Temple went 7-1 in the Mid-American Conference last season. Still, it wasn't quite enough to get the Owls into the title game. That lone blemish, in the finale at Ohio, left them even with the Bobcats atop the East Division. But the Owls obviously lost the head-to-head tiebreaker. It happens.
This time around, 7-1 will get the Owls (7-2, 4-1 MAC) a trip to Detroit early next month.
Once again, having already beaten the bottom three teams in the East, they can dictate their future.
Tomorrow, they're at fourth-place Kent State (4-4, 3-2), which is 3-0 at home and has the No. 1-ranked rushing defense in FBS. On Nov. 16, they host Ohio (6-3, 4-1), which closes at Kent. A week later, they're at Miami (5-4, 4-1), which lost at home to Ohio last month.
If the Owls win out, they're the division champions. If they lose any of them, they'll need help.
"For us, it's about the process," said coach Al Golden. "Every game is a season. So it's no different [now]. In the next [19] days, it's all going to be determined. There's big games everywhere. Every time we play in the MAC, we have to look at it as if we need this game.
"I hope we have four or five games left. That's an eternity. It should be an interesting stretch run."
The Owls are going to a bowl, again. Get used to it. They'd prefer to go as the MAC champ.
For the first time in nearly 4 decades, the Owls have thrown back-to-back shutouts, 42-0 at Buffalo and 30-0 in South Philly against Akron, one of two winless teams in FCS. And the offense has picked up with the insertion of redshirt sophomore Mike Gerardi at quarterback. In the last 11 quarters, he's gone 33-for-52 for 503 yards, with six touchdowns and two picks. This should be the hardest test yet.
"He's developed as a leader and person," Golden noted. "He's growing in the role. But he has been, for 4 or 5 weeks now, even before [he got in]. He's playing with poise, making good decisions. It's not just Mike. But certainly he came in and moved the ball.
"He earned his opportunity. And he's making the most of it. He's provided us with a spark, clearly. Not that [the players] were unresponsive to Chester [Stewart], but there's a little something about [Gerardi] right now."
It doesn't hurt, either, that running back Bernard Pierce seems about all the way back from an ankle injury.
"[Gerardi's] playing good, I think," Pierce said. "It really did surprise me how he could perform under pressure, with a guy in his face, since he hasn't played much. I talked to him about that. We just want him to keep up the good work . . .
"It's a team sport. It's important that we all do a good job."
Especially when it's down to Motown or bust.
The Wildcats, after a home win over No. 20 Richmond, are at Rhode Island (3-5, 2-3), which is coached by former Villanova assistant Joe Trainer. Next week, they're home against No. 8 New Hampshire.
"We've got six wins. In the CAA, the magic number [to get in the playoffs] is eight," said Andy Talley, whose team closes at Delaware on Nov. 20. " [Rhode Island] beat New Hampshire at home, and gave Delaware fits on the road. It's a grass field, and it [was] supposed to rain up there [yesterday] and [today]. And you know [Trainer] would always like to beat the old man. I hope we have enough maturity that it won't happen."
The Quakers (6-1, 4-0 Ivy League), who just beat Brown at home to take sole possession of first place, go to Princeton (1-6, 0-4). Next week, the defending champs host Harvard (5-2, 3-1), the preseason favorite.
"[Princeton's] a program in transition," said coach Al Bagnoli. "But emotions always run high up for this one, and it is up there.
"I'm sure they see this as an opportunity to make their season. We've warned our kids. We have to make sure we get their attention."
