With love and unlimited amusement, I await all the replies about what a good year this was (hey, all the losses were close!), how we really are improving, how next year will be different, how next year we'll MACC.


News for ya, kid: Attendance live and, probably, ticket sales, are about to dwindle if nothing changes.

First evidence is the lack of posts on these threads around this year's bowl game.

Yawn city here.

The weak part of your argument is the assumption that changing coaches will automatically ensure greater success. Frank Solich compiled a 33-5 record from 1999-2002 at Nebraska, yet they fired him anyway, after a 10-3 season in 2003. In the intervening 12 years, and 3 head coaches, and some off-the-field drama, Nebraska has never failed to lose at least 4 games! This streak will end if they can beat Tennessee in the mighty Music City Bowl to equal the mark of Solich's final season.

I cannot tell you how little I think of the 'don't change the mediocre results we're getting because we could end up with even worse results' argument.

That argument really holds water in corporate America, doesn't it...just a business bedrock principle?!


But you're right. There would be no divorce in America if everyone bought your thought.

So you prefer something like this?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oracles-ellison-hps-board-mad... /

Huh--For profit or non-profit, doesn't an organization strive for the best success?

Just because one hire doesn't work out means that one should never get rid of a hire which isn't working out--really?


You're better than that...we're better than that--I sure hope.

Happy Holidays, L.C.!




My goal is a MACC. Your thought elevates employment of this staff over that.


Not acceptable. Not sensible. Not fair.

As a fan of OHIO FOOTBALL, I root for OHIO FOOTBALL to achieve the over-riding, most obvious goal: a MAC title.



If that can be achieved with SOlich and staff, that's fine.


Sadly, Solich and staff have had 12 years and thoroughly proved that they cannot get it.



TOS to OHIO





ObviOUs call.

It entirely depends on your view of what “success” is. If it’s being competitive, having a winning record, putting fans in the seats and going to a bowl then why change anything? If you believe success is winning a championship and/or winning a bowl game then this coaching staff is simply not turning the corner. It’s a very similar situation to what has happened and is currently happening in Cincinnati with the Reds and Bengals. Dusty Baker got the Reds to the playoffs, but could not get over the hump. He was canned and now they stink. Marvin Lewis can’t get his team over the hump, but keeps his job because the team was so bad prior to him getting there that just making the playoffs is a great achievement. They are afraid of falling back into the “bad days”. I agreed and still agree with the Reds decision because it is worth taking a chance to try and win a championship rather than stand by just making the playoffs.

Personally, I’m in the camp of the goal of every season is to win a championship. It was clear Dusty couldn’t, and it’s clear Lewis can’t. In the case of the Bengals they are actually starting to regress. Do you get rid of someone who is consistent knowing you’ll never win the championship, or take the chance and bring in someone new knowing you could falter? College football sets it up nicely for coaches to claim success by going to meaningless bowl games year after year. Coaches who resurrect programs (like Solich, Frank Beamer, Bill Snyder, etc) become fixtures because so much is owed to them for finally bringing stability and success to a program that did not have it. At what point, though, do you become less scared about falling into the “old days” vs trying to take the next step into a building a championship program? Is it risky? Of course, but going 9-4 or 8-5 and losing conference championships and bowl games year in and year out doesn’t seem that interesting to me anymore. Those two runs the Cats made under Jim Groce were much more memorable to me than those years of consistent marginal success under Larry Hunter. I’d rather being a stepping stone for a coach than a tombstone for one.

I think it was discussed in another thread at another time about what success looks like for Ohio. For me, no matter what, winning the MACC in Detroit will always be more important than winning a bowl game, unless it's bigger, New Year's 6 game. Winning in Detroit should mean more for both the program and fans & Alumni than a Dollar General Bowl type of game.

But that doesn't mean that not winning the MAC Championship would make me title the season an unsuccessful one. If this team would have gone 10-2 and lost by a hair to WMU in Detroit, I'd have called it a successful year. The loss to open the season vs Texas State, and the performance vs EMU would make my opinion that this wasn't a successful one based on the team's goals. They were damn close though.

So, for myself, I'd call this a disappointing season, but that doesn't surprise me. Many of us said a year ago that the biggest issues facing this program revolve around the QB position, and the OC and his group. I'm of the opinion that not only is that still a big issue, but it's also obvious not much has changed on the coaching staff. Frankly, unless Maxwell takes steps forward, or one of the incoming recruits surprises, my expectation for next year really won't be much different than this year. If the offensive coaching staff and approach remain the same, so should my expectations. Pretty simple.

Great line! Perfect analogy to where Ohio job is right now.

8-6 losing MACC & Bowl is getting boring to watch, especially the way they do it.

Groundhog's Day