The impossible dream

They are the yin and yang of college football. One is in the top 10 of BCS teams for all-time wins, the other in the bottom 10 for all-time losses. From before the Great Depression until the mid-1990s, they played every year, and now they are again.

Iowa State has beaten Oklahoma five times out of 76 attempts — the most lopsided 50-game-plus series in Division I-A. The Cyclones’ record in the past half-century is 1-40-1.

Oklahoma’s historical record means its fanbase sincerely asks questions like “Would you consider 11-2 to be a failure this season?” and says “The season is lost” after losing to two teams in the BCS top five.

Iowa State’s history of futility is too big for a blog post, so I wrote a much longer piece here, picking out a handful of games that were notable points in the series.

Paul Rhoads has done many things as Iowa State’s coach, but beating Oklahoma is not one of them — yet.

Bring on the windmill.

UPDATE: It already wasn’t likely to happen, but Jake Knott being out for the season doesn’t help matters any.

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