Cyclone Football: 50 Days, 50 Things to be Excited for During the 2017 Season

Attention Cyclone fans.

Has the off-season got you down? Do you find yourself spacing out at work, or staring out your living room window at the grass while imagining David Montgomery slicing through the defense for a touchdown?

If the answer to either of those questions is yes, then you probably can’t wait for Cyclone football. And to mark there only being 50 days (!!!) until the start of football season, we’ve complied a list of 50 things you should be excited about/excited to see during this upcoming season.

The actual start of the season. Unless you’re a baseball fan, the gap between the end of basketball season and beginning of football is borderline unbearable.

Tailgating weather.

Tailgating.

Drinking too much at tailgates. (These three are intimately and permanently related.)

The offensive line staying healthy through the summer and fall camp. Is this going to happen? No. If it did, however, we’d all be rather excited about it.

Chase Allen not getting hit by a car/contracting various illnesses.

Related: Actually having tight ends. And actually having them catch passes.

The competition at kicker. Replacing Cole Netten is a tall and exciting (and somewhat scary) task.

A new entrance song? Thunderstruck seems a little vanilla to many fans, and it sounds like the coaches are going to roll out something new!

Fireworks from the scoreboard during the entrance.

ISU’s new location on the sideline. Ya know, if you’re really into such things.

The return of This Week in GIFS.

The return of the WRNL swear jar. (Kidding).

Cyclone players on watch-lists. Julian Good-Jones, Jacob Park, and Allen Lazard will be key players to keep an eye on.

LANRAMBACKER. Can Joel Lanning really play linebacker?

LANRAM. Lanning could also see plenty of redzone/short yardage snaps.

College Gameday. It isn’t a football Saturday without watching at least the picks segment of this show.

College Gameday Signs.

Winning a too-close-for-comfort game against the Pantherhawks. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west, what goes up must come down, and Jamie Pollard schedules a game that ISU either loses or comes close to losing all in the name of having a full $tadium.

CYHAWK TWITTER. Actually, hold on. Maybe this isn’t something to get all that excited about. Doesn’t this actually kinda suck?

The 11 AM CYHawk game. The CYHawk game is great, and needs to be played in some fashion until the end of time. 11 AM games, however, need to be loaded onto the same rocket as Baylor’s football program and shot into the sun.

Campbell’s first win over Iowa. You heard it here first, folks.

Zipping up Akron. I expect the Cyclones to absolutely wear out their last non-conference foe in CMC’s return to Ohio.

ISU being 3-0 and ranked in the Top 25 before playing Texas. Wait a second... I’ve seen this script before.

The state of the Big 12. It appears that the top will grow stronger, and that the middle is taking a step back. Is this an opportunity for the ‘Clones to make a move?

Baylor descending back to the pit from which they came.

Baylor’s program getting the death penalty.

Jacob Park’s hair.

Jacob Park: Heisman candidate. That has a nice ring to it, does it not?

#ParkForHeisman.

Tom Herman returning to Ames. You know what, the offense really wasn’t all that bad when Herms was calling the plays. And would you look at him now...

Allen Lazard. Spectacular one-handed grabs, big-time first downs, etc..

ISU’s talented wide receiving corps. Besides Allen Lazard, Deshaunte Jones, Carson Epps, Trevor Ryen, Marchie Murdoch, and Hakeem Butler should be fun to watch.

Seeing young players all over the field. While the 2017 team has some key seniors, a youth movement is certainly under way.

The Cyclone defense taking a step forward. Down the stretch, the defense last season came a long way. Will that progress carry over to 2017?

Mike Warren once again being a productive player.

Iowa State winning a replay/challenge. Just one, it’s all we ask.

The progression of Jacob Park. Park not only has the opportunity to be a 2-year starter, but can also mentor Cyclone quarterbacks of the future. He starts building his legacy this season.

More onside kicks/fake punts. Riverboat Campbell, anyone?

Playing TCU for Homecoming. While this will undoubtedly be a tough game, TCU is a team the Cyclones could take down at home.

Junior college players making an impact. It may take some time, but expect the likes of Matt Leo and Ray Lima to make their presence known.

Iowa State actually showing up for the third quarter.

THE RIOT BOWL. Road trip, anyone? (Seriously, this can be a thing).

A likely highly-ranked OSU team coming to Ames in November.

Cold-weather tailgates. These may or may not include: Irish coffee, chili, bonfires, not having to ice down your beer, and sneaking apple pie into the game with you.

Finally beating Kansas State. I mean, it’s about time. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then, right?

An ISU Bowl Game. Even though it’s only year two, finishing 6-6 should be a realistic goal for Cyclone fans this season.

A warm weather ISU Bowl Game. We’ve been to Boise, we’ve been to New York. Please don’t send us (or anyone for that matter) to Detroit.

The program gaining momentum. Regardless of what the actual record turns out to be (it is only year two, remember?), the momentum behind the program must continue to build in order to achieve sustained success.

Packing the Jack. Who doesn’t love joining 60,000 of their closest friends to cheer on the Cyclones, no matter how tough or how well things are going?

Football season, would you just get here already?