“Wait until next year.”

                It just sounds better in 2010 than it has in a while.

                Those four words are the refrain of the not-quite-there. They are the mantra of teams that fall just short. So if you really stop to think about it, “wait until next year” may not be entirely appropriate for this Georgia Southern team.

                No team since the Eagles in 1985 has done more to surprise and delight fans and followers of the program. Even though this year’s Eagles won’t be ultimately as successful as Erk’s Eagles in 1985, they had more ground to cover than Tracy Ham and company.

                These guys were over-achievers.

                Consider that prior to 2006, Georgia Southern had just one losing season, a best-forgotten transition year in 1996. Beginning in 2006, fans were treated to a stretch of football beginning with the (also) best-forgotten one-year tenure of He Who Must Not Be Named and a three-year stretch under the well-intentioned Chris Hatcher.

                In those four years—the entire college career of a determined student—Georgia Southern went from being the Notre Dame of Championship Subdivision football to being (and it pains all of Eagle Nation to admit it) the Wake Forest of their division.

                And thus, the end of every season since 2005 has been met with the refrain “wait until next year,” each time with diminishing faith and vigor.

                Despite a disappointing finish in Newark, DE, the words just have a different feeling this year, don’t they?

                Instead of feeling like 2006, the loss to Delaware leaves fans feeling more like 1997. The Blue Hens ended a title run that year, too, but fans around Statesboro felt good about the direction of the program under Paul Johnson (and, lest we forget, an assistant coach named Jeff Monken).

                Instead of feeling like 1995, when the Eagles lost in the playoffs but had very little excitement buzzing around the program, it feels like 1998. That year, the Eagles lost a turnover-plagued championship game but came back even more determined on their way to two straight national titles.

                “Wait until next year” feels like a threat again, not a resignation.

                Yet it might be a good idea to pause just a moment. Somewhere between mourning the loss in Newark and anointing next year’s Eagles the favorites for the 2011 FCS championship, Eagle Nation might want to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

                First and foremost, it would be good to remember just how far ahead of schedule this year’s edition of the Eagles really is. None of the players on this year’s team has won anything substantial in their Georgia Southern careers, but now those same players have three playoff wins and a semifinal appearance in one of the toughest venues in FCS football under their collective belt.

                This says nothing about all the true freshmen who saw significant time on the field this year.

                Coach Monken and his staff proved they could coach a team of raw athletes to run a complex and demanding offensive system. The Eagles knocked off the top two teams in the FCS playoffs at some point in the season and if not for turnovers would have pushed Delaware much harder.

                But all of those accomplishments are only good for the 2010 Eagles. The 2011 squad will start over with a record of 0-0. There is still a lot of the offense to be improved. Longtime fans of the program understand just how far these Eagles were from the execution and explosiveness of past teams in Statesboro. Take nothing away from the improvement in rushing, total yards and scoring. Just consider how much farther this offense can go.

                The defense will be expected to be stout again next season with so many key players returning. Imagine if the players on that side of the ball show significant improvement, too.

                It might not be fair to expect next year’s Eagles to go out and win a national championship. Fair or not, Eagle Nation will have those sorts of aspirations in their hearts when Georgia Southern kicks off next season.

                They won’t be opening up with Savannah State in 2011, though and it doesn’t matter.

                “Wait until next year,” for now, at least, sounds a lot like “one more time.”

                Thanks for the great ride, Eagles.