Cykron

Maybe not that many watched it particularly because there wasn't much of a sense of urgency for a conference title game birth. Plus our cable digital sports pack signal was terribly pixelated. We had to stream through the CBS Sports App and then mirror with Apple TV. It was pretty tough to watch from a technical perspective.

Well, that 4th quarter for Buffalo didn't go as hoped. Lost on offense, defense, and special teams. First half was pretty nice. Apart from my personal interest, that is why Americans watch MACtion. Anything can happen.

Not quite. I think Buffalo wins the MAC East if they beat Kent, Toledo, and Bowling Green . . . and if Miami loses to Akron and Ball State. ? Big "if's" that depend on the Zips to do their job as a spoiler! ☠️

Really? This should bring some hope to this gloomy fan site! ?

He can do a lot to control his own destiny with a good showing tonight just up the street from his high school! Go Bull(dog)s!

As an Akron-in-law, I hate to see such great fans as you losing heart, but I understand.

Or EMU fans really travel! ?

For kicks, I did a quick run through Iowa State's roster: 2 from NEO (Mike Rose from Brecksville and Jataris Grant from Akron Garfield), 4 from Cincinnati/Dayton area, 1 from Newark, Ohio, 4 from the Detroit area.

It would be really nice if the Zips rise to the occasion and become the MAC spoiler. I have a free weekend in December that I would really like to fill. Come on guys, take care of business these next two weeks.

Illegal "receiver" downfield is the worst rule in football. If a blocker runs over his guy (or misses his guy) and then looks for someone else to block, he is at risk of getting a penalty. They need to increase the number of yards in which blockers can block. Calling them a "receiver" because they are blocking a few yards downfield is so dumb.

Nice to get some actual info. It is so easy for rumors to take off on things like this. Hope the truth spreads as far and fast as the rumors.

Don't make an Ohio joke. Don't make an Ohio joke. Don't make an Ohio joke. It is so hard not to do so.

"Pre-season analytics had the Zips losing each game, but they were predicted at a 1-2 win level based on statistics that they could have pulled off a couple of wins. Based on these facts, Arth is meeting expectations. " Arth "meeting expectations" is an interesting way to say it!

Agreed. Struggling in FCS will make matters even worse. I would only drop if there was a commitment to make it work. And if there was a commitment to make it work, then it should work in FBS too.

As the father of a college diver, I appreciate your point about keeping the entire program in view, not just football.

I'm okay with the lack of QB pressure last week, but hope you can get it cranked up this week. ?

My biggest moment in the stadium was winning the 50/50 raffle for the Iowa State game! I actually made money by hosting a huge tailgate in Akron. Love the Roo! Wore a Zips button for the rest of the season.

I still remember the fantastic tribute to Jason Taylor during half-time of the Iowa State game. Something about "15 Miles to Fame." It was awesome.

Indeed. Kudos to the defense. I wasn't thrilled with Buffalo's QB play, but that had more to do with play-calling (and the defense). He mostly just handed the ball off or threw quick outs. Not much of a chance to get pressure.

Gene Chizik was hired at Iowa State and brought his fishing buddies with him. It was terrible. He recruited pretty well and the fan base got energized, but he coached horribly once the games actually started. Despite his claims of "being firmly entrenched" (which in Ames means "to lie to your face"), he was on a plane to Auburn within a few days. At the airport, he was greeted by someone with a sign that had his Iowa State record "3 and 19." Apparently, he needed to be in the right place with the right team. Give him Scam Newton, he wins a national championship in his first season there. So perhaps you need better bagmen! Seriously, Chizik stands out to us as a bad coach who got moved along by circumstances without us having to fire him. Maybe there is some hope in that for you. Here is a specialty beer can to commemorate our experience: Note the phone with Auburn colors that is ringing at the "firmly entrenched" press conference. There was talk about it having an ABV of 3.19, both to commemorate his record and to mock him as being weak. Even in our losing, our fans find a way to be energized. Hoping the same for you guys.

"We're No. 2!" Very funny.

Iowa State hired Matt Campbell on the day after he lost the MAC championship. It is a really cool story. And it doesn't hurt to have Big 12 money and Iowa cost of living. Here are some excerpts from an article in the Des Moines Register about it: Pollard was in position to pounce on Saturday. “I didn’t know who else was in line to meet with him, but I do know that nobody is probably waiting to interview with him on Saturday morning, so I knew we were first,” Pollard said. They talked – as Iowa State finished the season with a loss at West Virginia. [the previous coach had been fired but allowed to coach one last game] “One of the things that concerned me with Matt was that he could have a lot of other opportunities,” Pollard said. “I wanted to be first – that’s where the speed part came in. “We needed to be engaged and ready to go.” It’s a seller’s market, with all the head coaching jobs that are open right now. Pollard had to act quickly. “I knew if we had to wait a week in this landscape, it probably wasn’t going to turn out the way I wanted it to turn out,” Pollard said. Pollard got his coach. “We spent several hours getting to know one another, and we got to that spot where you ask yourself, where do we go from here?” Pollard recalled. Would you like to be Iowa State’s next football coach? Campbell looked at Erica, his wife. They talked briefly. “And he reached his hand across the table and shook my hand,” Pollard said. “We hadn’t even talked about compensation yet. “That doesn’t happen in this day and age.” Credit Pollard for being quick, decisive and prepared. In another article Campbell talks about being so impressed with the fans and tailgating when he came to coach Toledo's game here in Ames. Yes, I'm taking credit for him coming.

This looks like it could have been really bad if he drove into the QB rather than just push him.

It is an unsatisfying consolation prize, but much of the rest of the season is about "watching our backups against their backups." Down the road, meaningful experience by upcoming players may yield good dividends.

Not a great game to watch. But good defense is good football. I thought both defenses performed pretty well. Wanted Buffalo to open up the passing game, but they were too content with their running game and quick out passes. As long as they had the lead and it was growing, they didn't really need to try much else.