Going Bowling 2014

[MaxZIP]

Two simple questions...

Would a 6-6 middle of the pack MAC team been invited to play in a bowl?

I say they would have had to want and see who turned down some higher on the food chain invites to get a spot.

Should their have accepted the offer if it was extended?

I think it would not have been worth wasting the money to send this team to a bowl game.

[LZIp]

You'll get the answer to your question when we see if Ohio goes or not. Yes they absolutely should have accepted if they got one. I have little doubt we would have gotten blown out, but this program needs all the help it can get. Going to a bowl game is a selling point in recruiting and a sign that the program is moving forward.

[zippy5]

Why the heck would they turn down a bowl invite?

[MaxZIP]

Why the heck would they turn down a bowl invite?

To keep a winning season? To save money?

[zippy5]

To keep a winning season? To save money?

If it's about saving money, then fold the program.

[K92]

To keep a winning season? To save money?

To avoid being embarrassed by a Sun Belt team?

[MaxZIP]

I like option number 6...does anybody know what the team APR rate is?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_eligibility

On August 2, 2012, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved a significant change to the process to determine bowl eligible teams, going so far as to potentially allow 5-7 teams to go to a bowl, in case there were not enough regular bowl-eligible teams to fill every game. If a bowl has one or more conferences/teams unable to meet their contractual commitments and there are no available bowl-eligible teams, the open spots can be filled – by the particular bowl's sponsoring agencies – as follows:^[10]

1. Teams finishing 6-6 with one win against a team from the lower Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), regardless of whether that FCS school meets NCAA scholarship requirements. Until now, an FCS win counted only if that opponent met the scholarship requirements—specifically, that school had to award at least 90% of the FCS maximum of 63 scholarship equivalents over a two-year period. In the 2012 season, programs in four FCS conferences cannot meet the 90% requirement (56.7 equivalents)—the Ivy League, which prohibits all athletic scholarships; the Patriot League and Pioneer Football League, which do not currently award football scholarships; and the Northeast Conference, which limits football scholarships to 38 equivalents.
   
2. 6-6 teams with two wins over FCS schools.
   
3. Teams that finish 6-7 with loss number seven in their conference championship game (that has been eliminated by the conference championship waiver rule).
   
4. 6-7 teams that normally play a 13-team schedule, such as Hawaii's home opponents. Although Hawaii normally plays a 13-game schedule, it only played 12 games this season.
   
5. FCS teams who are in the final year of the two-year FBS transition process, if they have at least a 6-6 record.
   
6. Finally, 5-7 teams that have a top-5 Academic Progress Rate (APR) score. This was later adjusted to allow other 5-7 teams to be selected thereafter—in order of their APR. ^[11]
   

[MaxZIP]

If it's about saving money, then fold the program.

Hummm. Seems a bit extreme. A coupe hundred thousand dollars savings sounds like a pretty reasonable business proposition. Or they could deflate the inflated assistant salary pool. Good thinking. Chuck and AJ are making $300,000 base salary combined. That is a major investment for the product.

This brings up an interesting thought. The football team racks up over 5 million in expenses...not including the stadium costs.

Univ of Akron $5,738,172.00

[MaxZIP]

To avoid being embarrassed by a Sun Belt team?

Hey, this train seems to be rolling in the right direction at this point in the season. Press onward.

[LZIp]

Hummm. Seems a bit extreme. A coupe hundred thousand dollars savings sounds like a pretty reasonable business proposition. Or they could deflate the inflated assistant salary pool. Good thinking. Chuck and AJ are making $300,000 base salary combined. That is a major investment for the product.

This brings up an interesting thought. The football team racks up over 5 million in expenses...not including the stadium costs.

Univ of Akron $5,738,172.00

Have to look at the opportunity cost for declining as well. Going to a bowl game could give us that extra edge to get a certain recruit. Certain recruit could be/turn into some elite player. Elite player could win us a bunch of games which increases attendance and exposure which more than makes up for that couple hundred thousand we lost to go to that Boca Raton bowl. Accepting that Boca Raton bowl gave us a month of extra practice that half of the nation didnt get. Theoretically that gives us an edge over the programs that didn't make it. Someone posted a stat before that the majority of teams that make a bowl one year, also make it the next. Our coaches are coaching more and our players our playing more so that gives us more bang for our buck.

[MaxZIP]

Have to look at the opportunity cost for declining as well. Going to a bowl game could give us that extra edge to get a certain recruit. Certain recruit could be/turn into some elite player. Elite player could win us a bunch of games which increases attendance and exposure which more than makes up for that couple hundred thousand we lost to go to that Boca Raton bowl. Accepting that Boca Raton bowl gave us a month of extra practice that half of the nation didnt get. Theoretically that gives us an edge over the programs that didn't make it. Someone posted a stat before that the majority of teams that make a bowl one year, also make it the next. Our coaches are coaching more and our players our playing more so that gives us more bang for our buck.

I understand the "logic" on the go side. The 2005 bowl did wonders for the Zips as well. Really set them up for a decade of success. I think the positives of the bowl game are way over hyped.

[LZIp]

I understand the "logic" on the go side. The 2005 bowl did wonders for the Zips as well. Really set them up for a decade of success. I think the positives of the bowl game are way over hyped.

If you truly believe we are building something, you can see the positives. I haven't given up hope yet and will not unless there is continued stagnation or regression. To me a bowl game would be a huge step in building this program that has potential but has been so bad historically. I remember all of the articles when we first hired Bowden on the potential of the program. We were called the Florida St of the north, hotbed for football, etc.

If you believe any bowl game would be a one hit wonder, then I dont know why you waste your time following the program and posting on here. I cant root for teams that I think will suck forever. Not sure how anyone can. One bowl game wont do much. But to me is a building step when once you get there, you rarely look back. We play in the MAC for crying out loud. Let's be real, its a shitty conference. An established coach at a program with the best facilities should eventually be able to win and win consistently.

[K92]

Eventually. I've grown to dislike that word.

[LZIp]

Eventually. I've grown to dislike that word.

Look, the season was disappointing for me as well. I forked the money and time over to go to Penn State. Watched us get our asses kicked by Marshall, lose to putrid Ball St, Buffalo, and even worse...Can't St. Saw all of our losses. But if you have nothing that you can look at to make you step off the ledge (Pitt win, hot start, actual hype around the program for once), I don't know what to tell you. I'm not happy with 5-7, but I sure as hell like it a lot better than 1-11. Speaking of 1-11, maybe Ianello left this program much worse than we ever could have imagined? Has any other program every gone 1-11 3 straight years? And please don't take what I'm saying as being an apologist, I'm just not as much of a pessimist as you all. In reality, we came up two wins short of what most people predicted. Big whoop. Does one more win make you feel better? It didn't mean anything. Most likely weren't going to a bowl, and even if we did win and get picked, we would have got our asses kicked. Our starting QB was out for 2 of those very winnable games that we lost. The team lost all momentum and never recovered. It happens.

[MaxZIP]

I guess I can sum this up by saying I don't care about some third rate bowl game. Losing to a one win Can't train wreck is inexcuseable. I care abouf kickinv the crap out of the other mac schools as much as possible. The bowl game at .500 is a consolation prize 5hat is fools gold in the mac.

Levels of acceptability:

1. Beat the damn fcs team

2. Beat Can't

3. Beat crappy mac programs consistently

4. Beat good mac programs at home at the very minimum

5. Compete with lower tier power conference teams

6. Get to mac championship

7. Win the damn conference

Bowl games are lagging indicators of the above measuring sticks. They will happen if business is take care of. This year the above business was not taken care of so they do not deserve their pudding. Does anybody care or really remember that the zips lost theiir bowl game after winning the mac championship. Not me. I am not rallying against the theory of bowl games.

[GP1]

To avoid being embarrassed by a Sun Belt team?

Eventually. I've grown to dislike that word.

It's sort of like saying, "If we build a new indoor practice facility, build a new stadium and get a historically easy schedule we will eventually get bowl eligible so we can be embarrassed by a Sun Belt Conference team."

I don't think everyone realizes how bad it is that we didn't go at least .500 and make a bowl game with a lot of things in our favor this year.

[Balsy]

It's bad GP1, but we will endure as we always do. Go Zips.

[GP1]

It's bad GP1, but we will endure as we always do. Go Zips.

You might. I think I've had enough of all of the things that would result in me having to endure anything.

[K92]

Imagine the Zips won yesterday.

If a team can get into a bowl game by beating:

4-7 Howard

5-6 Pittsburgh

2-10 Eastern Michigan

2-10 Miami

3-9 Massachusetts

1-11 Can't State

That means there are too many bowl games.

Of course the invitation should be accepted if it is ever offered just to get the extra practices. Is it an expensive price tag to get 15 more? Yes, but it's a little bit late in the game to start worrying about what makes sound financial sense now.

As far as making a bowl impacting recruiting, I would hope any kid we want to sign is smart enough to realize that going to the Camellia Bowl to get blown out by Texas State is not a selling point.