They still need to be on any ISU fan's list, even when buried in mediocracy, especially to those of us living in Iowa. The media and their fans start to get mouthy if they're on a run in the NIT or even make a play-in game for the tourney. They still treat our game as their super bowl.
I get annoyed by local media when they pretend Fran has been successful...but I don't actually care or think about their program at all while it's so permanently slightly below mediocre.
I also live out of state. There's still something there though about how super mediocre they are because I don't live in Kansas or Texas either.