In every Division I football program, the buck stops at the desk of the head coach, and, granted, the ISU football team is three plays away from 0-10.

But how can Dan McCarney be blamed for this season?

Be honest – before this trainwreck began, realists thought this year’s team would be nothing more than a mediocre, .500 level team with a good offense, an inexperienced defense and an unforgiving schedule.

So why is Cyclone Nation calling for Coach Mac’s job? Well, let me remind you how we got here:

n Close wins over Toledo and UNLV, similar to victories over Illinois State and Army in 2005.

n A second-half collapse to the supposed BCS-buster Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

n No. 7 Texas capitalizes on Iowa State’s dumb mistakes and a lucky interception in the first half and pulls away in the second.

n A moral loss to Northern Iowa but a good comeback victory.

n A respectable loss to a better Nebraska team.

n An 34-9 defeat to a more-talented Oklahoma.

n Texas Tech spoils Homecoming.

n A 10-point lead blown against Kansas State.

n Then, last weekend, Kansas comes into town: a 41-10 abomination. Personally, I enjoy sports a little less after suffering through those four quarters.

On paper, we were supposed to have an explosive offense. We had a healthy Stevie Hicks (for most of the season), a good quarterback (Bret Meyer), a great set of receivers (Todd Blythe, Austin Flynn and Jon Davis) and an experienced offensive line.

So why do we have the second to last scoring offense in the Big 12?

From what I hear, Barney Cotton is a heck of a human being, but from what I’ve seen, he isn’t nearly as good of an offensive coordinator or offensive line coach.

We have the meat up front to protect Meyer and open holes for a ground game, but the line hasn’t done either this season (35 sacks – worst in the Big 12 – and an average of 2.9 yards per carry – second worst).

Performance and play-calling has been poor – Cotton should be gone.

The defense? It has been the worst in the Big 12 so far, but Iowa State lost most of its talent from 2005.

Then, in the preseason, the team’s leading returning tackler (Matt Robertson) was kicked off the team – leaving only three returning starters on defense. The anticipated starting safety (James Smith – broken ankle) and defensive end (Kurtis Taylor – torn ACL) both were rendered useless because of injury.

And remember those sacks against TCU? We might have had a pass rush this season if we would have had Jason Berryman. If you are still upset with our defense, get pissed at the doorman at Club Element.

Defensive coordinator John Skladany should stay. McCarney should have another chance to turn it around.

Cyclone fans have had McCarney to thank for a reason to talk football past November and take an extra vacation in December. He turned nothing into something and was close to something more last season.

After the Kansas game, I can understand why McCarney’s job is in jeopardy, but I don’t agree with it.

The players who stunk up Ames like a hog confinement should be to blame for that one.

Firing McCarney wouldn’t be in the best interest of the program. Let him off the hook for this aberration and let him lead this team through what looks to be another rebuilding phase.

Next year, the offensive line will be gone, as well as Flynn, Hicks, Davis, “Big Play” Brent Curvey and Shawn Moorehead. Who knows – Blythe might be gone.

McCarney made the Cyclones respectable once: He can do it again. Although the spilling of blood may appease some boosters and fans, show some loyalty to the man who gave us a reason for high expectations.

Luke Plansky is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from Fort Dodge.