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Iowa State football draws Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl

travis hines, des moines register
·2 min read
Breece Hall has been rising in late mock drafts and could find his name called in the first round Thursday of the NFL Draft.

Iowa State's 2021 season will conclude in Orlando.

The Cyclones were selected to the Cheez-It Bowl and will face Clemson for a 4:45 p.m. kick on Dec. 29. Iowa State has confirmed the game's details with the Register.

While down this year, Clemson offers Matt Campbell's Iowa State program another opportunity to claim a bowl victory over a brand name program. Dabo Swinney's Tigers finished 9-3 this season.

The bowl game presents Iowa State an opportunity to send a historic senior class off with one final game while also getting further experience for a group of youngsters that will work to fill their spots in 2022.

With so many seniors — 21 went through senior day festivities — and two potentially NFL-bound juniors in running back Breece Hall and defensive end Will McDonald, Iowa State may see some players opt-out of the bowl game to safeguard their health ahead of the start of their professional careers.

Iowa State has never had a player opt out of a bowl game, but Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard acknowledged Monday during a radio appearance that some players may evaluate that option, which has grown in popularity across the country in recent years.

More: Iowa State's Breece Hall is a two-time Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Year

It's also the chance to add another win to what was largely a disappointing season for the Cyclones, who opened the season ranked in the top 10 but sputtered to a 7-5 season with four one-score losses.

The Cyclones had eight players voted to the all-Big 12 first team by the league's coaches, and Hall was named the offensive player of the year for the second-straight season.

This marks a school-record fifth-straight bowl game for the Cyclones under Campbell, who is 2-2 in bowls after winning the Fiesta Bowl back in January.

Campbell will certainly be a subplot of his own after his name was attached to a number of high-profile coaching openings, including USC and Notre Dame, both of which ultimately hired other candidates.

The sixth-year Iowa State coach has often been the subject of speculation given his success at a traditionally difficult place to win, but has remained a Cyclone despite overtures from both the NFL and blue blood college programs.

He has yet to publicly address reports of him being in the mix for jobs in this go-round of the coaching carousel.

More Iowa State football news

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football draws Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl