LosAngelesZipFan

What's in Albuquerque?Any chance the Zips will be coming to UCLA in the next few years? God I'd love that.UCLA is a surprisingly compact campus. The main soccer practice fields, which are also the general use fields, are in the center of campus-- a huge open area of well maintained lawn. It is built over a massive subterranean parking deck, like 5 levels straight down and as big a 3 or 4 soccer fields. Imagine a 5 level deep parking deck underneath Jackson field. Would have been a good investment 40 years ago when the field was created as part of an urban renewal program.BTW, I still don't fully understand why the soccer program wouldn't make use of the new stadium and would instead build a separate facility-- I know, soccer games draw a few thousand folks vs. 30K, but couldn't they rope off all but the mid section of the grandstand or something. I'd bet that when we are consistently in the national championship hunt the soccer team would start to draw pretty well for big name teams.

You are spot on with that-- Akron should be going incredibly deep in the area of energy tech (fuel cell, solar, battery). Exxon has been running TV spots and full page ads with their "Chief Polymer Officer" talking about a major breakthrough they have had in battery technology. Akron needs to be literally at the center of these things-- the amount of funding that is about to be unleashed in the alternative energy space, as well as cleaning up existing fuel source usage like coal, is HUGE. I think the next president, whichever wins, will almost certainly unveil a "Apollo/Manhattan Project"-like initiative, with hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into research. Given the depth and breadth of UA's polymer program, the school's funded research could skyrocket. That's a gamechanger because that research will lead to expertise that leads to more research funding in core and adjacent areas. It also leads to UA being a beacon in this critical space, attracting top talent and students from around the world. The other 2 things that are also gamechangers that flow from this are (1) someone will hit a big idea that will become the next Google or Microsoft, located in NEO, and with a huge amount of support flowing to UA; and (2) UA generates significant licensing cash flows from IP and patented-tech developed at UA.The "polymer age/polymer valley" thing we talked about 20 years ago could finally happen-- but the polymer program will have to orient around energy to get there. [sidebar: Did you know that the world's leading thin film photovoltaic cell technology came out of a company called First Solar that was based in Toledo (it recently moved however).][Different sidebar: This whole opportunity also points out the benefit of a combo with Can't, as I often mention. We need to scale the instititution to do this-- the state can't equally support Akron and Can't, but they are too close together to focus an equal amount of funding and support since the state needs to dole it out all around the numerous population centers. The state should focus research and tech support on Cincy in the south, OSU in the center, and UA-Can't State in the north-- we won't get there on our own at this point, IMHO, short of the billionaire-alum scenario.]

EKU has a tournament? Does anyone know anything about the dynamics arounding holding a tournament? I would think this would be a great way to leverage LeBron-- make it the King James Nike Pre-Season Classic to benefit his foundation. Akron is always the host school, though maybe part of the tournament is played at the Q. LeBron leverages his relationships with top-tier coaches to get a Duke, Memphis, etc., secure ESPN coverage, and his partners sponsor it. Could you expand it by having Akron and Can't co-host (maybe each has a bracket of 4 teams that then play through to a championship at the Q). Setting aside the irony of LeBron hosting a college tourney, is this type of thing impossible to pull off? Seems like it could be a potent profile-raiser and great for the economy.

So exciting to see this happen-- amazing, really. Can you imagine what it will be like to come on campus after the summer away and see this. Talk about a shock to the system!

Just looked at Athlon's football preview-- it has Can't as the #1 recruiting class in the MAC, getting 3 of the top 10 players including 1 and 2. Akron was middle of the pack. WTF? True?

I'm excited to even hear talk of re-routing Exchange-- I think that'd be the missing piece in really creating a campus. Totally doable-- I was there when Buchtel was re-routed, and that seemed impossible at the time. It'd be a great investment to basically have it go straight instead at Brown and swing it around behind Gallucci. That would create a huge commons area. It'd be amazing.

CK or others-- anyone have any perspective on RACER's view that we won't be able to schedule BCS schools with any regularity at home after the new stadium opens? Seems like we should be able to get this happen assuming the stadium delivers greater attendance for a few seasons (and hopefully a concurrent increase in wins which will lead long term increase in attendance/support).Can't had Minnesota at home 2 seasons ago. Toledo has had Penn State, 'cuse, Pitt, Kansas at home. Miami has Northwestern, Colorado, Col State, Boise State at home.

I still don't even remotely buy that C-USA is anything other than an upgrade to the MAC-- the frickin NCAA runner up came from C-USA. They have consistently had teams make deep runs in the tourney and for much of its history received more than one bid. They have more and better bowls in FB and more TV time. Most importantly, the reason we are having this discussion in the first place is because the Big East might again raid C-USA as they did a few years ago-- and notably, the BE has not expressed much/any interest in raiding the MAC. Add it all up and C-USA is simply a better respected conference with a consistently higher level of competition.The question is really where we aspire to be. We are clearly not ready to compete at a BE level today, and given fan support and other realities, we are not currently an attractive candidate for BE membership. But if the answer to the question is that we would like to be in the consideration set for the BE or something similar, then the next question is what conference platform best puts us in position to achieve that at some point. The answer to me is undeniably clear cut: C-USA is a far better platform to put us in position to something BE-like. So, should we aspire to be a peer-institution to Louisville, Pitt, Cincy, 'cuse, Memphis? Could we get there? Should we try?I think if you asked Dr. Proenza, the answer would be one of his favorite quotes: "DREAM! DARE! DO!" Hells yeah we can and we should! The city, state, and everyone else should be supporting and cheering us on towards that goal-- it would make a great economic and social development engine even greater. A quick look at the facts (snapshot below) would lead one to conclude that there is no reason why Akron couldn't be a peer with those schools. In fact, our metro area (which I am defining as Northeast Ohio) is by far and a way the largest market (even a more restricted definition of our metro yields a population of 3 million). I have added Toledo to this-- they certainly warrant consideration and present at least as attractive a package as us given their athletic success, which is all the more reason for us to aggressively pursue a conference change. [And for grins, I also added an Akron + Can't line just to show that potential impact of that course--I believe it would make us instantly attractive to the Big East just based on size and opportunity to own the market.]Here is a quick fact snap shot: City Pop Metro Pop Enrollment EndowmentLouisville 250K 1.200M 21K 800KPitt 312K 2.800M 27K 2.250BSyracuse 147K 730K 19K 1.100BCincinnati 332K 2.100M 36K 1.200BMemphis 670K 1.200M 15K 183KAkron 217K 4.500M 24K 250K[Akron+ Can't] 55K 340KToledo 298K 653K 19K 173K

Sorry to reply to myself but one last point-- the Big East is where we would really like to find ourselves in 10 years. What do we need to do to accomplish that? We won't get there from the MAC, but history demonstrates we could get there from C-USA.We should be disproportionately scheduling Big East schools in all sports, particularly the natural rivalries of Cinci and Pitt but also 'cuse and WVU. We should be finding other ways to work with those schools (research? exchange programs? global things?). We are clearly not ready yet, not sufficiently fan-supported in particular. But it is certainly within the realm of possibility for us to get there. The immediate next step is extricating ourselves from the MAC as soon as a viable alternative is available.

I don't think being independent is a viable option at all-- we would lose KD immediately since it would eliminate any chance of getting to the NCAA (this was a HUGE factor in Huggins leaving-- I personally talked with him about it).I don't think travel costs should be the gating factor here-- seems like an irrelevant criteria in the grand scheme of things.It's self-evident-- the Big East has raided the Big East twice now and shown no interest in any MAC schools. C-USA must do something right, even if it is purely perception. Yes, C-USA would lose something in the near term without Memphis, but the fact it a C-USA team was the frickin runner up in the NCAA this year, a nearly inconceivable scenario for the MAC. That group of teams was sufficiently competitive to support Memphis' riseI was against going in the MAC because it always felt like we would just get stuck there, not really growing or moving forward. It's a comfortable group of peer institutions-- and yes, it would be ideal if we were a dominating presence in MBB or FB before we moved on, but by that logic we would need to wait on the new stadium until the team and attendence fully supported it. Vision needs to lead these decisions-- sometimes you need to make a bold move to secure a step change in your situation. If we had the opportunity, we should take it.

The key question: How many teams from the MAC have "graduated" to the Big East vs how many C-USA teams have?Second question: who has better bowl affiliations?Third question: which conference just had the NCAA runner up? Can you even imagine a MAC school getting that close?Really, this is a no brainer.MAC is at best a status quo scenario-- if we had the chance to go C-USA, we go and hope that it puts us in a better position to move up further if teams, attendence, support, etc., warrant it. What would we be saying if Can't made that move: "shit" (and certainly the mens BB program makes a strong case for them).All in all, another reason why we should confederate Akron and Can't somehow. Could we fold the FB teams together but keep other sports separate? A combined Akron-Can't FB program could at least make an argument to the Big East that we have a strong claim on a major media market. Weird idea but why not? It would certainly save money. Maybe we could restructure C-USA to upgrade it with the better MAC programs, or at least better situated programs in terms of media market size?I think it's an opportunity to do something critical which is reframe the competitive set and at least take a step towards competing on a more national level so that the next Big East expansion, we'd be ready with a story, facilities, teams, and hopefully a growing base of fan support sufficient to argue that we could "own" the media market.

Check out his review of Cincinnati's Nippert Field...v v funny what he found

Love that Evil Zippy-- did you do that?

It would be a fantastic if Akron and Can't worked together to develop a global outreach strategy-- having a presence in China and India is a great idea, but they should do it together. That would be an excellent first step in thinking regionally, attracting talent and investment to NEO, and ultimately avoiding a state mandated drive to merge with CSU. UA/Can't State should have commercialization offices in Japan, S. Korea, China, and in Silicon Valley, to direct research in polymers and liquid crystal tech to a UA-Can't State consortium. Working together will have far more impact than either alone. I'd love to see a joint UA/Can't State alum association out here-- I was out for a run here in Sherman Oaks and someone in a Can't shirt jogged by me which got me thinking about it. Together there would enough to program a fun group.

That's amazing! I hate those buff brick buildings. Are they going to take out Memorial?

Yes, there are lots of examples of dual-campus systems-- you just designate one that is primarily for one set of functions (such as the Can't campus for underclassman and liberal arts) and one for something else (Akron for upperclass, graduate, science and research). It is also true that this is the one possible scenario where Ohio State would have a real in-state rival-- which means that they would fight it tooth and nail. If the state had its act together it would have major research institutions aligned against the 3 major population centers (Cincy, Columbus, NEO-- which uniquely has both Cleveland and Akron metro areas but Cleveland has a major private research school in Case so it's covered).I usually believe that competition is a good thing-- but the reality is that neither Akron not Can't can really scale to the next level, in part because of the competition between them. Together-- even loosely confederated at first-- they could really achieve a step change for NEO, which desperately needs this kind of news.

While I think there would be an initial period of "WTF?" by a chunk of fans, that group would be dwarfed by others in NEO that were suddenly given reason to take an interest. If you just add the average crowds at basketball and football games, you start to get into very exciting territory from a "who do we compete with" perspective. It is not at all unrealistic to think the average BB attendence is 7-8K (our 3500 plus there 4000 rough averages however in the near term neither arena accomodates this). Football should get an average base of 25K with the ability to ramp up to 50K for the right games in the right situation. However, I think you would very quickly get a multiplier effect, assuming we were ramping up competition and winning with some consistency. A virtuous cycle of fan interest builds-- and soon (5 years), you have a very solid argument to make to the Big East. Our big rivals become Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, and WVU. We play alot of Big Ten teams with a solid shot at winning. We also have a mix of ACC and SEC teams that we play. If we were playing at that level of competition and having some success, I think interest and support from throughout NEO would literally explode. That means a consistent base of fan support in the 12K range for BB and 45K range for football (with the ability to scale in certain situations to 75K).And I believe the same thing would happen on the academic and research sides-- Can't's LCI and Akron's polymer and engineering programs are a natural fit-- highly synergystic. We could quickly become the leader in all sorts of advanced materials, from nanotech to imaging to energy and environmental services. Because of the comprehensive branch system, we could positively impact education throughout NEO, down to the pre-school level. And this would be a massive economic development engine, a real asset in retaining current businesses, attracting others, and incubating new ones. It's about scaling to reframe the competitive set, really, in all aspects of the U. As much progress as UA has made and as proud as I am of that momentum, I feel like getting to that next level will be very difficult for UA alone (unless a group of alums emerge that have the ability to invest several hundred million dollars). I know Dr. P would be up for this type of scenario-- but my hunch is that the bedwetters at Can't would fight it, as would anyone in Ohio State's pocket-- they last thing they want is any challenge to their hegemony in the state. I was really disappointed that it never got serious consideration in Fingerhut's plan-- he defaulted to this "4 Corner" plan regarding Can't that makes absolutely no sense in terms of shuffling the higher education deck. The idea of a CSU-UA combo is equally stupid and would be ruinuous for the Akron area (it was clear he had no idea what was happening at UA and was astonished when he really took a look). The plan basically says "we have a serious problem in NEO with too many Universities with overlapping mandates competing for too few resources" but then does nothing about it. I'd encourage everyone to take a look at the plan-- it really doesn't project a good scenario for UA in the long term so I think we should start agitating for something better. It would be great to have a community led group emerge that pushes for consideration of this-- the solution shouldn't come from Cowlumbus, it should come from Akron and NEO.

I can't help but toss this is, since it is one of my favorite screeds, but this is exactly why the state needs to combine Akron and Can't. It is so incredibly stupid that these two large state schools are cheek by jowl with mostly over-lapping programs, and in a constant knife fight for the same, slowly contracting pool of resources.The UA-CSU combo made sense only for downtown Cleveland business interests-- it was a way to step change CSU's status by raiding Akron's success and momentum. But Cleveland already has plenty of economic drivers-- Case, Cleveland Clinic, etc. The Akron metro area, in contrast, really needs UA and Can't State as core drivers and stabilizers. A UA-Can't State merger makes incredible sense because it becomes the region doesn't lose naythin-- Can't becomes the fresh-soph and humanities campus; Akron is junior-grad and science/tech/med campus. NEOUCOM becomes part of the combined entity. It would be one of the largest Universities in the country, just shy of OSU in enrollment at over 50,000. Just think about the impact on the athletic programs-- if you kept the current investment the same but focused on one program instead of two. It would also provide the unifying institution that NEO really lacks-- an entity that essentially spans the entire area. Not sure if anyone has read the final Fingerhut report, but it is basically a ticket to second or even third tier status for UA (and Can't for that matter). I think the time is ripe to experiment and go for bold.

Good lord I wish I could get to the game...will be watching and there in spirit!! Go Zips! Can't sucks!

Enhancing the pathetic amount of research at NEOUCOM is probably the driver of this along with Dr. P's pushing. It was a really stupid idea to ever stick the thing in Rootstown-- a politically driven compromise. My understanding was that Can't had actually been the driver of the creation of the med school, but UA cut a deal to get included followed by YSU. None of the 3 would agree to allow the school to reside on the others' campus, so it was stuck in the middle of nowhere. So stupid.To me this is another big argument why Akron and Can't should confederate at some point.

Why doesn't the soccer team play at the new stadium? I think spending $12M on a soccer only facility is a luxury the U can't really afford. They should have designed the stadium so that a soccer crowd could be intimately seated imho.

Classic-- the PD ignores everything positive that has happened at UA the past 5 years and then does a huge crime article. I have personally emailed Steven Litt, the architecture and urban design writer, at least 10 times to do a story on the half billion dollars in capital improvements UA has invested in Akron and the complete re-making of the campus, but he can't bring himself to do it. Disgusting.

Thanks for the photos!! Great to see. Please keep posting 'em. Mucho appreciado

Dom looks great for the Giants-- never bobbles the kick-offs, hits the seam quickly and always gets a good return, and just recovered a critical fumble. Announcers love him-- lots of accolades.

thanks for the posts flyer...I'd love for us to add better opponents and appreciate the validation that we should. I think the only way to start winning games against teams like Dayton is to play more of them and just get comfortable with a different level of competition.