2022 G5 Preview: How Severe Is Ohio's Collapse?

Are we talking about a one-off or a trend?

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is that bad?

It’s rare that a program – even one in the always-volatile MAC – falls off as quickly off a cliff after losing its coach as Ohio did in 2021. Frank Solich shocked the college football world a summer ago by announcing his retirement just ahead of the season, all but forcing Ohio to promote his right-hand man, offensive coordinator Tim Albin, into the lead role ahead of the season. Without the time for a true search, Ohio was really without other options, especially after longtime defensive coordinator and No. 2 to Solich, Jimmy Burrow, called it a career a few years back.

The expectation was that Ohio would promote Albin on an interim basis, see what he did with a team expected to compete for a division title in the wide-open East, which produced only two winning records (both 7-6) and was without any dominant squad to worry about after the departure of Buffalo’s Lance Leipold earlier in the year.

If he could emerge, beating out other contenders in eventual division winner Kent State and Miami (Ohio) – which came up only yards short of earning that crown itself – he could secure the job on a full-time basis, picking up where Solich left off at the helm of the league’s most consistent program.

There are two issues with that.