The Ralphie Report sits down with the fantastic Iowa State blog, Clone Chronicles, for a quick Q&A.  

What is the general consensus about the direction Chizik has the program going in? Is he taking the steps they believed were necessary to bring the program back to the Big 12 North forefront when he was hired? Is there improvement going on?

Kind of tough to say at this point. There was a definite feeling that we were totally capable of a winning season, but I think things just started snowballing after the Iowa loss. Last season and this season should be rock bottom, and improvement needs to be made next year. We're playing so many freshmen that they are a little overwhelmed. To that end, it's tough to show improvement in the Big 12.

See the rest of the questions after the jump...

Who are some up and coming players that fans of opposing teams should keep an eye on in the future?

Leonard Johnson. The true freshman CB set an NCAA record last week with over 300 KR yards. He's not bad at cornerback either, though he's certainly not perfect. He - more than anyone - is a guy that I look at and say that he'll be playing football for more than just four years at Iowa State.

Are as surprised as we are that this weekend's line is currently at 9.5 points? We thought no one was 9.5 points worse than the Colorado Buffaloes!

We didn't think we were as bad as we were until we played Texas A&M. I totally believe our team thinks they can win this weekend, though. It's just going to take a complete game for once. 

As a fan of the program, what has been the most frustrating part of this year's team?

The flashes of ability that lets us know what we are capable of. Should've beaten Kansas. Could have beaten Iowa and UNLV. We're not that far away from 5-4. But with youth comes ups and downs. It's not anything that couldn't be expected.

In a quick summation, what sort of offensive and defensive scheme should we expect this weekend from Iowa State against the Buffs?

Offense is a semi-spread attack that we try to set up with the run and short passes. We also run the Wildcat formation at times, and have attempted a few reverse passes. Defense will be Cover 2, with weaknesses up the middle and short along the sidelines. 

What is the biggest strength of this Iowa State team right now? What is the biggest weakness?

You mean besides kick return? Not much. We can force turnovers at an ungodly rate, but rarely do anything with them.  Our punter should be up for the Ray Guy award...but isn't. As far as weaknesses, we're 2-7. I don't have the finger strength to list them.

Finish these two sentences:

Iowa State will win if: they can finally do something with the great field position they've had all year.

Colorado will win if: they limit mistakes.

Finally give us your prediction for this weekend?

Colorado 31-17. I know we're fully capable of winning, but we've still yet to put it together.