and that's why the national media expects coaches to leave every time they're close to .500 at Iowa State. And why Reece Davis continues to mock us - besides the fact he's a shill and a tool IMO.,
because while I am happy going to a bowl - I'm not happy. Both can be true. Doesn't mean anyone's entitled - just means you're disappointed.
If I do my job one year at 100%, come back another year and do it at 75% - is my boss being entitled thinking it was a disappointing year? IDK. Its not a great analogy but in some ways it fits, in some ways I know it doesn't.
But Iowa State's never going to be more than the plucky under-dog if people aren't allowed to be disappointed about a team that raised the expectation and then came up short.
I'm not going to stop being a fan. I'll scream and cheer and praise and rant and rave all day every Saturday till I'm dead. But if you ask me if I felt like this season was and is disappointing as a fan ? Then my answer is yes. Not that it means anything because I know its more so to the coaches and players than it ever will be to me. But thats my honest answer.
Happy to go to a bowl . Not happy that all the people who are going to tell recruits, other programs and the national media that will proclaim last year a fluke and that it only happened because everyone else struggled with covid... yeah, not going to be happy about that but it will likely happen and if not yet probably will at some point. Thats why this year was potentially huge for the program to take a step forward from the underdog team that plays hard to a team that over-achieves to something more. I never thought we had a real chance of making the playoff... but I did think we had a real chance of beating Iowa and or finishing second and winning 9 games, outside chance of 10. Technically we can reach 9 but we'd have to win out and I'm not sure I'd bet my life on it... hope for it, but expect it? no.