Mathematically, the season’s over.

Iowa State’s 41-10 drubbing at the hands of Kansas at Jack Trice Stadium pushes its record to 3-7, meaning there will be no bowl game for the Cyclones and their faithful this season.

So, for just the second time in the last seven years, Iowa State and its fans will enjoy bowl season from the comfort of their living rooms.

“This is a really hard time for all of us,” said coach Dan McCarney after the game.

Now the task for the Cyclones is to figure out how to play for the last two games.

With postseason play out of the question and injuries mounting – eight players who have started at least once this season missed Saturday’s game – the job is to find something to play for.

“We’ll find out a lot about this team by the way we practice this week and the way we handle the next two weeks,” said quarterback Bret Meyer. “We have seniors who have two games left. For guys who have been here for a while, we have to sell out for them.

“We’re all going to wake up tomorrow. This is football; there are a lot more important things going on. At the same time, when you look at how much these guys have invested and how much they care about it, it tears your heart out.”

While the players are moving on for each other, the coaches are committed to moving forward for their players.

“I try really hard not to make this about me,” said ISU offensive coordinator Barney Cotton.

“It’s really about [the players]. If I could do one thing, I’d give these guys a win. They’ve worked that hard and prepared that well these last couple weeks, and it hasn’t happened for them.”

While Iowa State is on its way to its worst finish since 2003 – a year in which the team went 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the Big 12 – Kansas coach Mark Mangino doesn’t think the blame for its struggles should be placed on the shoulders of McCarney.

“They’ve had some circumstances that put them in this position that are beyond their control,” Mangino said. “I happen to think that Iowa State is a very well-coached football team and what Dan McCarney has done here is phenomenal. Sometimes, you just can’t control circumstances.

“Their kids played hard. I didn’t see their kids giving up. They fought all the way to the end, which is a tribute to Mac.”

For his part, McCarney is no stranger to criticism.

“It’s not like I haven’t been through adversity before,” McCarney said. “I’ve had plenty of practice with it.”

With Iowa State floundering, McCarney’s supporters and criticizers are taking sides and making their voices heard.

Both sides have valid points.

McCarney’s supporters point to the five bowl games he has taken the Cyclones to, one more bowl game than Iowa State had in its entire history before he took over, assuming control of a team that was coming off a 0-10-1 season.

They can also attribute this season’s struggles to injuries, with Todd Blythe, Jon Davis, Stevie Hicks, Jason Scales, Tom Schmelling, Adam Carper, DeAndre Jackson and Kurtis Taylor all missing games due to various ailments.

Seven of those eight would have started against Kansas, with the eighth – Scales – backing up Hicks.

Criticizers have valid arguments as well. McCarney has a 26-67 all-time conference record and has just one season where the Cyclones finished above .500 in conference play.

Athletic Director Jamie Pollard has said he will evaluate the season after Iowa State’s final game against Missouri.

McCarney’s job may be on the line as the season winds down, giving his players extra incentive to play well.

“We have to win two games for more reasons than that. I’m not going to get into that too much,” Meyer said. “I just hate to see this for Coach Mac, and his assistants too. Guys like Coach Fitch and Coach Cotton, guys who haven’t been here long but guys who mean a lot to the players they coach.

“We [will] win these two games because we care.”