Maybe Matt Campbell walked under a few too many ladders last season. Or perhaps some black cats were spotted around Ames.  Whatever the reason, if not for bad luck, Iowa State wouldn't have had any during a maddening 2022 campaign in which the Cyclones would lose five games by a touchdown or less and fall out of the bowl mix for the first time since Campbell's debut campaign in 2016. In retrospect, that it would be offensive shortcomings mostly to blame for the chaos should probably have come as no surprise after a couple of Cyclones stars, quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall, took the NFL by storm a year ago as rookies. Most Big 12 insiders consider it a brief but inevitable pause after Campbell had steered the program to some new heights while along the way continuing to dismiss interest from interested suitors, who were numerous. Nonetheless, 2023 looms as an important campaign for Campbell, if for no other reason than to confirm last year's 4-8 record was simply a fluke...

Bruce Marshall's full breakdown of Iowa State's 2023 outlook, which includes how he's playing their win total, can be found below as part of SportsLine's preview of the Big 12 season.

Big 12 preview: Conference winner | Baylor | BYU | Cincinnati | Houston | Iowa State | Kansas | Kansas State | Oklahoma | Oklahoma State | Texas | TCU | Texas Tech | UCF | West Virginia

2023 Iowa State at a glance

• Last Year: 4-8 SU, 4-7-1 ATS, 3-9 O/U
• Returning starters: Offense 8; Defense 6
• Win total: 5.5 (Over +125, Under -105)

What do you need to know about Iowa State before locking in your Big 12 futures bets? And which side of their win total makes for the best play? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Big 12 futures betting strategy from a veteran college football expert!