Three home games out of last 5 will help
Jason Fazzone
At the halfway point of the season, Ohio is 2-4, which would already have some fans thinking about basketball season. But as the future schedule indicates, things could be looking up for Frank Solich and his team.
The next two games are against Ball State and Buffalo, two teams with a combined one win between them. Ball State has been punished both on the field and off it this season, and it is very unlikely that the Cardinals will walk out of Peden with a win. The Bulls have yet to win a game this season - enough said.
Wins in both of those games would put Ohio at 4-4 and 3-2 in the Mid-American Conference heading into the nationally-televised showdown with Toledo, which will fortunately be held in the friendly confines of Peden Stadium.
With the momentum coming from the last two games, plus the atmosphere surrounding the ESPN2 telecast, it would not be entirely shocking to see Ohio pull out a win.
Finally, the Bobcats take on Akron and Miami. Akron has been very inconsistent throughout the season, and if Ohio can catch the Zips in a down game, it will be there for the taking. And, of course, the Bobcats will definitely be prepared to play the rival RedHawks at home in front of a national television audience on ESPNU.
Basically, it is not entirely impossible for the Bobcats to take four out of five and - gasp - be bowl-eligible.
As the win over Pittsburgh clearly illustrated, stranger things have happened.
Bobcats need to make statement, not just win
Mark Shugar
I will not argue that this Ohio football season has been one to remember, but I will come out and say this - this weekend is a must-win situation for the Bobcats.
Consistency has been the biggest problem for Ohio this year and, if the team has any chance of keeping the fans' optimism gained from acquiring Frank Solich and beating Pitt, they must win at home against Ball State.
Not only will beating the Cardinals keep Ohio undefeated at home, but a win also keeps alive any hopes of a .500 or better campaign - both overall and in the Mid-American Conference.
I am not talking about any old win here either. This victory needs to be more convincing than the 35-32 win against Kent State. The Bobcats need to pound Ball State into the ground and do it early. The Cardinals have proved they can win close games. Just ask Western Michigan about the 57-60 loss in quintuple overtime two weeks ago.
The offense cannot miss opportunities to put points on the board this weekend.
Usually I am not one for gloom and doom, but a poor showing against Ball State could spell disaster for the Ohio season. Buffalo, somehow, has surprised this team in the past and I would hate to see the Bobcats sitting at 1-4 in the MAC when the Rockets roll into Athens Nov. 4.
With Akron and those pesky RedHawks in line after Toledo, a refusal by Ohio to step up and take this season into their own hands - starting this weekend - could even spell a 2-9 overall, 1-7 MAC season with the highlight being the Pitt win.
Looking at how Pitt is doing this season, that's not enough to tide me over.
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Jason Fazzone and Mark Shugar
