GJGood

I do not favor going to a playoff system for one simple reason....THEY WILL NEVER GET THE FORMAT RIGHT.In my opinion, a playoff system (assuming it is done incorrectly) would be a giant step back for those schools not in BCS conferences now. They would almost certainly say it should be something like an 8 team playoff using the top 8 ranked teams. Keep in mind that these rankings are hugely influenced by the human polls which often appear to be biased toward the bigger name conferences, and especially the schools that get the most publicity.On top of that in 2007 after the last week of the season the polls jumped LSU from #7 to #2. This meant (if memory serves me correct) that they jumped two teams that lost, one that won, and two that were idle in that week alone. The result was LSU playing in the National Championship Game. One can infer that the only reason they were able to do this was because it was the matchup for the title that the voters wanted to see despite how they had voted in previous weeks.Given that they can make that can happen does anybody really think a current non-BCS school would have a real chance at making the 8 team playoff if it were to come down to them or schools with names like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, or LSU. If a playoff came about that was based on rankings you would start to see schools currently outside of the BCS conferences being rated much less favorably than they are now. In the current system they'll just keep them out of the top 2 before the bowls, then it would be the top 8 before the playoff.The only way a playoff could be done right is if it took every FBS (1-A) conference champion. I just don't see them doing that. Does anybody really think that if a national playoff were in place this year that Buffalo would actually have been included? I sure don't. For what its worth, if a playoff ever did come about I'd like to see it be one that included 14 teams. The field would consist of the 11 conference champions and three 'wild cards'. The seeding would be done giving the 11 conference champs the top 11 seeds and seeding the wild cards 12-14. This is the way the NFL does it now, putting an emphasis on winning your division (i.e. conference in college). The top two seeds would get first round byes. This would allow teams to fight for the top 2 spots like they do now in the BCS system and continue to make the regular season very relevant for nearly every team. I also would have the first two rounds of games be played at the home field of the better seeded team. The national semifinals would be at the home of the top 2 teams, regardless of whether or not those teams actually made it to that game. The actual title game game would be at a predetermined neutral site. This would allow every team in the top 4 a chance at hosting two games but it would be impossible for anybody to host 3.Like I said, that is all a pipe dream though. The "powers that be" would never let it happen. Once a playoff is established and teams from the "smaller" conferences start being left out, the recruiting at those schools will drop off somewhat as well. Why would good recruits want to go to a place where they won't have a chance to win a championship (or at least make the big stage like a BCS game) no matter how well they play? More and more those not recruited by the "big schools" would look toward current FCS schools.Those are just my thoughts on it. Ultimately I'd love a fair playoff, I just don't have faith enough in those in charge to believe they'd do it right so my current answer to question of if there should be a playoff is always "no".

I think we need to get Ronnie back. Anybody have any insight as to what is going on with him and his health? It just seems to me, and I'll think the limited statistics from games he's played will back this up, that the team turns the ball over much less when he plays. He may not be the best scorer but he certainly takes care of the ball. That could have made all the difference against Miami and could in many MAC games this year.

pdt1420, I am with you. I am Columbus born and raised but an Akron alum and current resident of Patskala. The lack of coverage for a school so close by is amazing. What really irks me is how the local media in central Ohio always places stories about Ohio University, Miami, and BG ahead of any Akron stories as well.As far as STO, the only thing that it is good about it for me is the high school championships (as I am not a Cavs nor Indians fan), and even then other than the actual state championship games almost all the HS programming is NE Ohio-centric. I just want an Ohio network to showcase teams from all over Ohio.

:blink: god no I-AA teams please!!!I agree. No FCS (or 1-AA) teams! I like the fact while everybody else has been watering down many of their non-conference games that the Zips have not. In addition, it is something that I have been able to hold over the fans of that school down here in Central Ohio the last couple of years and they all say they wish they didn't play 1-AA schools.If playing an FCS school is the only way to get a home game then maybe you have to, BUT I don't think it is the only way to get a home game. I remember schools like North Texas and Middle Tennessee State playing in Akron not that long ago and they all at least carry the same number of scholarship players as the Zips do. The way to get home games is home-and-home contracts with FBS (1-A) schools. I'd like to see some from BCS conferences if possible, but FBS is a necessity for respect reasons.

Impressive score but some things I noticed in the box score for this game are beginning to worry me. Keep in mind this was against a team that is in the process of transitioning from Division III to Division II and hasn't even beaten any of those teams yet.Akron had zero blocked shots. ZERO...despite substantial minutes by Linhart, both McKnights, Bardo, and Sweich.And the one I think we'll all be discussing all season... 7 for 16 at the free throw line.Also Hitchens had more turnovers than assists and picked up four fouls in 20 minutes. I hope that can be attributed to "growing pains" though.

With all due respect ..... or all the respect this post is due. Just forget using the words "Zips" and "Bowl Chances" in the same sentence. IMO even if the Zips had beaten Ohio and Temple and stood at 7-5 they would not have made any Bowls. :nono: :nono:Whether or not we'd get in over a 6-6 Sun belt team is quite questionable. It would depend upon the individual bowl game and its location. If the game is in Shreveport, Louisiana they may be more apt to take a Sun belt team like La-Lafayette or Arkansas State due to geography and ability of fans to travel.The hopes are quite grim right now. The Zips needed to win one of those close games (Cincy, BGSU, Buffalo, Ohio) and just didn't quite get there

We'd beat Illinois, Clemson, Kansas State, and Baylor 95% of the time? Man, we need to get them on the schedule.Illinois was in the Rose Bowl last year. Clemson is a program very capable of being in the top 25, if not top 10 most years. If the Big XII wasn't so strong this year maybe Kansas State would be up there too. Baylor, I predict, will be next years big surprise team. I personally think their QB has more upside than that guy playing down here in Columbus.

I think if JD voluntarily leaves anytime soon it would be to go to a school in a conference like the Mountain West. He is an alum of Colorado State if I am not mistaken. On top of that, his biggest claim to fame right now might be that he was the position coach for Larry Fitzgerald in college. A lot more is made of Fitzgerald out west since he has played his whole NFL career in Arizona. I guess Pitt may be attractive to JD and he to them as well if they were to make a change in the near future.Personally I hope he stays for at least the first two seasons of Infocision for consistency sake as we try to create new traditions and a strong home field advantage.

If Buffalo beats Bowling Green they can't get to 7 wins, the bowls outside of the MAC tie-ins by rule would have to take a 7-5 Akron first. The key is getting to 7 wins. Mandel also has quite a few teams that are on the bubble of either qualifying in their conference for a tie-in bowl (6 wins) or making 7 wins to fill a vacancy nationwide.Is Mandel predicting another Akron loss? Looking at the numbers, 7-5 still gives Akron about an 80% chance to be bowling even if they are the last 7-5 team available. Finishing 6-6 though would make it quite unlikely though. Ohio and Temple are MUST win games if there ever were any.

I agree that Infocision will see many more fans than the Rubber for all the reasons you outlined in your post. I also agree with your comments on the "name" programs and OSU (let the 1-AA, or FCS schools play the Buckeyes). Please don't attack my hometown though. There are some of us down here in the capital city that have resisted and rebelled against the scarlet wave of brainwashing that is prevalent throughout this area.

The argument against our bowling (assuming we beat Ohio and Temple) will be that we haven't beaten a quality opponent all season and that is unfortunately true. UC, BGSU, and UB were all W's that we gave away.The winner of the east will be the only team out (assuming they finish with 7 wins) Ball State CMU and WMU will all have 9+ wins..It all depends on how many bowls go "unfilled" by the BCS conferences. BTW, congrats on the hard fought victory, Bull_In_Exile. You guys have a nice team (although your D is almost as bad as ours lol), and if I have to lose in the MAC I'd prefer losing to a team like Toledo or you guys. I'll always root for Urban U (or the U of Urban or even the U AT Urban) over Fill-in-the-Blank State. Good luck the rest of the way.This is true But for the sake of argument Assume UB and Akron both win out.Ball State 13-0CMU 9-3WMU 9-3Buffalo 8-5NIU 7-5 (assuming they beat Navy)Akron 7-5 (will have a lesser conference record than NIU)So if NIU beats Navy Akron would be seeded 6th other wise 5th either case is a long shot... But all any team can do is win their games, good luck with the resot of the season zips..Looking at the math and what spots will likely be left unfilled by other conferences it appears Akron would have a high porbabliity of going bowling if they get to 7-5. This is due to the fact that 7-5 teams MUST be taken before ANY 6-6 team that is from a conference not tied-in to that bowl. It is hard to say if a bowl would pick a 7-5 NIU team or a 7-5 Akron team if forced to decide. It would depend more on the revenue the bowl would generate than the performance so far in the season. Still, there is a good chance (I'd say at least 80%) that if both the Huskies and Zips get to 7-5 that they could both go bowling.Let's just hope some of these teams nationally that are flirting with that 6 and 7 win mark don't pull off any upsets of teams ahead of them and that they do get upset by teams that will not be going to the postseason.I wonder, has anybody put together a list of who we should or should not be rooting for this weekend if we want more bowl spots to potentially come open?

Oh no! Say it ain't so! Isn't the Texas Bowl carried on the NFL Network? That is the only major sports channel my cable provider here in Central Ohio doesn't pick up. That would be a tragedy for me!

I don't know if that is true. If Akron finishes 7-5 but is not the East champ it would only mean that they would not be going to one of the bowl games that have the MAC as their official tie-in, namely the Motor City, GMAC, and International Bowls. Whether or not the Zips were to make the postseason in another bowl would depend entirely upon whether or not other conferences have enough teams that are bowl-eligible to fill all their tie-ins. At this point it appears that there will be at least a couple of these spots available nationwide. On top of that also keep in mind that the NCAA has a rule issued to all of the bowl selection committees that if a bowl must look outside their affiliated tie-in for an at-large team that they MUST take a 7 win team (winning record) over a 6 win team (only .500). This means if the Zips can manage that 7th win that they would have to be chosen for a game like the Independence Bowl or Hawaii Bowl before any 6-6 team, even if they are from a BCS conference.Therefore, it looks to me like 8 wins is a lock for a bowl, 7 wins is an 85% to 90% probability, 6 wins might not be very favorable.Another factor: If by some near miracle Ball State runs the table, goes 13-0, and gets into a BCS bowl game then all the MAC teams move up one rung on the ladder. I just think that part I put in italics is very unlikely.

This might be the kind of guy the Zips need in their program. When he arrived at Kettering Fairmont, they were only an average at best football team and the program hadn't had too much success. With him at QB, though, the program has become much stronger and hads some wins over some pretty impressive opponents. I guess you could say he has experience at leading a program while it takes that "next step".

Now that would be fun, but I think the Wolverines have zero chance of being Bowl eligible this year (it will break a 33 year streak, longest in the country). They are 2-5, have Michigan State this weekend (who just dropped out of the rankings), then Purdue and three ranked teams (Minnesota, Northwestern and OSU). In other years that might have looked doable. I do not think so this year.So who would everyone else like to play? I also think a rematch against UC and another BCS victory would be a nice way to close out the season.First and foremost, I'd like them to be playing anywhere. If I had my choice, though, I'd love to see us play a Pac-10 school. If some of these conferences don't have enough bowl eligible teams then maybe we fill in for a school against a Pac-10 team or a P-10 team will be in the Motor City Bowl or something. I know its an extreme long shot though.It just seems the MAC and Pac-10 never get together on the gridiron, and for it to be on a neutral field or even in MAC country would be ideal.

Actually, Z-P, I believe the Seahawks are nationally televised this Sunday night on NBC so you should be able to watch this week if you have the time available. I'm just hoping it is Frye who takes the snaps and maybe Wallace can play a little at WR. That would address Seattle's biggest need more than having Seneca Wallace at QB.

Believe me I don't miss out on the humor of it but it is media types like the guy doing that report that infuriate me. He keeps throwing our name out there like we are something to be ashamed of. It must be absolutely terrible to lose to Akron. Why do people always seem to feel that the Zips are vastly inferior? Is it simply because of our conference affiliation? Isn't this the same Akron team that trailed by 7 points at halftime to Wisconsin? Isn't it the same program that trailed Ohio State by 1 at halftime last season? The one that trailed Penn State by only 9 after 3 quarters a couple years back (if i remember correctly)? I know we beat NC State in 2006, so why in the world wouldn't Syracuse expect a good game out of Akron?When are people going to realize that playing a MAC school is not like playing most schools from the FCS (or 1-AA)? I think Ohio State may now know the difference (after comparing week 1 and 2 both this season and last) but why don't the national "experts" know?

I guess the flip side is that you are guaranteed four games unlike a couple years ago when Akron lost to UALR and the tourney for them was over with that game. Still, I'd prefer something like what we had last year in Alaska or a few years back in Puerto Rico.

I can live with this schedule.I am already looking forward to the Dayton and Winthrop games at home and, of course, the game at Pittsburgh could be a good test for our young troops.Can somebody explain to me how the Legends Classic works? I thought it was an exempt tourney, but if that was the case we wouldn't know the opponents beyond the opener. I personally like the fact that the non-D1 game is against Urbana as it was one of my finalists on where to attend after high school before I chose Akron.

Here in Columbus my Time Warner guide says that my FSN Ohio station is showing a season preview special for the Columbus Blue Jackets saturday afternoon. I remember a couple of years ago the MAC Championship soccer game was on and in overtime when they switched over to 45 minutes of PREGAME for the Blue Jackets. So, if the affiliates down here have a choice between the game in Syracuse and some show about the Blue jackets that will be shown 30 times or so I am sure I know which they'll opt for.

Since my cable provider doesn't have BTN I would have to go to my parents' house to watch any replays so 1:00 am wouldn't be good for me. Does anybody know if there are additional replay times throughout the holiday weekend?

My prediction on record is 5-7 but I hope I am being pessimistic. I actually like the description in the third option the best though. I still think that the QB play may be better than many people think if CJ is the guy. I am worried about injuries and the defensive backfield first and second and then the QB position third.

I am actually more worried about our DBs and their inexperience more than our QBs. The quarterbacks will at least have a bunch of talent in the backfield with them and hopefully the Zips will have a nice rushing attack this season. That always makes QBs better in the passing game. DBs, on the other hand, can often find themselves all alone and isolated against a major playmaker for the opposing team.QB is a spot to be worried about. DB is downright frightening.

It's listed on the BTN schedule for noon. BTN has several alternate channels that basically show their whole schedule of games. I'm sure it will be on at the Fairlawn Lizard. That's where we watched the Indiana game last year. This year I get all the BTN channels so I can watch at home. Not the same as the lizard, though.I really wish the Zips game wasn't on at the same time as the OSU game. I don't have BTN and I bet any bar I go to will be lucky to have even one tv with Akron-Wisc on it. Plus I'll have to fight the sea of red to even find a seat to attempt to watch it. I might even skip watching the game and listen to it on radio just to avoid the massive OSU crowds.I have Dish Network and they play multiple games at the same time on the Big Ten Network. They have a "main channel" if you will, but they will also play 2 or 3 other games at the same time on an alternate channel. No worries, the Zips will be shown live.I'll have to check and see if there is somewhere for me to see the "alternate" BTN games but I doubt that there is. I have Insight Communications and am in the Columbus area if anybody has any info on that.

Great game by DH. They did mention UA once just to correct themselves.It would be nice to have another UA product become a well known NFL player.Since I am a UA alum and I live five minutes from Whitehal High School I couldn't be happier with the way last night went for Hixon. It's funny, I never heard anyone talk about him much down here until the Everett collison last year. Now, with the Giants Super Bowl win, his TD return against the Patriots in the regular season and the opening of his summer football camp here I hear about him all the time.Congrats to Domenik. I hope he has a breakout season.