Iowa State HC disagrees with take on program's first 10-win year

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Iowa State HC Matt Campbell disagrees with take on program's first 10-win season

By Austen Bundy | Last updated Dec 27, 2024 11:59 PM ET

The No. 18 Iowa State Cyclones may have come up short in the Big 12 championship game, but the team won 10 games for the first time in the program's 133-year history.

That's a remarkable achievement for any program that's existed for that long. So, head coach Matt Campbell doesn't want to hear anybody calling his team's season a disappointment.

At a news conference Friday ahead of the Cyclones' appearance in the Pop Tarts Bowl against No. 13 Miami, Campbell joined opposing head coach Mario Cristobal to answer questions from reporters.

Campbell was asked how he would address those criticizing the team's failure to win the Big 12 and qualify for the College Football Playoff.

Woof. Matt Campbell and Mario Cristobal were asked today his thoughts what he thinks about people who might call Iowa State's 10-win season a disappointment... Listen to Campbell's answer.@KCCINews

:@WESH pic.twitter.com/HRuor5DDsK
— Jeff Dubrof KCCI (@JeffDubrofKCCI) December 27, 2024

"I would say I chuckle at that comment, to be quite honest with you," he responded sharply. "To say something like that, you know, is ridiculous."

Campbell cited Iowa State's two Big 12 Championship Game appearances in the last four seasons and his team's historic 10-win season as reasons to be proud.

"Nobody ever thought that was even possible at Iowa State," Campbell said.

The Cyclones were trounced 45-19 by eventual champion Arizona State in Dallas and will now instead face Miami on Saturday in Orlando. The Hurricanes suffered a similar fate in the ACC with a late-season stumble that cost them a shot at a national championship.

Iowa State has never qualified for the College Football Playoff, but this year was the closest it came with the introduction of the new 12-team format.

Campbell has proven in recent years that he's built a competitive program in Ames, one that will continue to threaten for the league title in seasons to come.

Austen Bundy

Austen Bundy is a journalist and sports junkie from the Washington, D. C. area

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