Wally B

Another Topic! The new D1aa policy totally screws every mid-major including the MAC . I only hope they will all wise up and band together. I would like to see a Big East (They'll be out of the BCS shortly) MAC challenge every year sort of like the ACC/Big10 basketball version. Imagine what would happen if the BCS teams were forced to schedule 2 or 3 D1aa teams each year or substitute w/ other BCS teams . Some of those big boys would go down Hard! Football is a game about position and power. The same hold true for the schedule. What if a Big 10 team like Mich or tOSU started 1-2 in their OOC every year. w/ a 3-0 start their season like the coaches job is OVER! Only then will the mids get a fare shot! I'll drink to that

I see the change to the attendance rule as potentially bad. Yes, MAC teams will no longer have to worry about making the attendance mark, but then again, they don't have to worry about it. Attendance to our beloved Zips games suffers for several reasons, and the location or condition of our rubber isn't one of them. Don't believe me check the attendance over at Can't's on campus stadium. As I've stated before, the city agreed to cover ticket sales when the Zips went D1a. It was thought this would cover us over the lean years until we became established, then attendance would return to or exceede D1aa levels. Add to that a change in Deans office(happened at Can't too) and the focus was taken away from developing a quality program. I'm not absolving Faust (Solich Sr. ) , but I'm saying he had help. Very quickly, 1 win seasons and 2,000 yes 2,000 fans at some games were no longer a problem, the city had our . BTW I attended a McKinley -v- Massillon state playoff game at the bowl following just such a game. The announced attendance that evening was just over 44,000 . Standing room only, turning people away at the gate, came down to the last play, an awesome site except the Zips weren't playing. Nobody complained about the conditions either. As I see it, the attendance rule needed tweeking, but not in this way. It served to put the MAC on notice and got the ball rolling. I only hope fast enough. Alas, our new found coverage on ESPN and the like will either keep us going, or depend on us keeping attendance up by ourselves! To the naysayers on the MACbbs, this is where history and rivalries come into play. I am pleased to here that M(o) and Toledo had no interest in leaving the MAC. IMO The MAC is a tight and well designed league, and I see great things ahead. Reagrdless of the Date, I see the MAC rivalry week as a GREAT thing for us and the league. (Hope it works just as well in Michigan). 1last comment. Check out the stadium pictures over at the MAC bbs. Look for a packed Rubber bowl in the early 8o's. Remember, we were D1aa and . This is what tradition can and will do for us in the future! M2C

Then again, If you tell a kid to get on the damn bus, they can't sit in a warm classroom watching the game on TV. I know, in my day I tried to get out of my fair share of kiddie concerts! Choice: Math word problems or Football game and hot dogs? I'm not a child psychologist but I think I know the answer. I'm living in the carolinas now and both minor league baseball and the ACC practice this regularly. Honestly, how can you sell out an opening round game of the ACC WOMENs basketball tournament if its between two unranked non-local teams (let's say Miami -v- maryland) . Simple, sell the tickets to local schols, pack the house and call it a day! When the Zips first made the move to D1a the city of Akron supported the team by buying enough tickets to make the yearly quota. Rule changes have twarted that by requiring actual in the seats. What I'm suggesting is that this is the perfect opportunity for the city to continue buying those tickets and give them to the schools. Something that couldn't be done on a saturday! The Zips stay D1a, attendance looks great, ESPN will want to come back.... which promotes the City (a return for their money). I could see this becoming an annual event for the region, which builds fan/family support. If that happens, we wouldn't have to rely soley on being competitive. Look at what tradition and fan support has done for the crappy Browns. (Frickin Model). Our pessimism keeps killing us. but remember "Complaint w/out resolution is just whining!" JD has and will continue to do great things for the Zips! But our success isn't his responsibility alone. The real question is how are we going to help ! A new stadium will do a lot, but it isn't the panacea it would apear to be. I've heard all of the excuses not to go to the games before. Regardless of the Rubbers condition they are just excuses. I would remind everyone to take note of the packed Munincipal Stadium in Cleveland. Good teams or not, they still drew a decent crowd. Now that stadium was a piece of $h!t. I leave this to the capable hands of the uA marketing department! the MAC better ingredients better football

Is it possible that a wednesday game may be just the thing to BOOST attendance? Think about the following: 1) Day before thanksgiving. I'll be home for the holidays, and will attend the game. 2) What do public schools do on the last day before a holiday? Nothing. Hey lets take them to the Zips big game -vs- Can't. Infact, lets invite all the scholls from Summit, Portage, and Stark counties. Lets do this every year and build fan support. Players will consider coming to Akron to play in the big game, in front of their families. 3) That weekend..... put the players and bands in the christmas parade! Winning team gets a ceremonial trophy to hoist during the route! 4) If you build it (community support), they will come. the MAC better ingredients better football

So what if the Can't game is on a Wednesday at the end of the season. The day before Thanksgiving aparently isn't the problem! Most are woried about poor records from both schools! My question is....... what happened to the rivalry?? If both teams were 0-9 I'd still try to go because . This is our version of Browns -v- Steelers or OSU -v- Michigan. Going to the Can'y game shouldn't be about records, it should be about beating hippies! I love the MAC almost as much as the Zips, but somethings we aren't. Everybody has to stop comparing us to the Big 10 small 11 or the BCS. The MAC is taking the right route by standing on its own and promoting conference rivalries. Personally I would like to see more promotion of MAC league standings. Worry about the effect of OoC money games later. Instead of looking at 1-1 or 0-2 to start the season, we need to see it as 0-0 for the NIU game and just the begining of our season. If we run the table (not an easy thing in the MAC) then worry about the effects of those first two games. Personally I'd rather see a MAC title before a bowl win. Best of Luck to the 2005 Zips! You've already got them talking! MAC better ingredients better football

HOMER SAYS! MMMMMmmmmmm! ........ Florida AAAgggghhhhhh...............!

You could always check out the other sideline??????

By luck of the draw I may be headed back to NEOhio in early September, but I haven't been able to confirm a date/time for the Can't game yet! Love to do my part to fill the rubber!! Anyone have any insight on this? Besides I'm still waiting for that home game w/ PennSt that my colleague there, assured me was comming in return for last years game!

Beautiful

The sky is BLUE, Roses are RED Can't Sucks major Donkey Balls Somethings never change... 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 I want ESPN highlights! GO ZIPs!

What the F#@*. Dude, Zippy and the Logo Rule. I would rather be asked what the hell is that, than have oh say.... a falcon as a mascot. The new logo is great, and I proudly wear it down here in NC. It's much better than that early 90's crap nobody wanted. F@#^ A logo. Don't even THINK about touching Zippy! I was at the Penn St. game, and the zips carried three things that day. Better uni's. Better Qb, (go#5, I hear that number is now available in Cleveland!) and clearly a better MASCOT!!! What the F@#^ was that thing anyways. In Case nobody picked it up PSU is having its own problems. Seems they share the same mascot as in state rival Pitt. So in a quest to be different they decided to add a 5'th toe to their paw print logo. F@#^ing dumbasses. Mt. Lions like all felids only have 4, with a recessed duclaw. The only exception to this rule is in WVa. Especially near Huntington Zippy 4 ever STILL!!!!

Somebody please help, I can't stop looking at that crappy board....... Nothing serious to report but i did come across some links to various news articles on the topic of MAC expansion. Temple for football only? Oh goody, there's a sell out. Even Faust was able to kick their asses. W.Can't looks better than i anticpated, but i still prefer Zippy to their uh..... red thingy. Article w/ nice map. Dem boys cun draw! WKU discussing move On their message board Hilltopper Haven S. Illinois - Dogs get lonely too! Northern Star online OBTW Since I am a far away fan, should I expect this year to be my last opportunity to see a golden flush in my Rubber bowl. That sounds so wrong....

Hey sports fans..... Bob, Tom.... Christie.. Been a while since I've had a chance to post, you know....... done w/ College...Life happens. First, thanks to all those who contribute. As a far away fan, Zips Nation is my only reliable thread of information. Has anyone noticed the news reports that suggest Temple would likely join the MAC now that they have been kicked out of the BE? Seeing how they only played football there, while the rest of the school competes in the Atlantic 10, I don't see this happening. I could see a team from a large market like Philly being enticing to the league though. Sorta like Buffalo! Since then I've started to see some really crazy shit! Check out this thread on CollegeSportsInfo.com. They see the MAC as a basketball conference, and have no idea that the D1a attendance rules will probably be dropped or largely ignored. Meanwhile efforts to enforce and promote academic eligibility (a MAC strength) will expand. CollegeSportsInfo.com Don't miss the post from CONVOY It reads, and I "Quote"! I am a FAU Alumni with a relative in the MAC office. I am not too happy about what may be happening to the SBC. Word out of the MAC office is they are going to lose 2 to CUSA, and to replace them they are talking with WKU (Western Kentucky) and MTSU. These meetings are taking place on the Presidents level. Hope the SBC can survive. Oaky Q? Is he refering to MU and CFU?? Or should we suspect more changes are on the way? If there are, then who would be leaving the MAC next. The Ohio/Michigan/Indiana (Balls) teams (and their associated rivalries) would be foolish to join CUSA which is concentrating its teams in the Mid-south (Marshall dumb-asses). Same goes for NIU, too far away and 1 bowl game doesn't make you an elite program. That leaves the Buffers. Like they'd be looking to upgrade!!! Take it way boys, and keep the info comming! WB

In order to get decked out in UA gear, you have to be able to find UA gear. I can only find stuff at the on-off campus bookstores when I happen to be in town. I actually had to ask someone in line at the PSU game where I could get a jersey! (online, not indexed by google or yahoo) It all goes back to marketing the team. It is very difficult to promote a team, and develop a consistent fan base if local stores only sell stuff from major conferences. Get the gear into local stores, get local media to cover MAC football so rivalries can develop, and keep building this program. I hate to say it, but UA would benefit by cross-promoting w/ Can't, especially for the "big" game! God knows they could use our help too. This is the biggest D1a game in NEOhio, and our best promotion of the year is through ACME/Click? Remember, Complaint w/out resolution is WHINING! jerseys: www.athlete-tech.com

"Oust Foust" by Seymor Butts

Why not keep our competition good and local! W/ Syracuse coming to town soon, doesn't this open the door to regular Big East matchups. Pitt, WvU, Cincinasty, would be great draws. Living in NC has made me aware of how this attendance thing works. Does anyone really think you can pack a stadium for DUKE football?? NO, Akron would be embarassed to lose to them. The majority of thier attendance comes from visiting teams like nearby Carolina, NCSt or VTech. Besides, we are more likeley to draw 1for1 matchups with them instead of say...... the 0for1 from the Big10little11, which amounts to a Let the TRUE big boys kick the shit out eachother for a while, and take our business elsewhere. "If you can't set a good example, you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning" Catherine Aird

Next year looks GrrreeEEAT! Packing the house for ARMY, and Kant-read Kant-write Can't State, would put us right at the 75,000 mark early. No more guessing games! It's possible. ? is how can we get this done??? thoughts! 1) offer attendees a chance to win MAC or BCS Bowl tickets! Hell, that could draw some peolpe from the OSU tv band waggon. 2) Promotional tickets to winning local high schools (buy 1 get 1 sort of thing) 3) Everything those great people in the zips marketing dept. want to do. or.......

We did it, we won! For all of their success, they still suck more than we do! Check out the NCAA attendance report to see the final attendance figures (105*)! Those interested should save this site, as it is updated weekly during the season. Don't read too much into this report. It doesn't reflect opposing fans attending games at sucky schools like Duke or Baylor! I'm sure we'll do even better next year, but can we get some regular coverage other than PAX? Seroisly, we are NEOhio's D1 representative! Oops, I guess we share that title with Kant-read Kant-write Can't State! Heres to the Senior Bowl "go Charlie", and Hey, can we get some "Rubber Band Man" from the UA Band! NCAA Accumulated Attendance Report

Yah! i haer Texass (Fort Worth) is lovely this time year! "Texas is the place, for Beers, Steers & Queers. Hiyaw, ride em cowboy" Revolting C@#%$