GJGood

Dividing Division 1 into segments in basketball would only hurt the "smaller" schools, not help them. How much national attention do you think a tournament consisting only of mid-majors and low majors would get? Probably about as much as the D-2 tournament does now. With lack of exposure comes lack of interest and eventually loss of a large portion of the fan base. This would only hurt the economic interests of a school like Akron.Plus, look at how much attention the so-called mid-major schools can get by playing in the tournament in its current format. A lot of people during the course of this year's NCAA tournament have been talking about schools like VCU, Southern Illinois, and Butler. There is absolutely no reason that a MAC school cannot be on par with the likes of one of those schools or have a great run like George Mason or build a nationally recognized program like that at Gonzaga.Isn't parity more commonplace now than it was a decade or two ago? Whose to say that trend won't continue and more schools will be seen as major threats in the future? It won't happen, though, if we tinker to much with the system in a divisive way.

I agree Steward and Sweich are keys to Akron becoming a perennial MAC power. This has the potential to be the Zips' best ever recruiting class.Don't forget about Brett McKnight (Chris' brother), he turned into a scoring machine this year for Lancaster High School.Life as a die-hard Zips fan living in Columbus can be incredibly aggravating since so many people here don't care about anybody isn't in the Big Ten or Top 25 in any sport. However, I have been very fortunate lately to see some 'future basketball Zips' while they were still playing in high school. In recent years I have seen Chris McKnight and Nate Linhart while in HS and was quite impressed, but these next two central Ohio Zip recruits (Steward and B. McKnight) are two of the most impressive players I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Believe me, despite how dark things have been lately, due to events beyond the team's control, the future is bright for the Zips on the hardwood.

I can agree with that, but it is the NIT snub that is so freakin' unbelievable! It is WRONG!

I'm at a total loss tonight. This is totally unfathomable. I thought it was bad when the football team was the only bowl eligible team sitting at home a couple of years ago, but this NIT snub makes that pale by comparison.I still can't believe this! It is WRONG! Plain and simple.

This definitely is one of the all-time darkest days in Zips athletics. I still can't believe this! How can the MAC's best team not be in either postseaon tourney? This is one of the greatest travesties in NCAA basketball history but yet I am sure most of the nation won't even notice!

Last time I checked Syracuse is on the Zips football schedule for 2008, 2009, and 2010. The first two years are away games with the Orange coming to Akron in 2010.GJG

I agree with GP1 here. Akron should have a stadium that they are sure they can get to at least 80% capacity for most games. I think a 25,000 to 30,000 seat stadium would be about right, however there is no category for that range in this poll.I also think it is important to state that this facility should be one that can be built upon in the future. If the demand is there for more seating capacity then the university could take appropriate expansion measures.

Thanks. I learned a lot here. I knew the Rubber Bowl was rich in history and was pretty large compared to the other MAC schools. That was why I posted on the topic. The Rocket fan at the beginning of this thread was making it sound like we had an abnormally small stadium.I agree changes need to be made and a new stadium is the most obvious answer to the football attendance issues. I look forward to seeing how this all ends up playing out. I also hope that once a new stadium is in place that the tickets prices won't jump to extravagantly. I'd still like to be able to afford to take my family of five to a game or two each season.

It all makes financial sense. I just don't like the idea of indoor football in Ohio at any level.

Just wondering something. What is the capacity of the Rubber Bowl now? Isn't it as big or bigger than the Glass Bowl in Toledo anyway? People have been talking about our stadium like it is a tiny little facility. Somebody once told me that the Rubber Bowl was the second largest college stadium in Ohio. How close is this to being accurate? This may have been an error on their part but the Rubber Bowl certainly isn't tiny!Go Zips!