2014 Temple Owls Season Update: Are The Owls Ready To Fly Yet?

In the world of college football the usual stories are all about the power five conferences and teams that have won big in the past. I always like to show the “little guys” some love every once in a while because after all they are out there playing 12 games a year as well despite not being recognized on a national stage.

One of those teams that have a historically bad past is the Temple Owls from the American Athletic Conference. The Owls went 2-10 last year and saw a slippage in their recent run of success from 2009-2011. The Owls in those three seasons won 26 games and even won a bowl game in 2011 against Wyoming.  

That bowl win was the first for Temple since the 1979 Garden State Bowl. So, obviously it has not been the best of times for Temple, but they are in an area where the college football world revolves around Penn State.

Temple is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the media coverage goes to mainly professional sports teams. The Owls always have to battle Big Ten powers for big time players and it usually doesn’t turn out well for the Owls in those recruiting battles.

The Owls currently sit at 3-1, including a 1-0 start in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls only need three more wins to become bowl eligible in 2014. So, can they get the job done? Let’s take a look at their schedule.

The Owls have home games against Tulsa, East Carolina, Memphis and Cincinnati. If the Owls can manage a 2-2 record in these four games their chances of making a bowl are pretty good.

The Owls have Houston, UCF, Penn State and Tulane on the road the remainder of this season. I feel their best shot to win in this stretch is obviously against Houston or Tulane.

Temple is 0-37 all-time against Penn State since 1943, so obviously it would take a historic win, literally, to get a win against the Nittany Lions.

The road will be tough, but one thing is for sure the Temple Owls are beginning to get back to a respectable level like they were several seasons ago. Temple has a proud legacy and it continues to grow on the football field. The Owls are just one of many teams that don’t get the national attention big power teams do, but for once I wanted to show the little guy some national recognition and love.