College Football
Previews - NCAA Football Handicapping - Preview 2006 Betting
Iowa St.
Cyclones 2006 Preview
Online
Predictions By:
Matt Fargo Iowa St. Cyclones Football
Preview Matt Fargo remains the NUMBER
ONE handicapper in 2005 at the Professional Handicappers
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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.
Fargo’s 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. Meyer’s 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.
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