You have to climb the ladder. I think once you start to consistently achieve 5,6,7 win seasons then at that point you can start to make the claim that it is unacceptable to continue being satisfied with that. However, you can't logically be disappointed with a 6 or 7 win season when the norm has been less than that. Some schools do make big leaps, but it's rare and it certainly isn't easy. First you have to have a good season, and then you have to capitalize on a good season by gathering good recruits. Neither of those are easy to do for programs in the state of Iowa.
I look at Baylor, and I realize they've had the perfect storm of events unfold for them. They are in a talent rich state, and their rise coinsided with Texas' fall. Plus they run a flashy system that attracts athletes. Iowa has been stuck in mediocrity lately. Ideally, ISU would be capitalizing on that, but they just haven't been able to. It's a lot more difficult to do in Iowa because you're almost always relying on grabbing recruits from elsewhere.