With Thursday's victory over TCU the Cougars moved to 7-2 on the season and 5-0 in the conference ... however, while I came away overall satisfied with the win, I was a little disappointed that the Cougars didn't win by more. When I realized that was my feeling, I was struck by how much has changed in a matter of just a few years:
In 2002-2004, under head coach Gary Crowton, I, and I would include most fans, would have taken such a win in a heartbeat, any win, just a win was huge.
In 2005, coach Mendenhall's first season, I was also happy with just about any win and to become bowl eligible was a great feat (6 wins).
After last season's 11-2 campaign and this year's 7-2 start, Mendenhall has revived the Cougar program to the point where just winning and just becoming bowl eligible does mean as much, expectations are higher - conference championships are again the expectation and maybe more (raising the bar).
Mendenhall's troops have reeled off 11 straight wins at Lavell Edwards Stadium (first time since '91), restoring home dominance, and have won 13 straight conference games (longest streak since '83-'85 in the WAC). The Cougars are one win away from securing their second MWC championship in a row, first time they have won back-to-back conference titles since '95-'96 and two more wins would mean back-to-back outright titles, which would be the first time since '90-'91. A strong finish, 10-2 for example, this season could further establish momentum and consistency for the upcoming years. Congrats to Coach Mendenhall, his staff and perhaps most of all the players! GO COUGARS!
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