We are now moving into year three of the Paul Rhoads tenure at Iowa State - into a time of uncertainty, hope, fear, and a little indigestion. 

The new Big 12 schedule, as discussed just a few days ago, makes the road a little bit more difficult for the Cyclones. With Iowa as a yearly opponent, Iowa State will play 10 games against BCS level competition yearly. But we'll hold off on what that means for the future. What about 2011? 

As of now, there's one expectation - there's going to be a new scoreboard above the Jacobsen Building. After that, it's a bit more tenuous. Iowa State is going to be difficult to predict. This is a team with a brand new quarterback (maybe). A team losing it's leading receiver, starting safeties, and depth across the board. It doesn't take a bold person to project this team to finish between 8th and 10th in the Big 12.

What are your realistic expectations for Iowa State in 2011? Catch my preliminary ruminations after the jump.

• Steele Jantz wins the starting job, but splits time with Jerome Tiller.
• Jarvis West makes an impact on the WR corps, and reminds people all too often of JJ Moses.
• Jevohn Miller = Jake Knott 2.0.
• The secondary is solid at corner, but shaky at safety.
• The Iowa State defensive line performs better than expected thanks to contributions at defensive tackle, but defensive end remains a soft spot.