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Excellent post. THat CMU loss in 2006 clearly changed the team, after they probably felt on top of the world after a MAC title and upset win over NC State. And the sizable loss at Ken+ a couple of weeks later took whatever steam was left out of that team. We seemed so close to moving up in the college football world, and it all came crashing down. You're right. We've been looking for something to turn us back in the other direction ever since.

Dave, That's the problem. Players practice at different levels on different days. Some don't practice at all. Others fight their tails off in practice. I've been there. That's why It's completely unreliable to judge new talent when playing against veteran talent. Or, veteran talent playing against each other. Only the coaches know if someone had just eaten a bad turkey sandwich, or just heard that their grandma was in the hospital. Just far too many variables here to be remotely reliable, unless you are completely on the inside of the situation. And even that can be shaky. Just go back to the time when we just HAD to burn McClanahans redshirt because he was playing so phenomenally for a good example.

This is certainly more reliable than most predictions we will see. And certainly more reliable than someone coming on here predictcing greatness every year, while we end up right where we've been before. We certainly all hope for more, but history does indeed keep repeating itself, so I can see how expectations stagnate accordingly. Maybe this year will finally be different.

Update this Week: Michigan is the ONLY "Little 10" team that has managed to slip above OU. Toledo is only a few spots behind, and moving into the picture now too. I guess some poeple can try to convince themselves that the Big 10 or 11 or 12 is still held in some sort of regard. But with NO teams in the Top 20 in the BCS rankings, the proof is in the pudding. This isn't the 1960s or 1970s anymore. For various reasons, they are just drifting away from the top of the pack.

Sorry guys. I meant to say that NIU and Toledo can't play each other. I must have been tired when I typed that. Hope you enjoyed the amusement.

My thought here is simple. If Williams doesn't give us a distinct advantage from here on out, I think it's time to start building for the future. IF Williams gives us a better chance to win a game or two down the stretch, then stick with him. Lets add that playing Pohl is not necessarily building for the future, since I expect a competition next season with some young guys involved, and I'm currently thinking that Franco will have a great chance of winning that job.

Toledo is in the other division. They can't play OU in a MAC Championship Game.

Well, anything can happen on any given day. But if you use our games against both teams, this would not be a competitive game. NIU just squashed us at home, and we were a mishandled onside kick away from possibly beating OU on the road. I'd maybe need to see more of both teams as the season comes to a close, but I would predict an NIU blowout over OU if that game was held today.

If I look back at Miami, BG, and OU, I think we continue to play a better team each week. And I think NIU might be at the top of the heap.

I'll be interested to hear what transpired during the search process. I thought this was a rare opportunity for an Akron sport to go out and attract the best soccer coaches in the country. Maybe it didn't materialize quite that way. I do see the advantages of promoting from within. I wish him luck, and hope that he can energize a whole new era of fans.

I'm definitely crossing my fingers that the Terry Bowden era at Akron at least equals the Solich-led climb at OU. And I do believe that Bowden's age makes him more likely to end his career here.

I sure hope our staff and athletic dept. don't have this mentality. It's simple. You have to have some quality wins. And you don't get quality wins unless you get those teams on your schedule. The solution for not getting an At-Large bid is not to give up. There's a way to get there.

Not what I wanted to see when I was hoping for some news that could possibly fuel an attendance boost.

Update: Well, I indicated that it was possible, and now it has happened. The Top "Little-10" team is 28th this week. The Top MAC team is 27th.

I still believe his finest moment was when he stopped Penalty Kick #4 and #5 in the national title game against Virginia as a freshman.

Good observation. And how about UCLA and USC occupying different parts of Southern California? It is an interesting graph. It's just not accurate, and is probably impossible to make it accurate based on the close geographic locations of so many major schools. I do always find it interesting that many people see that Cincinnati is carving out a good portion of SW Ohio. When we played there last year, it was a real eye-opening experience. Everything from their BUCkeye State shirts that mock OSWho, to the bold ads from their local radio station. Those folks couldn't care less about OSWho. I only wish we could build that kind of pride, and carve out our own significant section of Ohio.

It is interesting, but it provides some very inaccurate boundaries. First of all, I notice that they somehow indicate that Michigan controls East Michigan, and Michigan State controls Western Michigan. They possibly need a little geography lesson to understand that both schools are in EASTERN Michigan, and are only about an hour apart. And they also split the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as if the eastern and western parts of that area have a distinct split between Michigan and Michigan State? Very Odd. I also know for a fact that a lot of the northwest corner of Ohio consists of split loyalty with Michigan.

That was my thought too. I do think the 14 pt. spread is an indication that the prognosticators are no longer viewing us as a pushover.

First, can I ask how you know how our coach really felt when he made that statement? We did all raise our expectations, based on the way the team was playing through the first several games. Lets face it, there have already been 2 or 3 more games that we could have won this year. So, I don't think it was that much of a stretch for the fans to have expected that we could exceed that 2-win goal this season, and being a little dissapointed that we have not recorded #2 yet. It's not being disrespectful to the efforts of the coaches or players by feeling this way right now.

And the 2nd part of that equation is FAN interest. In both cases, we need to show that a turnaround is taking place. It's difficult to do that without Ws. I felt like either Miami or BG had to be a "W" in order to give both recruits and potential fans that impression. Now, the opportunities to accomplish that this season are getting slim. I'll hate to see the attendance next weekend.

I didn't think I would be able to say this after the way the season started. But for the 2nd straight game, I think our defense played well enough for us to win, and the offense missed far too many opportunities.

Regardless of their national stature, they are still getting better players right now than MAC schools, so of course we want their players. Like I say all the time: A weak Big 10 is good for Akron. So, the fact that their top team is ranked #27 should be good news for the Blue and Gold.

And on the flip side, a team with a recent history of not playing well for 4 quarters tells me that they are beatable. For God's sake, this is the MAC. OU has two single-digit wins against teams that appear to be on our level, and likely won't even contend for a division title. I'll take that kind of matchup any day right now.

Has anyone looked over the BCS Standings today? The highest ranking Big 10 team is at #27 ???? (Yes, we know that one of them would be higher, if they were not ineligible due to cheating, and covering up cheating) Forget about the normal power players, although I think it's important to note that the SEC has 5 teams in the Top 10. Even the Big East is well represented, with 3 Top-25 unbeaten teams right now. I've been talking to people about this all afternoon and evening. Is this finally the opportunity for the MAC to break through and gain some notoriety? There was a great article written a few years ago, after some of those runs by Ball State, WMU, and CMU, etc. (including some upsets of Big 10 teams), which indicated that it could be happening. Could it be materializing now? Wouldn't you think that it's possible for one or two MAC teams to be better than #27 in the BCS rankings before the end of the year? Doesn't a weak Big-10 present a great opportunity for all of us on the recruiting trail? I thought it was an interesting time to revisit the topic, after today's BCS rankings show some interesting trends.

The One Million Dollar Question: Is this enough to bring back the fans?