The Big East fired West Virginia this morning, clearing up the way for the Big 12 to release schedules we weren’t sure were going to arrive before the end of August.
The good news for Iowa State is the lack of a Dec. 1 game, although that means playing through the conference without a bye.
The Cyclones and the Big 12 as a whole will be playing some of the toughest schedules in the nation. Big 12 champion Oklahoma State, Mountain West champion TCU and Big East champion West Virginia are all there. ISU and WV meet for the first time ever on the football field Nov. 24 in Ames.
As I pointed out earlier, this is the first official schedule since 1904 without Missouri or Nebraska on the docket (they didn’t play in 1918 because of Spanish Flu), and the ninth season overall in ISU history without either of those two teams.
The only seasons without at least one of Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska were 1892, 1893, and 1903. Despite Hawkeye fans’ wishes, that isn’t expected to change soon.