I may have had a few bad cigarettes in my time, but ISU football coach Dan McCarney is convinced I’ve had some bad weed.

Wrong.

The truth is, the Cyclones are a mediocre football team – what people fail to see is there’s nothing wrong with that. Mediocrity isn’t bad. It’s a step above the Baylors of the college football world.

Oh wait, we gave the Bears their first-ever road win in the Big 12 last season, never mind.

And so it begins.

Enough about “how far the program has come.” Yes, it has come a long way, but it has a long way to go. You don’t jump from being a laughingstock to being a good team in one year, and those glorious years in the middle are known as mediocre.

Let’s weigh some of the arguments.

Five bowl games in the past six years. Good. The Whocares.com bowl every year? Mediocre. Two wins out of those five games? Mediocre.

Advantage – mediocrity.

39-35 in the past six years? I’ll give that edge to good. But losses to Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas in 2005 were unacceptable, given that the Cyclones led in the fourth quarter in each of those games.

No ability to close out the big games? Mediocre.

Advantage – mediocrity.

The Cyclones had a ridiculously strong defense last season, and for that I commend McCarney, defensive coordinator John Skladany and crew. It was impressive, and highly ranked. To add to that, the offense was explosive at times, as Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe added some sick plays. Still, what happened? The defense had way too many Gonzaga-esque second half collapses. That’s about as mediocre as they come.

Advantage – mediocrity.

Six wins in eight years over the Hawkeyes. Hooray! Wait, the season doesn’t end after Iowa’s Superbowl? Don’t tell that to the Cyclones, who always seem to taper off after the big games. In the past eight years, Iowa State has finished the season ranked in the top 25 once. (2000-01, No. 25). Iowa, on the other hand, has been ranked at the end of the season three times, and in the top 10 to boot. (2002-04, No. 8 each year.)

Three top-10 finishes. Wouldn’t that be nice?

Advantage – mediocrity

It is fair to compare Iowa State to top-caliber teams if that’s what Iowa State aspires to be. McCarney is the right man to lead the Cyclones to greatness. He’s brought them this far, and will continue to open eyes across the nation. It’s time to step it up and start winning on a consistent basis. Wouldn’t it be great if Dan McCarney’s job were in jeopardy after an 8-4 season? That can only happen after strong starts, finishes and everything in between. Defense, offense and special teams need to take that step and bring ISU football to a level it’s never seen.

Until then, however, I’ll be seeing you in Shreveport, La., or Boise, Idaho, or Houston.

– Pat Brown is a junior in pre-journalism and mass communication from Naperville, Ill. He is the managing editor of content and development for the Daily.