Inside the best college football season ever at Iowa State - ESPN

AMES, Iowa — Matt Campbell stood before his Iowa State football team on a Tuesday morning in October and asked the Cyclones if they were tough enough to stay the course.

They had surprised everyone during a 7-0 start and rise into the AP top 10. Three nights earlier, they had rallied for a last-minute victory over UCF. The Cyclones hadn't been dominant but sure had a flair for the dramatic.

The head coach preached with passion for 30 minutes about what it would take to continue playing to their potential. He said he was looking for decisive excellence. No more leaving things up to chance. When you get to November, he says, great teams go for the kill.

«I ain't flinching from this,» Campbell declared. «We've got more talent and we've got better players right here, right now, than we've ever had. You're better than any of those teams the last seven or eight years that have tried this. So there's no excuse. We're not saying, 'Nah, we're not good enough.' That's a bulls--- excuse.»

He reminded them of the history they were determined to overcome.

«One hundred and 33 years, men,» Campbell said. «Nobody before you has ever touched what you're trying to do. You want to talk about legacy? You want to talk about creating change? Real hope for the future? Oh, buddy, it's big-time.»

Nobody inside that room is shocked by where Iowa State stands today. For the first time in program history, the Cyclones have achieved a 10-win season. They'll play for a Big 12 championship Saturday against Arizona State (12 p.m. ET, ABC) with a College Football Playoff bid on the line. Their senior leaders had big dreams at the beginning of the year: They wanted to be champions. Now they're one win away.

The squad is chasing Iowa State's greatest