Tradition

A typical Cyclone football team of the past would follow an epic win with an inexplicable loss.

The 1990 team followed their win in Norman with a blowout loss at home to Nebraska and a horrid loss on the road to Kansas State. The next year KSU went 7-4 and went to a bowl game, so that win was an early sign of progress for Snyder.

The great 2005 team allowed Baylor to break a 37 game B12 road losing streak in Ames.

I expect a long slog on a wet track against KU. Here's hoping we aren't too grumpy at the end.

Grey Beard Blog

I just noticed that I've been publishing this sucky blog off and on for 11 years. To my 17 readers, thank you.

A few things have changed. In 2004, Van De Velde was AD. Dan McCarney was finding ways not to win the Big 12 North. Wayne Morgan was in his first year, picking up after the Larry meltdown. Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri were all conference foes.

ISU finished 123rd in the Director's cup standings. They were 45th in 2015.

When you take the long view, things have improved tremendously, and Athletics as a whole punch above their weight. But work needs to be done.

This blog can improve, too.

Bring Back Mirrored Schedules

I'm old enough to remember when the Big 8 basketball schedules mirrored opponents for the men's and women's teams, and each team would be home opposite weeks.

Back before TV completely blew up scheduling rhythm,  games were usually played on Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons. The men might be on the road for two games while the women were at home for that week, then they would switch. The convenient part was that each would play the same opponent on the same day- If the men were in Stillwater, you knew the women were hosting the Cowgirls.

That symmetry gave the season a nice bit of predictability.

"Travel partners" only added to this. In the Big 8 days, OU and Okie State went on the road together, as did KU and Mizzou, K State and Colorado, and Nebraska with Iowa State. If you had a home game week, you would play OU on Wednesday and then OSU on Saturday.  When you traveled south, you swung through Norman and Stillwater in the same trip. With 14 games spread across 8 weeks, you then had a built in night off during the week that you played your travel partner. Symmetry.

These schedules arose in the days of trains and buses, when a trip from Ames to Oklahoma was a project. Now that every road trip involves an airplane and is paid with a TV rights check economizing travel costs is less important. But two-game road trips with your travel partner conveyed, even subtly, that everyone was working together to make lives easier.

That ethic evaporated about the same time as basketball shorts stopped being short.

Numbers Game

An excellent football article in the New York Times of all places. Looking ahead at what Penn State faces, Iowa State's plight in the 80's was brought forth as an example of what happens when your numbers get cut.

I was a student in Ames during the Walden years, and I didn't realize at the time how big the numbers gap was between ISU and, well, everyone else.  It doesn't bode well for PSU in the near term.

But those ISU teams hung around better than they should have, and scratched together a 6-5 season in 1990. But being down 20 or 30 players makes the 1990 win in Norman and Marv Seiler's win over Nebraska even more remarkable. Plucky doesn't begin to describe those teams.

Deja Vu

This is exactly the situation where CPR has led ISU to gigantic upsets. In a way, beating A$M would be less surprising than beating Nebraska in '09- our starting quarterback will be suiting up.

Not saying it will happen, but the conditions are exactly the same as the Nebraska and Texas wins. This time we're at home.

Peter

Fine Nebraska Snark

Thanks for everything, Huskers.

Parting Gifts, The Sequel

A nice turnaround over a team that pasted Iowa State in Boulder, but more importantly firmly pushes the Buffs off the NCAA bubble.

The result is Saturday's Nebraska/Colorado game in Boulder is essentially a play-in game, in the sense that the winner still has a chance. The loser is done.

The CSJ staff notes that all three of Iowa State's conference wins came against teams currently sitting on the outside looking in.

Heh.

Peter

Parting Gifts

If the OT loss to Nebraska essentially bumped Iowa State from a bowl, at least we returned the favor by essentially ending the Husker's hopes of making the NCAA tournament since forever.

Not that Nebraska fan cares a lick about basketball, but still.

But good golly was that painful to watch. The Cyclones chocked that game hard and are fortunate that Nebraska wasn't good enough to take advantage.

Mission one for the staff in the off season: Throw out the pages of the gameplan involving End Of Games, and try something else. I think the sample size is big enough to conclude that the current plan is not going to work.

Now, burst CU's bubble as a parting gift.

Peter

Our Bad

We, Cyclone Nation, should take the blame for Nebraska being upset in the Holiday Bowl.

Had Iowa State defeated Nebraska in Ames- and they should have, as they outplayed them- Nebraska would have been matched up against a team with less incentive to win, and who the Huskers might have tried to beat.

Thus- embarrassing loss avoided.

Who knew a failed 2 point conversion would have such delayed repercussions?

So, Huskers, we're sorry. Looking like pompous punks, becoming a national laughingstock on ESPN, having to slide into the Big 10/11/12 with your tail between your legs, that was our fault. Sorry.

Now get out.

Peter

Gaps

While this team has a surplus of heart, they had a deficit of talent, and that kept them from winning the close games: K State, Nebraska, Mizzou.

But there is no question the program took more steps forward. And that's all we ask.

Get busy in the weight room, fellas.

Peter

Gusto

After all of the years of complaining that Danny Mac was too conservative, we must applaud playing to win.

Be sure to buy lots of Iowa gas on your road trips, Husker fan.

Peter

Unis

Doing something like this would be an abomination:




Just say no.

Peter

Finish

For once, our Cyclones put the game away late. Amazing what happens when you shut down a team that was otherwise scoring at will.

At least the men have tied the football team for B12 wins this season, something I didn't expect would be such a milestone in August. So it goes.

The difference between the #9 and #10 vs. #11 or #12 in the tourney is huge.

Peter

Overcome

Its nice to see the good guys win one they easily could have lost. Success at defeating Brackins double teams helps.

Peter

Nuggets From Keeler

Worth a read.

I'm glad the trip to Lincoln was worth it.

Peter

WTF?

I'm not sure which final is the more puzzling tonight- ISU's wacky win in Lincoln, or a$m winning in Lubbock 52-30.

Looks like the Aggies have some momentum. Rats.

Peter

Pointed

The Omaha World Herald doesn't mess around with post game analysis.

Peter

"Worst Loss In 40 Years"

Lots of great nuggets in this online chat:

- Huskers want the backup QB to play
- They are in a firing mood
- Because of ISU's injuries, this was the worst Nebraska loss in memory
- They really, really, really consider the forward pass a fad

They really miss their 90's mojo.

Peter

Giving It Away

It's nice to be on the receiving end of a self-destruction for once, no?

Peter

Hiring

I think Paul should have hired more of his drinking buddies as assistants. I'm not sure this whole "Hiring guys that know what they're doing" plan is working out.

Peter