Also with Campbell you should see how “unpedestrian” they were before his tenure. Context matters too.
It's paywall but some excerpts to show how "unpedestrian" (as in bad) ISU was before Campbell.
From the article:
For a program that hasn’t won a conference championship since 1912,
Long overlooked and rarely successful, Iowa State’s football history is so sparse a 10th win is a rightful cause for celebration. The program had won nine games just three times previously, with the last coming during the COVID season of 2020. Iowa State’s last conference title came 112 years ago when the Cyclones went 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
But the Cyclones have shown history doesn’t define the present, especially under coach Matt Campbell. Now in his ninth season and the winningest coach in Iowa State history, Campbell took over a program that had exactly one winning Big 12 campaign in the conference’s first 20 years. Over the last eight seasons, Campbell’s Cyclones have posted seven winning Big 12 seasons.
The elusive conference crown nearly came to Ames in 2020 with quarterback
Brock Purdy, running back
Breece Hall and tight end
Charlie Kolar. Iowa State earned its first trip to the Big 12 title game, beat
Oklahoma at home during the regular season for the first time since 1960 and posted the best record in regular-season action. But in a rematch with the Sooners, Oklahoma prevailed 27-21 to deprive Iowa State of its championship.
Despite the loss to Oklahoma, the Cyclones won their first major bowl that year in the Fiesta, besting
Oregon 34-17.
In 2023, a gambling investigation wiped out seven starters, including his first-team quarterback, running back, left tackle and tight end. But when it got tough, that’s when Campbell showed he was more than a one-term leader. Any quality coach can guide an outstanding group of players to heights. But can that person do it with a completely different group at a developmental program? That’s the difference between good and outstanding. For the coach, it’s also perhaps more rewarding.
Iowa State rarely inks high-level prospects and only once since 2003 have the Cyclones even finished in the top 40 of the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings. In a saturated region with few readymade football players, development is mandatory to enjoy success at Iowa State. But that’s beyond just physical growth; it’s molding a message that everyone follows.
nypost.com
