2021 Cheez-It Bowl Preview: Iowa State vs. Clemson

The 2021 college football season has many disappointing teams, and two teams which are at the top of the list are the opponents in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando. Clemson and Iowa State had very high expectations for the year, and they both fell far short of them. This is a battle to salvage a season and walk away with a satisfying postseason victory after a series of regular-season disappointments and setbacks.

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Clemson Tigers
Date: Wednesday, December 29th, 5:45 PM ET

Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL

CFB Odds: Clemson -1

Iowa State Cyclones

The Cyclones stumbled against Iowa at the start of their season and never really got on track. Iowa State had quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall returning for this season. Given that Iowa State made the Big 12 Championship Game last season and narrowly missed defeating Oklahoma, the Cyclones had every reason to expect that they would return to the conference championship game and win the program’s first Big 12 title. Instead, everything went wrong. Iowa State lost an early-season game at Baylor. A few weeks later, the Cyclones stumbled on the road at West Virginia. It’s true that Iowa State gave Oklahoma State its only loss in the 12-game regular season, but that win was overshadowed by the stumbles and wrong turns this team made along the way. Iowa State nearly beat Oklahoma on the road but could not turn a last-minute red-zone drive into a touchdown. One after another, the frustrations just kept coming for coach Matt Campbell, who could not unlock the full potential of his offense. The talent was there but the execution was not. Now Iowa State will try to give it one more ride in the Cheez-It Bowl, hoping to max out on offense.

Clemson Tigers

The Tigers were expected to be their normal selves this year. In other words, they were expected to make the College Football Playoff, win the ACC championship, and make a run at the national title alongside Alabama and Georgia, two teams which did in fact make this year’s playoff. Instead, Clemson tumbled, losing three times and looking like a shell of its former self. In Clemson’s three losses, the Tigers played horribly on offense: against Georgia, at North Carolina State, and at Pittsburgh. They played terribly on offense in a few other games, but the defense was strong enough to avoid disaster.

Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who played a few games in 2020 when Trevor Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19, had the yips this year. There’s no other way to say it. Uiagalelei had a full-blown crisis of confidence, and not until the very end of the season did he seem to break free of it. Clemson will need him to play well. The Tigers can’t do much when their quarterback fails to make plays which are expected of him.

Outlook

Maybe Uiagalelei is free of his demons, but Iowa State has a very tough defense plus a more seasoned quarterback, Brock Purdy. Iowa State’s offense won’t thrive in this game, but neither will Clemson’s. Iowa State will make fewer mistakes and win the game as a result.

Cyclones vs. Tigers Prediction:

Cyclones 20, Tigers 17