UA1987

Your list is as ridiculous as your wacky Zip wig, but I like the fact that PITT was in there... If we build our program right (see my scheduling posts) and MANY years down the road, maybe we should think Pitt, Syracuse, Louisvilie, Cincinnatti, ... can we get to the big money, very questionable now, but it sounds like something the University should at least consider in forward planning. For the foreseable future, critical are the next five years to building a winning tradition... is our AD up to the challenge?

Are you sure this is isn't Johnny Knoxville replying ...As I've said in prior posts, I'm for scheduling anyone anywhere in Division IA, as long as they return the favor and play at least one game in the contract here (Indiana, Syracuse... are perfect examples) . Don't advocate whoring out this program with 'away only' contracts or I'll chase you down. The Bigs (top tiers of the BCS conferences, except OSU) should be made to wait for selective games in the future (maybe a bowl game if one of them slips a bit and if we build right), unless they would play here, which won't happen . Our new home field advantage at Infocision should be our key to building a winning tradition. Division IAA scheduling, maybe... if no other options are available, but only home games. YSU - maybe too, but only in Infocision. I can see your're having a hard time understanding my posts or maybe just busting me in the taliwacker. If you are truely having trouble, then I can understand...just like the way you couldn't make sense, last year, of when we couldn't just re-load at receiver for the 2007 season, despite the losses we suffered at those positions. Oh and don't worry,... I won't bring up the details of your pre-season prediction last year. Brilliant: Nough Said.

Come on, do you really think that travel costs are that relevant? Does it cost more? Yes. Will it keep a team from playing a football game....No. If this were the case, then confrences and bowls should be re-aligned according to which teams are closest to each other and the venue.Ah, most conferences are aligned in the same region for travel, both for teams and fans, and natural rivaries.

Yes, and I hear we are in a war in Iraq too... Come on K-Roo, for crying out load the trophy thing in an earlier post was a joke. Well, OK, maybe some relatively new Zips fans don't know much about YSU and Akron history and they needed your post.Speaking of history... the craziest YSU Akron game I ever listened to was the snow bowl game in 1987 at the RB. We had Whitey Wahl and Don Ursetti announcing (phew... Frenchie sure was a huge upgrade). It was 6 to 3 with Akron on top in foul weather and it started to blizzard in the bowl towards the end of the game. White out conditions. YSU had the ball late in the fourth quarter and, all of a sudden, they were gobbling up huge chucks of yardage in what had been a defensive struggle. I believe time was running low with YSU on about the fifteen. YSU then dropped back to pass, no one could see what had happened, including the announcers, and then a YSU kid came running out of the endzone with the ball and a TD. Oh the humanity of it... Game over... The start of Tressel's legacy.

That wasn't Rhodes' fault. It was Rick Chryst and his scheduling goons in Cleveland.I heard that too... but our AD should have worked a better deal for our program than just taking a big pay day and loosing a great contract with Kentucky. What is he some kind of victim without any contacts.

I'm with you... I'm still pissed that we had to pay Kentucky to release them from a contract that was exactly what we need (home game in series) to pick up a whore game in Wisconsin. Nice job Rhodes. Don't get me wrong, Bain's bunch just might bash in some helmets there, but why Camp Ripoff Wisconsin again. And now I hear talk of another whore game in TN. I really like the teams on our schedule (not the crazy bye weeks and weekday close out at the RB) this year except for the Badgers. I'm calling for all Zips fans at the game in Madison to drink heavy and puke in their stadium. While heaving try to spurt out the word RIPOFF for all the bad calls.

UA cannot match what Penn State or OSU can offer. And, both those games are a bus trip for YSU. If you think that YSU will be playing every year at OSU and Penn State then you do not understand their fans. Everyone I talk to that is an OSU Alum is upset that YSU is on the schedule and I'm sure it's even more so on the PSU side. They phone in complaints, they threaten to lower donations ect... these things are very good persuation tools. Penn State and OSU are a bus trip for YSU. Travel costs are irrelevant. They would stay in a hotel in Columbus, Happy Valley or Akron, so lodging is irrelevant too.Travel will be very relevant with transportation costs increasing, unless you think that YSU will be on a perpetual contract with OSU and PSU. Get out the white coats if you think this is true. How can you say YSU longs to "play up a Division?" In the past 20 years upwards of 25 schools have made the jump to 1-A. YSU is content to sit at 1-AA. They long to be no where but 1-AA, playing the likes of Lock Haven, Edinboro, Slippery Rock and Gannon for their OOC games. Plus a money game vs. a BCS school.By playing Akron, YSU is playing a team of a higher division - that's playing up. Akron used to do it against Temple and other MAC schools when were DIAA and these were our highlight games. I'd rather fund the athletic department of an out-of-state D-1 team than give $250,000 to a competitor 50 miles down the road.That was the Good Ole Boy snob thinking that kept us locked out of most of Ohio's college football stadiums for years. Bad business and bad for schools like Akron. It doesn't seem that way.Maybe in your circles - what the heck happened? Then why Lock Haven, Edinboro, Slippery Rock, Gannon, etc?They seem to have a good strategy (even though they do turn whore every now and then) - build a winning program... have you heard that before from anyone? We'd still be rivals if YSU had the stones to go 1-A, but they don't. Thus the rivalry is dead.Maybe not rivals anymore... but it would just make good sense based on our history to play them if we could not schedule other more favorable games. So why bring in a 2nd tier opponent? We just got a boob job, Botox and a tummy tuck and you want to still date a chubby junior high sweetheart?When you get a moment take the time to read some of my posts on scheduling above. I'm not advocating playing YSU every year, but only to approach if we need a game. Unless YSU moves up in Division, or drops their laughable "home and home" demand, we'll never meet on the football field again. That's their choice. And I applaud it. :bow:There is the key... the YSU home and home provision - deal breaker.

I agree whole heartedly. If we all step back a minute, and think about what was said on this board (not the old paper article, but by CK)....'YSU won't play us in our new facility' YSU! If this is the case we are in trouble. 1st, they are close for reduced travel costs, 2nd, they would be playing up a Division which most IAA long for, 3rd, the game revenue stays in state, 4th, most fans on both sides would welcome it, 5th, I'm sure they have more than one slot per season for a Division IA opponent and a solid payday, 6th, we were old rivals, 7th, we will have a first class facility. Again, to agree with you ZR, all of these numbers... they don't add up to 'Ain't Gonna Play' at least once or twice in the future.Anyway, YSU would only be a candidate for a game at Infocision, in my formula, if we couldn't lock up other options.

At least they gave us Syracuse. The MAC games (and Syracuse) could go either way.

GM17 - my scheduling formula that I would follow is on Topic Starter - 'Zips Scheduling' Post #97 (see below). Cut out the mis-information.My formula for OOC forward football scheduling in order of importance:1) Focus on the second half of the Big East as they would play one game here most likely and we would be somewhat close in talent and depth 2) Focus on the second half of the Big Ten (for the same reason)3) Focus on all of the Conference USA teams (for the same reason) 4) Contact select WAC, MWC, and Sun Belt teams or any of the Service Academies (for the same reason)5) Contact the second half of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and maybe a lower level PAC 10 team for a home and away 6) If all else fails, look towards old rival YSU or another Div. IAA school with a strong academic rep.- home only, as game one, if possibleIf none of these can be booked or if we are in heavy financial difficulty (desperate), then book big name programs as away games with no returnand, if OSU calls, play them anytime. These phone calls should already have been made and proposed matchups should be on the wall somewhere in the AD's office.

Well, better to be a BCS whore then a 1-AA bitch, because at least a whore gets paid. GM QuoteOk, you go ahead and advocate whoring out our team. Great strategy. Nice cliche though, I think the last time I heard that I was in Youngstown. You're not Pete the Penquin are you?

Ok, um do some research, there is a trophy for the YSU/Akron rivalry. It's the Steel Tire. GM quoteOh yeah... the steel tire. Wasn't relevant to my post, which you may not have understood (it was a joke son - said like Foghorn Leghorn - UH OH age issue). Awful trophy though.... the steel tire.... considering that both of these industries have all but left their respective towns.Thanks for doing my light work.Lastly, playing 'away only' money games - you're keeping Akron in the whore house. Let's be very selective with these flings lest we get a worse reputation.

My last word on YSU - to entice YSU to play us (maybe they're a bit fearful of the Zips) we could suggest a post game trophy tradition. I don't know, maybe we already had one, but it seems whoever wins this game jump starts their season. Whoever looses falls into the abyss. The winner gains strength and aggressiveness, and the looser lays down for a while and plays timid. So I suggest that we declare the trophy for the game to be those rubber artificial bull testicles that you see hanging from some trucks trailer hitches. The team on top takes the manhood of the other. The winner could go running off the field scaring chearleaders by swinging and twirling their trophy to the admiration of their fans. We might even get some national media coverage.

Interesting... from my point of view this is a public relations spin by their AD and some biased writing by their paper.We all know it's done all the time in government and the private sector to get a desired reaction or sway public opinion. Yes, these Div IAA teams are reeping a short term benefit. Long term, the fans of the 'Big Boys' won't put up with sky high ticket prices and Penquin visits. Besides, Youngstown fans would love to see this rivalry played out again. Because fans ultimately rule, the game will be scheduled at some time, but only when it works for us. If I were Akron's AD, our $125,000 offer is off the table. It's now $75,000 and bring your own towels and bandages. See you in 2012.

Screw this idea. You can also screw OSU and all their fans...Unless they are paying me $4 mil to play the game and in my house, I would never play them. ZW quote.If there is one stadium or team that half of Akron's football team would like to play in or against it's OSU. It's also close for Zips fans to enjoy. Year's ago when we moved to IA I heard, from Buckeye snobs like the ones that you must know, that we would never NEVER get the chance to play Ohio State. Well each time we play them I get loads of satisfaction despite the outcome. I love to see Akron's flag flying in the Shoe. We seem to play OSU tough too. The tradition is the greatest there and just maybe we'll shock the world one day. For now we should concentrate on building a winner and respect will follow.

My formula for OOC forward football scheduling in order of importance:1) Focus on the second half of the Big East as they would play one game here most likely and we would be somewhat close in talent and depth 2) Focus on the second half of the Big Ten (for the same reason)3) Focus on all of the Conference USA teams (for the same reason) 4) Contact select WAC, MWC, and Sun Belt teams or any of the Service Academies (for the same reason)5) Contact the second half of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and maybe a lower level PAC 10 team for a home and away 6) If all else fails, look towards old rival YSU or another Div. IAA school with a strong academic rep.- home only, as game one, if possible If none of these can be booked or if we are in heavy financial difficulty (desperate), then book big name programs as away games with no returnand, if OSU calls, play them anytime. These phone calls should already have been made and proposed matchups should be on the wall somewhere in the AD's office.

Well... the 1989 Tennessee reference was made for Tennessee Zippy for an obvious reason. The following scores are a little more current for those of you that are worried about looking up to date:'Away Only' scheduled games (no return game in Akron)2007OSU 20-2 L 2006PSU 34-16 LNCS 20-17 W2005Purdue 49-24 L2004PSU 48-10 LVirginia 51-0 L2003Wisconsin 48-31 homered - L2002Iowa 57-21 LMaryland 44-14 LVirginia 48-29 L2001OSU 28-14 LPurdue 33-14 L1999PSU 70-24 LNavy 35-28 W1998Pittsburg 35-0 L1997Nebraska 59-14 LLSU 56-0 L1996Illinois 38-7 L1995Kansas State 67-0 LThe next eight years are worse.UCONN, Indiana, Army, and V-Tech are not listed because they actually played us (or will) in Akron. Remember, we almost upset #10 V-Tech at the Rubber Bowl. UCONN was very close in Akron too.Scheduling 'away only' games (like Wisconsin this year and Tennessee later in our forward schedule per TZ) tears down a program. My points - Home field is a huge advantage. Our schedule must take advantage of our new home field, with quality opponents. Building a winning tradition is our long term answer in Akron.

Dr Z. - 1 win in @ 20 of these 'away only' games is not how you build a winning program. I'm not saying we're not competitive (I think we have a shot at Wisconsin; we could get buried too), but 'away only' game contracts are for suckers, desperate programs, or teams playing up a division.

TZ - a couple of things... We have been playing the big boys on away only contracts for years (last time we played TN the score was 52-7; we scored first) and it has not built us a program (only the cupcake rep.). If you are a school that will not play here (except OSU) then forget it. Building a program means winning and home games are a must for that. I for one am very interested in the Cincinnati's, Indiana's and Syracuse's of the world and I'm looking forward to their visits to Akron in the future. Obviously we will never get TN to come here, but what that means is that they should not be a scheduling target for the present.

I'd like to see how we stack-up against this team that cut off our jewells in the late 80's and early 90's. Maybe we could snatch them back and have them re-attached. Much of our failure and their success during this era seemed to result from our rivalry games.I don't think we should be too snobbish. Yes, we have a new staduim, but we had a great rivalry with an in-state program. We really should beat YSU, consistantly, and if not, we are doing something wrong as a program. This could be a nice tune-up game as was mentioned in prior posts. Not to be played every year, but enough to keep up the interest.Additionally, 5 or 6 years down the road when these games would be scheduled, we might need the YSU butts in the seats as some casual fans drift off after the initial excitement of Infocision is gone.What will put fans in the seats and recruits on the team in the future is a winning football tradition. Games againts YSU should help us with part of the formula for this tradition (more home games - only schedule IA teams away that will play here too as part of the contract - except for OSU, selectively play IAA teams from time to time only in Infocision - per our current conference rules).Lastly, YSU would jump at the chance to play us again as the big boys will not be playing these IAA teams every year or they risk upsetting their fan base.

The YSU rivalry should be restarted (and continued as long as attendance is high), but never played in Youngstown. This is their price that they have pay until they reach Division IA. We'll play anyone, anywhere in Divsion IA (only home and away series signed - do you hear me Rhodes!, and Division IAA teams must play here in Akron only).

TZ - I for one do not want anymore series with teams that will not play in Akron (except Ohio State). If TN would play in Akron, then keep the game, else cancel. Year's ago it was fun for Zips fans to see Akron football teams on the same field with national powerhouses. Many here in Akron, as you probably know, said it would never happen.Now that we have a first class facility rising on campus, we have to set our sights on building a winning program, which will come only with home and away series scheduled. Away games are too much of a disadvantage and frequently turn up in the loss column.Our AD has yet to show me anything impressive since he took this position, so he may try to balance the short term budget to look good for his next job and potentially sacrifice our program by playing money games, like TN.Again to me, playing powerhouses only on the road is not the answer for Akron. I'd like to say that we would play anyone, anywhere, but you have to return the favor and play here.Go Zips.

Nobody getting hurt is the key to this game.[GP1 /quote]Why don't you make this comment to Ryan Bain at our media day this August. I'd like to see him throw you through the Stiles fieldhouse atrium windows.

OK here goes... from the gut:Wisconsin15% probability of winning - Alvarez should be investigated for illegally influencing officials. They do not call Camp Randall 'Camp Ripoff' for nothing. We do have a shot - remember the apparent Hendry go ahead TD in 2003.SyracuseOne of the most interesting games on the schedule. We have a 50% chance of winning even though this an away game in a new venue. Not sure why this game is not on local TV.Testicle Tech A home game against the pre-season MAC power. We have a 45% chance of winning. I don't care who you are, when you come into the Rubber Bowl we have a shot at you.ArmyI love the Service Academies. The tradition is great. We have a 70% chance of winning this one, despite the away venue.CincinnatiFantastic game (thanks Mike Thomas). If you are even casually interested in Akron football, you should attend this one. Look for a hard hitting game. The Zips have a 40% chance of winning this one.Can'tWe had better not lay an egg like we did two years ago. 50% chance of winning.BGWe tend to play BG tough at home - 55% chance of winning.EasternWe have got to beat this team - 65% chance of winning.ToledoToledo is in shambles. We need to get up quick and they should fold. 60% chance of winning.BuffaloBuffalo always plays us tough, but this is the historic last game at the Rubber Bowl. Will the fans make a difference? 55% chance of winning.OhioWe seem to trade home victories with this team. 45% chance of winning.TempleCould this be a big game for bowl eligibility? 45% chance of winning.Adding up the probabilities, you get 6 wins (rounded). The reason I used this format is to show how we have a good chance of winning (or losing) most of our games (even Wisconsin can be beat). The key is our Offense. JD must get heavily involved as he did when Frye and Getsy were here. I thought I read somewhere (GOZIPS.com?) that Getsy has been brought in as a QB coach (Grad Assistant?) for 2008. Another key - Andrew Johnsen - we need his speed at running back, but is he another Big Nate that will show moments of greatness only to hobble off the field to the trainer. Lastly, our new receivers must get their timing down with our QB's even before the start of Fall practices in August. Should be a very interesting season.Go Zips - cheat them Badgers. Hendry, Hendry, Hendry....

As we appraoch the final season at the Rubber Bowl, I thought it might be interesting to hear some of the Zipsnation's experiances at the Bowl.Here are some of mine:The Good: 1987 - my first Akron football game and it was a total sellout (35,000). Crazed fans held their hands up for the 'Wave' that swept around the stadium for most of the game. It was Can't vs Akron, with Glen Mason at the helm for Can't State and Gerry Faust leading Akron. This was a hard hitting close contest, but Akron only had @60 scholarships as we were trying to load up in our first year in Division IA. Can't won that day, but we knocked their QB out for the game (some say it was a late hit). Glen Mason went on to coach Kansas after he took Can't State out to their house and beat them that year.The Bad: Could it be the Fumblerooski loss to Arkansas State, the 0-10 meeting between winless Ohio and Akron, or the blowing rainy loss to 0-6 Army... take your pick.The Ugly: Yes the stinking bathrooms... but I prefer to tell you about a late November game that I attended in the 1990's. I don't remember the exact year or opponent, but I remember walking out after the game, in a cold rain, to see an empty parking lot except for one old motor home parked right next to a homemade looking sign that that said 'Tailgate City'. I wish I had my camera.