Wally B

(crickets chirping) I'm a little surprised by the silence surrounding Dwight Smith on ZNO. To me, he's a former zip standout who went on to do well. Am I missing something? Did he burn bridges on his way out? Why does it feel as though DS is the forgotten Zip?

Dwight Smith is just one of several Zips to have a great performance in the Super Bowl! Personally, I think he was robbed of the MVP! Tampa Bay draft pick Ohio.com - MVP snub

BJ is reporting that UA has agreed to sell the Rubber Bowl for $38,000. It was originally purchased for $1. Does this mean we actually got a good return on our investment??

Apparently he run a 4.5. I memory serves me correct, 4.3 and 4.2 are considered phenominal, but I mainly associate that kind of speed w/ wide receivers and the secondary. Anyone have any insights on how his 4.5 compares to other rb's?

34 - 22 @ 3:50 mark.... Manageable now, they seem to have woken up!

8:00 1st UB 30 UA 10 And to think I was going to post a thread about overlooking Buffalo today...... If this game is a test, it's a test of our own making.....

Just checked the score! Its UA 30 Tol 14 w/ appx 6 togo in 1st

Side topic: I was just thinking back to a playoff game during HS down at McKinley High in Canton. Does anyone know what that fieldhouse seats. It's still a gym, but it has an arena layout. I'd say only 600 attended that game, but the noise was incredible and the place rocked as the game came down to who'd sink the final shot.

They should fit in nicely with the smoke

To state the obvious.... wouldn't it be cheaper to renovate the JAR than build an arena... wait i meant "gym" that small? Hell at that point you just put some retractable chairbacks in the student rec center. Come to think of it, didn't Memorial seat about 2500-3000? Wow this is playing out like a greek opera I've seen before. Take the money and gut the jar. Make the lower seats into a "bowl. Create a proper student section behind the benches. Move the bleachers forward to create an upper concourse under them, and make those seats either chairbacks or more comfortable. Much cheaper, would probably increase capacity to 6000+. Then place the old bleachers and a couple port-a-pots on the roof for Flash fans when they play at the JAR.

This is a comment I pulled from the original Deadspi story. (pulled from the duplicate OT thread) You'll probably understand it at about the same point the author did.

No I definitely understand his grief over his grandmother. But lets be honest here, he could have expressed sorrow for her loss in much the same manner. Athletes do it all the time, and credit inspirational games. This was wayyyy beyond that! Maybe he did fall for a ruse, maybe that is why he was so disoriented during the BCS-CG. Doesn't mean it isn't all a little odd...... just sayin

Sorry for the double post, I never check this board This is really blowing up, and all the media outlets have picked it up. While the story itself is bizarre, it does little to explain all of the additional stories that were created. Here's an interesting comment (no offese intended to those implied) from Deadspin: I especially enjoyed the pause in typing, as I immagine the author struggling to wrap his brain around the whole thing then it hits him...

Deadspin - Notre Dame Hoax This is truly bizarre.... honestly there's no other word for it but bizarre! :CK_brew: The more I read the more confused i get. There's the original hoax. But then there are the lies about sending flowers, and meeting her, etc, etc. Then you add the element of poor journalism on multiple levels from a local rag to major networks...... how bizarre????

Thanks for posting this BZ, yu beat me to it! Given what we knew about about footballs past, I'm not surprised by any of this. The average fan doesn't want to know what goes on behind the scenes, especially to those elite players like Taylor. Then again, in last weeks Kosar article I was amazed that he carried smelling salts in his pants !! In the end, with everything that's coming out in this new age of information, I think it will be interesting to see what ultimately happens to players like James Harrison who have obviously sacraficed their bodies over their carrers! Like it or not, this isn't going away......

Ahh.... but what goes up, must come down. Without a question, Saban has built a dynasty at Alabama, but he'll have some stiff competition next year. Notice I said Alabama, not the SEC. Yes the SEC is a great conference, but I've been forced to hear gator fans whine like French aristocrats ever since their loss to Louisville. To me the most outlandish claim, and the seeds of their destruction, was their assertion that the Sugar Bowl wasn't important enough to garner the attention of the FL players and they let Louisville win.... Hence their ego's are laid bare for all to see. The only two games that matter are the SEC and BCS Championships, neither of which they played in. Again the SEC is great, but like any other conference only a few teams compete year-in and year-out. Unfortunately for Florida, Myer has moved on, and they haven't seriously contended since, and it's over. They just haven't accepted it yet. Likewise for FLSt, whose ire about competing against NIU in the Orange is strangely similar to their assertion that they are too good for the ACC, even though they've largely failed to do much of anything for the last 10 years. In the end, Saban's Tide will either fade in the stretch or become the most reviled success in football history. Until then, I'm content with not having to put up with either the chomp, the annoying Atlanta braves tomahawk, or pseudo catholics (you know, during the game ) .... Roll Tide!

I love it GP! But who's to say all but a handful of so called bigs actually have a chance now anyways.... "The woman on the radio talks about revolution, but it's already passed her by" Jesus Jones

Oh no,.... we grasp what you're saying here. Our three worst years garnered us the attention of a good FCS team. So at our worst, we should move back down just so we look good.....

And yet, we would still garner more attention if we took care of business here in the MAC and went to a bowl game. At the very least, the FCS championship offers the same level of recognition and exposure as any MAC bowl, sans the Orange this year. The difference being, the MAC championship was televised nationally (As I watched it at a pub in Tampa, and yes locals do know the MAC and its teams) this was followed by 7 bowl appearances by MAC teams. I couldn't tell you anything about FCS conferences, who was in the playoffs or semi's. Score MAC - 8, FCS - 1. By the numbers, we have more exposure in the MAC, year-in year-out.

Even the blind squirrel find the occasional nut! Can't - 31 aSu - 17 Side note: ESPN has totally destroyed this years bowl season with the worst production I've ever seen. Honestly, readings by potential announcers must be limited to "and we'll be right back"... The fact that an hour of football now includes 40+ minutes of commercials is almost un-watchable. I swear, they took a 5 minute break, came back and kicked the ball, then took another 5 minute break. Hopefully they'll spend a decent amount of time promoting the championship game during the GoDaddy Bowl. At least that way they'll be talking about football right?

"You are an unbelievably stupid man aren't you?" P. Morgan You seem to be intent on insisting that we're unable to compete d1a. But your core argument seems to ride on the likes of: OSU, UM, USC, LSU, Alabama, etc. That's fine, but they hardly represent all of d1a as Florida found out the other night. The point is, and will remain to be, the so called upper crust of d1a is and will continue to consist of a number of teams that will never compete for a championship either. Seriously, Vandy? Duke? Ole Miss? Indiana? Kansas? Of course, let's not forget Cincinnati right! Clearly they've dominated us forever My point is this. Are we able to compete against The elite's year in and year out? Answer: no Are we, or will we be able to compete with the rest of d1a (bcs or not) year in and year out. Answer: yes if we make the right decisions For the record, after the 2005 MCBowl Memphis fell harder and faster than we did, and regularly ranked below us every year until this one. Yet they were still invited to the old new BE before the loss of their AQ (not their BCS) status. So ability to compete has nothing to do with it. To directly answer your question. Has all the movement between the WAC, nBE, MWC, Cusa amounted to anything at this point? Answer: Yes, it's made the MAC stronger. Finally, and this is the BIG ONE here. If and when the AQ conferences (not programs or schools) decide to split from the non-AQ conferences (again not programs or schools) how would our relegation to a new second tier (with the likes of Can't, Marshall, Hawai'i, Uconn, USF, Wyoming, etc) be "getting the shaft" compared to your idea of moving ourselves to what inevitably becomes the new third tier (with the likes of Morgan St., Morehead, Elon, UT-Martin). If you can properly and comprehensively answer this larger question you'll find that most of the Znation (for whom I do not purport to speak) will support your claims. The problem is, you haven't been able to do that yet, and it's highly doubtful you will. God help you though, you keep tryin!

I have no problem with the NCAA permiting athletes to work, provided their income is accounted for in their scholarships just like every other student

+1,000,000

I see what you're saying here, but in a way we sorta already have that. D1a is already split between AQ and non-AQ. Yet AQ programs, including dominant ones continue to schedule d1aa teams, often terrible ones; and bypass the lure of hoarding your purported money games. To be honest, we may occasionally whore ourselves out, but the johns are more than willing to pay instead of sharing a bed with their partner ! In a sense, i see no reason to drop to d1aa since we are already in a second tier position. If a super conference is created we wont be able to do much of anything about it. But droping to a potential third tier just to make us think we are droping to a second tier now dosen't pass muster. In fact, the potential of a middle division is clearly evident in all of the FCS programs scrambling to join the likes of the SBC, CUSA, and nBE, and UMass' entry into the MAC itself. I spent 10 years in the Carolina's, and Wake is as arrogant as they come. Yet nobody is suggesting they drop out of the ACC because they rarely compete in ACC fb, and can not maintain their mb program to Duke or UNC-ch's standards. Despite contentions to the contrary, Wake will milk the ACC cow for all its worth until it's kicked out, or a better scenario emerges, much like Vandy in the SEC. There will always be better non-aq programs than Wake, but that's life, and it's not fair. BTW - Next time you're up that way and pass the Akron Dr. exit; stop off at Finnegan's Wake and have a pint for me

I have a serious question here. (Say all non-aq teams form a new division between d1a and d1aa. We'll call it d1a/2 for arguements sake) So what happens to the the AQ's If they grant the tv god's their wish and only play each other? Remember, not every AQ team is an Alabama or OSU. I'm sure Arizona -v- Indiana would be a huge draw. What happens when a fair amount of them are now left w/ losing records come bowl season and fans have to adjust to losing more games? In the end, you only diminish the precieved dominance of those conferences overall, and end up exaserbating their own second class programs who would then need to be booted (Duke, Wa St. etc.... i've been over this) Let's not forget the biggest programs are already more than willing to skip over lower AQ's and non-aq's to play d1aa teams; even the bottom feeders, and no one is forcing their hand. He*k FloridaST played two of em' this year and they still poop on NIU's schedule! Better yet, how do the new d1a/2 teams feel about not playing those d1a teams anymore? Do the d1a/2 teams exclude the d1a and d1aa teams as well? Most importantly, if we continue to play d1a teams, and now find ourselves absolutely excluded from the big bowls/championship how is that better for us? Yeeeaaahhh, we had an amazing 2018, could've gone to a big bowl and had an experience of a lifetime, but instead we're playing for the Grey cup! Whoohoo!!! NIU's 2012 team would be so proud, and those Boisie STate teams sure couldn't compete anyways.... No flame here, I totally respect your posts on here! I guess I just see the darker side and end game of the money game.