Great summary. I agree, the Iowa game was closer than it needed to be. We spanked Tech, Okie State we adjusted/played tough and beat a top team. KSU, top 15 team last year and this upcoming and played at their house and almost got them.
Has Paul Rhoads run out of gas? Is this the year we lay an egg?
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Great summary. I agree, the Iowa game was closer than it needed to be. We spanked Tech, Okie State we adjusted/played tough and beat a top team. KSU, top 15 team last year and this upcoming and played at their house and almost got them.
Tulsa - W
@ Iowa - ?
Western Illinois - W
Texas Tech - W
@ TCU - ?
KSU - ?
@ OSU - ?
Baylor - W
OU - ?
@ Texas - ?
@ KU - W
WVU - ?
I see 5 wins there conservatively. Less than 4? Really?
@ Iowa - ?
Western Illinois - W
Texas Tech - W
@ TCU - ?
KSU - ?
@ OSU - ?
Baylor - W
OU - ?
@ Texas - ?
@ KU - W
WVU - ?
I see 5 wins there conservatively. Less than 4? Really?
Honestly is there a Big 12 team with better linebackers or stable of running backs? We lost 4 guys from a defense that just shut some of the best offenses down in the second half of the year. I think the offensive line will see an upgrade, KO was a top pick but played out of position and was hurt and he and Hicks were a penalty waiting to happen. The offensive line is lean and more athletic then ever. The defensive line loses only Rump and Lattimer, with Laing and McDonough back, its been years since we have had that sort of talent in the middle of the defensive line. Secondary brings back a lot and brings in a lot of returning and new talent. Do I even need to discuss linebacker or running back? Quarterback is a question mark I agree, but both are not fresh off the streets and both have talent and big game experience. Add to that they were playing under a center that was a redshirt freshman, that can spell disaster at times. Coaching will also be improved with this being the 4 year with this staff. I have this team at 7-8 wins.
Yeah, the powerhouse of Cody Green at QB will be too much to handle. Good grief, we should just give up, the mid majors are too much to handle...
I don't see how we don't get 5 wins unless the wheels come off. I was skeptic with the attitude that 5+wins last year was exceeding expectations, this season it's 7. Anything less than 6 wins is a let down next season.
Really? I hope we all know that we wouldn't schedule a team the first game of the year unless we know we'd have a good chance at beating them. Tulsa was a bowl team last year, but lost about everyone.
Less than 4 wins. So, I'm guessing we might be able to score a win off Western Illinois or Tulsa, but any win in the conference or against Iowa is going to be the upset of the y ear then.
Exactly.
On one hand, I understand that over the last 10-20 years, ISU fans have become accustomed to having their hearts broken by failure to meet expectations, missed FG's, etc...
But, you gotta be realistic too. You have a program with an excellent head coach, quality assistants, and the talent level at most positions continues to grow with Big XII talent and depth. An investment is being made in this program - something we have all wanted and needed for some time.
Now, you still gotta go out and win games and execute plays and it is easier to do when you have the talent, skill-level and can be developed. Rhoades and staff, I believe, have shown the ability to develop talent. Are there question marks? Yes, but there always are heading into the season.
For me, my biggest concern is line play. That's where everything starts on both ends. We have a lot of depth on d-line. Can we get solid play on o-line? If so, it makes the offense work a lot better. But, I'm not ready to say we are going to only be able to accomplish "this or that" on the field and we can only win no more than "3-4" ball games. This program has the ability to be competitive with the top teams in the Big XII and I don't see that momentum stopping this year.
Honestly, if I could have 2 games back from last year it would be Texas and Texas A & M. If those games could have been later in the year, I believe we could have won or at the very least, been more competitive in them. This team found its groove over the last 4 or so conference games.
So which is it? Can we expect to see you continue to revise the estimate upward?
Why so negative all the time? Didn't anyone tell you that the offseason is the time to pump up chests and overestimate how amazing our returning guys will be and how explosive the young talent is going to be?
Seriously though, lighten up bro. You have dragged too many threads into the negative.
7 wins.
Exactly!
I get the feeling that too many people expect too much too fast out of the football program. With the disadvantages this team has it is unrealistic to expect 8, 9, or 10 win seasons right away. Just ridiculous.
We are the farthest North of any Big12 school. It is nearly impossible to get the same caliber recruits as teams in Texas when they just have to travel around their home state to recruit. Despite that, CPR and staff are consistently bringing in solid recruits. They are slowly building up the lines and bringing in quality skill players.
We are in the Big12 with big time programs that have been having sustianed success for a long time. It's not easy to just get to the level that beating solid teams is expected.
Just recently we've been able to beef up our facilities but we are still behind most of our conference. That's a big deal to coaches and recruits. We have an AD and coach in place that are making these things a priority whereas in the past, that wasn't always the case.
Look where CPR started. He inherited a team that had gone 5-19 under Chizik. 5-19! To average 6 wins the next three years is a positive step.
We may not get past 6 wins this year, but that does not mean that no positive steps have been taken. A big limiting factor will be the QB position. We may not have a starter currently that can take us to that next level. That starter may be a few years off in Richardson or Rohach. We just don't know. But we are at least bringing in quality recruits and doing what we can to develop them.
Give it time people. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will an ISU football team that reach the top level of the Big12.
The reality is we only had two "guaranteed" wins looking at the schedule last year, and Rhoads still got us to a bowl game. If Mac was still around I doubt we'd have gone to a bowl game. We definitely wouldn't have beaten OSU, as Mac almost never beat the teams he wasn't "supposed to." That's the great thing about Rhoads; his teams compete, compete, compete and believe that they belong on the field with anyone.
Is it possible we could have a down year? Sure, we don't know what'll happen. But if Rhoads truly does believe that he has his best team this year, expect them to come out with that fight we've seen him instill in his teams the past couple years. I don't want to predict anything yet, but 2012 will be a fun season for us. Let's hope we make the most of it.
You really haven't said anything of substance to back up your opinion, other than "I think last year was a fluke" and "We haven't upgraded our talent significantly".
I mean, do you watch college football at all? Have you watched ISU football in the past? Did you really pay attention during McCarney's tenure? Or Chiziks?
Yeah, we don't have 5 first round draft picks or a heisman caliber QB. That doesn't mean our talent isn't getting better every year. And how was last year any more of a fluke than 2009? Even in 2010, we won 5 games playing basically the same schedule as last year.
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