The motto for Ohio football’s 2015 season has been to the point: Restore the Roar. After 2014 saw the Bobcats miss out on a bowl game for the first time since 2008, the team came back in August prepared to prove that last year was a fluke compared to the recent success for the program. Also among the goals was an improvement within the MAC, as the Bobcats went 4-4 against league opponents in each of the last three seasons.

2015 saw the program open with a road win at Idaho, and while there were moments where the Bobcats didn’t play their best, the Vandals never looked like a team that could overcome a challenge of playing from behind. After more than a week in between games, Ohio returned to Athens for a rivalry game with Marshall, who embarrassed the Bobcats the previous year in Huntington. In a game filled with penalties on every side of the ball, the Bobcats got their revenge on the Thundering Herd, and ended non-conference play 3-1 after a controversial loss at Minnesota.

MAC play began brightly for the Green and White, leading many to wonder about the chances of a conference championship. Then came the dismal three-game stretch in late October and early November; the Bobcats have struggled in recent years against Western Michigan & Bowling Green, and 2015 was not an exception. Sandwiched in between those two losses, however, was a setback at Buffalo, a team that Ohio usually beats in Athens, but gives the Bobcats fits in New York. At that point of the season, Ohio stood 5-4, 2-3 in the MAC, with fans questioning the chances of a second straight year without a postseason appearance.

Ultimately the Bobcats got back on track with convincing wins over struggling Kent State and Ball State, followed by Tuesday’s improbable win at Northern Illinois. The Huskies have been the standard-bearer of MAC football for the better part of the last decade; before the season, their last November losses came in 2009, to Ohio and Central Michigan – the two teams that would in the MAC Championship Game that fall. NIU rallied to stun Ohio and win the 2011 MAC Championship, before another comeback in Athens last year. In DeKalb, the Bobcats were the team off to a fast start, holding for a 26-21 win that could deny the Huskies a sixth straight trip to Detroit.

So Ohio closes the regular season with an 8-4 record, 5-3 in the MAC, second place in the East Division. The Bobcats have not only guaranteed themselves a bowl game, but one of the five games with MAC tie-ins (meaning the Camellia, Famous Idaho Potato, Boca Raton, GoDaddy, or Bahamas Bowls). Another thing to keep an eye on is the long-term program, which the bowl result will impact. Head coach Frank Solich turned 71 in September; as he brings his 11th season in Athens to a close, will this be when he calls it a career? What about the many redshirt seniors on the squad? During their first year in Athens, 2011, Ohio made school history winning 10 games, including the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. After that second-half collapse to Northern Illinois, the Bobcats had one of redemption in Boise against Utah State. If the Bobcats do head back to Boise, it would be a poignant full-circle moment for those players.

2015 has been a year to remember for Ohio football, and the good news for fans: it’s not over yet.