mrelegazna

Great posts, everyone. As far as Zip37's doubts about making the NCAA's as an at-large, I still think it's possible, but it'll be an incredibly tall order. I don't think they can exclude a 6-loss Akron team, but they can (and IMO, will) exclude a 7-loss Akron team. If I'm right, it means, of course, that Akron must win out...and then they can "afford" to lose in the MAC tourney. But I don't think they are going to win @ Nevada (are we getting a game time for that any time soon, BTW?). Losing even one more regular season game means they gotta win the MAC tourney, although a 7-loss team should at least get the Zips a hard look. @ Miami and home to Can't will be toughies too. On the bright side, they can lose all three of those games and get bounced from the MAC tourney and still probably snag an NIT bid. Maybe even one more loss besides (ten total) might be good enough. So if just making it to some kind of postseason is the goal, they pretty much just have to hold serve and avoid a big slump.I pretty much agree with everyone's points. I do think Joyce, Middleton and Dials are athletic enough, they're just stretched very thin, as is RT. Futch and Linhart both need to amp it a bit and work on creating good shots for themselves. Preston needs to stay out of foul trouble. I would also like to see what Mraz can do...he's gotta be pretty cohesive with Joyce, Travis and KD himself, right? So with the Zips being very good but very thin, this trip to Reno is not exactly what the Doctor ordered. I think what we all are trying to say here is, this team still has a shot at glory (the NCAA's), but they gotta dig deep.

As awesome as this stunt was, it may be even more awesome than you think...the commentators on Fox Sports Ohio glowingly acknowledged the prank TWICE. That alone was worth all the money I've paid directv each month to still get FSO from outside the region.

I agree with Zipboy on almost every count. The only thoughts I have to add is on #3....at this point in the season, I fear if we don't shoot 40%, it'll be a dogfight against the lesser lights of the MAC as well, and on #4, Linhart...he just didn't have a good game yesterday, IMO. There was a couple of times where he turned the ball over in such a way that made me think, "If KD can pull him during the next stoppage, he probably should." Not that he really could though, with Preston in foul trouble and Futch banged up. We can't ask RT to do everything.

I'm sure I'm in the minorty, but I like Ryno's idea of trying gold jerseys, perhaps as a one-off. Like others have said, when I first laid eyes on their "new" jerseys, I though, "They're the St. Louis Rams." But really, there's a lot of differences. It's not the blatant, down-to-many-of the-little-details job that Iowa is to the Steelers.My only complaint (forgive me if you've covered this already) is the removal of last names from the jerseys. I know, you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back, but I don't think last names on jerseys necessarily lead to big heads, and to my eye, it just looks high-schoolish not to have them.The best part about the Akron rebranding is the A/Kangaroo head logo. I don't think it's too busy or too simple, I think it strkes the perfect balance and is unique. I live in Delaware (the state, not the Cbus burb) and I try to put that image out there and into people's head as much as possible for people to see (my desktop at work, t-shirts I wear, etc).

Ah ha! I was just getting ready to bring up the godawful Lions roar at Penn State. Talk about overused. The criteria seems to be any time PSU gains more than -10 yards on offense, or holds the opposing offense to less than 95 yards on a play. I also thought, "Isn't this too much like Purdue?" when I first heard about it, but I guess this will be more "factory whistle" than "train whistle." And we don't have the world's largest drum. That can't really be the world's largest drum, can it? It's not THAT big.

No...the talent level at Akron is way, way better than any team's in the NFL. If Akron would be allowed in the NFL, they'd go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl.

According to this,, the ABC/ESPN family of networks have decided every one of the NINE Big Ten/MAC matchups opening weekend is worth showing except, of course, Akron/Purdue. Indiana/CMU? Absolutely! Can't State/MSU? Bring it on! Ohio/NW? Why, we'll even put that one on ESPNU. Iowa/Ball State? You bet! Akron/Purdue? Eh, no on that one. Now, someone please tell me this a matter of paperwork or something being worked out, I will still get to see my Zips (I live in Delaware and subscribe to every college sports satellite program I know of) at the end on that day. Please?

Big Zip, You have one fact wrong that, fortunately, benefits the Zips. Hawaii and Northwestern play 12 games so they need SEVEN victories to be bowl eligible. If Northwestern (6-5) wins they are in, but Hawaii is only 5-5 with games left against Northwestern and Michigan State. If Northwestern beats Hawaii and Hawaii beats Michigan State (which isn't likely but it's very plausible), none of those teams go.

I thought I read somewhere HERE *before* Clemson and South Carolina bowed out that there were 60 bowl eligible teams for 58 spots? Doesn't this mean EVERY Bowl eligible team gets to go now? CFN.com seems to think so, as they have Akron, Miami, Marshall, BG, Toledo, and Northern Illinois ALL going to bowls.

Rifle, you put to words a fear that I dared not speak of...how long are we gonna have him for? The only way I see us losing him after next year is if we go 11-0 or 10-1 or thereabouts, and even I the ever-optimistic don't see THAT happening....so he should have at least two more years with us, and that means two more full years of not only Brookhart, but two more years of his assistants who will be (if they aren't already) big disciples and absolute authorities on the Brookhart way. So if Brookhart leaves, we may not experience too much of a dropoff if we just promote one of his assistants....pretty soon you're talking about a year-after-year run of excellence which has a way of perpetuating itself sometimes, regardless of your coach, once you've made your mark on the national landscape (I hate to say it, but Can't basketball is a good example). This is all a glass-half-full way of looking at it, but there you are.

Thank you, MU fans. You're platinum. If they do tear down the Rubber Bowl, it will be a sad day for me and anyone who grew up watching games there, lack of amenities and so forth or not.

I read somewhere that AD Thomas said, in hiring coaches, first looks for recruiting ability, and anyone who has read any kind of profile about Brookhart talking his way onto the Denver Broncos staff and all the other stories knows he can do that. THIS year, without having much of a chance to recruit, all he has done has taken lemons and made lemonade. I don't know if I've ever seen a gameplan, week in and week out, that so masterfully plays into a team's strengths and downplays its weaknesses. What I'm getting at is, we know from this year how well he coaches, and yet his tag upon getting hired is how well he sells and recruits. How scary good might we be in a few years? I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but it's hard not be really damn excited. And I think a decisive (8-3? 7-4?) winning record and a bowl game is a VERY realistic hope for NEXT YEAR, even without Frye. Who would bet against what Brookhart can do?

See how in the post I made that starts, "I'm hoping this..." See how "this" is a different color? Click on it. Too late now.

What a bummer....very typical historically for the Zips to do something like this (give up the last 6 points of the game and lose by 2). But, I remain optimistic...they were on the road against a team the media considers better than the MAC. I think they only lose to Dayton (although Wright State might be tough too) in the rest of their out of conference schedule, and then 10-8 in the MAC gives us a shot at the NIT, 12-6 (okay, not realistic, but...) would cinch it.

I'm hoping this station will stream it, but the listen live button is ambiguous because it only mentions one show....I can't check because I'm at work for another couple hours and our firewall prevents it. Guess I will find out later.... Zipster, thanks for the heads-up.

Make that "national", as the game will be on ESPN Gameplan (Thier College footbal PPV package).

Thanks, Zipper, 1350 doesn't have a audio stream though (at least none I can find on their websire).

How about two big wins in 23 hours for the Fball and Bball teams (assuming the game tonight ends at around 10 and the football game ends around 9 a day later). Akron 84 Drake 75 I will be searching the internet for radio coverage tonight....

Akron 32, Miami 31.