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My nephew played for Ripon the last 5 years but graduated this summer. I never got to see him play in high school as they lived in Wisconsin but a couple years ago Ripon played in a weekend tournament at the College of Wooster so my local family was all able to see him play.

Just for the old-timers, here is the latest RPI (yes it's still around). Notice more (6) MAC teams in the Top 140, but also 3 MAC teams 297 or lower. https://www.teamrankings.com/ncb/rpi/ 1. Akron 68 2. Bowling Green 90 3. Miami 100 4. Kent 107 5. Ohio 123 6. Buffalo 140 7. Toledo 173 8. CMU 222 9. UMass 232 10. NIU 276 ---------------------------- Other teams of note: Youngstown State 33 Navy 34 Oakland 52 Kansas 151 Milwaukee 170

Back when there were talks of Akron getting a new arena ~10 years ago I kind of spoke against the 7k-8k seat arenas for this purpose. Although it would have been taxpayer funded through the city so not much pull the school would have had. It took exactly 1 game at Infocision for the new smell to wear off. I'm not sure we've hit 80% occupancy in a game since. Basketball after a season or two would almost certainly be back to averaging ~3k fans. I always thought the game day experience is better with the arena 80%-100% full, which leads to more fans wanting to return. It kind of sounds counterproductive but fewer seats can actually help improve attendance averages as it creates a false sense of scarcity and makes it a more desirable ticket to have. Particularly in an age where those under 30 want to brag on social media. It also creates a sense of urgency for people to get season tickets or buy single game tickets in advance. Key example is I would never feel the need to buy a ticket to Akron football in advance because I know I could show up to the gate and there will be 10k+ remaining. I do buy tickets in advance for Akron-Kent basketball because I know the risk for selling out is very high.

We seemed to be cursed in these tournaments but man this one looks so enticing. Iona is going to be tougher than we think. They've looked good in their matchups so far. Oregon St is in such a weird spot as a program falling from the P5 ranks into mid-major land. Should be an extremely fun tournament. I want to see our depth used! It looks like the title game is on Monday, so it won't be 3 games in 3 days so hopefully that helps but we still need guys like Stank to get close 15 mins a game to keep the top 6 fresh.

Man, I love Zips football. I can't believe this is the last game for yet another year. 😩

Game Day Notes: Bowling Green is down to its fourth quarterback of the season in Washington State transfer Hunter Najm. He wasn’t asked to do much in his last outing, and when the game shifted to the fourth quarter, things started to unravel for him. Still, with ten days to prepare, the Falcons have had ample time to craft a game plan and try to get Najm settled for this matchup. The running back room remains the strength of the offense. They have multiple backs capable of producing chunk plays, and BG would love nothing more than to ride that group all evening. Mizzou transfer Austyn Dendy has taken the lead role of late and brings explosiveness every time he touches the ball. Cameron Pettaway and Chris McMillan rotate in and give the Falcons solid depth. The receiving corps, however, has been all over the place. Tight end Jyrin Johnson — more of a tweener than a traditional inline tight end — is the lone true playmaker. The wideouts have shown they can catch the ball, but outside of that, they rarely offer much in terms of creating after the catch or winning consistently. Up front, the offensive line is built to run the ball. Pass protection has been another story, as they’ve struggled with the rotation of quarterbacks and have surrendered 18 sacks in conference play alone. Defensively, the Falcons are fairly similar to Akron in points allowed and rush yards given up. The biggest gap comes in the pass game. Bowling Green’s secondary has been stingy, but the defensive front hasn’t consistently generated pressure. Akron, on the other hand, has given up plenty of passing yards but is one of the better teams in the MAC at creating pressure. The turnover battle also favors the Zips, as BG has struggled to force them while Akron has been one of the conference’s best in that department. Linebacker Gideon Lampron is one of the best defenders in the MAC, and edge rusher David Afogho provides a real threat off the edge. Defensive backs MJ Cannon and Kal-El Pascal round out a defensive core that can make things difficult for opponents. MAC Stats Only: Finley heads into his final game as the current MAC leader in passing yards and touchdowns. He’s also tied for second in interceptions. Gant leads the conference in rushing yards and needs 54 more to hit 1,000 on the year. Marcel Williams now leads the team in receiving yards and is second in conference action. Mason is ninth in receiving yards and tied for third in touchdowns. Polk is fifteenth in receiving yards and tied for second in touchdowns. Laventure is fourth in tackles for loss and tied for eighth in sacks.

I was very happy to see this. While it is VERY hard for one excellent team to beat another three times in one season, I think UConn has our number. I would be okay with an all Big East revenge final though! 😆

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/college/soccer/2025/11/17/akron-zips-soccer-ncaa-tournament-seeds-michigan-notre-dame/87291121007/?tbref=hp

It would cost 8-10 million to replace all the seating and reconfigure the layout at the JAR.

I thought our guys came out of the gates pretty strong in this game. They were ready to go. If they can do that every time out I will be thrilled. And the maturity and composure of Eric as a freshman in that environment was quite amazing.

I don't know what the plans are for a future arena, whether it be a JAR renovation or a new arena entirely, but if it's the former they should absolutely put suites in the north and south ends to utilize those areas better.

Btw, I like how full the JAR looks since they retracted the Northside stands & made that a pregame Rowdies club, or something. Shrinking the capacity a bit has made the crowds look pretty good for our first few games. Even PSU-S was alright.

Good idea. And I'm also waiting for the Big East to throw us a bone & offer one or two games a year to our basketball Zips. Big East?.... Big East?... Hello, Big East?

CSU is #254 in Kenpom. I wouldn't exactly say they are decent. Someone on the MAC board said Kent was told they would be in the Mountain bracket while CSU would be in the River, which would make sense as they would avoid one another since they already scheduled one another. Regardless, that whole situation is just another reason to not want to bother with that tournament. I heard the games were broadcast on an obscure stream nobody has. I'm pleased our games in the Paradise Jam are on ESPN+.

I totally agree Stank needs to learn the American game. Stank makes some really good passes and guys just can’t finish. But I have noticed he charges about once’s a game. Once he learned how to do a euro step he will be deadly.

I wonder if the Zips will ever play at the Greenbrier? We can say hello to Rob Fulford. I liked him.

The ceiling is very high for the 2025-26 Zips...if they quit biting on every pump fake and fouling 3-point shooters.