you am i

Hey Johnny, a train does not run "right through campus." There are tracks near the south end of the campus that get very little use. In fact, the tracks dead end at the campus. Once in a great while an engine and a few cars mosey through at 5 mph, but I have no idea what the purpose is since, as I said, the tracks lead to a dead end. Toledo is one of those campuses like Akron that have gone through a dramatic transformation in the past few decades. The planners were smart to give the new buildings a stone-facing so that there is architectural consistency with the older buildings. For instance, the buildings in the middle of this picture are from the 1930's, but the newer buildings surrounding them fit right in. I love what what Akron has done with the campus, but there is not a lot of architectural consistency between the old and the new. But it works. Can't's campus never did that much for me. Its like dull, boring buildings were just dropped randomly from the sky into a farm field. BGSU is kind of like that as well. Miami's campus is beautiful, and OU's is not far behind Miami. I take issue with the crack about Toledo's stadium. The stone facade gives it a solid, classic feel and the massive luxury loges and press box structure on the west side of the field give the place a big-time feel for a MAC school.

This is a tough loss. A win over Michigan could have galvanized the program. Still, there are huge positives to take from the game and, as much as a loss can be, this has to be a confidence builder for the players. This was not a fluky game. Akron played head-to-head with Michigan on both sides of the ball all game long. What a gutty drive at the end of the game. If only it would have been 1st down inside the one. If, if, if.

I hate hate hate the loss. But that was the best performance by an Akron team I have ever seen.

I should clarify that I know that Akron only scored 3 points, but the Zips are playing one of the best teams in the country and the offense managed some decent drives. Even though they did not get points, the offense kept the Michigan offense off the field and allowed the defense to rest.

Even with the funky last two minutes, that was the most impressive half of football, offense and defense, I can recall seeing Akron play. Even though it sounds like 20/20 hindsight, I really wanted TB to go for the 4th and 1 near the end of the half. Come on Terry, its Michigan. There was a chance to go into the half with the lead. You have to take the gamble. Momentum was with the Zips and it would have been great to send Michigan into the locker room in a state of shock.

My experience has been that it's usually the prosecutor who asks for separate trials where the co-defendants have made statements against each other. If you're an attorney, you probably know this as a Bruton problem. When a co-defendant's attorney asks for separate trials, as in this case, it's usually because that attorney feels that his case is stronger than the other guy's case and he does not want the other guy's case to drag him down. I have no inside information, that's just how this stuff has played out in my experience. Meeker's statements really have me puzzled. If AA was not there, it was not his home, and the package was not addressed to him, there has to be some pretty compelling reason to charge him that we don't know about. The prosecutor is not going to take someone else's word for it. It's very strange.

Or perhaps John Greenleaf Whittier.

You can feel comfortable now. 21 point lead with 2:00 left.

Five pounds of weed sure sounds like drug trafficking, and I think that generally results in more than a slap on the wrist. The drug abuse will probably get dropped as part of a plea deal, but the trafficking could stick unless there's a weakness in the case or the prosecutor is feeling generous. As a first offender, Alex is looking at a suspended prison sentence and probation. That's my guess, with the understanding that I only know what I read in paper. I've heard that his attorney is good, so maybe the prosecutor will be more willing to deal rather than take a chance at a trial. A lot of things come into play.

It will be a state case. The Feds have jurisdiction, but there's no reason for them to get involved.

A drug abuse charge alleges that the defendant possessed drugs for personal use. A trafficking charge alleges that the defendant possessed drugs with an intent to distribute. A large amount of drugs in a person's possession, typically more than one person could reasonably have for personal consumption, gives rise to a presumption that the drugs were for further distribution. When you have four pounds of marijuana in your possession, it pretty much speaks for itself. We don't now the facts, but it seems like a bit of an over-charge. I think that people are usually charged with either drug abuse OR trafficking.

Why do you spend so much time on this board?

Akron did not have to make a run in the second have to win the game. The Zips made their run in the first half to overcome the big OU early lead. So, in a way, you were correct. Think of it that way.

Through my job, I was involved last year in some financial dealings concerning an NFL player who has been in the league for five years and is earning $1.2 million a year. He is living the NFL luxury lifestyle. It was an eye-opener to see how the money flowed from his accounts like water. He probably has another few productive years left in the league. Given what I could see of his finances, it seems certain that he will be broke within five years after he is finished as a player. He has absolutely no idea how to manage money. I suspect his situation is not that unusual for pro athletes. Gamechanger, take whatever money Zeke makes and make it work for him. The pro paychecks do not last forever.

Those helmets are hideous.

NIU got screwed on that pass play before their field goal. That was pretty blatant interference in the end zone right in front of the ref. It's hard to see what adjustments the NIU offense can make to offset the talent mismatch, and it looks like the NIU defense was tiring. They were on the field too much, playing soft and trying not to give up the big play.

I found an article on the Freakonomics website discussing "How Much Do Football Wins Pay Off for a College?" The site references an a scholarly research article, "The Benefits of College Athletic Success: An Application of the Propensity Score Design with Instrumental Variables," prepared for the National Bureau of Economic Research. Fortunately for me, the article is not available for free, because it sounds like a densely academic study that I have no interest in plowing through. But, the first page is available for free and it serves as an introduction to the findings of the paper. The short takeaway from what is available for free is that (quote) "winning [football games at the FBS level] reduces acceptance rates and increases donations, applications, academic reputation, in-state enrollment, and incoming [test] scores." So, according to this study, there is a practical benefit to playing winning college football at the FBS level. The article does not say so explicitly, but it would be safe to assume that there is no benefit to playing losing football at the FBS level (See: Akron football.) The free part of the article only addresses the effect of winning at the FBS level, but I would assume that there is a similar, but much lesser, effect for schools competing at the lower football divisions.

You are a wise man.

I follow Toledo as well as Akron, and I was very disappointed for the MAC and for the Rockets with yesterday's bowl game. Toledo went into the game with serious ankle injuries to the QB Terrance Owens (2012 QB rating 139) and running back David Fluellen (ranked 8th in the country in rushing in 2012) which significantly limited their playing time. And then linebacker Dan Molls (who is leading the country in tackles 2012) gets knocked out of the game with a concussion on the opening kick-off. If you watched the game, it is worth noting that Utah State busted off three long touchdown plays right through the area where Dan Moll should have been. Somehow it was 13-9 with nine minutes left in the 4th and still anyone's game. With Owens, Fluellen, and Moll at 100%, this is a different team. Not a good start for the MAC. The interesting thing is that all seven MAC teams are underdogs in their bowl games.

Because the team recently won an NCAA national championship.

Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Louisville are each scrambling to ditch the Big East and get into the ACC to replace Maryland.

Hi Johnny. I'm the guy that sat in front of you in the first half. I moved to the Toledo side for the second half. The game played out about the way I thought it would. Akron doesn't (yet) have the talent to go four quarters with the top MAC teams. It was to the credit of the Akron players and the coaches that they came ready to play. When they jumped out to a lead, I know Toledo fans were worried. The last game of last season was a humiliating blowout at WMU where WMU took mercy and didn't run the score up into the 70s. The future looked hopeless under Ianello. I feel much different about the future of this team with Bowden in charge. I listened to his post-game comments and they were right on the money. Akron football is pointed in the right direction.

Scott is up .4. You know these UCLA guys are going to make a big push in the last few hours. Vote.

Scott is ahead 23.6 to 23.3. UCLA is making a final push. Tomorrow (11/19) is the last day for voting.

Your votes were very important. Scott is in the lead, 23.5 to 22.7. One more day to put this thing away. Vote. Vote. Vote.