Let'sGoZips94

They still have 2 teams in the top 100 for NET, neither of which are any of Memphis, FAU, or Wichita St (Wichita St is 102). Completely agree they have not been a 3-4 bid league for a while, but their pathway to 2+ bids is much clearer than the MAC's or any other true mid major conference. I would easily rather player an in-conference schedule of AAC schools compared to MAC schools. Wichita St. is a solid CBB brand thanks to Gregg Marshall. Memphis is one of the top non P4 CBB brands thanks to Calipari and now Penny Hardaway. FAU is just 2 years removed from a trip to the Final Four. Their lowest rated team is 300 in NET right now. The MAC has 3 teams with 300+ NET and a 4th knocking on the door. Time will tell if the AAC continues to be a significant step up from the MAC as a whole, but as of today, it still remains true.

I view the last few years as the new standard for the MAC, due to poor vision and leadership. What has the MAC done to make anyone believe they are anything more than a bottom half mid major conference? Probably a conversation for a different thread, though.

Correct, although right now is an anomaly with Memphis, Wichita St., etc. struggling. Last year, the AAC finished as the 11th best conference in NET (the MAC was 23rd for comparison). It is still closer to that Next 5 tier than it is a bottom half/one-bid conference.

Friday 12/5 at 7pm EST. Rematch of last year's 5A title game where Semaj's team was a runner up.

Big time, which is a little surprising considering a few of the OGs are still involved with the University.

He has had 2 winning seasons in his first 6 years at the helm. Now, Tulane was an absolute train wreck under their previous HC, Mike Dunleavy, and they did not have much success prior to him, either. Tough spot to win it looks like and I'm sure the fan base is tired of seeing the program struggle to get over any sort of consistently successful hump. Also a tough conference to win in with Memphis, Wichita St., etc., but it's much easier than it used to be with Cincy, Houston, and others departing in recent years.

I'm sure they heard things said by the Rowdies about their son that still haunt them today lol. That was around the time when the Rowdies were still doing Facebook deep dives and NSFW goalie introductions.

2nd coldest Zips sporting event I've ever been to, right behind the 2005 Snow Bowl Wagon Wheel game. Such a fun win, though. Beat Saint Louis - Go Zips!

In a world where most teams have 22 & 23 year olds, a team of 18-19 year olds is rarely going to be consistently successful. Would much prefer we save roster spots for grown men.

The good news is most zones are mid game adjustments by the opponent, not necessarily their identity. The Zips have several days to fully prepare which should help. Just read Tulane's board. They want their coach fired yesterday. Here's to hoping we can help get that wish to the finish line! Apparently their coach is Ron Hunter. He's an Ohio native who played 4 years at Miami OH in the 80s.

Someone tell Mr. UCLA that. 1 guy in their entire 9 man rotation is from Indiana, and he's their 8th best scorer. Also, relying on Ohio Bobcat rejects like Elmore James IV to be key contributors probably isn't the best roster building strategy. They're not particularly tall and they don't shoot the ball very well. Not a great recipe for success.

Bowling Green has surpassed Ohio State for the #2 team in Ohio NET wise. UMass has cracked the top 200, giving the MAC 8 top 200 teams. The next closed to UMass (196) is Ohio at 262. WMU, CMU, NIU, and Balls bring up the rear (Balls lost to Evansville and dropped to 346 out of 365).

Don't forget Murray State.

This one is big. Tulane is only 228 NET, but that will rise. They have Akron (42 NET) and UC San Diego (63 NET) as the big challenges left in their OOC. Add those and their AAC schedule (Tulsa, USF, Wichita St, Memphis, FAU, etc.) and this could end up being a Q2 opportunity since it's on the road. They are 8 deep and tall/long although a lot of their scoring production comes from the 6'3"-6'6" portion of their roster. Need to win this to help establish our legitimacy. Cannot be looking ahead to Vegas.

Mission accomplished.

Brisco is in.

Barre had the heart condition flare up at Duquesne which seemingly really limited his availability. The hoopla surrounding him came from his highlight film when he committed. He's quite athletic and long; fits this system really well once he gets going.

Gotta find a way to get more students out to the game. Run a contest for an automatic A on a final or something. 😅

Nice finish to the half. Not a great half and still put up 49 pts with a 13 pt lead. Scary.

Holy finish by Tavari.

If Akron would've won 6+ games, they easily would've won a lawsuit vs. the NCAA due to the NIL environment (preventing earnings/future earnings for players). They punished Akron thinking Akron wouldn't win 6+ games.

According to one of the big posters on Bobcat Attack, they're working on a negotiated settlement. If that's between the University and Brian Smith, it sounds like Brian Smith will no longer be the coach going forward.

There are currently 11 teams on the schedule vs. top 200 NET. A couple of those teams we play twice. I believe that's the exact same number of top 200 NET teams that we had on the schedule last year (again, a couple of those teams we played twice). It's not the schedule that would hurt us, it's the results. Last year, we lost to Arkansas State, Saint Mary's, Milwaukee, Yale, Princeton, and Ohio. We weren't competitive in any of the games except Arkansas State and Princeton. Akron still ended the season 94th in NET with a 130 SOS (I believe this includes the Arizona game). Akron this year has played much better in their 2 losses (Purdue and Yale) and still has OOC games vs. Bucknell, Tulane, and Murray State (this is the big one). Demolishing the bad teams and either winning or being very competitive vs. the good teams matters, which we've had solid results with thus far. According to Warren Nolan, our current SOS is 74th. If we can win out in the OOC, Akron will be in the discussion for the top 25 come January.

Yes because the publicity from the sanctions was already quite public and large. Had Akron won 6 games, the NCAA would've been forced to drop the sanctions due to public pressure and lawsuit fears. You can have issues with how Akron has done things all you want. I think it's silly to waste time hashing out those details. Fact of the matter is, you asked a question, I answered. You made another comment that completely contradicted itself, and I pointed that out. I don't care if I get called a Joe hater or whatever. I want Akron football to be successful, I believe it can be successful, and I'm tired of hearing about all the excuses as to why Akron can't win while I watch other programs in similar situations actually win. Coaching matters, and I don't believe we have a winner at HC. Period.

Curt Cignetti went 11-1 win JMU in 2023. They were in their 2nd year of FBS and not eligible for any bowl games. The NCAA ultimately removed that restriction due to national pressure at the end of the season, but I'm not sure how Cignetti was able to recruit, motivate, and win under those conditions (he also went 8-3 in his first season).