I don't know of any coach at Rice or elsewhere that has set a upper limit on their eventual aspirations. I think the normal response is to always aim higher than what has thus far been achieved.

I do hear some of the fans here setting intermediate achievements as ultimate goals. Things like competing for the conference championship 1 every three or four years. Being respectable. Well, I want respectable, and then I want more, and then more again, and I expect that attitude from every coach in every sport.

Coach Graham had the guts to jump to the end and say it out loud. Lots of credit for that. Maybe younger coaches are less likely to put it all on the line like that. But what if Gritman doesn't make "the catch"?

No NC, but we would still be trying. That's what a good coach does, tries every play, every game, every season to do the best. As it is, we are trying for a second NC, and he didn't promise two at the conference.