2009-10 = Gut Check Time...

[huntt26]

What if we win 4 or less games in football?

What if the basketball team loses to Drake AGAIN?

Next year is going to be crucial for ISU athletics. If both of these happen, I believe the fans will be absolutely disgusted and it's going to be very hard to get people to the games or buy season tickets.

I'm a pretty die hard fan at my young age, but I'm tired of blowing leads in every sport or looking like we don't belong. 3 short years ago we were not too shabby in football or MBB. 8 years ago we were actually pretty stellar. I don't ask for much, just postseason play, no matter how big or small the prize is.

Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts on my first two questions? I hope we don't even have to think about it, but it's for discussion.

 

[Palmer]

What if we win 4 or less games in football?

What if the basketball team loses to Drake AGAIN?

Next year is going to be crucial for ISU athletics. If both of these happen, I believe the fans will be absolutely disgusted and it's going to be very hard to get people to the games or buy season tickets.

I'm a pretty die hard fan at my young age, but I'm tired of blowing leads in every sport or looking like we don't belong. 3 short years ago we were not too shabby in football or MBB. 8 years ago we were actually pretty stellar. I don't ask for much, just postseason play, no matter how big or small the prize is.

Anyway, what are everyone's thoughts on my first two questions? I hope we don't even have to think about it, but it's for discussion.

agree in bball...not in football.

football was never good.....we were paper tigers in a very weak North

 

[cycloneman003]

football was never good.....we were paper tigers in a very weak North

but we certainly COULD be good

 

[tejasclone]

A lot of people here will claim that if Gene wins fewer than 4 games again next year, that he'll be gone, but I think he'll be given the length of his contract to produce results, and I think we'll get there. It would be nice to get a bowl next year but I don't think it's mandatory for him to keep his job.

As far as basketball, I feel like the program is finally getting its legs under it after 3 years of turmoil and turnover, and we just have to bear with it a while longer. Yes, losing to Drake (again) sucks, but it really is just one game. We have a chance to put it behind us with a win in Iowa City on Friday, and beating Iowa is a magnum opiate for this fanbase. This year will probably continue to be a stinkfest, but we should continue to support the team. Recruiting is looking up and I think we'll get there.

 

[TheHelgo]

I am finally at a point where I need to see something both sports next year to stay interested and maintain my $$ support of ISU athletics. I have always known that being emotionally connected to ISU athletics is a very tough thing. Now, I am starting to wonder A) If it is simply unhealthy, and B) Is it worth it? If there was some sort of eventual payoff (elite 8, final 4 in Bball, January Bowl in Football) I would say yes. But that seems so foreign to ISU now. Think about it, Mizzou and KU were our hopes the past 2 years in Football. Look how quickly they have come back to reality.

Whatever - probably just depressed about yet another heart-breaking loss. Which brings up that part of it. I hate how crappy a loss like this makes me feel. Seriously, it is just a game, but it sure doesn't seem like it. Maybe it is time to find something else to focus all this energy on.

Sorry for the weird/long rant.

 

[huntt26]

I am finally at a point where I need to see something both sports next year to stay interested and maintain my $$ support of ISU athletics. I have always known that being emotionally connected to ISU athletics is a very tough thing. Now, I am starting to wonder A) If it is simply unhealthy, and B) Is it worth it? If there was some sort of eventual payoff (elite 8, final 4 in Bball, January Bowl in Football) I would say yes. But that seems so foreign to ISU now. Think about it, Mizzou and KU were our hopes the past 2 years in Football. Look how quickly they have come back to reality.

Whatever - probably just depressed about yet another heart-breaking loss. Which brings up that part of it. I hate how crappy a loss like this makes me feel. Seriously, it is just a game, but it sure doesn't seem like it. Maybe it is time to find something else to focus all this energy on.

Sorry for the weird/long rant.

Good post, I couldn't have said it any better. I don't think it's too much to ask to win 6-9 football games a year and at least 20 in bball. After you consistently win like that, then you have a shot for an amazing year where you can contend for Big 12 championships and beyond.

 

[jdoggivjc]

agree in bball...not in football.

football was never good.....we were paper tigers in a very weak North

Funny - with the exception of 1999-2001 and 1996-1997, paper tigers is exactly how I'd sum up our basketball team as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - Orr, Mayor, Mihalick, etc. Fun memories. What exactly did they accomplish in the grand scheme of things?

 

[Clonefan94]

I'll take paper tigers and NCAA tourney births and bowl games to constant complaining about how bad our teams are. I will admit, except for a couple of years in BBall, Iowa State has never had any real contenders for anything. I've actually been saying that for years. Thing is, I would argue that this was one of the weakest North Divisions ever in Football. Mizzou was decent, other than that, there was no one that stood out at all. Bball, they might not have really achieved anything great as far as championships go, but they were getting to the tournament. If not every year, at least regularly enough that we got to a point whre we expected it and they had made Hilton one of the scariest places to play for a Visiting team in the Country. When I went to ISU in the early 90s, I never went to Hilton expecting to breeze by Kansas, Mizzou or OK state, but I went there knowing we had a good shot at a victory. And I especially knew we'd win our pre season games there. Now, I don't know what to expect. Usually, I'd say I'm hoping for a win at home rather than expecting them.

How does this change? Sorry, I don't know the answers to that. I also don't want to put down the accomplishments fo those in the past though. Call them paper tigers if you will, but they did what they had to do to get to a tourney or a Bowl game. That's not happening now.

 

[Aclone]

What if we win 4 or less games in football?

My first thought is this. Right now, it's equally legitimate to say:

What if we win eight games in football? Will Chizik leave for A&M?

What if we beat Drake 79-44? Will Drake fire their coach?

That's all I got.

 

[troyrew]

Drake will be tough if young stays another year.

Football's year is next year after that TX Okie and TT are back

 

[Rick]

I have been a fan for over 30 years. I can't imagine being anything else and actually to change teams is not in my being. I am a Clone Fan. As much as I hate to see them lose I keep coming back. If they fail, I fail with them. If the coach isn't doing a good job I might complain but going spastic on it only hurts me and effects nothing else. It is a rough ride but if I am true to myself I know I can't root for anybody else. Reading all the posts, I think most on this board are in the same boat as I am. Be a fan!

 

[mplscyclone]

Weren't we posting this past summer how this year is the most crucial year ever? Now we're pushing back to next year?

In my opinion, you have to be competitive in all sports every year to be good. Does that mean bowl games every year? Not necessarily. It can mean 5-6 wins with a few close losses for example.

If you're respectable every year, good things will follow. You can't put everything all on 1 particular year because you never year.

 

[Cydkar]

Young isn't going anywhere.

 

[Aclone]

Weren't we posting this past summer how this year is the most crucial year ever? Now we're pushing back to next year?

Seems to me that last summer most people were saying it would be next year anyway, especially in the wake of Pollard's reshuffling of the timeline, and WJ's departure. Most people didn't expect a bad team to be turned around in a single season.

And yes, I still expect next year to be a big season. One to build on.

 

[anticyclonic]

Good post, I couldn't have said it any better. I don't think it's too much to ask to win 6-9 football games a year and at least 20 in bball. After you consistently win like that, then you have a shot for an amazing year where you can contend for Big 12 championships and beyond.

Agreed.

This year was a disappointment in FB (obviously). I think the coaching staff really dropped the ball. At the beginning of the season I though four games were out of reach: Mizzou, KU, OSU, and Colorado, and the other eight would be competitive with the better coaching staff being the key factor.

I am somewhat disgusted that they didn't figure a way to adapt the pass coverage to the spread offenses of the big 12 better than what they did. The non-conference was full of weak teams with little passing capability, the conference was completely different. The Bates factor didn't help either.