Breakups can be tough for anybody, especially when you see your ex move on to someone else and become happier as a result.

However, there eventually comes a point when you finally put the past to rest and move on in a trail of forgiveness onto bigger and better things.

But no one told ISU fans.

Almost four years after the departure of coach Gene Chizik, Cyclone fans can still be found cursing his name because he fled after two seasons with a combined record of 5-19.

But four years after his notorious departure from Iowa State, Chizik has found himself with his seat scorching hot at Auburn, having become the first coach to ever start 1-6 two seasons removed from winning a national title.

Chizik will most likely be bought out and relieved of his duties at Auburn, and Cyclone fans couldn’t be happier about it.

But cheering against Chizik is a little ridiculous, don’t you think?

The Cyclone nation is already enthralled with the passionate Paul Rhoads, who has set numerous milestones in his short three-plus years at the program’s helm.

Rhoads, a native of Ankeny, Iowa, has made a commitment to the ISU football program both through his words and his actions while on the cusp of breaking that ceiling of mediocre 6-6 seasons.

In a couple of years, Iowa State will be a contender under Rhoads, and that’s exactly what he wants.

Metaphorically speaking, Rhoads is the all-American dream girl who just so happens to be totally into you. Chizik, on the other hand, was that fleeting flame who wanted to take things too fast and then left when she realized she made a big mistake.

Chizik spent two seasons at Iowa State before taking a job at Auburn, leaving his team and the ISU community in shock. He was viewed as a coward, a fraud for ditching town in pursuit of a comparably lavish gig in the SEC with a chance to win a championship in half the time it would take to do so at Iowa State.

That championship came two seasons into his tenure at Auburn, but Chizik soon found struggled keeping up with recruiting in the SEC with the likes of Alabama and LSU nipping at his prospects.

Chizik wanted a quick fix, and he got it with quarterback Cam Newton winning him a national title in 2010. But now that he’s likely going to be fired just two seasons after winning said championship, ISU fans are hooting and hollering.

But folks, just because Chizik bailed on your team doesn’t mean you’re justified in taking pride in the fact that he’s about to lose his job, especially since your team has had success without him.

If Iowa State had won four games for each of the past three seasons, then maybe your ill will toward Chizik might make sense.

But in this particular case, it’s best to let bygones be bygones, especially since there’s no guarantee Chizik would have had any success at Iowa State.

Fandom can be irrational, biased and flat-out ignorant. But show some class and don’t let your loyalties prevent you from reveling in what lies ahead.

Chizik wasn’t the right guy for the job, and his actions showed that. Rhoads, from we can tell, is the right guy for the job and is in the process of building Iowa State into a perennial contender.

So be thankful for what you have and quit spitting on Chizik.

Chizik’s apology essentially came in the form of the team’s success under Rhoads, so cursing his name only makes you look bad.

But hey, we can forgive you for still having any mean spirits toward Chizik. Because forgiveness is the first step in healing from a painful breakup.