Less than a month away from the kickoff of the 2011 season, the ISU football coaching staff and players met with media members at the Jacobson Athletic Building and on the field of Jack Trice Stadium on Thursday.

Third-year coach Paul Rhoads spoke during a press conference. He started the day lauding the talent of the 2011 squad — especially that of the players who have been with the program since he took over in 2009.

“I would say this about the group: It’s the best that we’ve put on the field in three seasons, and I like that improvement that I’ve seen take place,” Rhoads said. “We’ve got a number of guys that have been a part of all three of those teams. If you can’t go with the same guys in three years’ time and be improved, then you’ve got the wrong people in some positions and I don’t have that.”

In his opening statement, before the press conference was opened for questions, Rhoads addressed the biggest storyline throughout the offseason: the battle of the quarterback depth chart. He laid out his timetable for when he’ll pick either Jerome Tiller, Steele Jantz or Jared Barnett to be the starting quarterback for the team’s season opener.

“There are a number of position battles that are going to take place on the football field this August training camp, but let’s just cut right to the chase,” Rhoads said. “By Aug. 20, we’re going to have had 20 practices. We will have had three major scrimmages, and at that point I would hope to be able to name a starting quarterback for our Sept. 3 opener against Northern Iowa.”

Rhoads listed decision-making, leadership, accuracy and the ability to think and react as the four primary attributes that he’ll be looking for in his starting signal caller.

The Cyclones boast a veteran offensive line anchored by senior left tackle Kelechi Osemele and a touted linebacking corps highlighted by returning starters A.J. Klein and Jake Knott. Only time will tell whether or not this group can bring the Cyclones back to a bowl game after a 5-7 season in 2010.

“Going into the summer meetings and media outings like this, I’ve said that this would be our best football team, but we’ve got to go out and prove that and the kids have to go out and prove that,” Rhoads said. “This is our most talented team, for sure, whether it becomes our best football team remains to be seen.”

With the realignment of the Big 12, the Cyclones will now face a round-robin conference schedule after a trio of non-conference games against in-state rivals Northern Iowa and the University of Iowa. They will also face last year’s Big East champion, Connecticut.

“If you go by what the prognosticators would lead you to believe, we probably would be favored in maybe two football games this season, so every day I’m looking for victory No. 1 to get us started as we embark on this season,” Rhoads said.

The first opportunity for Rhoads and the Cyclones to notch victory No. 1 will come in 30 days, as they host Northern Iowa on Saturday, September 3 at 6 p.m.