center, enhancement to the team locker room, revitalization of Peden Stadium including installation of a state-of-the-art FieldTurf playing surface, improved and expanded seating complete with a popular concert-style berm at the south end zone) were nearly complete. They were finished with two final projects, new team meeting rooms and a new athletic training room. Fan interest in the program was revitalized and reached its highest since the 2001 season. Also, Ohio was selected to appear on national television six times for the 2005 football season, a record for the program. Solich's first home game as coach of the Bobcats was a memorable one, as Peden Stadium brought in its largest crowd ever. 24,545 fans were in attendance on September 9, 2005, to watch the Bobcats defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers, 16–10. The Pittsburgh–Ohio game was among the top 15 most viewed regular season college football games ever on ESPN2. The Bobcats' 2005 record under Solich (4–7) was the same as the team's record in the previous year under Brian Knorr. However, in 2006, Solich led the Bobcats to a 9–5 record including a MAC East Division title and a GMAC Bowl invitation. The bowl game (which Ohio lost to Southern Miss, 28–7) was the program's first bowl appearance since 1968. In the 2007 season, the Bobcats took a step backward and finished with a record of 6–6. Two of those losses were by less than three points, and a third was a 28–7 loss to nationally ranked Virginia Tech. The Bobcats were one of six bowl eligible teams that missed the postseason. On July 18, 2008, Solich was given an extension of his contract through the 2013 season. In 2009, Solich led the Bobcats to a 9–5 overall mark with another MAC East championship and an appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. That 2009 senior class amassed more wins (28) than any other Ohio football class in more than 40 years. In 2011, Solich coached the Bobcats to a 10–4 record, another MAC East Division title, and their first ever bowl win. The Bobcats defeated Utah State 24–23 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. It was Ohio's first ten win season since 1968. During the 2012 season, Solich coached the Bobcats to a 7–0 start, which saw their first Associated Press Top 25 weekly ranking since 1968, as well as a spot in the weekly coaches poll. In October 2018,