I like where your head is. I like where your heart is even more. But I think that an ISU team that struggles to put UNI to the sword in the first game is unlikely to go 10-2. I know UNI plays ISU and UI tough, but I won't be feeling good about the season if we give up 24 points to them and only win by a score.
I'd put us as -
Favored: UNI, Louisiana-Monroe, Baylor, KU, KSU
Underdog: WVU, OU, UT
Even: UI, TCU, TTU, OSU
If we win the ones we should, split the even contests, and pull our now annual upset, that would put us at 8-4 and if I had to put money on our record right now, that would be the one. But 10-2 is within the realm of possibility, and I just don't see us dropping below 7-5.
The OL needs to make big strides this offseason and that will go a long ways to determining how we do next year. DM could make yards where there were none. Other backs, even good ones, can't do that. And if our OL can't make holes to run through, without DM's tackle breaking abilities keeping opposing defenses honest, suddenly our pass blocking will look a lot worse too. I just wish we would have been able to see what DM could have done behind a good ISU OL. He would have been scary and may have been in the Heisman discussion.