I think for the past two and a half years, on the defense side, the answer is "yes".
Also over that time frame, the offense just can't do what needs to be done against teams that have good defenses for ISU to move to the top tier of the conference. Couple that with terribly inconsistent special teams, and you have a nice team that just can't break out of the second tier of the conference.
33 yd FGs have to be automatic. As others have posted, that missed FG resulted in a huge momentum swing. Yes TDs are better, but there is no shame in scoring a FG against a good defense.
We shall see how the rest of this year progresses. ISU will face a couple of good defenses ahead, and Manning will get the opportunity to show whether he can take ISU's offense to the level necessary for ISU to be a legitimate contender for conference champion.