Temple football coach Al Golden will always have a special bond with this season's senior class.

To him, it's a class very similar to Kentucky basketball's 1992 senior class, which was dubbed "The Unforgettables."

After persevering through two seasons of NCAA probation, the foursome - Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey, and Sean Wood - was credited with bringing good times back to Kentucky. The seniors capped their career with an NCAA tourney Elite Eight overtime loss to Duke. In a postseason ceremony, Kentucky retired the four players' jerseys.

"How can you not put them in the same class?" Golden said of his program's 16 seniors.

"If we can finish this off, obviously it will be one of the biggest, most dramatic turnarounds. And it's the seniors that are most responsible for it. Make no mistake, it's the seniors."

Temple - 8-2 overall, 6-0 in the Mid-American Conference - will recognize the achievements of its seniors before tomorrow's home finale against Kent State (5-5, 4-2) at the Linc.

It's a class that weathered a 1-16 start beginning with its freshman season. But instead of losing focus, the group kept working hard through the tough times. Two and a half seasons later, these seniors brought the good times back to North Broad Street.

The Owls secured their first winning season since going 7-4 overall in 1990. Temple is also bowl-eligible and in the driver's seat to nab its first MAC title.

"I never really said anything and thought about it . . . [really] thought about it," fifth-year senior defensive back Dominique Harris said of the seniors' contribution. "I tried to stay focused. But it is definitely going to be a spectacular memory, a great memory that we will all have to cherish for life."

The seniors' contributions cannot be measured in statistics. Their biggest offering was believing in Golden, a rookie head coach when they were freshmen, when it was probably easier to go through the motions. That's because when they arrived at Temple in 2006, a culture of losing was expected and accepted.

"Coming from the bottom, there was really no one to look up to as a freshman," senior linebacker Alex Joseph said, referring to Golden's first season at Temple. "It was a new coaching staff, and there were really some guys who were with the old coaching staff. So they were kind of doing their own thing. So we didn't know who to really follow."

Humiliated by mounting lopsided losses, the then-sophomores hit rock bottom with a 42-7 setback to Buffalo on Sept. 8, 2007. Afterward, they realized it was their time to lead and end the losing culture.

"So from then on, we kind of held each other accountable to a different standard," Joseph said. "And even right now, if one person messes up, we are all going to get on him."

That approach paid off, as Temple won four of its last seven games that season. Last year, the Owls went 5-7. And after starting 0-2 this season, Temple is riding its first eight-game winning streak since 1973. The eight victories are the most in a single season since the Owls finished 10-2 in 1979.

"When I got here, the things that he [Golden] was doing, I knew that we were on the right path," senior defensive tackle Andre Neblett said. "Time and time, we were just saying, 'We can do something. We could leave a legacy here.' "

Just don't mention the "L" word to senior tight end Steve Maneri until after the season. He believes Temple's current success won't mean much if the team falters down the stretch.

"What have we really accomplished yet?" Maneri said. "We still have a lot of work to do. We still have a few more games to play. When it's all said and done, hopefully we can be that class."

Maneri's statement may be the best example of how Temple's culture has changed.

Contact staff writer Keith Pompey at 610-313-8029 or kpompey@phillynews.com.