USA TODAY Sports
With spring practice closed for most of college football, the Iowa State Cyclones are still concentrating their focus on one thing: a Big 12 title.
The Cyclones have had a hard time the last couple of seasons getting over the 6-7 mark, so focusing their eye on a bigger prize seems a little out of reach. But head coach Paul Rhoads knows that his team needs to become a contender and to put them in position to win a title – for not only the team but for his job security.
Rhoads recently on slump:
We’re trying to get above this lingering hump of .500, which some could misconstrue as mediocrity. But when you look at where we’ve been, it’s above it. Now we want to make it up into the top tier of this conference, and if you do that, you’re playing dang good football.
The Cyclones have had some big wins over the last couple of seasons – most notably, their 2011 upset over the Oklahoma State Cowboys that most likely held the Cowboys out of the National Championship.
With new starting quarterback Sam Richardson at the helm and, as some have been putting it, a deadly backfield, the Cyclones are looking at 2013 as their chance to make a dent in the conference.
Focusing on keeping key players healthy – which has been an issue in the past – and putting some consistency on the offense was one of Rhoads’ main goals during Spring camp.
They finished camp on April 20th with the spring game and are looking to keep up the pace once summer workouts begin. The Cyclones will kick off their 2013 campaign against Northern Iowa on August 31st.
