Gene Chizik is far from disillusioned as he enters his second season as the Iowa State coach.

He recognizes that the rebuilding project he took on will require time to build talent through recruiting.

"There are many growing pains ahead," he said. "I feel athletically, we are still a little bit off where we need to be. We need to put together solid recruiting classes over and over (and then) you eventually claw your way to being competitive with some of the upper-echelon teams in this league."

A 3-8 finish last season includes a late surge in which the Cyclones won two of their last three games, though they still tied for last in the Big 12 North.

Although Chizik issued each of his players summer checklists filled with to-do items over the offseason, any chance for a huge breakthrough this season appears remote.

Iowa State must replace three mainstays. One is the top pass-catch combination in the program's history, quarterback Bret Meyer and receiver Todd Blythe, as well as linebacker Alvin Bowen, who was the nation's tackling leader in 2006.

Those critical losses at least allow Chizik to apply his own signature to the program. In his first season, the Cyclones showed marked improvement on defense, which was expected after Chizik coordinated units on that side of the ball at Texas and Auburn. However, even with Meyer and Blythe, the Cyclones struggled mightily on offense, averaging just 18.2 points to rank 111th nationally.

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