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NR/NR/NR BAYLOR (3-3, 0-3) vs. NR/NR/NR IOWA STATE (4-3, 1-3) Oct. 27, 2012 | 6 p.m. CT Ames, Iowa | Jack Trice Stadium (55,000)  |
 Listen |  Gametracker |  Notes |  Live Blog |  Gameday Central | Official Preview
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Opponent: Iowa State Cyclones
Official Website: Cyclones.com
Printable Roster: Here
Depth Chart for Baylor: Here
Last Game: 31-10 Loss to Oklahoma State
2011 Matchup: Baylor won 49-26
SB Nation blog: Wide Right & Natty Lite
Full Schedule:
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time (CST) | Results | Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Sep 01 | Tulsa | Ames, Iowa | 2:30 p.m. |
38 - 23 (W) |
FSN 
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| Sat, Sep 08 | Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | 2:30 p.m. |
9 - 6 (W) |
BTN |
| Sat, Sep 15 | Western Illinois (Color It Cardinal) | Ames, Iowa | 7:00 p.m. |
37 - 3 (W) |
Cyclones.tv
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| Sat, Sep 29 | Texas Tech * | Ames, Iowa | 6:00 p.m. |
13 - 24 (L) |
FCS 
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| Sat, Oct 06 | at TCU * | Fort Worth, Texas | 2:30 p.m. |
37 - 23 (W) |
FSN |
| Sat, Oct 13 | Kansas State (Family Weekend) * | Ames, Iowa | 11:00 a.m. |
21 - 27 (L) |
FX
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| Sat, Oct 20 | at Oklahoma State * | Stillwater, Okla. | 11:00 a.m. |
10 - 31 (L) |
FX |
| Sat, Oct 27 | Baylor (Homecoming) * | Ames, Iowa | 6:00 p.m. |
FSN  
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| Sat, Nov 03 | Oklahoma * | Ames, Iowa | TBA |
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| Sat, Nov 10 | at Texas * | Austin, Texas | TBA |
ABC/LHN
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| Sat, Nov 17 | at Kansas * | Lawrence, Kan. | TBA |
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| Fri, Nov 23 | West Virginia * | Ames, Iowa | 2:30 p.m. |
ABC
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* Conference Games
As you can see above, Iowa State is coming off their worst game of the season after playing a tough home game the week before against now #3-ranked Kansas State. They actually gave the Wildcats their closest win of the season to date, something definitely worth lauding. Moral victories don't exist, obviously, but if they did, that would be a good one.
So far this season, Iowa State's team has arguably overachieved relative to both true talent and expected results. To do so, they've been carried by their defense, which is actually quite good, particularly considering the offenses of the Big 12 Conference. Their offense, on the other hand, is easily the second-worst in the conference. Or at least it was before it got to face our defense this week. For a closer look at their season-to-date, here are the absolute stats from ncaa.org:
If you recall the game last season that I linked above, Iowa State made a purposeful decision to deny us the deep pass with two deep safeties, so we responded by rushing for a school record 391 yards on a school-record 67 carries. Based on what they've done this season, I would expect something similar from Paul Rhoads' team, particularly since we don't look as strong this season in the running game. He could gamble on our ability to replicate last year's success on the ground in order to deny Nick Florence the opportunity to light them up through the air. We'll talk more about that going forward.
Offensively, I don't think at this point that we know who will quarterback the Cyclones this week or if it will really matter given the state of our defense. Iowa State has been about as good a running team as a passing one this season (and that's not very good, either), so if our defense was going to step up and have a good conference game, this might be their chance. Of course, that's probably my silly optimistic side talking.
All the Baylor links you might need are above. For more information on Iowa State, check out...
SBNation's Iowa State Preview
Football Study Hall's Statistical Review
Football Outsiders' FEI and S&P+ rankings and the associated submenus.
Once again, their fantastic SB Nation blog WR&NL.