Iowa State University has been a program on the rise in recent years, demonstrating consistent improvement and challenging traditional powerhouses. However, breaking into the current College Football Playoff (CFP) system has proven difficult, largely due to playing in the Big 12, which doesn't have the same perceived power as the SEC or Big Ten.

If the Big Ten and SEC were to expand the CFP and implement play-in games, Iowa State would stand to benefit significantly. Expansion, especially to a 16-team format, would likely include more automatic bids for conferences like the Big 12, or more at-large bids. This would create more opportunities for teams like Iowa State, who have consistently been among the next-best teams.

The implementation of play-in games would further level the playing field. It would allow teams that might have narrowly missed out on automatic bids or higher rankings to compete for a spot in the main CFP bracket. For Iowa State, this could mean a chance to prove themselves against teams from other conferences, potentially overcoming the perception that the Big 12 is weaker.

In essence, a system with expansion and play-in games would reward consistent performance and allow teams like Iowa State to control their own destiny to a greater extent.

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