Interesting view from ESPN

ESPN is ranking each DI program over the past 10 years, and puts ISU at #66- which is about where Sagarin starts ISU every dang year.

Given the 52-67 record over those 10 years, it is surprising that ISU went to 5 bowl games in that span. When they were bad, though, they have been atrocious.

I shudder to think where ISU would have ranked over the previous 10 prior to the '97 season. Now there was some impressively bad football.

Teams of interest: Okie State at #56, Mizzou at #62, past foe Northern Illinois at #65, KU #83, Baylor #101.

USC is #1, OSU #2, Texas #3, OU #5, NU# 13 (still milking the '97 Shared National Title) KSU #20, SUI #25 (far below where their fans think they belong, no?) a$m is #32, Tech is surprisingly #35(Quote: "Texas Tech has won 56 games since 2000 -- only Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska have won more games among Big 12 Conference teams." Huh. Who would have guessed that?), CU #49

Opening paragraph from the article that accompanies this batch of teams states:

"...here is a nether region of programs in college football that tend to be just decent enough that their coaches retain their jobs. Yet these teams never get over the proverbial hump and make it to a bowl game you'd watch for more than 10 minutes."

Sums up ISU under Dan, doesn't it?

Here's hoping Gene somehow gets ISU over that #50 hump.

Peterclone