What's everyone expecting for Iowa State football for the long run? We are in the Big 12. Likely the 2nd best football conference behind the SEC. IMO we Iowa State football fans should be happy with a 6-6 or 7-5 year(s). It's just too hard to recruit and compete in the Big 12. Just is. I know people will say "oh we shouldn't settle for mediocre" but what it comes down to is recruiting and what conference you're in. If ISU can make a bowl game each year, that's what I want. I don't care what Bowl Game it is. Honestly that's where we all need to be at. Would I love an undefeated season or a BCS/Final 4 Playoff game? Hell yes, but lets be realistic. People don't need to be getting ****** off at 6-6 seasons.
Funny, after reading posts in other threads, I was thinking the same thing. People have to stop and think a moment. In Basketball, where do many of the recruits come from? Up North. How hard is it to steer a kid from Canada or the East Coast to come to Ames? Not so hard, they are already used to the snow. You only need 8-10 good recruits.
Wrestling, where do those kids mostly come from? Midwest, Iowa, PA, NJ? How hard is it to recruit to ISU? Shouldn't be that hard, with our history.
Football, where do most of the National recruits come from? Florida and Texas. How hard is it to keep a kid to stay at home at Texas A & M, Univ. of Texas or University of Florida, Florida State etc? Should be a piece of cake. How hard is it to recruit a Texas kid to OK State or OU? Not very, as the rosters of both schools have mostly Texas kids on there, the parents can drive to most of those games etc.
Now look at Iowa State. 5-6 Division I kids out of the state each year. The rest must come from out of state. Is it harder to recruit a kid from one state away or several states away (ie. CA, FL or Texas to Iowa)? It is a tremendous challenge, being that you need 66 players to develop a 3 deep at every position. A lot of kids, and their parents, simply don't want to go that far away from home.
We should not settle for losing to a UNI... ever. But come on, some of you youngsters are spoiled. CPR has taken a team that lost 10 straight the year before to a bowl the next season. Now he has the extra challenge of a round robin schedule each year.
What I expect is the team to scrap, fight and provide us the occasional upset (which until last year, CPR has done each year). I expect him to develop players, which I believe he has done. I expect us to compete in every game. I expect him to recruit high character kids, overachievers with chips on their shoulders who want to prove they belong and play like it. I love to see a Lane Danielson type walk on come in under the radar and dominate. Love to see Iowa kids succeed in the Big 12! And I expect a bowl game in most years, which again he has done vs. a much tougher schedule than his 2 predecessors. Cut CPR some slack. He is the right man at the right place. His decision with Mess definitely set us back a few years, but he is still our long term best option IMO. Let's get behind him. There is no other coach in the nation with as much passion and will to win at Iowa State.