You have to wonder what Mario Cristobal was getting himself into. He saw firsthand what sort of mess he took over when he was hired as the head coach at FIU before the 2007 season. The Panthers hit absolute rock-bottom - it could literally get no worse (maybe that's what he was thinking?) after the winless 2006 slate. Cristobal witnessed the low point, a 35-0 loss to Miami in which there was a slew of fights and suspensions - some on the FIU side of which carried into the 2007 season. The Panthers didn't bother to show up and/or cover in any of their last five games, each of which they were a dog. After five games, he surely must have had the same second-thoughts. FIU had been outscored 210-28 (or an average of 42 to 5.6). But progress would come, as the offense scored 23 ppg in the last six games, and the losing skid that dated to 2005 was finally snapped in the season finale against North Texas.

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Last year, the Panthers ranked only 96th in total offense but that was significantly-higher than the 118th of 2007. Second-year offensive coordinator Bill Legg's spread should continue to improve as nine starters are back on that side of the ball. Senior QB Paul McCall was solid and steady last fall, the O-line returns four starters and the receivers should be decent. The rushing game, which ranked 107th nationally (2.8 ypc) needs to establish a threat; that's the weakness heading in. On the other side, DC Phil Galiano must replace six starters. Remember, the Panthers lost 41 starts to injury (11th in the nation), so some depth was developed last year out of necessity. Graduation hit the D-line and secondary hardest. The linebackers and special teams are near the top of the Sun Belt.

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