One on One with Matt Campbell: Why the 33-9 bowl loss to Notre Dame helps light the path forward

[dualthreat]

Based on recruiting data of ISU and our opponents, ISU should be a 5-7 team each year. Right now ISU out recruits KU, 2 non con teams, KSU and Texas Tech. WVU and ISU were starting to get closer on talent level but WVU was still ahead.

ISU has a really good coach that can win with lower talent level. I think CMC will really have to work some magic this season with the OL and DL in the shape it is in to get to 7 wins this year. @clonedude is absolutely right about the lines. DL needs a big time presence up the middle, I hope that guy was recruited. OL needs instant help from a grad transfer.

If ISU wins 8 games this season, CMC should be Big 12 coach of the year no matter what. I am going in with the expectation of 6-6 and hoping 7-5. I have ISU starting out 4-1, beating SD, UNLV, KU and Tech. Losing to OSU and OU. Beat KSU, lose three straight to TCU, Baylor and Texas. Finish the season at home with a win against WVU for bowl eligibility.

Such a defeatist attitude. Name a Midwest school that hasn't had elite success at least once in the last 15-20 years. It's not like Iowa or Kansas State or Wisconsin or Mizzou or Minnesota or Northwestern or Okie State or.. is some impossible standard.

 

[harimad]

So you thought they would be as bad as they are?

I didn't think they would be this bad, but I definitely thought we were looking at the NIT going into this season. I just know there were a ton of people on here that thought we'd be a NCAA Tourney team again. That was just wishful thinking IMO.

We lost WAY too much and didn't replace it with much of anything. I didn't expect much of anything from Nixon, but was hopeful Bolton would be a better player than he is

I didn't have any expectations whatsoever. Coach Prohm's ability to get the most out of talent (and we have had a LOT of talent under him) hasn't been impressive (in my opinion).

But I was reacting to your take that "we" expected more from the team. I don't remember a lot of people in October posting high expectations for this team.

 

[twojman]

Such a defeatist attitude. Name a Midwest school that hasn't had elite success at least once in the last 15-20 years. It's not like Iowa or Kansas State or Wisconsin or Mizzou or Minnesota or Northwestern or Okie State or.. is some impossible standard.

Iowa out recruited 8/9 of their opponents for the 2019 regular season schedule. They finished 9-3. KU had the benefit of avoiding Texas and OU. KSU had probably the best coach of all time in Snyder over the years. Wisky out recruited 8/9 of their regular season opponents and won 10 games. (Iowa and Wisky recruiting is almost identical rankings wise over the last 5 years which is why I have the slashes next to their numbers)

For the longest time Okie St was the number 3 recruiter in the Big 12 but Texas has been garbage for about a decade, so this helped OSU.

I am not a defeatist, I am a realist. Follow @cfbmatrix and cfb_professor on Twitter, they are outstanding. I've adjusted expectations a lot based on these guys. They let you know talent rankings on the roster. ISU is recruiting at one of its highest levels ever as far as seasons in a row and ISU is still as low as I explained vs. our opponents. CMC is doing an outstanding job when you take into account roster talent vs. our opponents.

 

[dualthreat]

Iowa out recruited 8/9 of their opponents for the 2019 regular season schedule. They finished 9-3. KU had the benefit of avoiding Texas and OU. KSU had probably the best coach of all time in Snyder over the years. Wisky out recruited 8/9 of their regular season opponents and won 10 games. (Iowa and Wisky recruiting is almost identical rankings wise over the last 5 years which is why I have the slashes next to their numbers)

For the longest time Okie St was the number 3 recruiter in the Big 12 but Texas has been garbage for about a decade, so this helped OSU.

I am not a defeatist, I am a realist. Follow @cfbmatrix and cfb_professor on Twitter, they are outstanding. I've adjusted expectations a lot based on these guys. They let you know talent rankings on the roster. ISU is recruiting at one of its highest levels ever as far as seasons in a row and ISU is still as low as I explained vs. our opponents. CMC is doing an outstanding job when you take into account roster talent vs. our opponents.

I agree with most of that. But its year 5 now. If we go 7-5 or 8-4 he doesn't "deserve coach of the year"

 

[TedKumsher]

. . .
And defensively, we'll be without both Lima and Johnson on the interior. So unless Bankston comes in and is a total beast, teams will be able to run on us all day IMO. Doesn't matter what your DE's are like.... if you can't clog up the middle, teams will just run it all over you.
. . .

Unless your DE's include must-double-team-at-all-costs JaQuan Bailey and commit-holding-or-give-up-a-sack McDonald.

 

[CascadeClone]

I’ll be honest, I expect both the OL and DL to be better in 2020 than both were in 2019.

DL might be OK / good enough, and the run defense may improve if the young corners improve and that enables the safetys to creep up more (think the defense in 2018).

OL... just have say I will believe it when I see it, and it is the difference between good and great next year. Once again, ISU will go as far as it's OL takes it.

 

[khardbored]

I hope I'm wrong obviously. I hope this young inexperienced OL will be better than last year's, and that the interior of the DL will be better without Lima and Johnson. Because if not, then we won't be better than 7-6.

We all thought the MBB team could still be good this year after losing Babb, THT, Wiggi, Shayok, etc.... but what has happened instead?

Krud, I didn't realize that Jamahl Johnson never redshirted.

 

[Remo Gaggi]

This team will be fine. I'm just happy we don't have to host the greasy hok fans next season. And their little band too.