Captain Kangaroo

Other factors that may rebuff the typical "sky is falling" Zips Fan paranoia --1.) We are aiming very high for recruits this year. If we wanted to have a combined 8 ot 10 kids committed as of today, we could do it. Believe it or not, UA is a very attractive program right now. There is no rush to rack up July commitments for our February class.2.) I don't know the exact scholarship count available, but the '10 class will be smaller than the '09 class. The staff is being more selective right now because we don't have a boatload scholarships to hand out. Also keep in mind Pierre Carr isn't presently eligible, but he'll be in the '10 class if he does well in the classroom this upcoming school year. He's not officially a "commit," but he'll enroll this fall and expects to play in the fall of '10.

Great work, zen! Hope you don't mind the tweak?

Wow...I'm starting to like our chances against this D-3 team!

Giving away free tickets isn't Marketing, and it doesn't pay off a $61.5 million dollar stadium.

I don't think the Bracket Buster is looked upon by anyone to "save" our schedule. That said, year-in year-out it is a tremendous opportunity to get a quality opponent scheduled that otherwise would never have the JAR on it's radar. And the television exposure on one of the ESPN's, assuming you merit a quality opponent, is big too.

A fair assessment. I think it will be very important to get a quality Bracketbuster opponent in 2009-10. To do so we need to get off to a solid start, which includes beating one or more of our marquee opponents. Getting the likes of a Nevada or VCU on our schedule, home-home, is great. Getting Austin Peay or Valpo home-home is ho-hum

I think this guy should be our helmet logo --

Can the Texas A&M / Arkansas Pine-Bluff match-ups be part of a tourney? A & M won an NCAA tourney game in March (BYU), so they're a great schedule addition.

Didn't the Wyoming coach freak out after the Zips mopped the JAR with the Cowboys last year? I'm surprised they remain on the upcoming schedule.

I can't be too thrilled about a kid with those 2 offers. Unless we are having an academic challenge team we need to recruit higher level athletes.I guess we should drop the student in student athlete. We've had athletes that were smart and able to contribute within the team concept. I remember a great play by one such football player that saved a big win for the Zips at BG at the goal line. I'm not suggesting this was his only contribution but may have been his biggest. Awesome play! He wasn't the most gifted athlete but stepped up and contributed. Anyone know who this was???? Smart and athletic aren't mutually exclusive.Mark Groza is the answer. Game saving tackle at BG and 3.92 in the classroom and a class act, too!Give that man a cigar or a cold beverage of his choice!! I would have guessed Rich Reliford. Reliford's Goal Line Tackles Beat BGReliford's 3.03 GPA in Mechanical and Polymer EngineeringThe Quintessential Student Athlete

They have fewer teeth.

Uecker Located...in ZipDude's Backyard?!

Drake's beaten more Top 20 teams, and actually been ranked in the Top 20 itself within the last 2 years. They aren't exactly MAC West material.I wonder if Drake fans care as much about Drake basketball as Zips fans seem to care?At least when we do end up playing them this November ZipsNation will be up-to-speed regarding their program's recent history.

You can't have two great mid-major seasons until you've had one. Drake 1. Zips 0.I like upping the level of competition. If the Zips want to step up we need to to play the MVC, Colonial and upper-tier Horizon League schools rather than the OVC's of the world.

One year off a Top 15 ranking, I'm not ready to throw dirt on Drake. They have the runner-up Michigan Mr. Basketball on the way, and it will be the second year running the new coach's system. 17 wins in the MVC is like 22 wins in the MAC. Drake should be a solid team in '09-10.

Camp doesn't start until August.

Not exactly. Drake is far from being a "high mid-major"."Far from becoming a high-mid major?" Your argument is convincing...tough to find fault in any facet of your analysis. But I'll try.If you consider UA a solid mid-major, then what do you call Drake?2008 NCAA tourney - Lost on a miracle 3-pointer at the buzzer to Western K.e.n.t.ucky (who advanced to the sweet 16 that year).2008 - Won the MVC (a basketball conference light years ahead of the MAC)2008 - Beat a Top 10 team.2008 - Ranked as high as 13th in the national polls.I'd wear a Golden F.l.a.s.h. mascot uniform for a month to accomplish 1/2 of what Drake in '08.They were 17-15 last season, but played a very difficult schedule. Although they lost some key players, and their coach to the Big East, they still received a post-season bid. If you don't see playing an upper-echelon MVC program as a great measuring stick of the Zips progress towards becoming a high-mid major...you need to do some homework.

I hear 4-star DL Recruit Chris Henderson in on campus, taking classes. It looks good that he'll see the field in 2009. (am I only allowed to use this emoticon if I have 5th or 6th level tickets?)

It's funny....Ohio government for years has said "no" to gambling in the state. But now that there's a budget deficit...low and behold...maybe a few slot machines scattered across the state isn't such a bad idea?Mark my words...the instant attendance begins to drop, or budgets need to be made...beer will mysteriously appear on an Infocision concourse. Somehow, the concern for student drinking will disappear. In year #1 sell-outs are guaranteed. And there's a big spotlight on the grand opening. It isn't worth the risk now. Wait a couple...when House of LaRose dangles a big wad of cash under the AD's nose.Once it can be implemented under the radar, it'll happen. There's not valid reason not to have it. Don't get me wrong...there's a myriad of hyperbolic, ill-founded yet impassioned reasons not to have beer. But if it worked at the Rubber Bowl for 5 years with no problems, it would work on campus. It is the same group of people.And for the record -- I was inside the "Zipsfest" area once in it's 5-year existance. Any other halftime I was taking my son to play on the inflatable bouncing things. If there was a "ZipsFest II" I'd probably still hit it about twice per decade. The tailgate lot is sufficient for me.

Link to a May '09 Thread

Yeah, but Ben Wallace just put his 10 ducats in the student section up for sale.

If we beat NC State, can we get a: "JUST - LIKE - FOOT - BALL!" chant going?Also - Drake will be a great measuring stick of the Zips progress towards becoming a "high-mid-major."

Unless you have tickets in the level 5 or 6 loges, you're in!

Good luck selling your house

UA officials have worked with Hunter for 3 years. If they base their search decision solely on what the guy does from June 23rd to July 15th 2009, they're using the most bizarre evaluation strategy know to man. What can he possibly accomplish in 3 weeks as an interim AD? Schedule a home-home with Ohio State? Hire Pete Carrol away from USC?UA pretty much already knows what they have in Hunter. Hopefully they bring in 3-4 other candidates to compare his "vision" of the next 3 years of UA athletics to some outside ideas.I will be interested to learn if Hunter can bring to the table something other than the most overused, Hunter-descriptive term on the board -- stability. What if Proenza was all about "stability," and not vision? We'd still be a slightly bigger version of YSU.