This weekend, the Iowa State Cyclones will meet up with the Utah Utes in both teams’ first Big 12 conference game of the season.

Iowa State comes into the game at 2-1, with dominant wins over the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and the Bowling Green Falcons, as well as a close loss on the road against the current No. 18 Iowa Hawkeyes.

Utah has begun flawlessly, starting 3-0 as well, with dominant wins in all three weeks. Both teams have had successful starts to the year, which makes this a litmus test for both squads.

Both teams obviously have talent, but if we could choose a starting lineup between the two teams, who would we pick? Let’s examine.

Quarterback

The starting quarterback for this team will be the Utes’ Devon Dampier, who has had a fantastic start to the season. He’s a similar player to the Cyclones’ starter, Jaylen Raynor, but is just a leveled-up version. He deserves the start.

Running Back

Running back is tough because Utah’s Wayshawn Parker is probably a better player than Aiden Flora, but Flora’s start has been magical this season. A near-300-yard performance against Bowling Green is far better than anything Parker has done this season, meaning Flora gets the start.

Wide Receiver

The three wide receiver options are going to go to the two Cyclones and one Ute. Braden Pegan, a Utah State Aggies transfer who has been fantastic this year, deserves the start for Utah. For Iowa State, Omari Hayes and Dominic Overby have been great despite limited opportunities, meaning both will get the start on this squad.

Tight End

The tight end option is easy, as the Utes’ starter, Noah Bennee, has had a great start to the year. He easily deserves the spot over anyone the Cyclones have to offer.

Offensive Line

The offensive line will easily favor Utah. With one of the best lines in the country fueling a fantastic run game, this is a great room that the Utes will definitely dominate on this team. They get four out of five starters: Zereoue Williams, Solatoa Moea’i, Alex Harrison, and Roger Alderman, while Iowa State’s Jake Taylor gets the fifth spot.

Defensive Line

The defensive line definitely favors the Cyclones, who have one of the best lines in the conference. Isaac Terrell, Jack Janikowski, and Malaki Ta’ase all make the team, while Utah gets Karson Kaufusi as the fourth defensive lineman.

Linebacker

At linebacker, Iowa State’s Sullivan Schlimgen easily gets in after his fantastic start to the season. Carson Willich also gets in from the Cyclones squad, while the Utes representative is Cyrus Polu.

Cornerback

Both teams share one cornerback spot, as Iowa State gets one of their team captains, David Coffey, while Utah gets James Chenault, one of their team’s best defenders. Seth Johnson nearly made the list over Coffey, but his experience narrowly edges out a spot on the list.

Safety

At safety, both players will go to the Utes. While Drew Surges has been fantastic for the Cyclones, Utah has two great options at safety: Nate Ritchie and Rabbit Evans, who both make this team. The safety group in Salt Lake City, UT, is fantastic.

Kicker

At kicker, Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy edges it out as the representative. While he has missed one kick this year, his leg has proven to be elite and has made him one of the best kickers in the entire country.

Punter

At punter, the Utes’ Orion Phillips takes the cake as the slightly better option than the Cyclones’ option, Jonah DuPont. He’s had a better season thus far and has more experience.

Returners

Both returners are going to be from Iowa State. Flora had a punt return touchdown last week, and Cameron Pettaway had a 100-yard kick return touchdown as well. It was a fantastic week, much better than Utah has done, meaning they get both spots.