I would contend the opposite. First look at our losses. All major ranked teams and a 9-3 team. Then look at rosters. To be 8-5 right now when I HOPED for 8 wins WITH A HEALTHY ROSTER makes this season a success already. You must be a Saulpologist.

No, I'd guess Boals is a better coach and that OUr future is brighter with him. I do think if Saul has had a normal amount of injuries that he might still be here though. Who knows this stuff though? It is hypothetical. What I can do is look at hard facts from this year to last. I think OUr strength of record at this point was better last year than this. Although, it is close. We should end up with a better record this year. The main reason that I think that is that last year was one of the best incarnations of the MAC in recent memory and this is one of the worst and not so much because the team is better.

I don't have a strong opinion one way or another. I was just trying to start a discussion. Why not have the discussion?

I DO agree that the extent that we are out performing expectations is hopeful for the future but that is not what I was asking.

Agreed, and the anti-Saul comments are really, really old while saying more about those saying them that the man they're saying them about. They guy and his family are gone, moved on to other things. His tenure is over, and he did absolutely nothing to warrant the hate that some here still seem to like to throw his way.

I'm not going to argue the metrics of the wins and losses ... those speak for themselves.

I have judged this season solely on the eye-test ... and I think the 2020 version of Ohio is leaps and bounds beyond the 2019 version.

I won't bore anyone with specifics ... but I'll just say I've seen this team in person four times and a handful of others on TV and they just have an energy that last year's team seemed to lack (much like the entire program if we're being honest)

And on top of it ... the 2020 team has been patchworked together for the most part.

I, for one, am excited to see what this team looks like at full strength. Get Dartis, Price, Foster, Roderick, Murrell, and Miles Brown 100% healthy ... and add that to McDay, BVP, Ogbonda, Preston, McMurray, and Springs .... and I'd like to see what that looks like come February.

I'm not sure they'll ever be 100% healthy ... but I can say, from what I've seen so far, I like the outlook of where it's headed short term and long term much, much better than I did on Jan. 1, 2019.

Yes ... the Campbell loss wasn't great. It would certainly classify as laying an egg. But considering the youth of this team and what they were missing for that game ... and, most notably, the fact it was the only one of the non-conference season .... I'm willing to give it a pass.

I didn't think in a million years Ohio would be 8-5 heading into MAC play. Outside of the Campbell game and spurts of the Morehead & Detroit games ... this team went out and took care of business against comparable competition ... and played tough for stretches against much tougher competition.

My biggest worry about them continuing to be this competitive in the MAC is A) health and B) fatigue. Are these young guys going to be out of gas come mid-February ... and can Preston continue to play at a high level 35+ minutes a night?

What works in our favor is this year's MAC does not have a Buffalo of last year or even a Dambrot Kron team. Every game is winnable in my mind. BUT we need at least Dartis, Preston, BVP, Ogbonda, McDay, McMurray, Foster, and Brown/Roderick to be healthy. Springs is the best 9th man in the league!! I predict Murrell redshirt.

We could be 10-8 or 4-14. It is that kind of year. But we do have answers to preseason questions. Dartis is back. Ogbonda is Mickle with size and McDay and Foster are impactful. McMurray and Springs have been better and Preston and BVP have gone next level.

I wondered about that.