Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I hope you had a great Halloween… Now about that diet.

Halloween came early for the Frogs last Saturday in Ames, Iowa. You know what happened, so no need to get into those details. Head coach Gary Patterson said it yesterday at his weekly press conference – “Iowa State is not Iowa State.” Man, is he right. Iowa State’s head coach Matt Campbell has turned things around in a hurry. He’s put players in the right spots, recruited well and worked on nearly every transfer he’s brought in. That’s how you build depth and that’s how you get good in less than two calendar years. And even though the Cyclones won’t sneak up on anyone else, it still beat a lot of people down that stretch. Iowa State has the defense and the running game to do it. Then there’s those big, tall wide receivers who can play up above the secondary. Proof that Iowa State has gotten the respect of almost everyone across the nation: The College Football Playoff committee put the Frogs at No. 8 following the loss to then-No. 25 Iowa State (now ranked No. 15).

About that CFP poll. I find it ironic that the first CFP poll came out on Halloween. It made me think of TCU’s bump from No. 3 down to No. 6 in the final 2014 poll. Coach P mentioned it yesterday when asked if he was going to watch the poll announcement. None of us have forgotten. Let that feed the purple fire.

TCU fans cheer in the stands during the Oct. 7 football game against West Virginia. Photo by Glen E. Ellman

Speaking of last night’s poll unveiling: How do you think ‘Bama fans feel this morning, being No. 2 under Georgia? Have them call Fort Worth – we’ll talk them off the Crimson ledge. Notre Dame is ranked No. 3 and Clemson holds No. 4. It could be called “The Curse of the First Four.” Our friend Chuck Carlton at The Dallas Morning News reminds us that seven of the 12 teams that have made the first CFP poll in the previous three years failed to make the playoffs. Lesson and reminder: There’s still a TON of football to be played in November. It’s the time of the season where you can draw lines from final scores to definitive impact on teams, the bracket and bowl games. Who, what, when, where. Let the games begin!

Bevo’s coming to visit. We’ll talk UT on Friday.

Until then,

Kick ‘Em High!