AMES – Many called it the greatest game in Iowa State football history, and who can argue with that as it kept the Cyclones’ hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff alive?

In the immediate aftermath of the game, however, the question arose as to whether the Cyclones’ 29-21 victory over Kansas State on Saturday night at Jack Trice Stadium would be enough to put them on the bridge to the CFP, the Big 12 championship game.

“We’re going to put our BYU hats on and be ready to rock,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said at the end of his postgame press conference when informed that BYU led Houston 21-10 at halftime.

ISU had to wait to see if BYU would beat Houston in Utah to give the Big 12 a four-way tie for first place at 7-2. If BYU prevails, the Cyclones would advance to the conference title game next Saturday against Arizona State in Arlington, Texas. Had BYU faltered, ASU and Colorado would have been title contenders.

“It’s fitting that even that isn’t easy,” Campbell said. “We’ll wait until midnight.”

It was a crazy end to a crazy conference season and it’s a good thing the league tiebreaker works for you. BYU got the job done with a 30-18 win that ended at 12:45 a.m. in Ames, but it wouldn’t have mattered here if the Cyclones hadn’t pulled off the win. They now face the Arizona State Sun Devils at 11 a.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington

Let’s not rush Saturday’s game, though. Not because it was Iowa State’s first 10-win season in 133 years of football. Winning the showdown against its oldest rival, a nationally ranked Kansas State team with a potent offense, was a real sweater on a freezing night.

However, every time the Cyclones needed a play, they made one. A Wildcat fumble occurs on the first offensive play of the game. A blocked chip shot field goal. Timely defensive stops, including on K-State’s final possession.

The biggest play was a safety. Cyclone linebacker Jacob Ellis led a force that chased the Wildcat quarterback from the KSU 22 to the end zone, where he was called for an intentional grounding and a safety.

This increased ISU’s lead to 26-21 early in the fourth quarter and they got the ball back. Then a Cyclone rushing play that had been impeded was uncorked, destroying yardage and clock.

K-State got the ball back at its 20-yard spot with 1:11 left and needed 80 yards plus a 2-point conversion to send the game into overtime. It went back five yards before turning the ball over on downs. After ISU quarterback Rocco Becht suffered a knee, Cyclone fans flooded the field.

Her team was 10-2. “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond blared over the PA system. Good times never seemed so good.

Bettendorf’s sixth-year senior cornerback Darien Porter, who came here as a wide receiver, blocked KSU’s 21-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter. Then he ran to the sideline and jumped into Campbell’s arms.

“As a senior class,” Porter said later, “we kind of came together and decided we were going to go full throttle and do something different here and be a different team.”

“It was the culmination of hard work from everyone involved, but it was something that was definitely believed in from the start.”

Ten wins, said ISU senior safety Beau Freyler, “is truly an incredible accomplishment.” And man, I love this team so much.

“At the beginning of this week we knew what was at stake going forward. And we took that and ran with it.”

Iowa State won its first seven games. Then it was 7-2 and suddenly he was dismissed as a championship and CFP contender.

“Our kids really never hesitated,” Campbell said.

“They never complained, complained, whined. They stood up and sprinted through the storms of diversity. It was really impressive to watch.”

But Campbell knows the Cyclones’ upcoming game in Texas will be one to remember.

“I know we won the outright (regular season) championship on the front end (in 2020),” he said, “and then got punched in the gut because we came up 31 yards short in the championship game.”

It was 34 yards. Trailing 27-21 against Oklahoma after trailing 24-7 at halftime, Brock Purdy was intercepted with a minute left. A slap in the face. Four years later, the Cyclones return.

“The reality is it’s a championship game,” Campbell said, “and if you earn the right to play in it, you get to it, and then you have to win it.”

If you break through to 10 wins, what would one more be? Aside from being the new biggest football game in Cyclone history.

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