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Defending national champion Vermont finally released their schedule today. as ZipTopper told us in late June, the Zips Will play at Burlington on Saturday September 13. weird start time of 6 pm game will be televised on ESPN +

2024 Rewind: Toledo was a bit of an enigma in 2024. The Rockets arguably had the most talent of any team in the MAC and a favorable schedule that could have positioned them for a College Football Playoff push. Instead, they stumbled to a 8-5 finish with puzzling losses to WKU, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Akron. They did manage to finish on a high note with a wild six-overtime bowl win over a depleted Pittsburgh squad. Jason Candle returns for his 10th season and remains one of the most respected coaches in the MAC. Toledo continues to sit near the top of the conference when it comes to institutional support and resources dedicated to football. Recruiting under Candle: *IN MAC* 2016: On3 - 3rd 247 - 2nd 2017: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2018: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2019: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2020: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2021: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2022: On3 - 6th 247 - 6th 2023: On3 - 5th 247 - 5th 2024: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st 2025: On3 - 1st 247 - 1st Rockets on Offense: Tucker Gleason is expected to be the starter again after putting up 2,793 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while completing 60.5% of his passes last season. While those numbers are solid, Gleason's inconsistency at times was a source of frustration for the fanbase—and, as is often the case, there was a vocal segment calling for backup John Alan Richter to get more reps. Richter may be the more polished passer, but Gleason brings added mobility to the position, which gives the offense a different dimension. Running back play wasn’t up to par in 2024, due in large part to injuries and the departure of Peny Boone via the transfer portal. Unlike in 2023—when the Rockets could wear teams down with a bruising ground game led by Boone and the dual-threat ability of DeQuan Finn—Toledo lacked that same punch last fall. To address the issue, the Rockets dipped into the portal and added Kentucky transfer Chip Trayanum and NC A&T transfer Kenji Christian. Both backs bring more explosiveness than what was mostly available a year ago and should help reestablish a more dynamic rushing attack. All-MAC First Team selection Jerjuan Newton is off to the NFL, and while his production will be missed, the Rockets appear to have enough firepower to fill the void collectively. Junior Vandeross, another All-MAC First Teamer, returns as the go-to option, and Toledo added a proven playmaker in NIU transfer Trayvon Rudolph. The receiving corps also gets a boost at tight end with the addition of Jacob Peterson, who posted nearly 500 receiving yards at Holy Cross last season. An offensive line that was strong in pass protection, but often struggled to open holes in the run game returns three of its starters. Pittsburgh transfer Terence Moore is expected to step in at one of the vacant interior OL spots, while part-time starter Stephen Gales will look to lock down a starting role at tackle. Rockets on Defense: The defensive line lost all four starters, leaving the door wide open for new faces to step in and claim significant snaps. On the interior, there’s a bit more stability with the return of Martex Poynter and Essam Carter—two backups from last season who saw meaningful action and combined for 46 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. On the edges, former backup Malachi Davis is expected to take on a larger role, while UMASS transfer Louce Julian should slot in opposite him as a projected starter. Linebacker took a major hit, with the Rockets losing almost all of their production from last season. Backups Damon Ollison and Chris D’Appolonia are expected to step into starting roles after combining for just 20 total tackles in 2024. There’s plenty of potential - and uncertainty - at the position, and how quickly they adjust to increased responsibilities could go a long way in determining the defense’s overall effectiveness. Toledo’s secondary went from elite in 2023 to very good in 2024 after losing some standout defensive backs and their secondary coach, who left for Illinois. Even so, the Rockets still have plenty of talent on the backend and should be strong again this season with almost all of their starters returning. When it comes to recruiting defensive backs, Toledo has been second to none in the MAC, and that pipeline continues to pay dividends. Zips fans are familiar with returning kicker Dylan Cunanan, who was excellent during much of the season. Starting punter Emilio Duran is also back, giving Toledo stability in the kicking game heading into 2025. Position Advantage: Both quarterbacks are pre-season All-MAC selections. Neither team has many running backs that have proven much at the G5 level and linebacker is still to be determined. Akron holds the advantage at tight end, whereas Toledo holds position advantages every where else. QB - Even RB - Even WR - Toledo TE - Akron OL - Toledo DL - Toledo LB - Even DB - Toledo ST - Toledo Way too Early Prediction: Toledo’s ground game ought to be much improved, and if that proves true, the Rockets will look a lot more like the 2023 squad than the inconsistent version we saw in 2024. Defensively, Toledo lost plenty of production and key contributors, but there’s still enough talent on the roster to remain one of the better units in the MAC. There’s always a vocal group of Toledo fans who view every loss as the Rockets simply underperforming—rarely giving much credit to the opponent. In the case of last year’s Akron/Toledo matchup, that group would mostly be right. Akron played well enough to win, but absolutely needed some help from Toledo to pull it out. It’ll be tough for Akron to catch the Rockets off guard again, especially with the game coming earlier in the season, at Toledo, and last year’s result still lingering. I say Rockets get their revenge, 31-17.

Vermont's schedule is now listed on their site and it confirms Akron travels to Vermont on September 13th (6 pm on ESPN+): https://uvmathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/schedule

Dumbest thing the Cavs have done in a long time is draft Jaylon Tyson instead of Freeman.

Freeman had a huge game vs Cleveland today in the summer league. 19 pts and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Not gonna lie, that warms my heart a little..

Ohio already flies to NIU and Buffalo. Flying to UMASS might be less expensive than flying to NIU.

OU's faculty senate wields a lot of power. They fight every new investment in intercollegiate athletics. Heads would explode.

The MAC added UMass, which is an 11 hour drive from Athens, but lost NIU which is an 8 hour drive. It's further travel, but not enough to validate leaving a conference for. Especially considering they would have to fly to most of the SunBelt conference schools. The TV deal would need to be substantially better than the MAC's for them to make that move.

My dad and I were talking about this earlier today. The Sun Belt's footprint actually isn't bad for OU with Marshall, App State, JMU, ODU, etc. With the MAC adding UMass, the MAC's footprint is no longer as friendly to OU, and I'd imagine the MAC is looking to expand around UMass a bit more as well. The next TV deal will probably see the Sun Belt jump the MAC in value, so I wouldn't be surprised if Ohio is indeed exploring the Sun Belt. Wasn't the same said about NIU to the MW initially?

Zero truth to this rumor.

OU in the Sun Belt Conference sounds almost as bad as Cal and Stanford in the Atlantic Coast Conference!

OU's reasoning is sound. Weeknight games are killing the MAC. I hope the other schools reach out to see if there is room for the rest of the league. Maybe this is the start of a meaningful run towards sanity.

We’re in the wrong business. We should be driving team busses to away games.

OU in conversations with the Sun Belt Conference? Reports: Ohio Bobcats have “preliminary” discussions with Sun Belt Conference regarding affiliation - Hustle Belt https://share.google/rs23RD6neeiniYjVq

Ohio rumored to have interest in joining the Sun Belt.

https://x.com/TheMSCPodcast/status/1943078884183818703?t=70iC9uGdjWgk3X6gtu6xCA&s=19 https://x.com/Shane_DNRSports/status/1943038481942327426?s=19

2024 Rewind: Duquesne went 8-3 last season, co-winning the NEC (FCS) championship. Their only losses came against Toledo, Boston College, and their season finale to Central Connecticut State. They’re led by Jerry Schmitt, who’s been at the helm since 2005. Recruiting under Schmitt: N/A for FCS schools. Dukes on Offense: The Dukes will break in a new quarterback following the graduation of Darius Perrantes, with several different players currently in the mix for the starting job. In the backfield, Taj Butts and Shawn Solomon are expected to split carries after the spring departure of All-NEC running back JaMario Clements to Wake Forest. The duo combined for 531 yards and two touchdowns last season. Joey Isabella returns as the clear top target in the passing game after an All-NEC campaign that saw him haul in 41 receptions for 741 yards and 11 scores. Beyond Isabella, though, there’s not much proven production at wide receiver. Tight end Daniel Tarabrella is penciled in as the starter, but he’s primarily used as an extra blocker. Up front, the offensive line should be a strength. All five starters are back, including All-NEC selections Brian Beidatsch, Michael Fallah, and Cameron McLaurin. Dukes on Defense: Almost all of Duquesne’s defensive line production returns, highlighted by All-NEC performers A.J. Ackerman at defensive tackle and Jack Dunkley at defensive end. The pair combined for 45 total tackles and 10 sacks in 2024 and should anchor a strong front. Linebacker is where the biggest changes come. Former Kent State transfer Luke Miller saw part-time action last season and is expected to step into a full-time role. The other spot is still up for grabs between Murray State transfer Tyson Meiguez and Maine transfer Jabari Odoemenem. The secondary should again be a strength. All-NEC defensive backs Antonio Epps and DJ Cerisier return, with Epps holding down one safety spot and Cerisier locking up one of the corners. TJ Jones is back at the other safety spot, while part-time starter Jaelen Carson is expected to fill in at the corner opposite Cerisier. 2024 backup Malachi Lowery should slide into the nickel role. The Dukes will roll out a new starting kicker and punter this season. Position Advantage: Akron holds a talent and experience advantage across the board—except at the lines of scrimmage, defensive back, and special teams. That said, by the time Week 4 rolls around, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Zips prove to be better in all of those areas as well. QB - Akron RB - Akron WR - Akron TE - Akron OL - Duquesne DL - Duquesne LB - Akron DB - Even ST - Even Way too Early Prediction: It’ll be a nice reprieve to see a matchup against an FCS school at this point in the season instead of a power conference opponent. That said, Duquesne has consistently won games at the FCS level and could present more of a challenge than expected. Offensively, the Dukes likely won’t be as potent as they were in 2024. Replacing a highly productive starting quarterback, an All-NEC running back, and multiple receivers is no small task. The silver lining for them is the return of their entire offensive line—arguably one of the better units in the FCS—which should provide some stability while the skill positions get sorted out. Defensively, while Duquesne may not match Akron's overall talent level, they bring back a ton of experience. That continuity makes them a tougher out than most expect from an FCS squad. Going through Duquesne’s roster was actually refreshing—a reminder that not every program has been gutted by the portal. They’ve stuck with a more traditional model, building through prep prospects and only sprinkling in a few transfers. Still, I don’t think the Dukes have enough in the tank to knock off Akron unless the Zips completely lay an egg. I expect a competitive first half before Akron’s depth and talent start to take over. Give me the Zips, 31–20.

The rare game where the Zips are the better coached team. Definitely a shot to win here.

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No, but I know their opponent fairly well

Yes!

I was just logging on to celebrate the exodus from FloSports.