There's a very good (in my opinion anyway) in depth article on coach Solich in today's (2/9) The Post .

I totally agree.

Maybe that's why Charlie really rubbed our noses in it when we played L'ville in 2013

Attached the link below:

http://projects.thepostathens.com/SpecialProjects/leading...

I just finished reading it. I started reading it and couldn’t stop, but I knew I had to pause and make myself a coffee to properly take it all in. ;)

I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

I disagree with the idea in the article of the MACC as an achilles heel for the program or either a lack of a media poll Top 25 victory. To me the biggest thing a MAC school can do is win a bigger bowl game. When I mean bigger bowl game I mean something bigger than what the MAC normally has. Ohio won the Independence Bowl in 2012 which the only other G5 programs to win it are Air Force, Southern Miss, East Carolina, Louisiana Tech in the history of that bowl game. This is what the proverbial next level was when Solich was hired, a level very few (except myself) thought we could get to someday. Solich not only got Ohio football to the next level with the health of the administration put the pieces in place to sustain it. Its been a total success really. Basketball hit the next level for about 4-5 years but couldn't sustain it.

I did watch the presser today before I posted and caught his comments about the "next level" being Top 25 and making a CFP bowl. Then I checked out the 24/7 recruiting classes for this year. Did I see Ohio listed among the Top 25 recruiting classes? Nope. How about the Top 50? Top 100 recruiting classes? Kent State is in the Top 100 and Ohio is not. Are we setting up an annual 7th home game against an SEC opponent in Cleveland? I don't see his "next level" Boise State style projection happening anytime soon. Have we become a Southern Miss I believe we have. We've become a fixture a regular on national TV and there is a significant increase in Columbus area season ticket holders since he has arrived.

Amazing piece, thoroughly enjoyed reading this! Great job, Post staff!

Ohio isn't getting on national TV any more than any other team in the MAC in recent years.

Everyone in the MAC has become a fixture on national TV ... to a degree.

That's what midweek #MACtion has done ... the league has roughly five games a week on national TV starting in late October thru late November.

The real metric would be how many national TV games is the league getting outside of that window? Some ... but there's a typical common denominator ... you have to play a P5 school.

Typically the road games at P5 schools find it on TV (BTN, CBSSN, ESPN, etc) ... but when a MAC team hosts a P5, regardless of how good/bad the MAC team is ... it finds it's way to national TV.

Akron got one last year when they hosted Iowa St. .... NIU got one when they hosted BC

Ohio lucked out last year that the weather pushed their game with Kansas to ESPNU.

Toledo got on ESPNNews in 2015 with a home game vs. Iowa St. and 2014 with a home game vs. Mizzou.

I'm sure they'll be on national TV this year when they host Miami (FL)

Ohio doesn't typically get those type of home games ... until Iowa St and UC play in Athens in 2021/23

They did get on CBSSN in 2016 for the embarrassment vs. Tx State ... but that was a rare non-P5 nationally televised game.

It's getting better ... but it's pretty obvious. To get a game in your home stadium on national TV outside of midweek #MACtion .... get a P5 on your schedule. A lot easier said than done.

Last two years of National TV Midweek MACtion (excluding ESPN3 "broadcasts")
Pretty damn even for the most part considering that some teams play more midweek games than others. For instance, Toledo had 5 last year ... while Buffalo only had 3. Again, there is no method to the stupidness. Just whatever ESPN needs to fill their time slots.

Ohio (7)
2 CBSSN
5 ESPN

Akron (6)
6 ESPN

Kent (7)
5 ESPN
2 CBSSN

Miami (4)
3 ESPN
1 CBSSN

Buffalo (4)
2 CBSSN
2 ESPN

BG (7)
7 ESPN

WMU (8)
7 ESPN
1 CBSSN

EMU (6)
4 CBSSN
2 ESPN

CMU (6)
2 CBSSN
4 ESPN

NIU (7)
4 CBSSN
3 ESPN

Ball (6)
2 ESPN
4 CBSSN

Toledo (9)
8 ESPN
1 CBSSN

Not arguing the value of midweek MACtion (I think I've expressed my opinion on the league prostituting themselves out enough) ... it just felt like you were insinuating Ohio had "become a fixture on national TV" because of the success under Frank. I was simply pointing out that the best of the MAC as well as the cellar dwellers get almost equal time on national TV thanks to the midweek MACtion. Really has nothing to do with how good and/or bad you are.

Back when midweek MACtion was a novelty more than the norm ... it did showcase the league's best on a national stage. Now it fills a spot on the programming grid for ESPN three nights a week in late fall.

Not all MAC teams play equally midweek ... therefore the teams that play more midweek games get more national TV opportunity.

Toledo has played 10 midweek games last two years
WMU has only played 7 times midweek last two years
Miami only played 6 times.
Same for Buffalo.

(I miscounted WMU ... they were only 7, not 8 [6 on ESPN and 1 on CBSSN])

WMU played 7 times on national TV. So did Kent ... and BG. Both are arguably the worst two teams in the league the last two years.

That is why I would say what I said.