Shoulda’s, woulda’s and coulda’s won’t pay the bills, but they can be pointed out. During the past two weeks, I’ve seen three games in which the two biggest state teams, Iowa and Iowa State, should have won.

Not to be rooting for Iowa or anything, but the team had two wins slip through their hands, and we all know about what happened with the Cyclones. If both teams made their possible wins stand up, they would have been bowl eligible.

Finally, I wish you could have seen my face when the Diamondbacks beat the Yanks Sunday (another World Series bought out, nonetheless). It seems to bring to mind the words of Bobby McFerrin who said “Don’t worry, be happy,” which I highly suggest some ISU fans take to heart after last Saturday.

Don’t Worry, Be Content

A 42-3 loss is never good on anyone’s bowl-building r‚sum‚. However, it seems to be heightened for any team that has been in the same position that the Cyclones are this season. Frankly, that’s the position of a team that is trying to gain recognition after years of, at best, mediocrity.

Some people around campus are already thinking of this as a lost season.

Granted, the football squad has had a tough time coming together the past two weeks. However, take a step back, and look at the Cyclones. They’re 5-3, have one of the best tailbacks in the league (if not the country), and play two of their last three at home (the road game is at Kansas).

Believe me, the offense won’t be as nonexistent next week as it was on Saturday. All teams have those type of games. Look at teams like Syracuse and North Carolina, who lost their first few games before rebounding to make themselves bowl contenders.

Now is not the time to panic, nor will it be time to be depressed, if the Cyclones don’t go to a bowl. For a reason why, just have to think back to . whenever.

Iowa State has never been a powerhouse in college football, even through its bowl years in the ’70s. Since 1950, there have been 11 seasons in which the Cyclones have finished with a winning record.

I know the feeling Cyclone fans are going through in this case. I still root for a Missouri Tigers team that has had only seven winning campaigns in my lifetime (and I don’t even remember the first five).

Enduring losing season after losing season is in my blood, so I know that when winning starts, there’s a tendency not to want it to stop.

But give it a little time.

So Iowa State won’t go to the BCS. Big deal. They might not even get to Phoenix again. So what? The most important aspect is that the ISU team will be back. They’re hungry, they’re competing, and they’re winning more than losing. For now, that’s good enough.

Absurd Predictions

The Big 12 tournaments keep on coming. Two weeks ago, I attempted to give the cross country team a little love from the crystal ball. This week, it’s the ISU soccer team’s turn.

The ladies have gone through some difficulties this season, but now have seen some emerging talent in forward Nicole Wilcox and goalie Karen Hasselman. The defense of Tiffany Belz, Arlene Samuel and Lindsey Lees has also become more steady throughout the season.

Now the women get to test their resolve against a Texas team that torched them 5-1 three weeks ago.

This time, the eighth-seeded Cyclones play first-seeded Texas in San Antonio, which gives the Longhorns slightly less of a home-field advantage. Plus, there’s pressure on Texas to win this game, as well as the whole tourney. And who knows, maybe the top seed will be sluggish at 11 a.m., the scheduled time for the match.

Saying all that, can Iowa State win? No. However, it will be much closer than the result on Oct. 14. My prediction says the Cyclones will go down 3-2 in overtime.

This should leave them just enough time to see the sights without coming back and sounding like George W. Bush.

Jonathan Lowe is a senior in meteorology from Kansas City, Mo.