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Colin Cowherd, widely respected and universally adored host of Fox Sports' The Herd radio show, voiced his affection for the Iowa State football program on his daily segment earlier this afternoon. The national radio personality called Cyclone fans, "the best fans in sports," before going on to make an even bolder claim.
Cowherd even went so far as to say that ISU is the single best college football program in the country. This news may come as a shock to many of our readers, as the Cyclones are sitting at just 3-7 on the year, but Cowherd presented some great points during his show.
"Without a doubt, Iowa State is the best program in college football. I look at your record, Iowa State, and I see 25 years' worth of stellar opponents," proclaimed Cowherd. "Oklahoma plays tough games. TCU plays tough games. You know who also does? Iowa State."
"They don't need the flashy uniforms or a niche offense to produce. They're just classic. Everything about them screams tradition-rich."
The radio host continued.
"When I'm ranking teams for the playoff, I don't look at you based on record, I look at who you've played. And Iowa State's schedule is as good as anyone's."
"They could have picked up the phone and called North Texas, Florida Atlantic and Northern Illinois. But they didn't. They called Northern Iowa and Toledo. Great programs schedule tough teams like that in the non-conference," said Cowherd.
"My favorite coach in America is Paul Rhoads. He's great. He's the most powerful guy in the athletic department. He gets on the phone and says, ‘I want to schedule games against elite teams,' every year."
Cowherd then dove into some of the specifics behind his endorsement of the Cyclones.
"They pass the eyeball test. Iowa State was leading Oklahoma State 24-14 at the half on Saturday. That alone should be enough to get them into the playoff."
"To be honest, the only team more responsible for Alabama's 2011 National Championship than Alabama is Iowa State. Cleaning up Bama's mess after they lost to LSU set the college football world back on its axis. Who do we need to thank for that? Iowa State."
Toward the end of his segment, Cowherd wrapped things up by touching on how people from across the nation view the Cyclones.
"The committee likes Iowa State. (Kirk) Herbstreit likes ‘em. And fans all over the state of Iowa love me, because I love Iowa State."
"Hating Iowa State would be like hating pizza. It'd be like hating Saturday... A new car... A random super model... Stairs to your girlfriend's bedroom."
"Nobody hates Iowa State," concluded Cowherd.
For more information on Colin Cowherd's love for all things Iowa State, please review our disclaimer.