An ECU fan and a WVU fan walk into a bar …

Colby Dant and Ryan McIntyre break down Temple’s season.

An ECU fan and a WVU fan walk into a bar and ….

…. decided that Temple is going to be better than the Vegas Line predicted this season.

No joke.

One of them, Colby Dant, the lead broadcaster for The College Football Experience, even floated the possibility of six wins and a bowl bid. Dant is an ECU fan and his cohost, Moneyline Mac (Ryan McIntyre), was the video coordinator for Bobby Huggins at West Virginia.

If all Temple players and fans had the enthusiasm of this guy, the Owls would be in the CFB playoff this year.

That’s important because those guys never wore Cherry and White-colored glasses and can take a step back and view the upcoming season from a more objective standpoint than those of us who do.

That’s what we always tried to do here.

Proof is in the pudding, though.

Last year, knowing that Stan Drayton was the head coach and Everett Withers the DC, we predicted that the Owls would finish 2-10. Those expectations were so low because we had seen enough of those two over the prior years to come to that conclusion way back on May 19, 2024. Another factor was that one of our main themes was to replace E.J. Warner with a big-time newcomer at that position–even floating the names of Holy Cross starter Matt Sluka and Miami backup Reese Poffenbarger–but Drayton didn’t get it done. (Miami outbid Temple for Poffenbarger because, well, Miami but Sluka was promised more than TU could come up with yet was lied to and stiffed by UNLV.)

Instead, he completely botched the quarterback position not only by sitting on his hands but by misidentifying the talent on his own team by trotting Forrest Brock out as the starter over the clearly superior Evan Simon.

Who knows how many games that cost the Owls last year?

This year, new head coach K.C. Keeler not only brought in a big-time quarterback–Oregon State starter Gevani McCoy–but also was able to talk Simon into staying, where he currently leads a close battle for the starting quarterback position. Keeler also sprinkled in talented transfers all over the place to compete with the holdovers.

Others outside of Temple have noticed.

Dant isn’t saying the Owls make the college football playoff (see inset where the Owls beat Penn State in the opening round) nor are we.

Our game-by-game prediction last year had Temple at 2-10 and the Owls bettered that by one game. Our game-by-game prediction was/is six wins this year and it was posted in this space way back on May 23.

If the Owls prove us wrong and win one more game this year like they did last year, we will be toasting Colby Dant and Moneyline Mac from a bowl location in December.

Friday: New Digs

Monday: Depth chart clues

TU football: After recruiting blitz and uni reveal, no rest for weary

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If the Owls get to a bowl game, the “Keeler Cheesesteak” will be Richie’s most popular.

The days of a Temple football coach heading to a far away state for a vacation in the middle of the summer are over.

Apparently.

While Stan Drayton spent the two weeks around July 4th last year at his home in Houston, Tx., this year’s new head coach K.C. Keeler is from here so he’s not going anywhere.

Keeler spent the day after July 4th catching a Cheesesteak at Richie’s on 12th Street. That “vacation” lasted about an hour and it was back to work.

Oklahoma fans are already making plans for being in Philadelphia.

I don’t know about you but it’s a refreshing change for this Temple fan.

Before Drayton’s jaunt to Texas, the prior coach, Rod Carey, spent the last two weeks of every July in Indiana with his family. Before that, Steve Addazio spent a week in Gainesville every June.

Drayton felt guilty enough about his Houston jaunt to mention on his own without prompting to Temple reporters that he wasn’t worried about not being in Philadelphia because he was “in constant contact” with his “senior leadership council” and that they were putting in the required work.

Can’t imagine how those phone calls went.

Drayton: “You guys lifting every day and getting in the sprints?”

Council: “Yeah, coach, we’re cool.”

Drayton: “What’s that music in the background? Are you guys having a party?”
Council: “No, coach, that’s music to lift by.”

Drayton: “OK, I’ll go back to watching my daughters at this gymnastics’ meet.”

Council: “Have fun coach.”

Drayton: “See you in two weeks.”

If anyone deserves a vacation, it’s Keeler. The month of June included a blitz of recruiting that saw the Owls sign the largest 2026 class in all of FBS ball. That was capped by a July 1 announcement of new uniforms.

Keeler apparently believes that whatever rest he can get is after the season because the preparation for 2025 begins now. The season includes a home date against Oklahoma and, while few Temple fans are expecting a win, it’s reasonable to expect that this won’t be another 51-3 game. After all, Oklahoma lost to a Navy team in 2024 coming off a 32-18 loss to Temple in 2023.

That you to the TFF community for a great month of June.

A lot can change in college football in a year, especially with the transfer portal.

The current Owls are undergoing rigorous drills in typically hot Philadelphia summer heat, supervised not by a “senior leadership council” but by a staff of proven winners, led by the winningest FCS head coach of all time.

Since college football is a 365-day-a-week job, it’s comforting to know that the people in charge realize that, too.

For now, a signature Cheesesteak and an hour away from the office will have to sub for a vacation.