I think the graveyard comment is because Iowa State is maybe the toughest job in P5 football.
1. Small local talent base
2. Shared with P5 rival with better history
3. Unlike the Hawks, we have a geographical difference with our conference peers. This plays out in negative recruiting
4. No winning tradition to sell
5. No natural landmarks and/or excitement to sell 18 year olds
6. The state of Iowa has a very small JuCo network (Iowa Western, Ellsworth and Iowa Central) to use as a feeder program.
Because of these, I don't think we will ever rise to being a conference power like Baylor has. That being said, there is no reason we can't land within the 4-7 win mark year in and year out. We need a coach who is willing to be innovative and looks for advantages wherever they can be found. We need a coach who treats the Iowa Western staff like royalty. We need a coach with energy, excitement, and appeal to recruits - be it alternate uniforms, connecting via social media, etc. And, being in a northern climate, we need someone who can get us a friggin running game.