Iowa State football: Five reasons Cyclones will rebound this season

Nov 30, 2013; Morgantown, WV, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Paul Rhoads walks on the sidelines during the first quarter of the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

3. Paul Rhoads has retooled his coaching staff and eliminated the problems of last year

The staff looks a lot different than it did when Rhoads first joined Iowa State, and a lot of it is for a good reason. Offensive lineman Tom Farniok cited issues with the former offensive line coach. There’s now a dedicated quarterbacks coach. Most important was the change in offensive coordinator. Gone is Courtney Messingham’s questionable play calling and in comes Mark Mangino’s simple offensive scheme that made Kansas good for a while.

Kansas! No, we don’t expect the offense to reel in 600 yards a game, but Mangino will have better players to work with in a system that thrived in Lawrence.