Temple Owls

2005 Season Summary

After seven seasons on the job as head coach of the Temple Owls head coach Bobby Wallace had proven incapable of turning the corner, as he was 19-60 straight up at this coaching graveyard.

A measure of how bad things were

After a 1-11 straight up record in 2003, Temple “improved” to 2-9 straight up in 2004.  A measure of how bad things were for the Temple football program is that they were kicked out of the Big East Conference effective at the start of the 2005 season.  The Big East is not exactly respected as a football league and was deserted by its best programs over the years that left for more competitive conferences.  To be kicked out of the Big East Conference means that your football program was in one sorry state.

Amazingly in the black

Despite the horrific straight up losing that was now a rite of passage at Temple; the Owls were covering the spread on a regular basis.  Temple was 7-4 against the sportsbooks in 2003 and 6-4 against the number in 2004 as Temple completed back-to-back seasons amazingly in the black.   The Owls were a solid dog as the entered 2005 having covered 16 of their last 25 as a pup and 5 of their last 6 on the road.

Playing in exile as an independent

Temple was to eventually join the Mid American Conference in football but, for 2005, would be playing in exile as an independent.  The possibility existed that they would be a potentially good bargain on the betting boards because of their horrible reputation with the mainstream gambling public, who if they knew anything about Temple at all it was just the superficial info about being kicked out of the Big East.  More in depth college football gamblers would keep a close eye on the Owls as the potential for bargains existed.

Blowout losses built up the Owls’ value

Temple opened the 2005 season at Arizona State as a whopping 32-point dog and was destroyed 16-63.  This was followed with another annihilation suffered at the hands of Wisconsin, 0-65 as 31.5-point road dogs.  The perverse positive to all of this was that the blowout losses built up the Owls’ value for the foreseeable future.

Bargain basement dogs

Temple faced Toledo in their home opener as 26-point dogs and came within the number in a 17-42 loss that demonstrated their improved value as bargain basement dogs.  At home the following week against Western Michigan, Temple lost a tough 16-19 decision as 4-point dogs for their second consecutive cover.

Not getting enough points

Next was a trip to explosive Bowling Green, who was installed as a 31-point chalk, covering with ease in a 70-7 decimation of Temple.  At home the following week against struggling Maryland, Temple was manhandled 7-38 as 29-point dogs as they were not getting enough points from the oddsmakers.

Oddsmakers begged

Miami came calling to Philadelphia next as a whopping 43.5-point road chalk against the Owls as oddsmakers begged gamblers to take Temple.  Miami is a great example of a “name brand” team that more often than not is over-valued on the betting boards precisely because of their mass appeal.  Temple easily covered in a 3-34 loss.  At Clemson the following week, oddsmakers begged gamblers again to take the Owls who were 37-point dogs in a 7-37 loss/cover.

Owls’ value was grounded temporarily

At home against MAC power Miami-Ohio the Owls were brought back down to 20-point dogs in a 14-41 loss.  This was followed by a 3-51 blowout loss at Virginia as 35-point dogs as the Owls’ value was grounded temporarily.  In the season finale, which was also Wallace’s last game as coach, Temple was a hefty 28-point chalk at Navy in a 17-38 loss/cover that ended a straight up winless season in Wallace’s farewell.