It is not very often that you will find a school in the Mid-American Conference that has a winning record, plays in a bowl game, beats a rival *and* sends several players to the pros.... while still considering it a down year.
For the Toledo Rockets, who were coming off of a dominant MAC championship season in 2017, a limping 7-6 record was not expected in 2018. Injuries absolutely affected the Rockets' chances of repeating, but alas, it wasn't their only flaw in a season which could have finished differently with a few different chances.
Now the Rockets are reloading, and are healthy and optimistic about a new defense which they hope will prove the national prognosticators correct in picking UT to come out of the MAC West and advance to Detroit.