True on the external factors.
It is impressive to win at Buffalo, but looking at their season there are several things that jump out.
(1) 4 overtime games in which they won 3. That is a sign of good coaching in the clutch...or players making plays...the combined records of the 3 teams they beat in OT was 16-20.
(2) The MAC was down this year...and for the MAC, that is saying something. Of the 12 teams in the MAC, 8 were below .500 in D1 play - 1 was .500. That means that 9 of 12 teams had non-winning seasons. Only 3 teams in the league had winning seasons. While an argument can be made about which conference was the nation's was the best, there is no argument about which team was the worst. The conference is so bad that Marshall left to join CUSA...that is sad.
(3) Their non-conference schedule featured 2 good teams (Pitt and Missou), and 3 bad teams (Temple, Army, and Utep). They lost the former and won the latter - including an overtime win against Army.
I do think Gill is a class guy, and probably a good coach, but his 8-5 record in 2008 does not tell me a whole lot. 15-22 overall does not say a whole lot either. At least Gary Pinkel (who I wanted when we hired Fran) had sustained success over an extended period, and beat some respectable non-conference teams (Purdue, Penn State, Nevada).
Coaches can be a flash in the pan. That is what makes hiring a mid major coach with not much of a track record such a crap shoot. I don't know how much being the QB coach in an option system, or director of player development for one season in the NFL, prepares you for being a head coach in the SEC. Honestly, Croom had a more impressive resume' when State hired him.
