The Monday After: Just get to six wins

As we finally, mercifully, prepare to end this two-year trek through the wilderness without a football conference, I now care about one thing, and one thing only: Get that sixth win and get to a bowl game. 

Even in light of Saturday’s loss, that’s all that matters to me. I would have liked to have beaten James Madison, as the game was there for the taking, just as three other close games that turned into losses have been. But outside of the initial postgame emotions – and they were strong, for sure! – the only thing I’m really bummed about is that the Cougars missed an opportunity to secure bowl eligibility.

Which is why I now find myself looking ahead at the possibility that awaits this weekend much more than looking back at what could have been over the last couple of months.

I would never say what I am about to say in the presence of coach Jimmy Rogers or any of the players, but the truth is that all these close losses on the road to Mississippi, Virginia, Oregon State, and James Madison are ultimately inconsequential … provided we can simply win one more game on Saturday. 

Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate; I suppose they’d have been consequential if we somehow had figured out how to win all of them, as we’d be ranked and have a really good case for that non-Power 4 CFP berth. But it’s rare that a team wins – or loses (ugh) – all their close games, so I’m not going to go down that road. 

Instead, let’s consider the difference between where we’ll be on Saturday if we beat Oregon State for a sixth win vs. where we’d have been if we beat Oregon State and we’d won just two of the four close losses to finish with eight wins: