So if I’m understanding this right, eight wins is the expectation next year. That essentially means going somewhere between 7-1 and 5-3 in conference play and hoping to steal one — or maybe even two — from Wake, Minnesota, and UNLV. That’s a tough ask, especially considering the schedule was about as favorable as it’ll ever be this past year. I had us pegged for 5–3 in conference against five new head coaches and winning both Wyoming and UAB. We all know how those turned out, so no need to revisit it.
If eight wins is truly the expectation, then Goodrich has to find a way to get Moorhead the money he needs to retain most of our top players and expand the coaching staff. I’ve never questioned this staff’s ability to evaluate and bring in talent. An increased recruiting budget would also help, but I don’t see it as the biggest hurdle when so many of these coaches have years of experience and deep recruiting networks already built.
If the expectations have been raised — which I’m all for — then the resources need to rise proportionally. If Goodrich can get this done for Moorhead, 2026 suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. I’m curious to see how it unfolds.