MDZip

Wow what is going on? BGSU is absolutely awful, NIU lost to Western Illinois?!? Suffice it to say that last year's MAC Championship participants will not likely be returning. And Miami hung tough with Cincinnati and Buffalo who's looked awful beat previously-undefeated Army. The directional Michigan's are now a combined 10-2. And the Zips have offense and no defense. Wrong is right, up is down, dogs and cats are living together.

Seems OK so far :-)

That's more like it. Send it in Jerome! :-)

Or always welcome Ak-RON

I apologize in advance for bringing this up already and we can let it hibernate until after Saturday but I didn't want to let this one pass. Who would ever have thought you'd see a headline like this "The time Nick Saban didn't get his dream job at Kent State". We can pile on next week.

Great photo gallery on GoZips.com - Dr. Z quality. The shot of MTB stretching across the goal line on the first touchdown is especially noteworthy.

Yep. I suspect the pinnacle for MAC football for those types of wins was the 2003 season. There was the huge MAC weekend on Sep 20th when NIU beat #21 Alabama, Toledo took down #9 Pitt and Marshall upset #6 Kansas State. For good measure that season BGSU beat #16 Purdue and Northwestern in a bowl game, Miami also beat Northwestern (and Cincinnati) and NIU also beat Maryland that season. Same season the Zips had their best chance at Wisconsin. So that was the Big Ten, ACC, SEC, Big East and Big 12 all in one season. And four ranked teams. Don't believe anyone scheduled a PAC team. And as far as beating two B1G teams in one season, the last time that was done? BGSU, last year. And in your statement above you left out Ohio's win over Kansas (yeah I know it was just after the KIPA (Kansas Ianello Pigskin Apocalypse)) but it still counts. Also have a feeling Ohio might be the main competition in the East this year.

1) This isn't Wisconsin 2) I believe! 3) App St is still pretty darn good

Wonder when the last time was that a MAC team was favored over an ACC team? CMU 6.5 over Virginia.

Austin Wolf 23rd in the country in yards per catch.

Don't know how many have seen this but it's a little crazy. Eastern kicked off from Charlotte's 20 yard line due to multiple personal fouls. Of course EMU tried an onside kick.

Four MAC quarterbacks in the Top 16. So happy we have one of them. Lots of fun stats on that site. Woodson 20th in passing yards. Jerome and Jojo both in the top 30 in receiving yards per game. JoJo listed on leaders in points per game, Woodson 8th in Points Responsible for Per Game, lots of others. And all this with the Wisconsin game mixed in.

That's awesome - and if any group could use a win - c'mon Zips - stand and deliver.

From the ESPN Eliminator column which discusses every team and eliminates them from the CFB playoff as the season progresses. Akron was eliminated after the loss to Wisconsin (all of the MAC has been eliminated except CMU, WMU and Toledo) but the Zips eliminated Marshall with a nice nod to Terry. Marshall Thundering Herd Trending: DOWN Akron walloped the Thundering Herd 65-38 on the road Saturday. Zips coach Terry Bowden has quietly done a fantastic job of building his team into a MAC East title contender, not that that makes Marshall feel any better

I think Coach Bowden had to do it initially out of necessity, its pretty tough to talk high level recruits into joining your team when the team you are selling has historically been mediocre or worse and had just come off back to back 1-11 seasons. He took who he could sell on his vision and a year of additional playing time or getting to see the field. His first year he got a transfer quarterback to upgrade the offensive tempo and even though it resulted in another 1-11 season you could absolutely see the improvement and got to 5-7 in his second year. He still needed those transfers because the players who were good enough to help Akron (even local ones) were still bypassing the Zips. He finally has established enough success that talented local players (and players from other areas) are indeed starting to choose the Zips so I would suspect the plan is to start scaling back on the transfers in favor of the four year players. Transfers are still used to fill needs and gaps but when you were down as far as the Zips were it was a brilliant strategy (and thank God Terry had the connections) to bring in players that who not only could show a turnaround was starting but actually be a part of that turnaround.

I was a lot more worried about this one last week than this week. Thought the Zips had very little chance until this weekend and with both Our game and the App. St. game that thought process changed in a hurry. I'd look at it as a pick 'em maybe even Akron by 1 as a home game? I'm excited for a good game and the possibility of starting a season 3-1. The last time the Zips started 3-1? Almost 25 years ago in Gerry Faust's 7-3-1 year in 1992.

Yes I know it's completely meaningless but it's still fun to see the Zips being mentioned in bowl spots even this early. McMurphy has them in the Miami Beach bowl vs. Cincinnati (that would be awesome) and Schlabach back in the Potato Bowl vs. Colorado St (less awesome solely because it would be a repeat of last year). But still completely awesome thinking about it happening two years in a row. :-) The Zips have the only winning record in the East and the only losing record in the West belongs to NIU?!?! Who'd have thought they'd bee looking up at a two game gap to EMU and Ball State? 2016 MAC Standings East Akron--2-1 Bowling Green--1-2 Kent State--1-2 Ohio--1-2 Buffalo--0-2 Miami (OH)--0-3 West Central Michigan--3-0 Toledo--3-0 Western Michigan--3-0 Ball State--2-1 Eastern Michigan--2-1 Northern Illinois--0-3

Liked the little LeBron nod by CBS earlier. And CBS just mentioned the Zips are only one point from scoring the most points ever against Marshall in Huntington in regulation. Now I want that :-)

And all this without Warren Ball nor Van Edwards. Manny Morgan has had a pretty solid game though. And sorta glad they kicked the field goal since it now takes the missed extra point out of play.

Austin Wolf is definitely an underrated wide receiver. Oh and thank you Wisconsin for deciding to such this week instead. Only up three on Ga. St. late in the 4th.

Are we playing ourselves? Wow. Yeah but look at it this way we're getting contributions from all three phases of the game. Touchdown from the offense, touchdown for the special teams and touchdown for the defense. :-).

We have got to be the most undisciplined team in all of college football. It's not just all the penalties it's the kinds of penalties that we continue to draw

Yeah but look at it this way we're getting contributions from all three phases of the game. Turnover from the offense blocked punt on special teams and stupid penalties on the defense.

Then we need a counter Zip in Paradise prediction - or we would if he ever paid attention to football. ;-) I don't think there is any way Marshall puts up that kind of a score on the Zips, that's almost the same beating as was absorbed in Madison and while Marshall has talent I don't think it's Wisconsin level talent. With the Zips probably missing Warren Ball and in line with prediction in this thread I'll go Marshall 35 Zips 27.