LA ZIP

UA doesn't have to play in the Rose Bowl to play in the Rose Bowl, kapeesh? UCLA plays its home game there. They play non-bcs schools to open the season, so no reason it is out of the realm of possibility. I think you really over-estimate the gap between UA and Miami, Toledo, BG, and NIU. Whatever perception gap there is gets quickly erased by a few good years, a good coach, a stand-out player, and some consistent TV exposure, all of which UA is experiencing right now. Granted, UA doesn't have the consistent performance of Miami or Toledo, but it is head and shoulders above MAC schools like Can't.

I sure like the Memphis fans more than Toledo fans.

I'm not asking this question because of the Zips winning the MAC this year, though it can't be denied that the program and the U have momentum of the type it hasn't ever enjoyed (improved facilities, strong recruiting, players in the NFL, a real campus, quality leadership, etc.). UA already has Syracuse on the schedule at home. I think getting the bottom and mid-tier teams from BCS conferences comes down to one thing: money. UA has to have a big guarantee, one that runs ahead of attendance-driven revenue, to get a team of that level in yearly.

Just getting up to date on some of the threads here...this was a good one. I have always thought there were parallels between Akron and Syracuse and that UA could get to a similar plane if NEOhio really got behind it. I love that the Xavier alum is backing the Zips-- because it is good for his community. I moved away from NEOhio over 10 years ago, and I can't help but look back in bewilderment at both the slavish devotion to Ohio State and the general apathy towards UA and (though I am loathe to say it) Can't State. NEOhio would be so much further ahead economically and socially had a single major university been allowed to flourish there. The reality is that OSU, like Columbus in general, has a vested interest in stunting NEOhio institutions and the OSU-interest bloc does just that when and where it can. In athletics, that is manifested in OSU only playing in-state schools in football because of legislative fiat. There will eventually be 3 major public research institutions in Ohio-- Cincinnati in the south, OSU in the center, and probably some combination or confederation of Akron and Can't in the north.

What do you think?

What do you think?

Hawaii would be great of course...but, cmon, how cool would it be to have the Zips playing in the Rose Bowl...maybe even get Keith Jackson in the booth (he only does west coast games for the most part).

One of the key next steps for UA is a yearly home game against a "big time" program. This may need to be a game that gets specific fund-raising to pay the guarantee until the program starts drawing, but I think NE Ohio fans are not apt to really support the program unless they are competing against bigger name teams at home. Nothing would excite fans more, and change attitude quicker, than having Big Ten and other BCS teams in Akron. One way to kick this idea off is to have a game against Ohio State at Browns Stadium (like Cincinnati did a few years ago). So is this a total pipe dream? Miami, Ball State, Toledo, and OU have been getting quality opponents scheduled at home. Miami alone has Northwestern, Minnesota, Colorado State, and Syracuse scheduled in the next few years. Akron has Syracuse, Army, and Kentucky at home over the next few years. The rumor right now is that BC is coming in next season. Is that sufficient? Shouldn't we set the bar higher? And when are the Zips going to make a West Coast trip to play UCLA (rather not play SC quite frankly).