http://www.presnapread.com/the-year-in-r...more-32210

To understand where Florida International stood upon Mario Cristobal’s arrival in 2007, it’s probably useful to read the following paragraph from the great Bruce Feldman, way back when he was doing his thing at ESPN, not CBS:

"When Cristobal got the job, F.I.U. was winless… The program was in complete disarray when he arrived. I have been down to visit F.I.U. before Cristobal arrived and after. There was no weight room, no meeting rooms, no film setup. It was unlike any Division I program I’d ever seen…. Many of the players had to work out on a Bowflex machine in some makeshift room. Players often had to sit on the floor of coaches’ offices for position meetings."

It’s through the prism of then-and-now, from nothing to something, that we need to judge Florida International’s 2011 season. Disappointing today? The Golden Panthers, the presumptive Sun Belt favorites, lost to Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Western Kentucky en route to a fourth-place finish in the final conference standings. Disappointing when compared to where this program was in 2007? F.I.U. has gone from Bowflex to bowl play. Not disappointing: amazing....