up for the challenge said:
PBP - you tell me how ISU program will become a .500 or better team year in year out starting in 2018? If you do not believe in At Need players that is ok. Kramer did not believe that was the answer too and we all saw the W/l results over the years with mostly high school players and walkons getting most of the scholarships. Coach Phen was hired to win games, right? He will recruit and sign the players he wants to win games in 2018. If he cannot win at this level he will eventually be replaced too. It is a business.
Well for what it's worth, as of now Up, he's signed two JUCO's. Which may or may not say something about the current staffs philosophy in that regard. Two out of nine. And I've already shared what I was told by someone regarding the 'JUCO factor' with this staff again for whatever that may be worth at this point in time. That could change in the spring, we'll see.
I hope ISU can be a better than .500 team in 2018. Is it probable with their schedule? Don't know. What I can say is that like it or not, it is going to take time. Probably three years of building with or without JUCO's.
I understand asking for more patience is hard for a fan base that has gone through the last 40+ years of futility. But to me, just my opinion, that is the only choice.
You may get real lucky and score something big with a bunch of JUCO's (specifically to this discussion) and when they all leave in two years? Can you do it again?? The odds are you can't (not without cheating).
To me the way to go is to build a good solid program based of four year kids and give them the time to learn and develop into good FCS players. Kramer was right, it takes a lot of time. Very few freshman can make that significant an impact on a game or a program.
By the way, for those who don't know, here is ISU's schedule for next year. The road games in particular are going to be difficult to get to and against tough (in most cases) opposition:
Week 1 Sep. 1 Western State
Week 2 Sep. 8
Week 3 Sep. 15 @ CAL
Week 4 Sep. 22 @North Dakota
Week 5 Sep. 29 NAU
Week 6 Oct. 6 Idaho
Week 7 Oct. 13 @UC Davis
Week 8 Oct. 20 @Liberty
Week 9 Oct. 27 Montana State
Week 10 Nov. 3 @Portland State
Week 11 Nov. 10 @Cal Poly
Week 12 Nov. 17 Weber State
The bye week is week #2, then it's 10 straight weeks of games. Bad draw for ISU from that standpoint. I'm sure they'd prefer something closer to the middle of the season.
The back to back games in October from one coast to the other is worth noting...as is the fact that again they draw a stretch of four road games in five weeks along with two money-games.
Injuries will also play a large factor in how the season turns out, it always does. At this level any injury to a key player can derail a year. The BSC isn't Alabama where the 4th string offensive tackle can start for most teams in America.
PBP