ZachTheZip

At least they're trying to better their position, unlike anybody in the MAC. I'd rather be in a conference where everybody is competing to be the first to leave for something better than in a conference where everyone is happy where they are.

I know that a custom t-shirt shop is moving in next to Penn Station on campus. Is it the same company?

And one of the biggest rumors in C-USA circles is that a trio of MAC schools from Ohio have approached to move as a group. Toledo, Ohio, and Akron.

Its from 2013, but the trends are the same. http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1780295-top-10-states-of-the-2014-college-football-recruiting-class/page/2

Conference USA soccer is very good. Several steps above the MAC.

Where ever did you get the idea that the MAC is respected? Some area outside the MAC's footprint, I would guess. There's probably more respect for the MAC in California than there is in Ohio. Also, we can beat BCS programs while playing for a different conference, too, you know. And as for the MAC being long-established, that's a nice way of saying it's stagnant. The same group of schools have made up the MAC since the early 70s, with the exceptions being Akron, Buffalo, and NIU who left and came back like Marshall. They're all happy where they are, and happy being together. And they look at Akron as the newcomer, who joined recently, all the way back in 1992. We'll never be accepted as a real MAC member, because we haven't been in the conference for 50 years. There is no push for improvement from the MAC. At least in C-USA you're with a group of other schools that strive to be more than what they are.

C-USA offers inroads to much better recruiting. Ohio has good football and basketball talent, but the problem is that we don't get to play much in other big recruiting states because half our conference opponents are in Ohio, and the rest are in worse states for high school talent, especially in football. C-USA gets us regular games in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina, all of which are better recruiting states than Ohio.

Chris Bivins interview with Hustlebelt: http://www.hustlebelt.com/mac-football-recruiting/2014/12/4/7321693/2015-akron-football-recruiting-db-chris-bivins-talks-commitment-to

That's him. Unfortunately, HS football is almost a complete afterthought in NYC and all points north and east. So it is difficult to find substantial recruiting coverage or information on programs and players.

We might have a commit from NYC. https://mobile.twitter.com/BkEagleSports/status/540533975710978048

We don't have one because we can't seem to stick to any consistent theme for more than one or two years. Wearing the wrong colors, or abandoning good marketing campaigns because somebody in the advertising office wants to pad their resume is exactly why we don't have an identity. Saying we shouldn't develop an identity because we don't already have one is bad logic.

Believe what you want.

Pretty sure the players still play basketball with Tree outside of official practices. As for him coming back and disrupting things, I doubt it. Yeah, the other frontcourt players minutes and stats go down, but they still retain the skill and confidence they picked up from increased playing time. Right now, Kwan is playing more minutes than he's really conditioned for and it will catch up to him sooner or later.

RPI stands for Ratings Percentage Index. The basic formula is RPI = (Winning Percentage * 0.25) + (Opponents' Winning Percentage * 0.50) + (Opponents' Opponent's Winning Percentage * 0.25). The NCAA also uses multipliers to account for home, away, and neutral games. A home win counts for 0.6 wins, and a home loss is 1.4 losses. The inverse goes for road games. This only applies toward the first part of the calculation (winning percentage * 0.25).

Breaking contracts is expensive. Remember that UAB is run by Alabama. Tide fans would pony up that much just to see UAB shut down on the off-chance that UAB gets a 3-star recruit that might otherwise give Bama one more body for the scout team.

UAB football is officially dead. Zips OL coach John Peterson coached at UAB in 2012 and 2013. Many coaches on the staff have ties to the area and the players. I wouldn't be shocked if one or more elect to transfer to Akron. They wouldn't have to sit out a year. UAB went 6-6 this season, so there's at least some talent there.

http://coachingsearch.com/coaching-search-ticker Presented without further comment.

There's talk of C-USA switching to a north-south divisional set-up. That would be pretty good for us or any other MAC school.

Has the MAC West finally passed the East?

Setting ourselves apart from the rest of the Ohio MAC schools. We'd be different. We'd play games against different opponents. People would look at UA as something other than one school among many. That can positively affect enrollment, and even local perception. The other five Ohio MAC schools have all been together since 1962. We can never become more than what they are unless we become different from them. Besides, C-USA has more and better bowl opportunities, a better national profile, better basketball, better soccer, and better fans. And even if you still consider it a competitively lateral move, it still sets us apart, and that is something that's incredibly valuable.

And the reception to Akron as a candidate has been pretty positive. Most of the negative remarks are coming from an Ohio fan.

Anybody know why Tim O'Shea wasn't on the sidelines? I was looking forward to seeing the Rowdies get after him. Instead they had to heckle the players, which drew ire from some visiting parents.

And they lost to Vermont 73-47. So who knows.

Lady Zips beat Siena 90-74. Great win.

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