Despite what many might have believed possible, the ISU football team is 3-0 to start the 2011 season.

Even the ISD Sports Editorial picked Iowa State to start the season 2-1.

But now, with the doubters forced to be silent in response to Iowa State’s best start since 2005, the Cyclones enter a bye week to refuel and retool for No. 19 Texas.

The Cyclones beat the Longhorns for the first time in the program’s history last year, as we’re sure you well know. And the rest of the schedule doesn’t get any easier right away for the Cyclones, as they travel to Waco to face No. 17 Baylor the week following the Texas matchup and No. 8 Texas A&M on Oct. 22.

So with the daunting schedule ahead of them, it’s hard to tell what the 3-0 start means exactly.

The Cyclones are undefeated despite a ratio of 10 turnovers to five takeaways – 113th of 120 FBS teams – and 30 penalties for 256 yards, which ranks 119th of 120.

Iowa State also has won all three games by a combined eight points, which is only one of three times an ISU team has done so (1960, 1978).

The last three times an ISU team has started 3-0 — all under former coach Dan McCarney — the Cyclones have reached a bowl game.

In the most recent season that Iowa State started 3-0, 2005, the Cyclones managed to finish 7-5 (4-4 in Big 12). They followed up the first three wins with three straight losses — two in overtime — then four straight wins.

The Cyclones only faced two ranked opponents that entire season, beating both No. 8 Iowa and No. 22 Colorado, both at home.

They ended that season with a loss to TCU in the Houston Bowl.

Prior to that, in 2001 the Cyclones started 3-0 under new quarterback Seneca Wallace. They also finished 7-5 (4-4 Big 12) that season, but lost both match-ups with ranked opponents, losing to No. 4 Nebraska — who would go on to play in the national championship game — and No. 21 Colorado.

That season also featured a regular season-ending win against Iowa, which was rescheduled due to the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The Cyclones’ bowl game that season was an Independence Bowl loss to Alabama.

The 2000-01 season was the most successful of the McCarney era, and was the first time since 1978 that a Cyclone team won more than six games.

The Cyclones went 9-3 (5-3 Big 12) with losses to both ranked opponents they faced. In Sage Rosenfels’ final season, they lost to No. 2 Nebraska at home and No. 19 Kansas State on the road.

The Cyclones also got the program’s first-ever bowl victory that year, a 37-29 win over Pittsburgh in the Insight.com Bowl.

So what do those 3-0 starts tell us about the 2011 version of the Cyclone football team?

For one, that the task for this year’s team to emulate the finishes of any of the three is daunting. Each of those teams faced only two opponents that were ranked at the time they played.

At this point, the Cyclones are set to play five: the previously mentioned Texas, Baylor and Texas A&M, and added to that No. 7 Oklahoma State at home and No. 1 Oklahoma in Norman, Okla.

For another, the quarterback play isn’t something fans or coaches can be sure about, unlike in 2000 with Rosenfels.

The play of Steele Jantz — coupled with the play of the offensive line — will be the biggest factor. His turnovers are the bulk of the Cyclones’ total, and if they hope to reach a second bowl in the Paul Rhoads era, that has to change.

Ultimately, starting 3-0 is a trend that reveals decent but far from guaranteed success for Iowa State.