Matt Rhule inherited a team on the edge in 2013. After Al Golden resurrected the Temple Owls and made them relevant again, he jetted for Miami. Steve Addazio stepped in from there and spent two years at the helm, riding high on Golden’s success in year one and cutting ties once the Boston College job opened up, and things started to crumble in North Philadelphia.
Things could have gone very poorly for the Owls after Addazio and it looked like they would, as Rhule went just 2-10 in his first season. However, in 2016, in his fourth year in charge, Rhule had built a defensive powerhouse that won 10 games in back-to-back seasons and captured an American Athletic Conference title, an unthinkable accomplishment a decade ago when the Owls were floundering as an independent.