a big play offense, keeping those games within cover reach is very achievable. |
Home
