GJGood

Saw Nate Williams play for Newark Catholic. Not sure if we are looking at him more for offense or defense. He plays two ways at his small high school. That is one big boy and he moves pretty well for that size as well. One concern may be conditioning as he looked like he got winded at various points through the game and seemed to sit out a few series. Seemed like he took more defensive snaps than offensive ones. I will be looking forward to seeing what he can do once in a D1 strength and conditioning program.

They are also a team that defeated the Zips and sent Akron into the offseason in the past, so its nice to get a shot at them at home even though none of the players are probably even aware of the last meeting.

What happened to the coaches vs cancer event that had started the season with the four NEO schools playing each other? I see YSU is on the schedule but not right off the bat.

I guess I just wonder why Malone and Concord? Don't we usually only play one non-D1?

UTEP sounds better on the schedule than UAB, Troy, and Illinois right now. Never cared much for the scheduling of FCS but if you are going to do it you want to make sure they aren't the very top of FCS.

That was a great game. The other thing I get from this is that I think I would like to see Akron schedule a home-and-home with UTEP.

Cameron Shirkey, Sr., P/PK, Bloom-Carroll High School Watched him kick a 48 yard field goal in week one of his senior high school season and is the best high school punter I have seen in quite a while. Seems to fill a potential need for the Zips.

I read somewhere that the Battle for the capital Tournament will afford each of the four participating teams two games at the home arena of the WNBA's Washington Mystics. Akron will play in the nightcap of the doubleheader on December 20 against the Tulane Green Wave. If the Zips win they will play the winner of Liberty/ Towson in the nightcap on Dec 21. If the Zips fall to the Green Wave they will play the loser of the Flames-Tigers matchup in the early game on the 21st.

Just saying that most, if not all, conferences have multiple bowl tie-ins against the same conference. that applies to P5 and G5 conferences. It allows for more bowl game matchups to be played repeatedly, even if at different bowl sites.

I like it especially since it matches teams from opposite ends of the nation but I am still of the opinion that there should be more diversity in bowl matchups. If the MAC has six bowl tie-ins I would like to see it against six different conferences. I believe this now means we have two MAC vs MWC and at least two MAC vs. Sun Belt.... I think there are three Big Ten vs. SEC so it is clearly not just a MAC or G5 issue.

Another question is; Will the Pirates be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline? If they are looking to add Brubaker could be attractive to a rebuilding team.

I agree. I think he will still get there though at least for September call-ups if not before, assuming he is healthy.

Since the pros would include minor leagues I would have to think there will be more once the program gets established again. Making MLB is always a bit of a long shot unless drafted very high. I am keeping an eye on JT Brubaker right now. He is at AAA Indianapolis n the Pirates organization and was last year's minor league pitcher of the year for their organization. If he can get back to full health it may not be long before he is wearing a Pirates uniform. If he makes the majors he will instantly become my favorite player in MLB because not only did he go to my collegiate alma mater but also graduated from the same high school in New Carlisle, Ohio as my dad which is a very unusual combination.

I mentioned Duquesne because they would expand the geographic footprint but are still very much in the region, in football have played schools like Hawaii and UMass in an effort to boost the program and were a playoff team in the FCS in a city that could help as far as media market. Basketball-wise they have been situated in a conference that most see as superior to the MAC but they themselves have not been able to finish very high in the standings there. The MAC may be a better fit for them.

You could say the same about a number of schools. Illinois State would fit the MAC footprint better than Northern Iowa, and can you imagine a school like Duquesne joining the MAC if football moved to FBS and they were tired of being a second division A-10 basketball program?

Someone local to me. I will have to be sure to see him play this fall.

I wasn't trying to put down Detroit in any way, just saying from a player standpoint it is more of a reward to go to the beach (or maybe skiing/tubing in the mountains?) than what the geography and climatology of Detroit in December can really offer. That being said if the champion always goes there and always plays a P5, a ranked G5, or as a last resort an unranked G5 conference champ then it becomes something more to strive for.

I remember that as well but it turned out that all to often not only were you ending up going against a fourth or fifth place team from a G5 but you were doing it in the tropical locale of Detroit while your conference mates that finished below you were headed to the warmer environs of the south. It didn't seem like the biggest reward was going to the most deserving team.

I agree with everything here. The only other thing I would say, though, is that a trip to Detroit may not seem like the same reward as going to the Bahamas or Florida in late December even though the bowl itself may be a couple of rungs higher up the ladder and the opponent more well known nationally.

So, the next question is.. will the MAC designate this bowl as the destination bowl of its champion (unless in a NY6 bowl) or will it just be any one of the bowl eligible MAC teams that goes to Ford Field? Whether it would be this bowl or not, I would like to see the MAC have a bowl designated for its champion if they do not make a New Years Six or playoff game. I just want to see the MAC Champ be given the best opportunity to represent the conference whether it be against a P5 program or a ranked G5 conference team.

... and if the school in Portage County would just add men's soccer we would be right back where we are now

Worth noting CMU was the team that sent the 'Canes to the loser's bracket in the first place where they later met up again. The MAC champs splitting with one of the most prestigious programs in the nation isn't too shabby. Difference here is pitching depth. When G5 teams are throwing thier #1 pitchers they have a legit shot most of the time but when a G5 third man in the rotation comes up against a P5 lineup, especially from the south, it usually doesn't go well for the G5 team. Still better than it was a couple decades ago. The trend is getting better but a long way to go to get near equal footing.

I honestly thought he may leave when Antino did since they came from the high school program. Regardless, after all E-man has been through I wish him nothing but the best, not just for basketball but for a healthy life going forward.

You'd think if Huggins wanted to play a road game at a mid-major in Ohio that the Zips would be at the top of his personal list.

I guess the reason I don't like the Zips playing against FCS competition is more basic than a strength of schedule argument. I don't like the idea of 85 scholly schools playing 63 scholly schools, or however many FCS has now. While everyone tries to talk about how different P5 and G5 are at least the rules for composing their teams are basically equal. That is not the case when comparing FBS and FCS. I get that many schools, even P5 schools, schedule FCS teams in part to ensure bowl eligibility. While I wouldn't go as far as saying FBS schools should not be able to play FCS opponents I do wish that FCS wins did not count toward bowl eligibility. Then you would see more P5s knocking on the door to schedule G5s and a good recruiter at a G5 school could use that to his or her advantage.