As Usual, Chuck Nails It

Funny that the best sports writing at the Rag comes from a fellow who never worked for them full-time, and is now "retired".


Chuck on the lack of ISU TV.

A sign that the B12's TV deal stinks? Nebraska isn't on TV every week. Nebraska. Any league that signs a deal that doesn't allow its marquee teams on the telly every dang week shouldn't allow itself to be a league.

I understand why ISU isn't on much, and winning might fix that someday. But I think the Huskers have earned the privlidge of wall-to-wall TV.

Or put it this way: SUI's home game against Indiana is on, but Nebraska's game against ISU isn't. If you had the chance to sell ads for those games, which one would you pick? I thought so.

Peterclone

Odds and ends

I agree that ISU's loss to UNI is not the B12's worst this year. UNI is a solid I-AA team, and nobody expected much from ISU this year. It happens. But a$m losing to Miami or Okie. St. losing to Troy look much worse based on what was expected from each school in August.

The new unis, with red helmets, regardless of logo, are sweet. USC-lite, sure, but so is the football. (Nice Photoshop work. Not)

We get some love from a Husker and intelligent answers from Alex.

Corn Nation brings up a point that is lost on most Husker and all SUI fans: Given the lack of football success the last 50 years in Ames, exactly 220 people should attend home games- the parents of each player. Make that 235, since the coaches would make their wives come to pad the total. Really. If Lincoln or Iowa City went on a walk of football futility like we have, they would average about 6,000 per game.

The question should never be: "Why doesn't ISU sell more football tickets?"; it should be "Why doesn't everyone else sell twice what they do now?"

Nebraska 42, ISU 21. We're a few years away. Again.

Peterclone

Save Cy?

I found a surprise in my spam folder- someone has set up a website
dedicated to keeping Cy
on the football helmets.

Personally, I've been ambivalent to the current Cy. A clever integration of Cy and Cyclones, but the sandwich board he has been forced to wear or carry these 12 years looks a little odd.

For maximum visual impact, ISU should return to this.

Yep, the Criner era helmet was the best logo, period. But, like the current Cy, it reminded everyone of bad football, so had to go.

If
we don't hurry up and get some winning football, we may run out of logo
possibilities, and will have to switch to the naked Penn State helmet.

Peterclone

Surprising

To recap the season at the quarter pole:

Two surprisingly lopsided losses to teams ISU isn't used to losing to;

One surprising win over a team ISU is, surprisingly, used to beating, despite that team having each and every advantage;

One demoralizing giveaway loss, a game that ISU had all but won, that was not surprising in that we all have seen that movie too many times in our Cyclone lives.

Wouldn't it be just like this squad, a bunch that we truely don't know what to expect from one game to the next, to rise up, play the perfect game, and beat the doggone 22 point-favorite-Huskers?

It ain't gonna happen, but at this point I don't know that I would be surprised if they did win. I'm not sure what will surprise me the rest of the way.

Peterclone

Welcome To Ames, Gene

Were you warned that Cyclone teams sometimes just find a way to lose? Now you've seen it first hand.

As fun as last week was, we're all in for a long climb together.

Peterclone

Gotta Beat Someone Decent

Nothing will shut up SUI fan (OK, nothing will shut up SUI fan, but at least we will have valid ammo) about the SUI game being "ISU's Super Bowl" than ISU beating a team or two that is better than SUI in the same season that ISU beats SUI.

This is one place where SUI fan actually has a bit of a beef:

Season/SUI finish/Record of best team ISU beat other than SUI

'05/SUI 7-5/CU 7-6
'02/SUI 11-2/Tech 9-5
'01/SUI 7-5/Mizzou & OKie St. 4-7
'00/SUI 3-9/UNLV 8-5 & Pitt 7-5
'99/SUI 1-10/Mizzou 4-7
'98/SUI 3-8/KU 4-7

The last three wins against SUI proved to be ISU's "Best Win" of the year, '05 being a tossup.

Part of this list rises from how inept DM was against teams that finished the season with a winning record. Hayden had a horrid stretch against decent teams, too, and his teams went to a series of bowl during that run, so what the heck.

To turn it around, in three of those same years the loss to ISU was SUI's "worst loss":

'05- ISU 7-5/Mich and NW both 7-5 (but you know which one hurt the most emotionally)
'02- ISU 7-7/USC 11-2. No contest.
'01- ISU 7-5/MSU was 7-5, Purdue 6-6, Wisky 5-7 (again, the emotional loss)
'00- ISU 9-3/Indiana was 3-8
'99- ISU 4-7/NW 3-8
'98- ISU 3-8/Indiana 4-7

The simple plan: ISU beats someone really good (OU or UT would be perfect) while SUI tanks and finishes 5-7 or something. That wouldn't bother me at all.

Peterclone

What The Heck

I took a big gulp of the Kool-Aid last weekend.

While ISU will be sluggish, clumsy, and full of penaties from the Hawkeye hangover (the good kind) they, like last week, find a way to beat Toledo. 24-21 or something like that.

Hopefully the Rocket D continues to be a sieve.

Peterclone

Best Line About ISU's Win

From Ron Maly's blog: (he was a little dissapointed, to say the least)

==============
Iowa fan Mark Robinson responded to my column from last week, in which I wondered if Iowa State coach Gene Chizik understands the significance of the Cyclone-Hawkeye rivalry:

"Ron, the real question which needs to be asked is if Kirk Ferentz understands the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry," Robinson wrote. "Chizik seems to understand it just fine."

All I know is that I've seen far too many Iowa-Iowa State games in recent seasons when the Hawkeyes were flat emotionally in the first half, and occasionally throughout the game.

Like I wrote earlier, there's absolutely no excuse for that.

===============

No there isn't Ron. No excuse for the Best Program To Never Win A National Championship to lose to a trade school like Silo Tech.

The longer KF stays in IC, the more I like him.

Peterclone

Positive Press

Such that it is:

They're not dead! Nice dig on KF and his program, too: 15-13 (7-9 in the 1011) over the last 2.25 seasons, or since that miraculous finish in Orlando.

That's $445,000 per win, or probably not far from what Dan made per win last year. Good work if you can find it.

Two digs on SUI here.

Chuck lists several facts SUI fan overlooked in the runup to The Big Game. Some are valid, some are not for the BPTNWANC.

This guy nails it. I think I will enjoy reading his stuff in the future.

(edit note: The above came from Paul Clark at Cyclone Report. It's still good stuff.)

Peterclone

The Quote In My Head Saturday

From href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075148/quotes">Rocky:"He
doesn't know it's a damn show! He thinks it's a damn fight!"

The paralells are heavy. Gotta rent that one this week.

peterclone

Sorry, Ron, you will have to wait

Ron Maly will have to wait a few weeks before burying Gene's career in Ames.

I'm not saying it won't happen, but it won't happen this week.

Peterclone

Great Hlas post

Mike nails it.

Peterclone

Throwback

Random thoughts from a wild, wild day:

-The Cyclones should never, ever take those throwback unis off. Petition the B12 to wear white at home. That was a moment where you caught lightening in a bottle, and now that you have it, lock it in. Those beautiful uniforms would be a perfect way to do it, too.

Plus, every time Iowa fan sees those unis, he will think back to the pain of yesterday. Hee hee.

-I guess "CanChizik.com" will have to delay their rollout a few weeks.

-KF may not put any extra emphasis on the ISU game, but his fan base clearly wants him to. They, fans of The Best Program To Never Win A National Title, are quite tired of losing to Silo Tech.

-I didn't see Randy P polling fans on their way out to see if they thought $90 was worth it in the end. Imagine that.

-My small survey found tickets availible 2/$100 30 minutes before kickoff.

-Perhaps the cliche should be that the most improvement comes between games 2 and 3.

-It now may be possibel to test the age old question: "If ISU beats Iowa for their only win of the season, will Cyclone fan think the season was a success?"

More as the week continues. The last 90 minutes were more tention than I like, but damn that was fun. I should be able to talk again on Tuesday or so.

Peterclone

Drop like a rock

The first chnce SUI gets we're off the schedule, never to return.

They never wanted to play us, and they see no upside to having the series.

The emotional rewards of going Sipowicz on lowly ISU is not worth the embarrassment when ISU squeeks out a win over the mighty Fighting Buzzards.

Simply put: They believe SUI should never lose to ISU in football. Ever.

The best way to guarrentee that is for SUI to end the series. The sooner the better.

Peterclone

Waaaah!

Now we understand Randy's mysterious post. Good research, Randy: "Hey- Any Iowa fans feeling they easy access to Hawkeye football being repressed? Anyone?"

So he found a bunch of SUI fans to bitch and moan about how they are being gouged this weekend, how $90 is more expensive than (implied) bigger matchups like Michigan-OSU, and how the new ticket policy will keep Trice a few thousand short of a full house this weekend.

Waah freakin' waah.

First, folks bitch at ISU for not regularly selling out. Then they bitch when ISU cranks up they price for games that will sell out. Finally, they bitch because ISU won't gouge as many visiting fans as possible.

Maybe Jamie should have made the single game price for the SUI game $350, and thrown in the rest of the home schedule for free. But folks would have bitched about that as not showing respect to OU and UT.

Folks just like to bitch, especially SUI fans. No reason they are the most despised fan base in the Big 1011.

The Red Sox and Cubs have some of the most expensive tickets in baseball. Why? Perhaps their small stadiums have something to do with it. Michigan and OSU each host 100K for their big tilt. While the demand for that game may be bigger, so is the supply of tickets.

I chuckle at the Hard Core Capitalists I know who are the first to scream "Gouge!". If Jamie could charge $300 per ticket and sell out Trice once or twice a year, he would, and should. We need the cash.

Did it not occur to anyone that perhaps the $90 is to make the season ticket look that more attractive? Did it occur to anyone that sometimes it's not about the Hawks?

Peterclone

56,795 Witnesses

If Gene finds coaching success in Ames, there are over 56,000 witnesses who will be able to say "I witnessed the bottom".

I expect to get blown out by OU and UT this year. But to get pushed around by UNI? Even very good UNI? Please.

If Gene moves onto a better job in the future, that loss will be one end of the yardstick measuring how far he will have come as a coach, and the program has grown in general.

Keep your ticket stub.

Peterclone

Where will this lead

Randy P's being very mysterious.

Peterclone

Sagarin hates ISU

As it should right now.

ISU dropped from #61 last week to #108 this morning, putting them 14 spots below Baylor and 53 (!) behind Okie State. Ouch and double ouch.

That's the lowest Sagarin ranking that my feeble brain can recall. 80's, often, 90's on occasion, but this is a new low, literally.

10 I-AA schools are above ISU right now, including UNI at #94. I'm making ISU a home dog this week by at least three. Until they show a better grasp on the new schemes, things may be ugly.

For point of reference, Kent State is now #75.

I know, the Sag is a little weird until the third or fourth week of the season, but you have to start somewhere.

Peterclone

Brett, you are now on the clock

According to Gene's comments on Monday, nobodies job is safe. The next three games will determine who gets playing time in the B12 season.

I can't disagree with Gene's policy- we're all on day-to-day status in our workplaces, so football should be no different.

It would be ironic if Brett was pushed aside for a younger kid with "upside" when Brett got his job because he was young and had "upside". So it goes.

I would have never guessed that Brett is fourth on the B12 career yards list. He's had an eventful career, regardless of how it ends.

Clock's ticking, boys.

Peterclone

Any Road Rash, Ron?

You might want to get that nasty bit on your face looked at. Head first dives off the bandwagon will do that.

I knew his positive words were a mirage.

I'm not saying he's wrong either way, but that was a dramatic about face. Perhaps he hand a few gulps of the Kool Aid, too.

Peterclone

Mediacom Baloney

Mediacom's claim that Fox prohibited Mediacom from airing the Kent State game? Probably BS.

The production folks at Mediacom were never asked to tentatively schedule that game and never made any calls looking for crew. The folks at ISU were never asked, either.

In fact, most of the Mediacom staff who would have worked that game were in Ames already, as Mediacom had a function there: tent, catering, drinks, and a block of tickets.

Nice spin, though. Too bad it had no basis in reality.

Peterclone

Another Rational Voice

Keith Murphy agrees with me: (BTW- Nice Graphic, Keith. You look good in a wig.) The Chizik Era won't be a Instant Football Solution. We've got to be patient here. You may have been in the camp bitching for change since '03, and you got it. You may have been geeked on Gene's hire. But like Dan, there will be some on-the-job training, and progress will be in fits and starts. No serious evaluations until '09 at the earliest.

It's always darkest right before you get popped on the back of the head by a pipe wrench.

Peterclone

Yardsticks

Kent State goes to Columbus at the end of the month to play the Buckeyes. That will be an interesting game to compare and contrast last night's performance with.

Kent State also returns to Ames next season. I expect the two teams will have changed between now and then.

The Kool-Aid Drinkers who expected Gene to come in, sprinkle some magic BCS title dust around will have to readjust their short-term expectations.

Gene himself looks as though he is finally realizing he is going to earn every one of the zeroes in his paycheck the hard way, using 3 star and 2 star and no star-walkons that would hardly be able to buy a ticket in Austin, let alone start for the Longhorns. Welcome to the Have-Nots. Win here, and you can write your ticket anywhere. I hope you will.

Peterclone

5

My last minute guess?

ISU will finish 5-7, with the wins coming from this bunch:

Kent St., UNI, SUI, Toledo, Mizzou, K State, KU, CU.

I won't be surprised if this team loses to UNI and Toledo, yet beats SUI and Mizzou. It could be that kind of surprising yet maddening year.

All I want is competitive football all 12 weeks. I don't expect to beat UT, OU and Nebraska this year, but don't be down 28 at the half, either.

Go State!

Peterclone

What He Said

Keeler agrees with me on the white helmets.

I've always been a fan of the 49er look.

Peterclone

Neck Up, Neck Down

Us fans get to pick next season's helmet. Yippee.

I love, love, love the pant and shirt combos. Top shelf.

But the helmet choices, all white, none with the current Cy logo, do nothing for me.

They really want to go back to a Walden-era "Cyclones" script? Ugh.

I think the current red helmet and logo would seal the deal, but that must be off the table. I've joked for 10 years that "I'll miss the current Cy logo after Dan gets fired". I had no idea how prophetic I was.

Gun to my head? I'll take the "I State" thing.

Is "None of the above" an option?

Peterclone

Rerun

When you get a summertime thread about Big 1011 expansion like this, inevitably some fan from a B1011 school chimes in about the "high academic standards" of the B1011, insisting that nobody in the B12 could fit in save Texas.

Please direct your attention to this post of mine where I actually looked up the ACT scores of the student body from each school in both leagues. ( I wish it was easier to read- so it goes.)

Like 5 Star football players, a student body rich with kids scoring above 700 on their SATs can be considered a deeper academic environment than a student body where 500 was the common score. The final numbers are the most telling for me. ISU does well in the B12, holding even with UT. (The schools that only reported ACT scores were converted in a way that I think inflated their result)

But look at some of the 700 SAT numbers in the vaunted B1011: Indiana with 4/7%, Purdue 5/10, MSU 7/10, PSU 8/16, OSU 9/14. SUI, that citadel of higher education here on the prairie, the school that Ames Community College wishes it was, only earns a 16/16- a statistical tie with ISU.

Looking at the numbers, outside of Michigan, Northwestern and Illinois, the 1011 is hardly a pinnacle of higher learning. The Ivy League with Sports it isn't.

Shove that back in the pie hole of the next 1011 fan (SUI, probably, always first to ride the coattails of someone else's glory) and see what kind of reaction you get.

I know, I should stop trying to bring facts into the discussion, as they get in the way of the emotion.

Peterclone

Diminished Expectations

The most revealing tidbit from Cyclone Fanatic's recap of Meet The Coaches Night was all the way at the bottom.

Notice a difference in the bids for road trips with the basketball teams?

Now, a flight to Austin in February is just a touch more enticing than a bus trip to Lincoln, but $1900 difference? Wow.

The women drew a bigger bid for the Iowa game, too. There was a time the guest would have received $1200 to sit next to the team when Stringer and Co. rolled in to deliver a 50 point smacking to ISU. (I'm due some back pay in that regard.) 5000 SUI fans polluting Hilton uncontested is not a sight I hope to see again. Greg has some work to do to get on the top side of that auction.

What's this talk about Marty Tirrell? Is he back on the radio? Does he phone it in from Boston?

Peterclone

From Best To Worst

Once in a great while I feel sorry for Iowa fan. Today is one of those days.


As frustrating as it is to live with the bad TV deal the B12 signed, it now has to be worse to live in the new B1011 universe. Every SUI game will be televised, but as few as one will be over the air, with most fans locked out of as many as nine games if they don't have access to the brand-spankin'-new Big 10(11) Network. For a crowd that has grown large from years of easy TV access to their team, this will be a tough withdrawal.

The B1011N is an interesting concept, and the B1011 is one of the few leagues with enough eyeballs to attempt it, but its "Basic Package Or Bust" approach isn't going to work out in their favor. Ask the NFL Network about making a living with token household penetration.

Given the TV options, I would rather not have my team on TV at all than know that they ARE on, but having no easy way of seeing it.

I'm going to miss seeing Kirk write on his Toastmasters Cue Card "Paid too much for that kid" 14 times a game.

Peterclone

This Makes Me Nervous

Ron "Never Missed A Chance For A Cheap Shot At ISU" Maly thinks Gene and crew will finish 5-7. He even thinks they will only lose to SUI by 7.

He must be double-dosing his meds.

At least he freely admits his talents from this time a year ago- he predicted ISU finishing 8-4 and SUI going 12-0.

Yes. 12-0. He was serious, too.

Most predictors would run from a result like that. That's standup.

But Ron had every reason to throw out a 2-10 record, and a 35 point drubbing to his beloved Black and Gold.

If he was 4 games off of ISU's finish in '06, that means ISU is going to finish- 1-11?

Ouch.

Here's hoping he's off the other way this year.

Peterclone

Good News From Media Day

Courtesy Andrew Logue:

*It was the sort of subtle change that can set a tone.

When the Iowa State football players showed up for media day, there were no names on their backs.
The only words on the front were, Iowa State.

-- Amen to that. I'm old school when it comes to names on jerseys- team only, no individual.

*There was lots of talk about running the football.

Running backs coach Jay Boulware said he wants somebody to carry the football 25-30 times. But with a revamped offensive line, I wonder if the backs will be asked to fill the role of receiver.
I envision a lot of three-step drops and quick-hit passes.

-- Probably a safe guess on Andrew's part. You have a smart athletic QB, decent receivers, and big questions on the OL. In the short term, it is wise to play to your strengths, however few you might have. It will be interesting to watch the offensive scheme evolve (or be "intelligently designed" if you prefer) as the season, and Gene's tenure, goes on.

An old coach told me that it is a fine line between "taking what the defense gives you" and "playing your game". You have to do a bit of both, really. We've all witnessed ISU teams that insisted on the latter while ignoring the former, which cost the team wins and coaches their jobs. No repeats, please.

Peterclone

Brewster: Didn't want ya

Or so Keeler says.

Then again, Brewster may not have been the personality to follow fired up Dan.

According to Keeler, Brewster makes Dan looklike Steven Wright.

That would have been a bit much.

Peterclone

Nice Catch

Clone Cronicles: "It was near 90 yesterday in Ames, and Gene's wearing a sweatshirt with cutoff sleeves. WTF?"

Is Gene going to be one of those coaches who wears a short sleeve shirt when it's snowing not because he thinks he's tough, but because he doesn't notice it's cold?

That's focus.

BTW- nice redesign, CC. CSJ staff is jealous.

Peterclone

A Logic Free Link

Interesting: A Non-ISU fan who thinks ISU to the 1011 is a good idea.

Too bad his thought process ignores the only reason a league expands: to get more TV money.

It's that simple, people.

Peterclone

How Did I Miss This?

Mizzou has an offer to join the 1011?

Again, I don't get it. While Mizzou is higher profile than ISU, they don't have the eyeballs that Syracuse or Rutgers would bring to the next TV contract, which is all that matters: TV money.

A Mizzou departure would really shake things up, and open a spot for a TCU or Colorado State to jump in.

But this is all summer talk- great over beer under a shade tree, but not worth a lick once football starts.

Peterclone

My thoughts exactly

An appropriate evaluation of the '06 Buzzards.

I agree with everything but this: "they scraped by an awful Iowa State team that finally got Dan McCarney fired". Does the author think Dan should have been fired earlier than he was? Haven't looked closely and the handicaps ISU football has, have you?

The Cyclones play from the white tees, and it's not because they are long hitters, friend.

Peterclone

Stop It Already!

What is it about summer that brings up this topic every dang year?this topic every dang year?

Unless ISU can suddenly:

A. Move 1000 miles East, AND
B. Aquire a couple of million people curious about their sports teams in the Boston-to-DC Corridor, AND
C. Attract the daily of The World Wide Leader In Sports

ISU isn't moving to the Big TenEleven to make it the Big TenTwelve. No way, no how. Forget it.

SUI gets booted to the B12 to replace CU before the opposite happens.

Don't Worry SUI Fans

Athletics are still in charge in Iowa City.

Peterclone

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

LE, old players, and Barry Stevens

The Stevens fundraiser was a nice event. It was well produced, a nice crowd showed up on a geourgous afternoon when a million other activities cried out for your time, and the basketball was on a higher level than I expected.

Guys looked like they gave a damn about how they played, and were working hard to get the assist and not let somebody else show them up.

It was good to see LE again, and he looked at peace with himself, comfortable in his skin in every way that he wasn't when he was coaching here. He was greeted as the Prodigal Son, and when Greg gets hired away after a fantastic run here, (yes, I've drunk the Kool Aid.) I would be all for hiring LE back, sober, tan, rested and ready.

While there are no second acts in America, there are second halves in sports.

Peterclone

We're 11th!

At least according to the preseason writers. The drop off in votes from Cu to ISU isn't as steep as it is from Tech to Baylor. Thus, I declare ISU 11th.

Glass Half Full.

Peterclone

Topic for the next BBQ

Following the thread this writer takes on TCU/Baylor:

Would ISU fans be happier winning in a lesser football conference- WAC, MWC, CUSA, etc- than getting its brains beaten out year over year, with the occasional (failed) shot at the title?

Discuss.

Peterclone

Big Red Network Thinks We'll Stink

I know, that could be the headline from any Nebraska-centric preview the last 75 years, but they are thinking another oh-for in the B12, and they equate ISU with Ball State. Ouch.

Read enough previews and somewhere you will find the consensus. I think this one is overly pessimistic.

ISU will get 1 conference win. ;-)

Peterclone

Fun to get you through the summer

This makes me wish I had an old GameDay on the Tivo. It's worth having friends over on a road game weekend.

Peterclone

#138

Well, nowhere to go from there but up.

Peterclone

Average

We're not the only ones who think KF was living the good life for a few
years: SI
has noticed that his job has gotten harder over the last few
years.

KF rose while ND, IL and OSU were slumping. Now all are beating SUI for recruits.

Money quote:

"And Iowa? Ferentz's top signee from the state (Illinois) was a kicker, Ryan Donahue. Iowa State had more top commitments from Illinois than the Hawkeyes did. Ouch."

Schadenfreude.

Peterclone

Roadie?

As much as I hate Vegas, a game against Purdue might be enough to get me there.

Peterclone

Opportunity

I am always amazed at the parade of "student" athletes who find some stupid way of losing what may be the most valuable opportunity of their lives.

Today's "student" athlete is Mike Taylor. Leading scorer Mike Taylor. Could make a little (but probably not alot) of money playing basketball. Now he's "former Cyclone" Mike Taylor.

I did lots of dumb things in college. I also maanged to never be cited, let alone arrested. I can't fathom the series of stupid things you have to do to be arrested three times in a single school year.

Idiot.

On the up side, there are now 38 minutes a night that somebody is going to get to fill. If Greg recruited with the promise "You'll play right away", he wasn't kidding.

Peterclone

It must be working

JP is holding firm to his "you gotta buy season" pledge. A bunch of Politicos chose to buy singles through SUI than pony up for season tickets through Jamie. Good for both.

I'm impressed JP is sticking to his guns. The fact that a record number of tickets have been sold helps once intestinal fortitude.

I'm glad the politicos chose to buy singles. Selling them season tickets would have meant cash up front, but a bunch of empty seats the rest of the season. Sell to folks who want to come every week, not just the Big Game Fan. Plus they will have a lousy view in one of the corners, and will have to sit next to some drunken sod screaming expletives every time SUI fails on third-and-whatever. SUI fans have become a bitter bunch now that they are merely average.

Good job Jamie.

Peterclone

Scheduling Similarity

Mizzou has undertaken the same scheduling philosophy so familiar to ISU fans: One BCS opponent (in our case, SUI every year), one I-AA team, and home-home with non-BCS DI teams.

JP is quoted extensively in the article, but there is one line that jumps out at me: "and home-and-home games against two I-A teams that Pollard considers comparable to Iowa State’s talent level."


If JP really said that, I admire his candor. I think ISU has been picking noncon opponents that they should beat two out of three, and for the last few years has shown the right level of difficulty for the program.

If the writer inserted that description, then we know what writers in Columbia think of ISU football. Not that it is off the mark, but I always like confirmation of my suspicions. Feww illusions of grandure here.

This also raises a larger point. I personally am a fan of what Bobby Bowden did at FSU 30 years ago: as an independant, FSU took an "any place, any time" philosphy to scheduling and played some impressive road games: Pitt, LSU, Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Auburn, plus home-home with both Florida and Miami each year. Either you buuild a heck of a program or die trying.

I realize the economics discourage that kind of scheduling now, even with a bidding war on for decent Mid-Major football opponents. But a guy's gotta dream.

Peterclone

Jason, please move

If you insist on doing dumb things, can you at least do them outside the 515?

Peterclone

Future Growth

JP bring an interesting perspective to the B12. He witnessed growth in revenue in the B1011 via TV, and belives the same can happen if the B12 goes to full revenue sharing. It works in the NFL, and explains the difference between the Yankees and Royals in MLB.

Every ISU fan should support it, socialistic tendancies aside.

The OWH covered it very nicely in May. I'm surprised the Rag didn't mention it. I know they have a subscription.

Peterclone

I've got Beaver Fever!

I've been waiting for years to write that. It's stolen from a popular T-shirt worn by supporters of Durant (IA) High School Athletics. It fits here, too.

ISU has scheduled a home-home with Oregon State as part of a Big 12/Pac 10 series, snappy nickname to follow. Too bad it will be on Fox Sports and not The Sports Mothership, aka ESPN.

A quality NonCon opponent is a happy addition, regardless of how we came about it.

I assume it has been reported elsewhere, but in the summer I get my hoops knews sporadically, and assume other do, too.

Peterclone

Uni thoughts

Here's someone who actually ranked the uniforms of the entire league. I have to agree with him on most counts, especially nods to the less-is-more-and-hasn't-changed-since-Kennedy looks of OU, a$m and UT.

He gives ISU a pass since things are changing, but he was neutral to the Chief's look.

My only quibble is that I often hate what Baylor, CU, Mizzou and ISU have worn recently. If your school colors are something and white, white pants are approriate. If you have two colors as your colors, wear both, dang it! And no substituting black as a school color when it isn't (an affliction that has struck about half of the NCAA basketball programs).

CU and BU are the worst offenders with white/white with gold helmets. Blah. I don't know that BU should be spending its cash on green helmets for the road, but if it wins games for them (like the last time they were in Ames), what the heck.

So It Begins

It's summer, and everyone is prognosticating.

This fellow sees ISU finishing 5-7, which is a couple of wins more than I'm envisioning this year. Perhaps I am too dour.

Peterclone

Another step

So the Big Game will be on something called Versus.

Frankly, I'm surprised it took this long for The Game to be so hard to watch for Joe Fan. I fully believe that college sports on free TV will be a memory in another decade, save for the biggest events that draw in the Casual Fan.

Us hardcores? Open the wallet.

Anyone who thinks Big Time Football still has some kind of DIII charm and honor should be slapped.

Peterclone

Good News

Sweet, sweet, sweet Throwback Uni's for the IA-ISU game. I hope some Earle Bruce Karma comes with them.
I assume SUI won't be wearing yellow helmets with black script "Iowa" on them for fear of inviting some Bob Commings juju to invade their season. Smart.

Peterclone

Appearances

I can argue the rising Chaplain issue both ways.

First off, CrossCyed has a nice summation of the issue, and an interesting interview witht he Chaplain at Georgia. Like him, if the Chaplain-To-Be-Named-Later takes a similar role, I'm cool with it.

I also understand that Gene comes from The South, where God and Family and Sports are all kind of swirled together, much more so than up here. That's what Gene is used to, and he probably finds the unswirled environment of Ames as foreign as I might find the swirled world of Central Texas. Fine.

I imagine that many of the homes Gene is recruiting in would be comforted knowing there is a Chaplain on staff, even in unswirled Iowa. Familiarity breeds comfort, which may bring linebackers who can run like the wind. Super.

The problem comes in the appearances to Joe Civilian. You and I understand that the Chaplain, like the Head Coach, are not paid with tax or tuition dollars. The track coach might be, but that's a discussion for another day. Joe Civilian can't separate the Private and Public monies when it comes to college athletics, and just as Joe hates seeing a coach make seven figures while he takes a second job to pay for his kid's tuition, he also won't understand why a "Religious Ambassador" is on the football team's dime. Not to mention the question about the swim team's Chaplain, or lack thereof, that will eventually be brought into the discussion. Just imagine the stink when someone points out that the football Chaplain makes x times what a prison Chaplain makes. I can see the reference in The Paper Younkers Depends On now- "The State's Highest Paid Clergy"- ugh.

Hopefully Gene understands that this is one part of his program that will have to be sold to unswirled Iowans, especially if wins come slower than people expect.

Peterclone

Gold Pants Are Back!

TEXTIt's true! (No picture, though)

A step back towards the glory days of ISU football fashion (and winning, BTW).

Perhaps my post had an impact. Please review at your leisure.

Peterclone

1/3

Without even looking at his resume, I give the new guy in Iowa City a 1/3 chance of being there for more than 6 years like his predecessor. My reasons:

1. Barry Collier had a spiffy resume when he went to Lincoln, but found life in a Major Conference different from life in a Mid-Major Conference. He was canned.
2. Ditto Dan Monson
3. Even if the new guy gets an NCAA bid or two, the fan base has clearly spoken that first round-exits are NOT acceptable.
4. So if he manages a Sweet 16 or two, some Big Money Basketball School will swing in and offer to double the guys salary, and he will go.

The only way he makes it to season seven is if he follows the Alford plan- do just well enough to not get fired, but not well enough that a really good gig cherry picks you away. All that got Alford (thanks to B. Knight) was his own personal Basketball Elba. Time will tell if the new guy has to escape to his.

Before you crank up your keyboard, #1 & #4 of the above are probably applicable to Greg McD, too.

Good luck, Coach. I hope you are walking in with your eyes wide open. It can be a tough room.

Peterclone

Not an AFD joke

LE throws bouquets at Iowans via Sean Keeler.

I'm glad he has his life back together.

Peterclone

What Are The Odds?

Who would have thought a Roy Williams coached team loaded with McD AAs would choke off an important game in the NCAA Tourney?

It's almost like we've seen that movie before.

On the plus side, it means one Basketball School will be in the Final Four. Go Hoyas!

Peterclone

"End Of An Error"

Courtesy Ron Maly:

The proper headline for SA's departure: "End Of An Error".

Perfect.

Peterclone

The Latest Gaffe By The Gannett News Outlet

The CR Gazette sent a writer to SA's introduction presser at UNM.

The Register didn't.

Ouch.

It's no surprise that the paper that can't consistently find it's way to my doorstep wouldn't cover a story once it crossed the border. Besides, there were no incriminating photos involved.

Peterclone

An oldie but a goodie

Maybe now Rick Majerus can use that house he bought in Iowa City back in '99.

Thank you, thank you. Tip your waitress.

Peterclone

SA #3

The staff here at CSJ want to thank SA for all the fun years.

You pumped up Hawkeyedom with unrealistic expectations ("The Final Four in the next five years" was a common refrain back in '99), which only lead to a steady deflation of the community.

The big November wins followed by February collapses were entertaining.

The excellent bracketing of thrilling runs in the 1011 Tourney with exasperating losses to teams you shouldn't lose to (3 in a row to Northwestern?) was genius.

The knack for coaching your team to upset buzzer-beating losses (at Evanston, at St. Louis, and #14 seed NW State come to mind) may be our fondest on-court memories of your tenure. Those losses showed prime coaching suckitude.

I could even stomach your success against ISU, knowing that a) SUI fans don't care about beating ISU (allegedly) and b) it just helped solidify the "Peaking in November" rap.

But most of all we will miss your arrogant Primadonnaism, to coin a word. It was both laughable and pitiful at the same time.

Good luck. The other 8 schools in the MWC don't know what an entertaining ride they are in for.

Peterclone

SA #2

I'm not sure there has been a basketball hire that has excited the fans of the departing school this much. EDIT: OK, Kentucky is happy to be rid of Tubby Smith, but Tubby won a title, which should have earned him better treatment. So it goes.

Shouldn't that be a red flag to UNM? Did the AD talk to anyone other than Bob Knight?

Now SA has three years to make the NCAA's instead of one. He must have known he couldn't do it in '08 in IC. Well played Mr. Barta.

Peterclone

SA gone, Pt. 1

Keeler sums things up nicely Friday, but his "Vanilla Ice of the Big 10" line from Thursday will be a keeper.

Peterclone

Short Leash

I hope GM has a short leash on knuckleheads like this.

Peterclone

McIntosh to Transfer

I hope you find a basketball situatioin you are more confortable with, as you never seemed to lock in with what Greg wanted.

So, who's nex for the point?

Peterclone

Epic Hlas

Mike Hlas sums up the "firekirkferentz.com" issue better than I ever could.

Sign #724 that SUI athletics has more cash than they know what to do with.

Peterclone

TV woes

During ISU's loss to Georgia, it struck me how solid the TV announce crews for ISU's women's basketball games have been, whether ESPN or Fox or a local crew. Knowledgeable, descriptive, intelligent- and so much better than the men's crews.

A sure sign of what expectations are for the McDermott's crew next season will be who gets assigned to the TV package. If Dave Armstrong makes an upteenth appearance as the season play-by-play man, another poor finish is expected. Dave is a nice guy, but his coverage is a parody of itself, straight off of Saturday Night Live, if the SNL writers had neither talent or shame.

Perhaps the best result of improved hoops play on the men's side will be a TV product that doesn't make you want to watch in silence.

Peterclone

Antidote

There has always been one style of play that gives BF's system fits, and we saw it again today in Georgia. Roll out fast and strong players who know how to turn a game into a street fight, and BF's jump-shooters never find a rhythm. Baylor and Oklahoma do it, and Texas and K-State and Kansas did it when they had talent. If the refs are in a "Let Them Play" mood, it is a long day for ISU. The Cyclones are a finesse program, beautiful to watch when it is rolling, but horrid when they get pushed around.

Part of the problem was that ISU caught Georgia on the wrong day. Anyone who has played basketball has been on both sides of it- the day you can't miss and the day the other guy can't miss. ISU could have tried a 7-5 scheme and still lost by 10. It was one of those days. Add the bad matchup that Georgia's style of play is to ISU, and their goose was cooked.

Looking back over BF's remarkable tenure the weak spot hasn't changed, and until the program learns how to manage a team that wants to wrestle and run, they will always be 4th best in the league, and fall short of the big prizes. Too bad.

Peterclone

Exhibit A

For anyone who doesn't understand why BF's system is successful, watch a tape of ISU's first round win over Washington.

UW could score, and did early. But once ISU found its offense, UW was on its heels. As ISU cranked up the defensive pressure, forcing UW to take the shots it didn't want, the positive feedback loop built. ISU dropped two big runs on the Huskies to build a 13 point halftime lead, and UW never recovered.

Scary stats: ISU is 20-2 when leading at halftime, 19-1 when they outrebound their opponent, 24-3 when scoring 60 points or better and 18-0 when scoring 70 points or better. Wow.

Bring on Georgia.

Peterclone

Graphs That Explain Why You Stink

CrossCyed has linked to some excellent graphs from MGoBlog that really lay out why ISU football struggled all year.

The one point that jumps at me was ISU relative success defensively on 3rd and more than 9. I suspect that opposing OCs knew that their odds of success were high at 3rd and less than 5, so when they found themselves with long 3rds, they ran something safe and took their chances on the next drive.

Sometimes its just about playing the odds. It will be interesting to check those graphs on a week-to-week basis next fall.

Peterclone

Hoiberg's Heart

Watch IPTV's entire interview with Fred Hoiberg about his heart condition and the recovery.

I had no idea how close Fred came to playing in the NBA again. In the end, he didn't want to be a test case.

Peterclone

Random Thoughts

A collection of things:

It looked to me that the ISU women just ran out of gas. OU saw a crack, rushed through to take the lead, and that was that. Great teams do that. The great BF teams of the early '00s could do that too. A nice fat NCAA seed will be the reward for the run in OKC.

A hat tip to KU for winning the tourney title, too. Now get past the opening weekend in the NCAAs, please? I get tired of taking flak from my B1011 friends.

Didn't make the NCAA's? Don't lose noncon games to what turn into last place teams i.e. Drake and Arizona State.

I have a soft spot for basketball schools, that is schools that don't play Big Time Football. May Villanova, Gonzaga, Marquette, Geo Wash., Georgetown, Xavier, Creighton and Duke all play above their seed.

I look forward to again putting Kansas in the above joke.

I feel a cold coming on around Thursday, 10 AM CDT.

Peterclone

Torn

This has been a hard couple of weeks in one respect. I haven't known whether to cheer for against SUI.

I want Steve Alford to hang around as long as possible. But with a new AD, he needs to win some games, and while his conference record was solid, there were some clunkers down the stretch that will keep his team out of the NCAAs.

The Big 1011 Tournament loss to Purdue didn't help. So while I like a 20 SUI point loss as much as anyone, it is bittersweet, knowing that it may be bringing the Alford era to a close.

Too bad. Barta will probably have the luck of hiring not just a coach who could win, but a nice guy, too. Where's the fun in that?

Peterclone

Enigma

Big 12 coaches must shake their head when they see ISU in their half of the bracket for the women's tournament. Aside from the #1 seed, ISU must be the pairing you don't want, especially as you advance down the bracket.

BF's defensive schemes are not just a zone, but a constantly evolving puzzle of matchup, boxes, traps, and doubledowns that seem to change with every trip down the floor. With a few days to prepare, your team can solve the puzzle enough to win. But in a tournament setting, where you often have less than 24 hours to prep, you are in a tough spot.

Which is why I think OU will win Saturday. They probably had an assistant pull an all-nighter Thursday night, breaking down ISU's tapes the last 6 games or so. Add to a game plan that led to a 20 point win in Norman, and OU is definitely the favorite. Mix in the fact that the only other time a #5 made it to the championship game, they lost. Not a good mix.

But if ISU breaks off another 10 3's and contains Paris and crew, I won't be surprised. It would just be another chapter in the BF tournament legend.

Peterclone

Needs

Between now and November, the Iowa State basketball team needs the following:

-More players who can create their own shot
-More players who are not afraid to take a good shot
-More time learning the offense
-A 50% increase in each players upper body strength
-A true offensive threat in the post to compliment the retrofit that Juri is
-That uncoachable, unbuyable feeling that you can win any game, anywhere, anytime

The one thing ISU already has a full stock of:

-Heart. Guts. Gumption. Whatever you wish to call it.

Plenty of teams would have packed it in at halftime and started thinking about how to fill that soon to be empty four hour chunk of your day that basketball represents. I recall a few Orr teams that did just that in KC. Get down by 10: Where am I going on Spring Break again?

If Greg has instilled anything into this program, the most incomplete team in the league this year, is that despite all of your limitations, hustle and smarts can keep you in games and even win a few along the way. That is a powerful lesson to have learned with the core of your team intact and more talent coming in for next year. Six wins will be a disappointment next year.

Peterclone

Tourney Team

ISU's come-from-behind-win overtime win against Nebraska should come as no surprise:

ISU split their series with Nebraska, and the loss came without Medders;
In ten seasons of the B12 Tournament, the #5 is even in games vs. the #4;
ISU has the most Tournament wins of all conference schools, at 17 (including the NU win). All have come under BF.
Medders is unfairly clutch in tight games. She should be illegal.

Rational observers assumed the game was over when Medders fumbled the inbounds pass with less than :30 on the clock, down one. Nope. One good look and we go to OT. She scores 7 of ISU's 9 and the Huskers climb on the bus for Lincoln, one and done, losers of 5 of 6. Thanks for coming. Spring football starts in a couple of weeks.

Now, a shot at #1 seed a$m. Since we are studying the past, the #1 has won 7 of the past 10 titles, and the #5 is 1-4 vs. the #1. But when you know how to win in tourneys, what the heck?

Peterclone

Leftovers

Work has kept me away from the keyboard, so let's sample some leftovers:

The first wrestling title in forever. Not bad for a rookie coach.

Chuck is right again. The loss to Tech was the season in 40 minutes. The tourney matchup against OU makes me nervous.

WBB dumps KSU again, faces the Huskers today, continues to solidify an NCAA bid.

Peterclone

Big Finish #2

The ISU women got BF's first win in Lubbock Thursday. ISU made plays down the stretch, and Tech didn't.

ISU now has a 5 game winning streak going into their game against KSU in OKC. I'm curious how the tiebreakers worked out, since ISU tied Nebraska for fourth. (Edit: Probably division record. NU had 8 wins vs. the North, ISU 7) If ISU can beat KSU, they get to play Nebraska again, then most likely face a$m.

A challenging run, but ISU has had challenging runs in the tourney before.

Peterclone

Big Finish #1

The ISU men did a nice job holding off three Nebraska runs in the second half in Lincoln.

While it is maddening watching Maric score 30+ in the lane, there is a method to the madness. If Maric is taking 30 shots in the lane, that's 30 potential threes everyone else isn't taking. As long as Maric doesn't make more than 20 the math works for you. The rest of the Nebraska team didn't keep up their end of the bargain going 4-15 from outside, which allowed ISU to hold on.

Given that NU is a likely matchup in OKC, having two wins, using different techniques, is a nice mental advantage.

Peterclone

The More Things Change....

It's good to see that after all these years, the hockey team still kicks it.

I wonder if the coach's daughter is still cute. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda.....

Peterclone

Gut Check

I wandered in and out of the WBB game at KSU today, and every time I checked in ISU was trying its best to stay behind.

What they did in the last 4 minutes really separates them from most teams.

Megan's 3 to take the lead, following what seemed like 5 misses, showed real guts. That's fun when it happens to the good guys.

Win in Lubbock and get some help, and ISU gets fourth. Cool.

Peterclone

Glass Half Full

At least ISU fan didn't have NCAA hopes dashed by a smackdown on the road today.

That's all I've got.

Peterclone

So Long, Barry

Barry Stevens dies at age 43.

Peterclone

D In The Clutch

The big stat from Wednesday's come-from-behind-win over CU:

CU went 1-10 at the end of the first half, and 1-11 at the end of the second.

That will make up for missing the front of a 1-1 with 8 seconds left.

Peterclone

Big Win. Huge.

Dumping the Huskers will help the RPI. One more win and the fifth seed is secured.

An estimated RPI of #33 means they are in the NCAAs. They can only help their seed from here.

Peterclone

What He Said

As usual, Chuck is dead on.

Bring on the Buffs.

Peterclone

Controlling Destiny

The ISU women can determine if they get the #5 seed in the B12 tourney.

At 7-6, ISU hosts 9-4 Nebraska, then visits 4-8 KSU and 6-7 Tech. Win two, especially at Tech, and the #5 seed is probably assured.

Given ISU's history at the tourney, bypassing the first day would be huge.

Peterclone

Good Start, Bad Finish

That run to start the second half did them in.

Getting crushed on the boards, while shooting 2-15 from 3 didn't help, either.

Next up: a Colorado team that has lost all six conference road games by an average of 20 points. No excuse for losing that one, folks.

Peterclone

First Four Minutes

This is a game ISU can win, even on the road.

But this team often eliminates itself at the start of each half, and looks up at the first TV timeout to find themselves down 6 or 10 or some other insurmountable amount.

The games that ISU has or come close to winning, they start well, or at least don't start badly.

The first TO has become an important bellwether.

Peterclone

Buying In

Basketball is funny sport. It matters less what system the coach is selling, but more that the players buy into whatever system it is.

Last season, ISU could be devastating when the whole team played what Morgan was preaching for 40 minutes. The problem was that Stinson and Co. would only play Morgan Ball for a half, or 10 minutes, or not at all. The lost several games they should have won because of it.

Tonight's win against Oklahoma is Exhibit A of ISU buying in for 40 minutes. Not the second half, like their last game in Austin, or the complete no-shows against Mizzou and K-State at home. Granted, watching an 18 point lead be whittled to 4 was death by paper cuts, but OU has way more talent than ISU, and should have played with that intensity the whole game. Maybe the snow and cold freaked them out. Good for them.

Sometimes you have to hope your good night comes on a bad night for the opponent. Tonight was one of those nights.

Buy In Saturday in Manhattan, and perhaps ISU will be rewarded again.

Peterclone

Oh My

Cael's Boys are now the favorite for the B12 title after slapping around Mizzou.

They seem to be peaking at the right time, and are certainly a different bunch than the group that wrestled scared in Iowa City in December.

Too bad I'm committed the weekends of the B12 and NCAA tourneys. I'll keep the internet close by.

Peterclone

Big Step Back

Mama said there'd be nights like that. Oy.

Help, hopefully, is on the way.

Peterclone

What He Said

I should have read this before I posted earlier. That will teach me.

Chuck on ISU's win over Baylor:

"Wouldn’t you know it? You write something about Iowa State being such an offensively challenged team and then the Cyclones go out and play one of their sharpest games of the season."

Returning home to play a team as challenged as you sure helps. We get another such team on Wednesday.

Peterclone

Catching Up

A couple of good blog posts at the Register site last week that I didn't post when they were timely, but they are still relevant:

Chuck Schoffner dug out of the stats: In league games, ISU lets the other guys shoot over 40%, they themselves shoot under 40%, and they don't rebound as well as they can. Thus, they often lose.

Randy Peterson then pointed out that in the a$m game, ISU had more TO's than made baskets. Ouch.


Both posts explain some of ISU's issues, and illustrate what ISU did well against Baylor.

Peterclone

Back On Track

Did anyone else notice a slight difference between a$m and Baylor? I assume I wasn't the only one.

It's amazing what an inside game does for a team.

If Rashon continues turning in defensive performances like that, I don't care if scores again the rest of the season. Shutting down the other team's best shooter is more important.

Bring on Mizzou.

Peterclone