AMES, Iowa -- West Virginia blew its shot at the Big 12 title when it lost by four touchdowns to Oklahoma last week.The 19th-ranked Mountaineers still have plenty left to play for -- including their best season in the Big 12. West Virginia (8-2, 5-2, No. 18 CFP) has never won more than eight games since joining the league, and a win over Iowa State (3-8, 2-6) on Saturday would accomplish that goal.We lost to a top 10 team, so thats just what happened, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen said. Weve had a great year. No one can take that away from us. Not going to let, not going to tolerate people talking about how we didnt do this or didnt do that.Still, the Mountaineers know that beating the Cyclones and Baylor next to close out the regular season would reassure a fan base thats suddenly anxious again.But Iowa State isnt the lightweight it was just two months ago. The Cyclones have won two in a row, including a 66-10 drubbing of Texas Tech last week that included a five-touchdown performance from quarterback Joel Lanning -- all on the ground.Iowa State also has one of the Big 12s best secondaries, ranking second in both yards allowed per game and yards allowed per attempt.The Cyclones can be leaky in stopping the run, though, a weakness the Mountaineers will no doubt look to exploit behind Justin Crawford and Rushel Shell III.Here are some of the story lines to follow as West Virginia and Iowa State prepare to meet for the fifth time:IMPROVING IOWA STATEEven though the Cyclones have eight losses, many of them turned out to be close games. Iowa State finally got its first Big 12 win against Kansas two weeks ago, and that appears to have sparked something within the program. The Cyclones thrashed the Red Raiders as a home underdog, defying the point spread by a staggering 60 points.Youve got to lay a great foundation, Iowa State first-year coach Matt Campbell said. To play some of your best football in November says a lot about the kids in our program, to be honest with you, because with our record and some of the tough losses that we had ... it would have been real easy for our kids to fold the tent.CRAWFORDS DAYWest Virginias loss to Oklahoma certainly wasnt Crawfords fault. He rushed for 331 yards, the third-most in school history, with five carries of at least 36 yards.Im sure hes going to continue to get better just as everyone does who has his work ethic and characteristics, West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard said of Crawford.PARKED IN AS THE STARTERSLannings record-tying performance overshadowed a fantastic effort by Jacob Park, the player who took his starting spot. Park threw for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Texas Tech on 14 of 18 passing.You see his confidence growing. Hes got a really good arm, Campbell said.THE NUMBERSThat West Virginia is third in the Big 12 standings is a tribute to its defense. The Mountaineers are eighth in the league in scoring offense, but their 5.4 yards allowed per play is second-best behind Baylor. ... Iowa State kicker Cole Netten has hit 20 of his last 21 field goal tries dating back to last season. ... The Cyclones are averaging close to 31 points in Big 12 games, which is their highest since the league was formed in 1996.HE SAID ITThere arent too many West Virginia teams that have finished 11-2. Our plan is, our goal is, we want to win out and just send our seniors out with a bang, West Virginia safety Jarrod Harper said.---More AP college football at www.collegefootball.ap.org Wholesale Air Jordan 3 . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. Cheap Air Jordan 3 Wholesale . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. http://www.cheapairjordan3.us/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Cheap Authentic Air Jordan 3 . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Air Jordan 3 Wholesale . During the athletes parade, the 23-strong Ukrainian team was represented by a lone flagbearer in an apparent protest at the presence of Russian troops in Ukraines Crimean peninsula. Doug Armstrong was willing to do anything to keep David Backes, but he wouldnt do long term.The St. Louis Blues general manager said goodbye to the teams captain for the past five seasons, who left to sign with the Boston Bruins, and made some complementary moves on the first day of NHL free agency.Armstrong wasnt willing to get close to the $30 million, five-year deal Backes got from the Bruins and said hell be sorely missed.I had no problem bringing David Backes back and I wish we could have, Armstrong said on a conference call Friday. I wasnt comfortable on the term. To Davids credit, he found a team that was comfortable.Backes said there wasnt an agreement on term or on dollars and came to grips with leaving the Blues, with whom he spent the first 10 years of his career. The Blues had to move on quickly and did so by signing 28-year-old winger David Perron and shoring up their goaltending situation.St. Louis signed Perron to a $7.5 million, two-year deal, and hell play a role in replacing right wing Troy Brouwer, who left for an $18 million, four-year deal with the Calgary Flames. Perron returns to the team that drafted him 26th overall in 2007.Hes coming back as a much more mature player on and off the ice, Armstrong said. We view him as certainly a player that can play in the top nine. Hes versatile -- he can play left wing or right wing. It gives the coach some options.Perron had 12 goals and 24 assists with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks last season and has 141 goals and 191 assists in 570 NHL games. Hell count $3.75 million against the cap for the next twoo seasons.ddddddddddddThe Blues also signed goaltender Jake Allen to a $17.4 million, four-year extension that begins with the 2017-18 season. Armstrong knew hed be able to sign Allen after trading goalie Brian Elliott to the Flames at the draft.Everyone was on the feeling that its Jakes team now, its Jakes turn and it made it easy, Armstrong said. We really think that Jake is going to be a real good player, and he wants the ball and hes got it now.Allens backup will be 30-year-old Carter Hutton, who had been stuck behind All-Star Pekka Rinne in Nashville. Hutton signed a two-year deal worth $2.25 million.A lot like Brian Elliott (Hutton is) a great competitor and a great teammate, Armstrong said. Someone that is looking to push Jake but also understands that hes a mentor and a solid partner. There was a lot of positives with bringing him in. it just seemed like the proper guy that had the experience that Jake can lean on.Without Backes, Brouwer and Elliott, the Blues are weaker than they were when they lost to the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference final. But Armstrong expects forward Vladimir Sobotka to return from the KHL for next season and hopes the core led by Vladimir Tarasenko, Alex Pietrangelo and Jaden Schwartz continues to improve.Were a younger team, were a different team and were going to be putting a lot of responsibility on the younger players, Armstrong said.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno ' ' '