Many in Bowling Green felt the football team’s season was officially over with a loss to Northern Illinois last month.

At that point, they didn’t have a chance to win the MAC West and that meant their chances of winning another bowl was being flushed down the crapper.

But the Falcons have made the best of things since that loss, winning five in a row and reminding the rest of the nation that they were a top 25 team last year.

Since their loss, the Falcons have outscored opponents 48.2 to 15.8 and have made opponents look silly in those games.

In that time, quarterback Omar Jacobs has emerged as one of the hottest quarterbacks in the nation, throwing for 1,755 yards, 15 touchdowns and just one interception in those wins. Wide receiver Charles Sharon has continued his play as one of the most explosive receivers in the MAC, catching 32 balls for 438 yards and five touchdowns and would be considered far and away the hottest receiver on the team if it weren’t for Steve Sanders, who has 25 catches for 500 yards and four scores.

Even the defense, who had trouble early, has stepped up for BG.

In the first three games, the Falcons allowed 27 points per game and rarely bothered opposing team’s quarterbacks, whom they sacked just one time.

Since then, the defense has emerged as one of the finest in the conference, allowing few touchdowns and sacking the quarterback 15 times and generally causing the same ruckus they did in 2003..

To say the least, the Falcons are one of the most improved teams in the nation and they made their leap seemlessly overnight.

One week after the NIU loss, the Falcons rolled to a 70-16 win over Temple, giving the MAC only their second win over non-MAC opponents.

The past few weeks, the Falcons have done the same against conference foes.

Luckily for the team, others have noticed on a national level.

The Associated Press has finally given the Falcons some credit this past week, ranking them No. 40 in their most recent poll.

It marked the first time since the preseason the writers acknowledged BG, but who cares, sports writers don’t know what they’re talking about.

The people who really know are the coaches, and this past weekend, they gave the Falcons a No. 29 ranking overall, putting them neatly in front of the likes of national powers Ohio State (No. 31), Alabama (No. 33) and Notre Dame (No. 37).

And with the Nos. 19 through 28 teams playing some stifling competition, the Falcons could make their re-emergence into the Top 25 as early as this weekend.

No. 19 Oklahoma State is likely to lose to No. 8 Texas, No. 20 Iowa and No. 27 Purdue will play each other and obviously one will lose and the kicker will be when No. 23 Texas A’M gets pounded by Oklahoma. With No. 23 Arizona State playing a talented Stanford team and No. 26 Texas Tech playing an upset-minded Baylor team, it is entirely likely the Falcons will ease right into the lower parts of the Top 25.

So to say the Falcons’ season is over is far from the truth.

With the Marshall and Toledo games on the horizon, it is entirely likely the Falcons will be in the Top 20 by season’s end.

With 28 bowls to choose from, it is probable the Falcons will be playing in December if they keep playing the way they’re playing.