Z.I.P.

Ohio's other games are vs Miami and Eastern Michigan. Maybe they can afford to lose to Akron, and still win the East, thanks to our friends in Portage County. Miami game at Oxford though is rivalry game -- Hippies vs Yuppies.Don't tell that to JD and the kids though -- we need a win -- and seven victories to ensure a bowl game.

For the throng of one Zip who showed for our weekly meeting at Eastside Grill on University Avenue in Honolulu, the show we watched on ESPN-U was not one to share with recruits or non-Akron fans (the other 800 thousand + on O'ahu). There were a dozen or so waiting for the UL-Rutgers game to start, and they had no other sports to watch but the Zips vs the Bulls. First the good news. David Harvey is as good a freshman WR as you will find anywhere in America. Getsy seems to be capable against crummy defenses -- hurray at least for that. AND Buffalo lost that gawdawful whale, cloud, or whatever used to be on the side of their helmets -- replaced with a simple UB. They still have perhaps the worst unis in Div 1, though.Now for the sad truth. Twice in the third quarter the camera panned the stands! Gasp!Our athletic director must put a clause in all future contracts with ESPN (and all other broadcasters) that that is strictly forbidden at the Rubber Bowl. Mygawd, what an unprecedented embarassment! And I'm not talking so much about the fact that no more than a couple thousand people came out on a 65 degree November evening. The worst part was seeing the dilapidated condition of the stands. One local guy was looking at the screen at the time, and said to me "Man, your stadium looks like its about to collapse! Are the bleachers gnawed through by the rats, or what?"Please, Mr AD, get us a real stadium. That place is a laughing stock.

Well, let's see now...If the liberal estimate of 3000 people at Thursday's game was equal at 14,512...they should need only maybe 2000 to produce a figure of 11,028.Let's be honest -- this whole NCAA attendance requirement is a farce magnifique.

Yeah, thanks. What I meant though, was IF they beat Little Rock, and TT beats whoever... WHEN will the game take place (what time) Tuesday?I'm anxious -- I have to take off work that afternoon to watch.

ACTUALLY, there are only 62 spots left. Hawai'i accepted their tenth home game of the season (the Hawai'i Bowl host) prior to Navy accepting.Interestingly, unless UCLA goes undefeated in three underdog games, and Washington (with four straight losses) beats Stanford AND Washington State, the Hawai'i Bowl will be looking for an at-large opponent for the Warriors. That will be the case for several other non-BCS bowls as well. A seven-win Akron team will almost certainly go somewhere -- but it could be San Diego, SanFrancisco, Boise, or God-knows-where. The International Bowl in Toronto vs Pitt (as CBS Sportsline predicted before the season) would be my preference. There will be anywhere between 64 and 70 total bowl-eligible teams. Two years ago, UA was the only bowl-eligible team not bowling (have we forgotten so soon?). I think 6 wins makes Akron a 40-60 pick. Seven wins, and it goes to 80-20.One of those we have to thank for this is TOLEDO! They gave the Huskies a crack in the fog Thursday NIU is singing the Blues again.

I read somewhere on Gozips.com that if UA defeats UA-LR, the game @ TTU will be broadcast on ESPN2. It's not indicated in the schedule, and the gametime is not listed.Anyone have any info?

From a true frontcourt legend and Windex All-Star. Welcome to the blogosphere Paddy!

Simply put, Sarah Tokodi, West Virginia Ms Basketball, is the best guard the school has ever recruited. She is the one who will eventually make the engine purr. She can put the ball in the hoop bigtime, and lead the defensive pressure that is Jody Kest's bread and butter. If things work out, we could see both our men's and women's teams playing agressive defensive -- and winning -- basketball.Yet more simply, Go Zips!

I'm not exactly sure what goals and standards we are playing by/for. Winning the MAC East again would be a great accomplishment. But yes, it IS a longshot -- IOW Zips don't control their own destiny. On the other hand, even if we don't win the East, there is still the chance to play in another bowl game. As I've said at leat a couple times already -- there are 64 spots for bowl teams out of a total of just 119 (118?) I-A teams -- what is that, about 55% of all schools going bowling? There's no reason Akron can't be one of those with seven, or even possibly six wins. Personally, I'm crossing my fingers for a possible Akron trip to either the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego -- the only at-large bowl spot (vs the MWC's #2), or even possibly the Hawai'i Bowl. The PAC-10 #6 team is supposed to go, but it's unlikely the league can fill the spot, with the winner in the BCS spot. Or how about the San Fran Bowl at McCovey's Cove? NIU played there two years ago vs Troy -- in front of about 5k.

The NCAA men's soccer selection "show" is at 2PM EST on ESPN news (I think). But don't bother watching, if you're a Zips soccer fan. Our team's only chance of making the post-season was to beat Northern Illinois on Sunday. I said in my post last week that I thought we had about a 40-60 shot of an at-large NCAA tournament spot. That was before I saw the team's ranking in the RPI (available on ESPN's soccer page). Akron is at number 68, which gives them absolutely Zip chance of dancing.The key to this program's progress will be determined in the next three months, as Caleb Porter and staff corral their first full recruiting class. If they can get some of those sensations from the Dallas Texans -- America's top youth program, and do well in the Midwest and Eastern US, look for the team to be back in the top-10 as soon as 2007. I am very high on this club, but the next months will provide the first major indication of whether Porter is indeed able to make UA a persistent national powerhouse.

Sorry Timmy...er Trimmy. But the Zips fell down the well today, losing to the game Huskies of NIU, one-nil. We could have used Lassie!Our season is over. There will be no second chance.

NIU is a good team, that will present many challenges for Akron. A win on their pitch will be a great championship capper. Let's not count our chickens till they're hatched.Anybody know if this will get any national TV? Last year's title match at LJF was on Fox Regional nationally. Go Zips! Make us AGAIN!

At least regular season champs -- for 8th time in 14 years in the league, and, by my count, the fifth time in the past seven years. The team is peaking at the right time, and two wins @ NIU this week puts us back in the big dance. There's also a decent chance that we could lose the final and get an at-large bid with a semifinal win. Probably 40-60 at this time, but still a chance. Two wins, and we have a shot at a home match in the first round.Could we please have some comments about Akron winning a MAC football championship from those who were actually there today? Please! Fill my need for Zip kicks. Go Caleb & Co.

Thanks alot 19. I already paid 28 bucks to read that once. Thanks ESPN!!

I hate to tell you folks this, but the best thing that could have happened for Akron in this game, was a Can't victory. With a win over OU, we could have been no worse than second in the East. Now, even with a win, we will likely be in third place in terms of overall record. HOWEVER, for those who are thinking of throwing away your season ticket book, the Zips could possibly lose to Ohio -- or WMU -- and still make the post-season. With 64 teams fighting to become bowl eligible, this could be a repeat of 2004. There will be no more than one or two schools with 6 victories that do not go to a bowl. And this season, we don't have to worry about Marshall!

Folks, yesterday was a big day here in Hawai'i! I got home from work, and waiting for me in my mailbox was the Bible of College Basketball, the 2006-07 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Yeehaw!!!The article on the expected MAC champs is written by Jeff Brewer. Is he one of ours? Very familiar name. Anyhow, his analysis is that if Wood is back to his old form, and gets just a little frontcourt help, Akron is unstoppable.How unstoppable? Read this conclusion to the piece on the UA team:"The backcourt is undersized, but rates as the best in the MAC. There is enough young talent to be good at small forward. Another four-five type player is going to have to surface to rotate with Travis and Wood. Whether it's Milum, Bardo, or McNight, someone will need to step into that role. If for any reason Wood can't go, there probably isn't enough strength inside to win the MAC.There is a sense of urgency about this team as seniors Travis and Joyce are used to winning and want to bag a MAC Tournament championship before they go. If the Zips should falter, they could be in line for a mid-major NCAA at-large berth and that certainly would be a great consolation prize. Anything less will be a disappointment for this squad."We've created a monster", Dambrot said. "Expectations are pretty high."I couldn't agree more. I don't expect the Zips to be back up to this year's level for another 2-3 years. But we WILL be back, and so will KD.

I'd love to see the kid from Greentown, my ancestral homeland, come to play in my new home in Alohaland. Unfortunately, there may not BE a Hula Bowl any longer. The Aloha Stadium authorities are refusing to schedule the game until they are paid for LAST year's game, which may not happen.But, if you head this way -- Pop and son, post me off board, and I'd love to get you guys a mai tai.I was at the 1966 Greentown Sesquicentennial oxe roast with my grandpa, ya know! Use to get my hair cut at the Oddfellows hall there.

You know what sickens me? People who Can't give the Golden F lashes their due. They are now easily the best team in the MAC, and with the exception of VPI, should run the table. And for the record, Phil Steele also picked K.S.U. last year, as did the MAC Report guy -- isn't that right buddy? BTW -- I looked at the I-A standings, and only 59 teams (of 119 of course) have 4 wins so far. Some bowl game may end up without any teams with 6 wins. Aren't there 31 bowl this year? On the other hand, if UA can get to the magic number, they have a good chance of bowling. Somewhere.

Okay, is "corn hole" a noun or a verb?

Having seen LMU get put away by the weak team WMU put on the floor for last year's Rainbow Classic, I can tell you -- they may be the slowest team to visit the JAR this season (well, I haven't seen Tiffin!). If UA gets any 'bounds, they run LMU into the ground, win by 20.

Domo arigato gozaimashite.

Thanks, fan.Now my reply is something bearcat fans should all be familiar with:When does basketball start?

I asked the BJ's reporter why their paper doesn't cover college football recruiting. He responded that they do a great report on local schools' recruits just after the national letter of intent day. "No", I said to him -- "Why can't you report on players BEFORE the signing date". "BEFORE the signing date?", he remarked. "What're we supposed to have, a crystal ball?"

Nice report ZW. Mahalo for that. Let KD know the Aloha Section Alumni are ready to do next year's event at Turtle Bay. Palmer Course OK?.