KINGSTON, R.I. - For the 2011 Tigers, Saturday's regular season finale could be a day they will never forget. With a win at Rhode Island, the Tigers will put the finishing touches on a remarkable season where they confounded experts every week.

They have been called the "Turnaround Tigers" and "Worst to First Tigers," but the name that want to be called is Colonial Athletic Association champions.

Coming off a 2010 season in which they went 1-10 and 0-8 in the CAA, not much was expected of the Tigers, who were picked to finish last in the CAA.

After a season-opening win over Morgan State, it was obvious that the Tigers were a better team. On Sept. 10, the Tigers showed the CAA that they were not pushovers with a convincing 31-10 victory over No. 20 Villanova.

When the Tigers ripped Colgate on Homecoming, they were 3-0 and nationally-ranked for the first time in five years.

Even a 28-3 loss at Maryland continued the changing perception of the Tigers. The score was definitely not indicative of a game in which the Tigers had more total yards than the Terrapins.

Returning to CAA action, the Tigers survived a record-setting performatnce by Richmond quarterback Aaron Corp to edge the 14th-ranked Spiders, 31-28. D.J. Soven's field goal on the final play of the game was the margin of victory.

Tied for first place in the CAA, the Tigers faced back-to-back road games at Old Dominion and William & Mary, games that would determine how much they had really improved.

Trailing Old Dominion by 35-24 with a little more than three minutes remaining, the Tigers showed they were legitimate contenders. They came from behind and pulled out a 39-35 victory on a 63-yard touchdown pass from Grant Enders to Tom Ryan with 1:07 left.

The following week, the Tigers scored touchdowns on their first four possessions as they rolled to a 38-27 win at William & Mary.

Although the Tigers stumbled against Delaware in a home game, they regained their focus the following week by rushing for 334 yards in a win over CAA-leading Maine.

Last week, the Tigers put themselves in position to place for the CAA title when they outlasted No. 7 New Hampshire, 56-42.

So, on Saturday, the Tigers will be hoping to write the final chapter of a season that has been unprecedented in the 43-year history of the program.