Do you expect big things from 09 football team this year?

[bfross]

We have some very talented sophmores that look to be some top players in the big 12...Do you really think that hermans offense is going to be tuff to learn? Or possibly it will be easy do to that fact that he likes to throw the ball. It just seems to me that somthing has dramaticlly changed at the isu football program, Not sure if somthing weird would happen like us having an amazing record and a good bowl..its happen before with coaching changes

Improvements? Yes. Outside shot at a bowl game? Sure. Big things? No.

 

[mizouse87]

Why is everyone here so pessimistic? That's the problem with Iowa State is that nobody expects to win! You all seem to accept defeat which is why we don't get better. We should all expect our team to go to a bowl every year. Any decent program does. There is no reason this team can't win their first four games next year and take that momentum into the conference. NDSU should be a blowout, UNI win, Iowa loses all their best players, Kent Stated loses a ton and they weren't good this year with a senior laden team. Kansas loses most of its defense and they proved this year that they were a fluke, Mizzou loses everything, Colorado is average at best, K-State has nothing, Nebraska is decent but has another new quarterback and loses a lot of key position on both sides of the ball, Baylor...eh whatev, aTm will be better but nothing special, Okie State will be good again but never does better than 7-5/8-4. There is no reason we should not make a bowl game. Coaching change or not. We didn't lose anyone special and are gaining a lot with recruits and experience from this past season. Expect more and you will get more. Expect nothing and thats what you get.

PREACH ON BROTHA!:yes:

 

[mizouse87]

Improvements? Yes. Outside shot at a bowl game? Sure. Big things? No.

So making a bowl game next year isn't considered a big thing at this stage? I question your thinking. A team on a 10 game losing streak makes a bowl game...that makes a big deal to me.

 

[d30fan]

Realistically, 5 wins is a stretch, 3 wins maybe. On the other hand, college ball is often as much attitude as skill and sometimes a coach comes along who is able to inspire. Mac was one of those initially and it worked until Fat Marty came along. Perhaps we have another one with Rhoads. I think the skill level is approaching Mac's best, but the learning curve will be pretty steep. ISU is really due for something good to happen. I'll go with the optimistic crowd this morning and say we will win 5, with one real surprise.

 

[SouthernClone06]

So making a bowl game next year isn't considered a big thing at this stage? I question your thinking. A team on a 10 game losing streak makes a bowl game...that makes a big deal to me.

I don't see how going to a lower tier bowl is a big deal. Good for the program yes, but not a program changer. It will be a big deal when we win the Big XII North. I guess it depends on what your definition of a big deal is.

 

[CycloneErik]

Why is everyone here so pessimistic? That's the problem with Iowa State is that nobody expects to win! You all seem to accept defeat which is why we don't get better. We should all expect our team to go to a bowl every year. Any decent program does. There is no reason this team can't win their first four games next year and take that momentum into the conference. NDSU should be a blowout, UNI win, Iowa loses all their best players, Kent Stated loses a ton and they weren't good this year with a senior laden team. Kansas loses most of its defense and they proved this year that they were a fluke, Mizzou loses everything, Colorado is average at best, K-State has nothing, Nebraska is decent but has another new quarterback and loses a lot of key position on both sides of the ball, Baylor...eh whatev, aTm will be better but nothing special, Okie State will be good again but never does better than 7-5/8-4. There is no reason we should not make a bowl game. Coaching change or not. We didn't lose anyone special and are gaining a lot with recruits and experience from this past season. Expect more and you will get more. Expect nothing and thats what you get.

Good post. We have a chance in every game, and that's where it starts. This should be a fun season, no matter how the record looks in the end. There's a real good chance for a winning record here.

 

[jay moe]

Improvements? Yes. Outside shot at a bowl game? Sure. Big things? No.

I agree with your assessment. I think we will see some minor improvements and our win total will go up, perhaps a lower level bowl, but I am shooting for 5 wins.

 

[cyworship]

A bowl has to be a minimum goal for any team in a conference with 12 teams and at least 8 bowl spots (9 when conference gets 2 BCS teams). That means 6 wins is a minimum goal. Now add to that you are in the North of said conference and you have to realistically set a goal to win your division every year. I didn't watch the best coach in school history get fired so that we could upgrade the program and then set goals to win 3 games.

Now on a realistic note I think if Nebraska can put a QB on the field the North is probably theirs. Kansas might still have a decent team but they are still the team that rotates schedules with us so will have the brutal half of the South. I'm going out on a limb, narrow it down, and say we will win 5-7 games and make plans to be in Tempe, AZ on Thursday, December 31, 2009.

 

[Wesley]

Hawks will run into a tornado.....

 

[clonedog]

So when to we get to the "next level"? The tone in this thread seems to be that we are a year or two from mediocrity. I hope we can be "good" in three to four years. Does that mean the "next level" is four or more years away?? I worry the $$ will dry up if we are not at the "next level", which was the original goal, within a couple of years. Fans will only buy "hope" for a year or two. In fact we may already have sold all the "hope" and results may be all we have to sell.

 

[jsmith86]

So when to we get to the "next level"? The tone in this thread seems to be that we are a year or two from mediocrity. I hope we can be good in three to four years. Does that mean the "next level" is four or more years away?? I worry the $$ will dry up if we are not at the "next level" which started all this in a couple of years. Fans will only buy "hope" for a year or two. In fact we may already have sold all the "hope" and results may be all we have to sell.

I will buy the kind of hope that Iowa State sells for as long as I'm close enough to come back for games. And then I'll still buy it, just not in the form of tickets.

 

[atlantacyclone]

After the Nebraska BBall game I'm getting a bit high on the Kool Aide... so I'm going to say that we were a few bad coaching errors from bowls the past two seasons... Therefore, I think that we win 6 or more. Damn! Spilled the cool aide on my white shirt!