ZachTheZip

Lots of good news in the pregame show. Hassan Hazime was granted a medical redshirt and will be allowed to return for next season. Antoine Russell will be moved to the CB position. And here's the big one: we will be using some shotgun spread and pistol formations on offense!

Imagine the worst high school field you've ever seen. Now dump a layer of mud on top of it. Then surround it with a 50-year old crushed obsidian track and a couple of $50 portable bleachers.

I'm proud of the fan who managed to get on the field dressed up as a ref, call an offsides penalty, and then go streaking through the crowd on the field. I don't think he even got caught thanks to the fight. His plan was masterfully executed, from the infiltration, to the fake penalty causing the other refs to go along with it (referee group-think at its finest), to creating the perfect distraction in the form of a bench-clearing fight to allow him go running naked into the sunset.

Three Zips opponents receiving voted in the first Coaches Poll.West Virginia, Mississippi State, and VCU are all in the "others receiving votes" category of the coaches poll.

Some opponents talking about the Zips already.Duquesne is split on whether they'll be able to beat us. Seem to think that we're a slow, lumbering half-court team.

New offers:WR Dee GrayWR Tajae SharpeATH Tevin ShawJUCO OLB Zaire AndersonJUCO TE Ryan HubbellJUCO OT Alfred SharpJUCO CB D.Q. Johnson

I doubt we're going to see a traditional rotation anyway.

Even if we don't go anywhere, an improved JAR is still a must.In fact, if the city builds us an arena and we use it for men's basketball, then stripping out the JAR bleachers and replacing them with chairbacks becomes a more palatable option than it is now because we don't have to worry about the loss in capacity.

Michigan still has a lot of players from their College Cup run last season. They can still be dangerous given the right motivation.They're a look at what losing your top talent can do to a team. We could just as easily be in the same spot after losing seven starters to the MLS. However, we've held together much better than any team could be expected to given those circumstances.

Lots of updates and news from the press conference. Recruiting JUCOs hard, lots of talk about how the bye was implemented and about OU

Lot 15 has maybe 20 parking spaces. It's easily the smallest of the four tailgate lots. But on the plus side it offers two grassy areas to set up in and you don't have to cross any roads to walk to the stadium. If you have a group, get there early and claim the whole thing.

Here's the parking map.Lots 14, 15, 27, and 34 allow tailgating. I'm afraid you won't find many Zips fans no matter where you choose to set up. Not knowing how many fans you're bringing, I would suggest the northern end of Lot 34. Plenty of room there.There's nothing within view of the stadium that's open to the public. It's all reserved parking.

I agree.We need to think about the future. This thing needs to be able to last well into the future and to handle whatever we might need to use it for. We can't afford to be short-sighted like the JAR was.

I'd love to see NIU get an at-large bid. Would stop some of the complaining over the MAC as a conference. I wish them well in al of their remaining contests unless they play the Zips.Not just for us, but it also forces the rest of the MAC to step up their game.

If this is true, how the heck could we still be 2 TD dogs? How awful are we?Do you really want that question answered?We're so awful that the worst of the MAC looks at us and says "well, at least we're not as bad as Akron." Those teams that the optimists here think give us the opportunity to finally win a few games will give us their best efforts because they don't want to deal with the shame of losing to a team like us. We're two or three levels of competitiveness away from beating the worst teams at home.

Speaking of which, UA should purchase the former Inventure Place building.Too late. The city bought it and turned it into a STEM-focused middle school.

Maybe they're gearing up to play for the Browns.

You mean like the JAR? Because they played there either last year or the one before.

Litterbox banter.

They're definitely on campus.The men's team practiced early this morning, but I don't know if LeBron and Durant were with them, or whether the team also has an afternoon practice session.

You don't have to deal with the Facilities crew and police officers blaming the Rowdies for anything bad that ever happens at games. If someone breaks the chain in the corner of the field, obviously it was the leaders of the Rowdies standing 30 yards down that did it. Somebody in the GA stands throws stuff into the crowd? Blame the Rowdies leadership. Little kids slide-tackling adults to get to a stray ball? Rowdies. Opposing keeper forgets where he placed his water bottle? Rowdies.

Try to avoid the misconception that every student at the game is an AK-Rowdy.

I think this actually benefits the MAC. Instead of being the 3rd best non-BCS conference, they're now the 2nd best. And if some of the top teams leave for the Big East, the average ratings change so that the MAC actualy becomes the top non-BCS conference. Remember that not only does this merger combine the best of the MWC and C-USA, but also the worst of them. As a result you have something like 16 horrible teams dragging down 6 decent-but-not-great teams.

http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/c-usa/...USAFootball.pdf C-USA and the MWC consolidate their football teams into one 22-team mega-conference. It seems to work like they have in the FCS's Missouri Valley Football Conference, where the MVC and Horizon football teams are in one conference under a unified banner that is a semi-independent entity.