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Eh..that is tough to say. While I hope you are right, not sure if they were getting more than 35,000 for their HOME games last year. Might possibly travel better than Indiana though. Indians are not at home, not sure if the Air Show in Cleveland is enough of a draw. Plus, Syracuse fans might be more apt to take the trip the next week to Seattle to see Syracuse @ Washington.

I'm an idiot for posting this. I should just do what I normally do and not comment and get out of a bad thread. But wow..this is just a lot of bad posting in this thread!!! Can we just kill it and move on?

Do you think they will be better in a power run scheme instead of that lame attempt at a running game last year?We'll have a true Freshman FB. That concerns me.It's one thing to run a power formation. It's another thing to run it effectively. I'm as happy as the next guy to be rid of the delayed shotgun hand off. But an entirely new playbook, coupled with an entirely unproven stable of RB's, concerns me.In reality, when your team is 3-9 just about everything should concern you. I guess I just have a little more faith in what I saw from the 3 RBs, and with at least 2-3 new ones, I feel more comfortable in finding 2 that can get it done. But...will OL play get better...will we adjust to new coaching...will Nicely show improvement from a nice start...will we have enough quality DL...there are PLENTY of things to be concerned about in 2010, no doubt.

Not a bad idea, but both Ohio and that other school off I-76 have tried this and did not draw well. On the other hand, it's possible to get an away-and-neutral with a better team than you'd get a home-and-home with.Only one team would draw well at the Q against a MAC team, and that's Ohio State. No other team brings the interest they do. Pitt would be second, but they would have to being their own fans from Pittsburgh while OSU draws the locals.I think Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse are just a few schools within 5 hours that would draw well both from the locals and some of their fans. And, really, if the game is at the Q who cares if it is, say, 50% Akron fans and 50% Pittsburgh fans. It would still NOT BE A ROAD GAME IN THEIR PLACE.The problem is the TIMING of the game. WVU came to CSU in mid-Dec..college basketball just hasn't heated up at that time. They had 5,500 there but many were WVU fans. And, no doubt, the success of the Cavaliers makes it more difficult for college basketball to draw.If the timing was right and build up (advertisement in print, radio and TV) was right..I think 9,000-10,000 fans at the Q is possible for an Akron vs. Pitt game.In an ideal world, we would schedule a double header with CSU or that team from 8 miles away also playing a big-time team. Schedule it on a night when hopefully the Cavs don't play at all (obviously, road game) and the Browns are not in town. Make it THE event of the weekend. CSU vs. Michigan 6PMAkron vs. Pitt 8:30 PMHarken back to the days of the Rock-n-Roll shootout (yes, it had some good years!!).

I got the distinct feeling that Tressel was sending a veiled message to a player like Howard, who may consider a military school.“Jamel Turner gained the most at Fork Union,” Tressel said. “That is a tremendous experience for any kid ... if you ever talk to Eddie George, that was a turning point in his life.”George went to Fork Union before coming to Ohio State and winning the Heisman Trophy.If Tressel IS doing this, my guess is b/c he cares about the kid, NOT b/c he so desperately wants/needs him at OSU. They are SEVEN deep at RB this year, with only 1 senior. And really, there is no new news in this.If Howard plays for the Zips this year or any year...great. Good for him, potentially good for us. But I happen to think we have GREAT potential at RB with Alexander, Martin and Torrence. One or two will emerge. Nicely, the OL and finding 2 WRs to complement LaFrance will be the key to this year on offense. Our RB position will be OK (keeping in mind we have 3 other freshmen RBs coming in as well).

Love him or hate him, Jim Tressel has proven that great punting and great kickers can keep you in many games. Frank Beamer and Jim T. have definitely brought great focus to the importance to special teams.

Jets definitely run the "smash mouth" type of football, but have a rookie QB. Ravens still use a FB I believe.Not to mention...NOT being able to pick up 1 yard in the 2nd quarter cost the Colts 3 points when they gave the ball back to NO at the 50. NOT BEING ABLE TO ADAPT THEIR OFFENSE FOR SHORT YARDAGE hurt them both there and, to some extents, late in the game.With that being said, the 2 ways to win in the pros in the last 10 years is to either have a great QB & at least a solid D (Saints, Colts, Patriots, Steelers of 2008 etc.) or a GREAT D and at least solid/timely QB play (Steelers of 2005, Giants, Ravens..though Ravens' D was one of the best ever and QB was average at best).If our offense is like ND's...it is not "smash mouth"..it is multiple..3 wide, 4 wide, FB/TB, 2 TE, etc. Able to adapt to the situation and the position on the field. It has worked for many teams for many years, and it will continue to work for many teams for many years.

Blogger vs. Blogger..http://www.nunesmagician.com/2010/2/4/1293...n-november-justRead later in the article..has SU @ Akron on 9/18.Can't wait until we get some official notice.Good news is ACC schedule is out. Typically ACC sets their schedule (and arrangements with TV), followed by Big East. Then the non-BCS schools can start firming up some things.EDIT: Scrap everything I wrote about SU @ Akron. Who knew that I could get confirmation from FCS Maine's site?!?!!?!?http://goblackbears.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/main-m-footbl-sched.htmlSo, looks pretty solid for the 4th. Sorry to have wasted ZN members and non-members time.

A few things:We don't have that senior leader like Linhart last year. Yeah, Conyers has come on, and Chris McKnight and Roberts have had their moments. But missing that leadership that he brought is big. Minimizing it is not understanding MAC/ "mid-major" basketball.The true players that have the potential to be difference makers are Hitchens and Zeke= a sophomore and a freshman. I can't tell you how many guards I watched at Xavier that looked A LOT like Hitchens in their freshmen and sophomore years, then made ENORMOUS steps in their junior and senior years. He can and will be a difference maker at UA..as long as he goes to class and keeps maturing as a person, student, player and leader. Zeke is going to be in the same boat. He will have moments this year, more next year..then BAM during his junior year= HUGE difference maker.Nik C.= not sure if he is a difference maker in the truest sense, but as only a sophomore he is definitely on track to be a high end MAC-level player. The game will slow down for him as well, much like it will slow down for Hitchens. If he can develop a 12 to 15 foot jumper..big things from Nik C.KD= nothing new to offer there. Just can't believe how some can take him for granted.

Additional good news about this= we should not be going up against OSU in either of the 1st 2 weeks.Marshall at OSU is on Thursday the 2ndMiami (FL) at OSU should be an 8 PM ABC game on the 11th.I could make good arguments for a starting time on 9/4 anywhere ranging from Noon to 7:30. The 11th..let's start no later than 2 PM.Hoping for 25,000+ for the 4th, and 18,000+ for the 11th.

So much for all the rumblings about this being a SMALL class...I would say 17 or less is small, 18 to 22 is about average, and 23+ is a big class.Must be something about lineman in Ohio this year..OSU with 4 OL/DL, Akron with 4...I guess UC brought in 6 (only looking at the top football schools in Ohio= :-) )

Post game radio. Tune in.Yikes. Ouch. Did he MEAN to say that, really? Did he misspeak, or was that the tone of things? I'm lucky enough with 2 young ones to find the time to watch the games...can't say I will make time to listen to the postgame show. That is why I have you guys and ZN!!!!

Darn it! Who recruited all these "nice, but not spectacular" players anyways?Good point, no doubt. Conyers obviously hasn't panned out...a couple of the guys are a bit young. Not sure if McKnights were ever recurited to be the "leaders" of the team.I find it funny that some (not saying YOU Dr. Z) don't realize what UA has in a coach like Dambrot. Many, MANY coaches at progams like UA would have jetted after the success of last year. He is an Akron guy, he can be special here..he can be our "Phil Martelli" as an example (though he and St. Joe's have struggled recently). Don't take him for granted..not yet at least.

Thanks Keith.Where is this quote from? Was he MISQUOTED?!?!?! Was it an intentional alteration (I would not expect that it is..maybe you are trying to get us fired up!!!).PD has him saying:They're a good team, capable of playing well," sixth-year Akron coach Keith Dambrot said of Eastern Michigan. "We never got out of our own way. It'll be a good check for us. Our fans won't give up on us and we're just going to have to rally ourselves. It'll be a good test of character. http://www.cleveland.com/sports/college/in...are_of_mac.html

Well then the question is who should be those 1-2 guys? Do you really see anyone that you trust out there?I think Dambrot is working with what he has= a bunch of nice but not spectacular players and a group of guys that cannot create for themselves (beside maybe Humpty and Conyers).If Humpty can get himself straightened out, he made the big shot last year, he is a PG, he is a skilled player. He would seem to be that one guy. One of the McKnights or Conyers as the other...a bit scary. McNees? Very nice player, but he is more of the guy to move the ball around and bail out the "creators" with a long 3 (made hopefully).I hate the saying sometimes, but it fits here..."We are what we are."

So much for Cleveland media not caring or covering the Zips (as SOME on here suggest). That is a pretty prime spot to be talking Zips' recruiting.Add to that Pluto's article today...

That seems to defeat the purpose of enlarging the field. Why have more teams if they don't have a real chance to play the top contenders. That "play-in" week (or whatever) would just be a "NIT" within the NCAA. That said, I love what is being talked about -- and it would re-ignite my interest in the NCAA BB tournament, which has waned in recent years -- simply because of the added TV exposure which is supposed to be part of the plan. The single reason I have lost interest is because of the poor broadcast capability of CBS. With just one network it is impossible to broadcast -- or more literally, it is impossible for viewers to see an entire game in the first 2-3 rounds of the event. And frankly, by the end of that the NCAA loses even more interest with just the "usual suspects" remaining to play one another. With ESPN involved, with their four networks, it should be possible to broadcast every first-round game in its entirety. And THAT would make a world of difference.MAYBE we will get that lucky. My bet is we will get one game, and have to pay for a special package to get the remaining games.

Wow..you must sit in the club seats.

Forget the ridiculousness of college football for a moment (where 1.6% of the teams can make the "playoffs")NBA= 16 of 32 make playoffs= 50%NFL= 12 of 32= 38%NHL= 16 of 30=53%MLB= 8 of 32=25%NCAA Division 1 b-ballCurrently 64 of 347=18%Future 96 of 347= 28%So, college basketball adding 32 teams still leaves it similar to baseball, less than the other major sports.Hopefully they do it "the right way"...we will have to see.

Q25 Were you offended that you, as a responsible middle class adult, were not able to buy beer, but those with more $$$ than you could?

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=riva...s&type=lgnsI think you will have him and 1-2 other guys (converted LBs) battling it out for the FB position.

I will be pleasantly surprised (or maybe disappointed if we haven't found an athletic wing) if Euton, Zek and Nik are playing together. I see those 3 being the rotation at the 4/5, with McKnight getting minutes at the 4 and MAYBE the 3 if he works on some things.I think it might come down to one of the other freshmen, especially Green based on what I have read. I know he was playing at center but working on becoming more of a wing. Of course, he might run into some of the same issues as McKnight, but I really don't know enough about him to make a very educated guess.As we should, our concentration should be on this year. But definitely some things to look at as the program looks to continue to grow and get stronger.

It has become clearer and clearer to me that, in order for Akron to take that step towards being a consistent top 2 team in the MAC (at the very least) and perennial tournament team(say NCAA 2 out of every 3 years, NIT in those other years), it is going to come down to what we do at the 2/3 position.For the last bunch of years, we have brought in the gritty 4s..the Travises, McKnights, Woods, etc.We have had the smaller PGs and combo guard types..Middleton, Joyce, McNees, Dials, HitchensWe are getting better at the C position..Zeke (lots of room to grow, but it WILL happen) and even Bardo as a 6-8 minute spot time guy later in his careerI know Linhart was a very nice player. Took some time to really develop, but he built a heck of an all-around game. Conyers..showed moments at times this year..but, this is it for him.We need to land that 6-4 to 6-7 player that can create for himself and shoot the ball. Once we find that player that can play for 2+ years..boom, we are there. Certainly hope we can find and develop this kid by, at THE LATEST, Zeke's senior year. Perhaps we get lucky and that guy is in place by Zeke's junior year. That type of player with Zeke and an improved/settled down Hitches in 2 years...looking like a special team.I know this is not some sort of great revelation. I'm sure many have said it in the past and, if not said it, thought it. But after watching the last few games, it becomes more and more evident that this TYPE of player would be the last type we are missing from taking Akron to a different level.

Not that what you wrote here is rocket science for those that understand Division I basketball...but DAMN that was well said and well written!!! My guess is I would be hard pressed to find a better quick analysis anywhere.A little inside info here, in another life, Dave in Green was a journalist! Then he spent 30 years in corporate "Communications". He better know how to put more than 2 words together at one time! Good info. And, to be honest, I thought he might have some professional background in that area just from the writing. THOUGH, as many of us know, plenty of people are paid to write who really have no business being paid to write!!!

Not that what you wrote here is rocket science for those that understand Division I basketball...but DAMN that was well said and well written!!! My guess is I would be hard pressed to find a better quick analysis anywhere.