My take on 2010 ISU football

[JustRedman]

Coach Rhoads did a great job in 2009 of getting some kids that were down and turning them into winners. One thing is clear, he is a good of a motivator and leader as he is a teacher and coach.

My main concern heading into the upcoming seasons was that CPR and staff wouldn't have the hungry bunch of guys in the locker room year in and year out. A group of guys with a real chip on their shoulder to prove to the world they aren't the whipping boys the college football world would like to think they are. 5-19 will make you hang your head. 7-6 may lift some weight off the the kids' backs and give you a small sense of acheivement. A coaching staff like the one CPR put together is solid top to bottom, but how much will that help when you are playing the top schedule in the country?

I feel like this whole Big XII implosion, ISU out-in-the-cold, nobody wants you slap-in-the-face will be a great thing for ISU football next year. All of a sudden, CPR doesn't have to worry about if his kids aren't hungry. They will be. Being disrespected in 2007 and 2008 made this team much closer. 2009 was a great example of what a motivated bunch of kids can do. There will be no lack of motivation in the locker room for 2010. Not only do we play a brutal schedule, but these kids were given no respect outside of the Ames area. I have no doubt after the last couple of weeks that CPR and crew are just as hungry, if not more, this year than they were last year. I'm thinking we will suprise some people this year and turn heads moreso than 2009.

Just my take.

 

[anticyclonic]

I actually think we have some pretty good talent and will be fine this year. This isn't the mid 1990s, the talent level is significantly better and so should be the teams. I think the coaching will be as well. Trust me, they will have a chip on their shoulder when Nebby comes in.

 

[Rogue52]

I am predicting two upsets this year and different turns out with KU and KSU. Therefore, we still end up fighting for a bowl even with the change in schedule.

 

[atlantacyclone]

I think that ISU will surprise. Hopefully AA will have a banner year.

 

[CykoAGR]

IMHO the success for FB and for most all of ISU athletics for that matter is the ability of the coaching staff to recruit and maintain athletes that will buy into the system 100% and dedicate themselves to doing whatever they can and whatever the coaches ask of them to help the team.

ISU cannot compete for every 4 and 5 star recruit. I think that our friends to the East have proven that this is not required to compete on the field. Does Iowa get some 4 star recruits yes but the majority of the team was not recruited heavily by the “big boys”. What Iowa’s coaching staff has done is find a system that works and stick with it. They also recruit and maintain athletes that fit the system and buy into it 100%. Say what you will about Iowa but Norm Parker is one of the best DC’s in college FB. He always seems to find a way to neutralize supposedly better teams in their bowl games (see GT, FL, LSU etc) and make them play Iowa style football.

I believe that CPR has no problem motivating kids and getting them to buy into what he and his coaches are doing. I would not expect motivation to ever be an issue with this team. I think that he proved that last year. If the coaching staff can continue on this same path and pick up some slightly more physically gifted kids then there is no reason IMO that we cannot be toward the top of the new B12. Will we beat TX and OU every year, not likely. Can we compete with them on any given Saturday? I think so once we get a few more years into the system and into CPR’s recruits. I also think that once we get a few more years into the CPR era that we can continually compete with everyone else in the B12 and be at the top of the league annually.

Another key to success is retaining coaches, not only the HC but also the coordinators. Once again we can look to the school to the East and see what continuity of a coaching staff can do. One bright spot with the new TV money will be the ability to pay coaches more in order to get them to stick around when other schools come calling after successful seasons.

 

[nileo]

I think this team could go anywhere b/ween 7-5 and 2-10 in the regular season. It is just a matter of the breaks we get and how we execute. There is no reason we can't upset 1 or 2. But we could also blow one at CU, NIU or KU.

 

[novaclone]

Must wins against KSU and KU to make our season. I think we also knock off TT and Mizzou, but we have to get KSU and KU for sure.

 

[eastman]

14-0:jiggy:

 

[CyCrazy]

14-0:jiggy:

I would take that..... But I also didn't just put the Bong down either :wink:

 

[clonedude]

I think with NU and CU gone, we are going to have to consistently be better than Baylor, KSU, KU, and Missouri. We aren't going to be better than Texas, OU, OSU, A&M, and TT on a consistent basis IMO. Sure, we might knock off OSU, A&M, or TT every now and then, but not consistently.

I just don't think we'll survive if every single year we are battling with Baylor to stay out of the basement. I think we can get the same caliber of recruits that Baylor, KSU, KU, and Missouri can get... so we'll just have to out-coach them... which I'm confident we can do.