Temple not taking bowl bid for granted

Temple's football team is technically bowl eligible because of its 6-2 record but the Owls know they're not yet guaranteed a postseason trip as they prepare for winless Akron on Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Last year when Temple went to EagleBank Bowl in Washington with a 9-4 mark, four other Mid-American Conference squads also went to bowls - but all had more than six regular-season wins.

"We haven't considered that, really, because the MAC is so tight with its bowls that six wins don't mean anything in the MAC," Temple tight end Vaughn Charlton said. "Each week is a battle. Obviously, for any team, [a bowl game] is the goal, but when you look ahead is when you get in trouble. You really have to stay disciplined, and just look at that week."

Right in front of the Owls is Akron. While the Owls are 3-1 and tied for second in the MAC East Division chasing first-place Ohio, the Zips are 0-4 in the division and 0-8 overall under first-year coach Rob Ianello.

Charlton, now a redshirt senior, was in Temple coach Al Golden's first recruiting class. The Owls dropped their first eight games in Charlton's freshman year, and finished 1-11. Temple then went 4-8 in '07, and 5-7 the next year. Last season, the Owls played in their first bowl game in 30 years. The Owls were 0-11 the year before Golden took over.

"It's any team, any week," Charlton said. "You can't look at anything done previously the weeks before. We don't really take into consideration the record of any team. We just come out every week and focus on ourselves. We prepare to get better every week."

Temple is coming off a 42-0 rout at Buffalo that was the Owls' most complete performance of the season. They have won a school-record nine straight outings at home, dating back to the 2008 season. Temple was a MAC East cochampion last season after Ohio defeated the Owls in the last game of the regular season to claim a share of the title, and a spot in the league championship game.

What Temple has accomplished in Golden's five seasons with the team, is what Ianello and Akron are trying to duplicate.

This year, Temple was the pick to win the MAC.

"I'm looking at what we are aspiring for at the University of Akron," Ianello said. "I know what [Temple] had when Al took over. We want to emulate that."