Deace Predictions

[Wesley]

After the draft.

[Cyhart]

That you, Coach Knight?

I wish! I'd do everyone a favor and immediately quit my job as a color commentator!

[Omaha Cy]

The problem with Deace and his attitude towards sports is that he blindly sees things for what they have been, and rarely if ever predicts anything will change. Every decade brings a myriad of turn over in the CFB landscape.

Its apparent that Paul Rhoads still hasn't gotten a lot of people to completely trust in his abilities just yet. Really, if ISU just gets marginally better the next couple years and few programs slide off a little, then anything can happen up and down the standings for ANYONE in the Big 12. Not saying ISU claims Big 12 titles, but its not that far fetched to think programs like ISU/Baylor could be average/middle of the pack programs.

ISU isn't that far away from being a regular 6-6 team. Not at all.

The Hawkeye faithful love to prognosticate on how ISU will "suck for eternity", and they also love to display their wares on how they find these diamonds in the rough with recruiting each year. Like no other coach or staff will EVER be able to do that! You trying to tell me Paul freaking Rhoads aint gonna start to develop some serious talent on the field the next couple years when hes got a FULL 85 to work with? Paul Rhoads averaged just over 1 NFL draftee per year at Pitt, and you gotta figure he had another FA or two on the field. If ISU can have a couple NFL caliber defenders on defense each year, they can play some dang ball.

And let me address Texas...who the F do they have for legit play makers on that team? Seriously? WHO? NAME THEM! The few big names left over from the championship game on either side of the ball that have actually proved something on the field are mostly graduating. That O-line of theirs sucked....whether it was the players or the scheme. That team was one dimensional. Gilbert should be better next year, but I don't foresee him just turning on the Heisman ability.

I'm PUMPED up Cyclone nation. I'm ready to double fist kool-aid among other things that i won't mention. Burnham and Rhoads have PROVED they can scheme with an undermanned defense pretty dang well. We've all seen that. They'll find a QB that do just enough if not more next year, and the Cardinal and Gold will be just fine. But before that happens, makes sure to earmark some of your tax return funds so that it makes its way into the Hammer of Thor AKA Paul Rhoads program!

2011 is going to be an AWESOME Cyclone season! Gonna be a few hard times along the way that we'll have to endure. Gonna be some Giants slain as well. Gonna be some hitting comin' off the bus. Gonna some smart and passionate play out on that field. Gonna be some trick plays that will accidentally make you high five your girlfriend's face because you were a little too excited by what just happened. Gonna be Paul Rhoads brand of Iowa State University Cyclone Football!

[synapticwave]

I wouldn't put much stock in that. Everyone looks great in the spring game. And there is usually a spring game all-star that is often never heard from again.

Anyone remember Josh "Juice" Johnson? What a DMac hype machine turned into rusty parts that was...

I disagree. Sure it's one game and any one player can go off for huge numbers or have a terrible showing, but overall you can get a pretty good feel for the team. Last year's spring game was a pretty good indicator of the season we had, the defense played a lot better than expected while the 1s were on the field and played terrible when the 2s came in; the offense struggled to move the ball consistently. Two years ago, the spring scrimmage was the best spring scrimmage I had seen in 5 years and even wrote the coaches telling them as much...and guess what...we went to a bowl game.

I agree it's difficult to judge individuals, but you can get a good feel for where the team is at and where each position group is at heading into the summer.

[mustangcy]

The problem with Deace and his attitude towards sports is that he blindly sees things for what they have been, and rarely if ever predicts anything will change. Every decade brings a myriad of turn over in the CFB landscape.

Its apparent that Paul Rhoads still hasn't gotten a lot of people to completely trust in his abilities just yet. Really, if ISU just gets marginally better the next couple years and few programs slide off a little, then anything can happen up and down the standings for ANYONE in the Big 12. Not saying ISU claims Big 12 titles, but its not that far fetched to think programs like ISU/Baylor could be average/middle of the pack programs.

ISU isn't that far away from being a regular 6-6 team. Not at all.

The Hawkeye faithful love to prognosticate on how ISU will "suck for eternity", and they also love to display their wares on how they find these diamonds in the rough with recruiting each year. Like no other coach or staff will EVER be able to do that! You trying to tell me Paul freaking Rhoads aint gonna start to develop some serious talent on the field the next couple years when hes got a FULL 85 to work with? Paul Rhoads averaged just over 1 NFL draftee per year at Pitt, and you gotta figure he had another FA or two on the field. If ISU can have a couple NFL caliber defenders on defense each year, they can play some dang ball.

And let me address Texas...who the F do they have for legit play makers on that team? Seriously? WHO? NAME THEM! The few big names left over from the championship game on either side of the ball that have actually proved something on the field are mostly graduating. That O-line of theirs sucked....whether it was the players or the scheme. That team was one dimensional. Gilbert should be better next year, but I don't foresee him just turning on the Heisman ability.

I'm PUMPED up Cyclone nation. I'm ready to double fist kool-aid among other things that i won't mention. Burnham and Rhoads have PROVED they can scheme with an undermanned defense pretty dang well. We've all seen that. They'll find a QB that do just enough if not more next year, and the Cardinal and Gold will be just fine. But before that happens, makes sure to earmark some of your tax return funds so that it makes its way into the Hammer of Thor AKA Paul Rhoads program!

2011 is going to be an AWESOME Cyclone season! Gonna be a few hard times along the way that we'll have to endure. Gonna be some Giants slain as well. Gonna be some hitting comin' off the bus. Gonna some smart and passionate play out on that field. Gonna be some trick plays that will accidentally make you high five your girlfriend's face because you were a little too excited by what just happened. Gonna be Paul Rhoads brand of Iowa State University Cyclone Football!

Excellent post! FD Cyclone bringing it hard and fast this good day. Plenty of room for optimisim for ISU football. Frankly, we are a blown 2 pt conversion from being in a bowl game and more than likely playing a team we can beat for a 7th win. That play is still a very hard pill to swallow for me...it had the ability to be a program changing play. None the less it just goes to show how close we are and how talented this coaching staff is. 12 wins in two years? I'll take it.

[HawkFanISUalum]

I don't see ISU going 3-9. I see at least 4 wins, maybe 5-6, but with the question mark at QB, it'll be tough to predict. I do think the defense improves. But can it improve enough to offset a potential offensive decrease in production?

Should be an interesting year nonetheless.

[RayShimley]

I don't see ISU going 3-9. I see at least 4 wins, maybe 5-6, but with the question mark at QB, it'll be tough to predict. I do think the defense improves. But can it improve enough to offset a potential offensive decrease in production?

Should be an interesting year nonetheless.

God help us if our offense decreases in production next year.

[Cyhart]

God help us if our offense decreases in production next year.

I can easily see that happening.
We lose our best QB, our best receiver (who was a TE), our best RB, and our best lineman.

[jdoggivjc]

Why should I really give two ****s about what the Deucer thinks of ISU football? Shouldn't he be too busy covering a "real" football team to be too busy to give his opinion about the Cyclones?

[acgclone]

ISU will win more than 3 games, but it's hard for me to think they'll win more than 6 as well.

Hopefully CPR can get us over that hump (7-8 wins), or he'll lose some of his luster by the end of next season.

I've said it before, and I pray it's not true, but CPR might be the RIGHT coach at the WRONG time.

Our OCC schedule isn't doing him many favors.

[bpmcclain]

ISU will win more than 3 games, but it's hard for me to think they'll win more than 6 as well.

Hopefully CPR can get us over that hump (7-8 wins), or he'll lose some of his luster by the end of next season.

I've said it before, and I pray it's not true, but CPR might be the RIGHT coach at the WRONG time.

Our OCC schedule isn't doing him many favors.

I hope that fans will be patient with Rhoads and realize how difficult the schedule is

[Cyhart]

I hope that fans will be patient with Rhoads and realize how difficult the schedule is

I agree. The Big 12 is tough sledding and with the new schedule, it is even tougher for us.
The Big 12 could easily go undefeated in their bowl games this year.
Win or lose, I'm going all in with Rhoads, and we'll see how the chips fall.

[jbhtexas]

God help us if our offense decreases in production next year.

95th in passing, 74th in rushing, 96th in points scored...

I'm thinking the offensive coordinator is going to need a little divine intervention as well if offensive production decreases next year...

[besserheimerphat]

Schedule is a bugger next year.
UNI - win
Iowa - winnable
UConn - winnable
Texas - loss probable
Baylor - loss strong
Missouri - loss probable
ATM - loss strong
TTech - loss probable
Kansas - win
OU - loss strong
OSU - loss strong
KSU - winnable
That projection puts us from 2-10 to 5-7 if we pick up the winnable games.

Why is Baylor a "highly probably loss?" We've won a few conference road games the past two years, I'm not sure that they will be significantly better than we are. Is Griffin possibly going to be drafted? Seems like that should be a winnable game to me.

[synapticwave]

Why is Baylor a "highly probably loss?" We've won a few conference road games the past two years, I'm not sure that they will be significantly better than we are. Is Griffin possibly going to be drafted? Seems like that should be a winnable game to me.

RGIII is not going pro (or that was the last I heard about a week ago down here in Austin). And the reason they'll be really good next year is they return 4 of 5 starting OL and 2 more than saw good minutes in their rotation. That line was the main reason they had a 1200 yard back in Jay Finely this year. Finely graduates, but they have a couple of good backs behind him. They're offense should be even better next year and will probably average 35+ next year. I don't know much about their Defense, but if they score 35 on us, it is pretty much a guaranteed loss, since we've scored 35 in a conference game only 2 times in the last 5 years (and we lost both games anyway).