Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Iowa St. under first-year head coach Gene Chizik. And at this point, the Cyclones are playing for their pride and for next year, since their postseason hopes are well out of the window.

But, the team that you think has the least to play for might be the most dangerous one, and that’s something that ISU has shown in the last couple of weeks, playing spoiler to Kansas St. and Colorado’s bowl hopes.

Two weeks ago, the Cyclones prevented the Wildcats from clinching bowl eligibility with a 31-20 win. On Saturday, they went down 21-0 at halftime, but roared back in the second half (and benefited from a messy ending) to beat Colorado 31-28.

The Cyclones finish out their season next Saturday at 10-0 Kansas, and given that these two teams were on level ground for quite a while, the Jayhawks should be smart enough to not underestimate them. But, if they do…

Now that would be the ultimate spoiler, wouldn‘t it?

Coach Chizik and the staff deserve a lot of credit for the way that they’ve kept the team’s heads up, even through a tough schedule and some disheartening losses. And while the record won’t look pretty, baby steps like these - continuing to stay competitive, fighting hard until the end - are the building blocks for success.

And hey, they might get a thank you note from some of the bowl committees, because potentially keeping a couple of teams under that six-win mark helps make decisions easier in a year when it seems like almost everyone is going to be bowl eligible.