At Big 12 media days in July, Gene Chizik used one word over and over to describe his players and his team: solid.

Perhaps he was looking at a different roster or is just overly optimistic, but Chizik’s rebuilding process in Ames is far from complete. Things can’t get much worse than last season’s 3-9 display, but they can stay at the same pitiful level.

There’s young talent to work with and reason for hope from the Cyclone faithful. However, with youth comes youthful mistakes and right now Iowa State is not on the same level as their Big 12 North counterparts.

OFFENSE

Last year Iowa State tied with Air Force, Maryland and Navy for the fewest touchdown passes in the NCAA. Bret Meyer threw nine touchdowns and now he’s gone, which means Chizik doesn’t have a single player on his roster that has thrown a D-I touchdown.

Recently sophomore Austen Arnaud was named the starter under center. Arnaud saw a little action in ’07, completing 20-of-37 passes for 267 yards. Chizik may decide to platoon Arnaud with sophomore Phillip Bates, a converted wide receiver.

Bates is too athletic to leave on the bench and a two-quarterback system could help alleviate pressure from each player.

Wide receivers R.J. Sumrall and Marquis Hamilton each bring some experience back to the position, but the Cyclones will live or die with the running game.

Chizik has a stable of able backs, led by sophomore Alexander Robinson. Robinson emerged late in the year, rushing for 391 yards and six touchdowns in the final four games. Iowa State won two of those contests. Also in the backfield are seniors Jason Scales and J.J. Bass.

“I don’t think that one running back that I will talk about means any more to our football team than another,” Chizik said. “We’ve got to take a collection of running backs that we feel good about.”

Scales is a punishing runner while Bass is lightning quick, at least when he’s not in Chizik’s doghouse. Bass was suspended in the spring for failing to meet team requirements and only recently earned his way back onto the roster.

DEFENSE

The strength of the Cyclone defense is in their secondary, where they return all four starters.

Cornerback Chris Singleton and free safety James Smith lead the unit and Singleton led the team last year with four interceptions.

Iowa State lost a lot of production with the graduation of linebacker Alvin Bowen, but the strength of the secondary and the emergence of defensive end Kurtis Taylor should make up for it. Taylor notched a team-leading 6.5 sacks last year and is a brutally physical pass rusher.

Junior Rashawn Parker is a solid starter at the other defensive end position. Chizik’s problem is that he has no experience up the middle. That’s bad news for a team that relied on stopping the run to keep it in games.

Sophomore Bailey Johnson and junior Nat Frere seem to have a leg up in the defensive tackle battle, but the position will likely remain fluid with several players throughout the year.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Iowa State starts the season with very winnable games at home against South Dakota State and Kent State, but last year it had a similar situation and dropped its first two games to Kent State and Northern Iowa. While they should start 2-0, it’s not hard to imagine the Cyclones dropping one of those contests.

If so, Chizik may not get a legit shot to improve on his team’s three-win campaign. The Big 12 is arguably the best conference in the country and Iowa State is arguably its worst team.

The only conference games the Cyclones could be favored in are both on the road (at Baylor, at Kansas State), as is their intrastate match with the Hawkeyes. Chizik said despite the struggles he can see a positive future for his squad.

“We feel like the foundation has been laid for what we’re trying to do down the road,” Chizik said. “But in a certain degree, that’s a lot of window dressing, a lot of feel-good stuff. Because at the end of the day, you have to look back and say you had a 3-9 season.”

As a member of the coaching staff at Texas, Chizik became accustomed to winning games. Now as the man in Ames, he’s got to learn humility and how to cope with losing. Either that, or he can keep pretending his team is solid until they actually start playing like it.

PREDICTION

4-8, chilling in Iowa for the winter.

— - Edited by Adam Mowder