Oklahoma football: Visiting Iowa State is no picnic

And no, he doesn't mean the tall grass.

“I think what everyone undervalues anymore is the quality of talent across the board for all these teams we play,” Stoops said.

“The outside world doesn't look at it because they don't have to play them. When you get a chance to study people and really watch them, Iowa State's got a ton of really good football players.”

The Cyclones are down one really good football player for the rest of their season — senior all-conference linebacker Jake Knott — beginning with Saturday's game at 11 a.m. against Oklahoma.

Knott isn't the only impressive Cyclone defender, though; A.J. Klein is also an all-Big 12 linebacker. Junior Jacques Washington, an Owasso native, has intercepted three passes and recorded 51 tackles.

Each of Iowa State's eight opponents to date have scored an average of 15.1 points less than their season scoring averages; in five home games, that number is 16.6.

“It is a huge test,” said OU quarterback Landry Jones. “They typically always play really well at home. They have a good defense.”

Last November in Ames, of course, the Cyclones stunned No. 2 Oklahoma State in overtime; the loss eventually cost the Cowboys a spot in the national championship game.

Three weeks ago, unbeaten Kansas State got all it wanted at Iowa State, winning a 27-21 nail-biter in which the Cyclones had two chances at a game-winning drive in the final five minutes.

Is there something different about playing in Ames? Is Jack Trice Stadium's grass grown taller than most other venues with natural turf, as OSU coach Mike Gundy suggested a few weeks ago?

“I don't ever buy into any of that,” Stoops said. “I don't think teams up there have much of a choice with weather. I don't think that's an issue with us.”