The Bobcats exceeded expectations last year, finishing the year as runner-up in the MAC and victors of the east division. Entering last year, the team was picked to finish only fourth out of six teams in the East.
This year, it is a much different story for Ohio. By a pretty decent margin, Ohio is projected to make a return to the MAC championship game and finish first in the East division, per the head coaches preseason poll.
“We have a lot more answers going into this fall camp than we did last year,” Head Coach Tim Albin said. “Not everybody is at ease but we are more comfortable with where we are at.”
Whether Ohio lives up to this expectation or not has yet to be seen, but entering week zero against San Diego State, there’s no reason to think that the team will be taking a step back.
Ohio is returning a decent number of starters from the team last season. With those starters, a majority of the team's leaders on both sides of the ball are returning as well.
“We returned so many guys, I saw so many of the same faces that I saw (on day one of camp), they looked fast and very excited to be out there,” Albin said following the first day of training camp back in July.
Among Ohio’s returning players are MAC Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke, MAC Freshman of the Year Sieh Bangura and of course, MAC Coach of the Year Tim Albin
The way in which Ohio’s schedule is laid out for the upcoming year is a bit different than in years past. To start out, Ohio will play a week zero game for the first time since Albin took over as head coach. A week zero game means that the team will enjoy two bye weeks during the season while the other MAC teams will only have one.
Ohio ended its season with a bowl game victory last year, and the impact created because of it can’t be overstated. However, with that momentum, the Bobcats also enter with a fire lit from beneath them after a disappointing loss in the MAC title game.
A successful follow-up to last year’s impressive season can mean only one thing – a 2023 MAC title
It’s been a while since Ohio entered a season with this much potential, and the team is not looking to waste it. The Bobcats have not won a MAC title since 1968; this team is hungry to change that.