Iowa State faces tough schedule in November

(AP) - Picked to finish last in the Big 12 North, Iowa State suddenly faces a November of opportunity.

The problem is the schedule, which is downright nasty.

Iowa State (5-4, 3-2 Big 12) needs just one victory in its last three games to become eligible for a bowl game. The Cyclones also have a chance to secure a winning season and they're in the running, mathematically at least, for the North division championship.

Of course, chances of that last possibility happening could end Saturday, when the Cyclones host No. 9 Nebraska (7-1, 3-1), which has a leg up in the division race after beating Missouri this past Saturday.

"We're not in the race in the Big 12 North," Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads declared Monday. "Maybe numerically speaking we are. We're just out there trying to improve. This is our next game. We want to be better this football game."

Rhoads was simply trying to be realistic considering what the Cyclones face down the stretch. They travel to Colorado after playing Nebraska, then finish the season at home against No. 14 Missouri.

Colorado looks to be the best chance for Iowa State to get its sixth victory for bowl eligibility; the Buffaloes (3-5, 0-4) have lost 11 straight conference games. But Iowa State has won only once in its last 13 trips to Boulder.

As for Missouri (7-1, 3-1), the Tigers have given Iowa State all kinds of grief lately, including an overtime victory in 2004 that kept the Cyclones from winning the North title. Iowa State has beaten the Tigers only once in the last seven years.

"It's hard to think about the entire month," quarterback Austen Arnaud said. "We're just trying to go day by day, trying to focus on the next thing and that's Tuesday practice and that's gearing up for Nebraska.

"It's impossible for us to think ahead. We're just living in the moment and playing right now."

Still, the Cyclones have a chance to far exceed what had been expected this season. Most preseason projections had Iowa State finishing 1-7 in the league and 3-9 or 4-8 overall, and that seemed reasonable given the Cyclones had one of the nation's toughest schedules.

Nebraska will be the fourth opponent ranked in the top 10 when it faced Iowa State. Kansas is the only team ISU has played that has a losing record now.

"We can't control how people pick us to finish. We can only control what we do and how we work and the goals we set," safety Michael O'Connell said. "To be in this position is no surprise. We've been working extremely hard, all the way back into offseason workouts in the winter and carrying that over to spring ball and then carrying that into summer workouts.

"With hard work, you reap what you sow."

Iowa State seemed headed for a losing season after getting blown out in consecutive weeks by Utah and Oklahoma. But the Cyclones regrouped to win at Texas - their first victory ever over the Longhorns - and then beat Kansas at home last weekend.

Rhoads said his team is fresher than it was at this time last season, partly because he has backed off on what the players do on Sunday. They lift weights and watch film but don't practice.

"Your legs are back under you a little bit more," linebacker Jake Knott said. "I think it has benefited us the last couple of weeks."

Iowa State recorded its most significant victory of 2009 when it won at Nebraska. The Cyclones forced eight turnovers in that 9-7 victory, their first in Lincoln in 32 years.

Rhoads is sure the Cornhuskers haven't forgotten that game.

"There's a good chance that they'll be ready to play Saturday afternoon," he said. "I would be, too."