cc-ct, remember that I couched this as giving us the advantage that we'd be doing something different, something that teams don't see every week and so would have some difficulty in preparing for.

Also, who says we have to run 70-80% of the time (not sure whose thought that was here). This is about style of football, not necessarily using it on a disproportionate amount of plays called.



Am I really that distinct of a minority in finding our recent (going on 3 years)combo of play calling and losing to be boring and unacceptable?





get 'em, now, dfc.

So there has been "nothing" of which to be proud or happy. You must be kidding. Pitt, Penn State, Bowl wins. You are one who is demanding MACC performance of a program that is not receiving MACC support. Why? Below is from a previous post.

"Just received my 2015-2016 Ohio Bobcat Club Membership Guide. Page two shows the results of a MAC survey on Unrestricted Giving. Ten schools participated, NIU and CMU declined to disclose information. Of the ten schools reporting active donors Ohio ranked eighth, with 1,897, ahead of only Kent State and Eastern Michigan. Kudos to those 1,897 active donors who rank eighth in their number, but, rank sixth in their giving.

Now given the above information it seems Ohio is doing as well I would expect given the donor support. It is unreasonable to demand best in conference performance without best in conference support. Again, it seems to me Ohio is doing as well as we might expect."

Uncle Wes, should fans who provide middle of the pack support be on high horses demanding best in MAC performance?

http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/.a/6a00d8341bf7d953ef01...

Make this happen and everything else disappears for I think 99% of our fan base in terms of questions, criticisms, or concerns.

Totally failed to address/ignored the question. Coach Solich has brought much more to Ohio than "token" winning. Haywood and Clawson are your examples of what you want? Combined they are 103-103 with Haywood out of coaching and Clawson 3-7 and 1-7 in conference last season. Be careful what you wish for.

WHATEVER.

In case you missed that, let me repeat it: WHATEVER.

The other stuff is acknowledged and beginning to be ancient.

Now, it's all about MACC.

If you think it's not all about MACC, please start a new website for people who don't understand what's important.

To add to what bcat2 said, there's saying, chiseled on a wall at the University of Nebraska stadium, that I'd like see somewhere in Peden:

“Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory.”

Compare that with a certain school up north along the banks of the Olentangy that says, "We'll win the game or no the reason why."

This doesn't mean that each school doesn't try their best to win every game, but it does mean philosophically that you do or don't understand the intrinsic value of the effort and striving. Subtle, perhaps, but there's world of difference between these two "football world views."

Mike, I think you've summarized things quite well. Good job.

Maybe if we actually WON a MACC more than 1897 or whatever the number the #8 ranked school gets in donors would be higher.

And, seriously, when FS and Co were hired, did anybody think we would be looking at year 11 or 12 or whatever with not even one MACC?

And, to add another insult...I just read the article about 42 bowls in 2015-16 and in addition to UMASS, OHIO is one of the MAC schools NOT expected to make the cut for the 5 bowl gimmes the MAC has ties to. So, looks like we really are #6 in the pecking order? I hope we parove them all wrong on th field this fall!

My conclusion after about 45 years of watching this story unfold: there really are structural issue with OHIO football that nothing and I mean nothing will change. What those issues are, I don't know. But, start with a glorified high school stadium, add in the rural location, add in the lack of alumni support, add in the lack of resources in general (big company support), and on and on and yes the conclusion is relatively simple: We will probably NEVER be much more than what we are now and have been recently in FB. It is what it is!

So, accept it and get on with life.

Wes, close but no cigar. 17 have never had a major violation and 5 of those are MAC schools!

http://www.businessinsider.com/17-schools-ncaa-violation-...

College football has a plate techonics to it. Change to the hierarchy happens very slowly, sometimes it takes decades. TCU was a lousy program from the mid 1930's on to the mid 1990's. They had an occasional big win peppered in there because when you have 60 cracks to play Texas you are bound to win 1 or 2. What happened at TCU? There was a cataclysmic event known as the SMU death penalty. Before the death penalty SMU in the early 80's SMU had several teams in the Top 10-15 of the standings much like TCU is known for today. SMU had no football team in 1987 and 1988. When football returned, games were moved from the Cotton Bowl to a 23,000 seat on campus stadium. Strict recruiting standards were imposed. In the wake of SMU's demise TCU went on to win the SWC championship in 1994. The recruiting landscape was permanently altered. Then the SWC conference broke up and TCU didn't make the cut for the B12 since the revitalization was just beginning. The breakup hurt Houston and Rice leaving a power conference. TCU with the Dallas-FW region to its own had an advantage over the other non-BCS Texas schools and gradually built a solid the excellent program on the easier non-BCS schedule. Today TCU is in the B12 and SMU is nowhere. How does this relate to the dynamics in the MAC? Miami was the traditional all sport power in the MAC with the best academics and campus in recruiting wars that centered around the student athlete. What happened to Miami is other schools caught up on the academics and campus. Increased enrollments at other schools while Miami remained static small timed their program. Cincinnati's build up gave them the corner on recruits in SW Ohio. Miami was also one of Ohio's biggest eye-2-eye recruiting competitors in the MAC so their demise has benefited Ohio while Ohio's built a game day environment unlike anything else found in the MAC then fortified its position with facility upgrades. When Ohio goes 1-9 against Miami for a decade, then turn around and dominate 9-1 the next decade there has been a fundamental shift. Ohio has put more distance on Miami's program than what they ever had over Ohio even at their peak. I wouldn't be surprised if the next coach at Ohio is the first million dollar coach in the MAC. An uptick in Ohio recruiting the past 4 years regardless of a temporary downtick in wins. For Ohio it was steady progress under the Grobe years (yes even some overall progress with Knorr), the Solich years and the landscape is such the next coach could even elevate the program further. You can call me an optimist but this program is gradually trending up in the 20 years I've been following closely.

Uncle Wes, does Frank get some credit for the great record against Miami? There are a number of folks in Nebraska who now wish Frank hadn't been fired and think that their record over the ensuing years would have been much better if he had stayed at the helm. And, you call him not a top-level coach?

Well, at Nebraska, 58-19, Conf Champ 1999, Big12 COY 1999 & 2001, dismissed in 2003 when team was 9-3. The 1999 Conf Championship is Nebraska's most recent. What exactly would it take to be "A" level?

Please help me with concept of Ohio as a conference heavyweight?

Got it, better than Eastern Michigan, Akron & Miami = heavyweight. Now what would coach S have needed to add to his Nebraska achievements to be "A" rated? He was dismissed in 2003 while 9-3, 58-19, Conf Champ in 1999, Big12 COY 1999 & 2001.

P.S. When exactly did Ohio become the best job in the MAC?