New Iowa State Coach Predicts Championship in First Season

When everyone expects you to finish last, one coach is teaching his team that belief matters more than predictions.

Jimmy Rogers just took over Iowa State's football program under the toughest conditions imaginable. The Cyclones lost 55 players to transfers, return zero starters, and were picked dead last in the Big 12 preseason poll. But Rogers isn't letting any of that dim his vision.

In a recent interview, he admitted something surprising. He was the anonymous coach who voted Iowa State to reach the Big 12 championship game this season.

"What would you think if I didn't vote on us?" Rogers told reporters in Ames. "I was brought in to win. We're not signing up for second place."

The statement might sound bold to outsiders, but it reflects exactly the mindset Rogers is building in his players. He's replacing Matt Campbell, Iowa State's all-time wins leader who left for Penn State and took 24 of the program's best players with him.

Rogers knows what people are saying. He knows the media ranked his team 16th out of 16 teams. He just doesn't care, and he's teaching his players not to care either.

Tight end Tyler Fortenberry says the prediction didn't surprise anyone in the locker room. Rogers spent years building success at South Dakota State, and last year he took a Washington State team with 75 newcomers to a bowl game.

"Coach Rogers does a good job in team meetings making sure we're not focused on what Twitter says, what Instagram says or what the media says," Fortenberry explained. "If you buy into that and believe what the media has to say, you're not going to get anywhere in life."

Why This Inspires

Rogers is teaching a lesson that extends far beyond football. When circumstances look impossible and everyone counts you out, your belief in yourself becomes your greatest weapon. He could have taken the safe route, managing expectations and playing it cool. Instead, he's showing his young team that leaders stand behind their vision even when it seems crazy.

Iowa State hasn't won a conference championship since 1912. Rogers thinks this could be the year that changes, and his players are starting to believe it too.

Sometimes the most inspiring thing a leader can do is simply refuse to accept the limits others try to place on their team.