I was talking to a friend of mine today about football and recruiting and how Ohio has been doing. I am happy and impressed with how this class is shaping up, which brought up the core discussion point we had. It seems as if Ohio is bringing in talent that is getting BCS offers as well. And Ohio as a program is getting to a point where recruits would rather play for a "non-aq" championship contender instead of the Minnesota's and Indiana's of the BCS world. I feel that Ohio might not be the next Boise but the program is definitely heading in the right direction. I am very excited for the future and this new trend offers me even more excitement. When I was a kid  and cheering on the Bobcats during the Knorr era I never would of imagined Ohio would get to this point. 

I never followed sports at all growing up. So for a second year Bobcat fan, I really have no references to compare the current 'Cats to. Did we ever get 2-3 star recruits prior-Solich? 

I didn't follow the Bobcats back then, but I did look retroactively at some Knorr recruiting classes. He definitely brought in some guys that could play, like Kalvin McRae, Dion Byrum, and Matt Muncy. I'm not sure they had many stars, but they had ability. The problem, though, was that in every Knorr recruiting class there were a large number of players that never contributed, and that meant that teams were very thin, depth-wise.

The big difference in the Solich classes, from the start, has been that top to bottom virtually every player they recruit contributes, and that means you have depth across the board. That allows much more substitution, so the teams don't wear down, either in games, or across the season, and it means that except when there is an unfortunate concentration of injuries at a single position, that injuries haven't kept the Bobcats from competing.

Having teams that are solid, top to bottom, has been enough to compete with BCS teams on the field, but not enough to get over the hump to where they usually come out on top. Last years class was better, and this year's class even more so, to where I think they can make that next step, and become good enough that they are a threat to win any game.

The flip side is that Ohio can offer coaching stability, which the others can not offer, with the exception of WMU. Look at the coaching tenures in the MAC. Assuming no more hires/fires before next year:

0 years (new coach next year) - Akron, Toledo
1 year - NIU, Ball State, Temple, Kent, Miami (OH)
2 years - CMU, EMU, BG, Buffalo
3 years - none
4 years - none
5 years - none
6 years - none
7 years - Ohio, WMU

Looking at the same data a different way, a student graduating this year, having played 5 years, at most schools would have seen a number of different coaching staffs. Over the last 5 years:

1 Staff - Ohio, WMU
2 staffs - EMU, Temple, Kent, BG, Buffalo
2 staff, but will be different next year - Akron, Toledo
3 staffs - NIU, Buffalo, CMU, Ball State, Miami

The fact is that at most schools a player can expect that they will not finish their career with the same staff they start with

Besides the advantage of coaching stability, Ohio also has a solid track record of player development, in terms of putting players in a position where they can be drafted or sign a free agent deal with the NFL. Ohio is now seeing multiple players a year getting a shot at the next level. Most of the other staffs haven't been in place long enough yet to know how they will do, and, to be honest, the ones that do a good job will probably move to another coaching position anyway.