At least you finally admit you're sorry...baby steps. (pun intended)

So let's analyze Miami's run at the end of last year...not intended to downplay what they did. They are surely on the upswing. However, I am not ready to share the monroegasm about what happened and I'm sure not just handing them the East.

Do I wish we had returning numbers like Ragland's at QB? Hell Yes. He was amazingly efficient. That said, he is one year further along than Maxwell is , who showed flashes but clearly wasn't ready for primetime. However, Maxwell's overall numbers aren't bad, considering we had very little running game to speak of in the second half of the season and our offensive line was banged up and porous. He still put up a respectable quarterback rating of 131.8 (espn individual stats page - I know there are different types of ratings, even within espn). He REALLY needs to improve his accuracy and the TD/INT ratio needs to improve. I'll admit, the eye test says he struggled mightily at times. He's a fast, mobile quarterback and was still sacked 10 times in about half a season. as for the trenches, OL depth should be improved in 2017 and hopefully those numbers go down.

Miami beat Kent 18-14 (we beat Kent 14-10, PUSH)

Miami beat BG 40-24 (we beat BG 30-24), this was a tough call as the point differential favors Miami, but we jumped to a big lead on BG and were never in real danger. Bg's last TD came on a hail mary. BG and Miami played a very even game late into the fourth quarter before a a Miami pick ended a potential game changing drive. PUSH)

Miami beat EMU 27-14 (we lost 27-20 and really stunk up the joint. This is the game that cost Greg Windham his starting job) advantage mIAMI

Miami beat CMU 37-17 (we lost 27-20) advantage mIAMI and this was the one impressive game that really stood out. That clearly served as a wakeup call for CMU who was in a tailspin at the time. And you can't deny that they were the most enigmatic team in the conference. Still the same team that beat okie state in September

Miami Beat Buffalo 35-24 (we beat Buffalo 34-10) advantage OHIO. To be fair, this is almost a push as Miami built up a huge lead and was never in real danger here. But Ohio dominated wire to wire.

Miami beat Ball State 21-20 (Ohio didn't play. Miami gets credit for winning, but Ball State was terrible last year. It would be more than reasonable to project a win for Ohio by at least a TD here, but to be fair call it a PUSH).

So, if all you care about is six wins in a row and Gus Ragland's impressive stretch, then cream your shorts over miami all you want. I'll agree that this stretch favors Miami, but only slightly. Will I be shocked if they are named the favorite in the East? No. Does that thought induce panic? Not at all. I still think we beat them at home, and the East goes through Doyt Perry next year. If we beat BG, the division is ours.

I agree. If Ragland is THAT efficient over a full season, they would be hard to beat. But consider how efficient he was and the minimal advantage they had with his QB play. Now, next year, who is more likely to move the needle? Can Ragland be MORE efficient? Not likely. I'd even venture to say he'd have a hard time matching that ratio. Let's assume for now that Maxwell is the starter. He may never be as good as Ragland, but his "room to grow" is much more significant right now, and I'd venture that even if he's not a star, he'll make a significant jump next year after a his baptism by fire in 2016. That improvement will be more significant to us than Ragland throwing up similar numbers will be to Miami.

All that said, six starts and six wins is nothing to sneeze at. He's formidable. Miami has a chance to make some noise preconference for the first time in ages... they've got a down Marshall, down Cincinnati, and down Notre Dame on their schedule. None of these programs are intimidating right now.