Peterson: Iowa State football is worthy of its most preseason respect in at least a decade

AMES, Ia. — It’s been more than three decades since Iowa State football has been respected enough to figure prominently in those all-important (kidding) Big 12 Conference preseason prognostications in which the media and coaches annually partake.

There were divisions all the way back when the media picked Dan McCarney’s team to finish second, behind Nebraska, in the Big 12 North in 2006.

Since then, those projections have been four lasts, six next-to-lasts, an eighth, and last season’s seventh.

That’s a trend that’s about to change.

Most everyone should peg Matt Campbell’s team third when the preseason guesses come out in July, and you might be thinking about the "it's not where you start, it's where you finish" cliché.

I understand that. But in Iowa State’s case, the 2019 predictions should be another indicator of how high Campbell’s program has risen since he took over after the 2015 season. It’s gone from a predictable 3-9 during his inaugural Power Five campaign that included a 66-10 shocker over Kliff Kingsbury-coached Texas Tech ...

... To 8-5 during a 2017 season that included major upsets at No. 3 Oklahoma and at home against fourth-ranked TCU ...

.. To another eight-win season that included a 6-3 conference mark, a win over a top-10 team (West Virginia), a victory at a ranked Oklahoma State and a two-point loss against No. 12 Washington State in the Alamo Bowl.

Now what? Campbell calls for consistency, but what would you expect a coach to say?

He’s certainly not going to publicly say his team should be third, behind Texas and Oklahoma. That’s billboard stuff. 

With the talent that’s returning at Iowa State and around the conference, however, third seems about right when the coaches get around to picking again.

MORE:Matt Campbell wows Kansas coaches with speech, recruiting efforts

Texas coach Tom Herman mentioned Iowa State among his list of fast-improving Big 12 teams on Tuesday's teleconference. He also added something about Campbell, who is heading into his fourth season, being among three Big 12 coaches who have been at their school the longest.

“It’s good,” said Herman, when asked about four new coaches in the league. “It infuses some new blood, some new energy — it’s going to ramp the competition level up.”

Just like Campbell did when his defensive coordinator figured out the right combination of personnel to successfully change the league’s defensive philosophy from stodgy four-man fronts to three.

And with what Iowa State has returning — 11 returnees with defensive starts, and 10 players who have started on offense — third place looks absolutely possible.

“All I knew early on, was when and if we could get it flipped in the right direction,” Campbell said on the Big 12 teleconference Tuesday. “That’s the natural feeling when you take over, especially with some of the inconsistencies that occurred before we got here — and that’s not knocking anybody.”

The stuff he's talking about: The Cyclones fell to 3-9 in 2013 after consecutive bowl appearances. They lost the next three games after the stunning upset of second-ranked Oklahoma State in 2011.

That’s not the kind of consistency that builds programs.

“You try to figure the root of the problem, and then how can you get it turned in the right direction,” Campbell said.

He recruited better players. He successfully changed locker-room culture. He and his staff focused on highlight moments. And now, his team is fixing to receive its most preseason respect since 2006.

“It’s hard to give it a number based on winning and losing,” he said. “The thing for us, as you get through each year — did you reach your full potential, or did you not? Then, it’s how do you fill in the margins of what didn’t allow you to successful.”

 And in a few months, what about the headline ... Cyclones picked to finish third in Big 12?

Campbell appropriately wasn’t touching that one.

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson has been with the Register for parts of five decades. Randy writes opinion and analysis of Iowa State football and basketball. You can reach Randy at rpeterson@dmreg.com or on Twitter at @RandyPete.