Iowa State beat Iowa at Kinnick last season, which cannot be repeated often (or loudly) enough.
Cyclones fans had to have been feeling pretty good a few games into last season. Iowa State rebounded after a bad loss to North Dakota State, and a decent offense led by then-junior Sam Richardson led Kansas State in the fourth quarter, minimized damage against Baylor and Oklahoma State, outlasted a Toledo squad that would finish 9-4, and took Texas to the wire at DKR.
With winnable games against Kansas and Texas Tech on the schedule Iowa State was within one patented Paul Rhoads upset of either Oklahoma, West Virginia, or TCU of bowl eligibility.