Spin

MAC expansion. Do we search for MAC-like schools in the region? Are there any? Or do we add teams outside the region like when we hosted Central Florida, Temple, and Umess?

My thoughts too. Buffalo? Not so much…

But the Akrons and CMU’s and Buffalo’s make money by prostituting their teams out to top 20 teams every year. Do you think putting a competitive team on the field might draw MORE fans??? You’re kidding, right?

His shows are a must watch on my schedule.

Meanwhile 10 years ago today…

Yes he needs to ride off into the sunset. In all honesty he gave us our best years in FBS. IDK if he burned out, got tired, or just lost “it” in his last couple years here. I sincerely hope he enjoys retirement.

https://buchtelite.com/42829/showcase/hidden-gems-in-sports-the-univsersity-of-akron-zips-hockey-team/

I’d be worried there would be more fans on the east side of the stadium than on the west.

My three sons don’t really show any interest in going to the games anymore. They went with me during the Bowden era, we had season tickets. We catch some hoops during the winter. Football? meh. I usually catch a couple games by myself every season now. And a couple at the high school I played for BITD. If they have enough players to play…

One thing we can all, agree on, between the local college team and local pro team we have seen some C R A P football the past few decades. I’m using a LOT of restraint describing it cuz I like this place

In 2015 the Zips had a 8-5 5-3 record and won the Idaho Potatoes Bowl. In 2017 the Zips won the MAC East with a 7-7 6-2 record and played in the Boca Raton Bowl. Who wouldn’t take that over 5-37 since Bowden was fired?

This is starting to smell like budget cuts, like baseball saw last season. Are other mid majors prostituting themselves out multiple times a season to pay the bills? I remember when the Dialer opened and the team was bowling and making positive news. I remember respectable crowds showing up. I remember decent (not great) stuff going along with the game to keep people interested. Now it seems we’re prostituting our players to keep the athletic department going. If the Browns offered a million dollars and a ham sandwich we’d probably play them too.

Just imagine what a solid offense do for the defense. Long drives give the D a breather and actually putting points on the board let’s it breath and give different looks.

“I love going to the shoe” you have 6 chances a season. And probably one or two chances at seeing a close game. “This match up gives us national attention. “ All bad. “Let’s see if OSU can score 70 on them this year LOL!!!” “and I rather we play a power 5 than an mid major the average Joe could care less about and the game be buried on ESPN Plus. “ I had a LOT more fun watching the Akron Rubberducks win the Eastern League Championship a couple years ago than watching them get smeared by a Major League franchise with a $350,000,000.00 payroll. “If you are mad we are playing the Buckeyes especially if they are the reigning National Champions I bet you probably have an active AARP Card. “ Nope. Just want to see my team play in competitive games.

Or the opposite. “Hey, it’s not 10’ and snowing here. I want to transfer.”

Toilet Bowl maybe

I spent the day moving huge heavy dressers from one basement to another. I think I was better off.

We could have the band play for 20 minutes before the game, then when the game goes sour we can leave thinking we got something for our time and money.

Im thankful for having so many like minded fans of my alma mater through thin and thinner (football), the good times in the other sports and even a few baseball fans. It’s not easy being a Zip…

I brought this up several years ago and was thoroughly thrashed, so get your helmet ready. it doesn’t effect the other sports, it makes the football team easier to build and more entertaining, we can play at our appropriate level IMO. And we wouldn’t be the laughingstock of college football. We use to fill the Rubber Bowl when the team was good, local corporations sponsored us and highlighted us in their stores. Ticket giveaways. I love going to Rubberducks games. It’s a fun time. I don’t want to see them play the Yankees and Cubs. And I don’t see how a MAC program will ever have a chance to climb out of the FBS basement. The football budgets are just too ridiculous between the power 5 and the bottom end conferences.

That’s how they pay the bills. They can’t draw fans or TV ratings with those results so they take as much from the top schools as they can get.

I got nothing…

Great points. Minor league baseball is the perfect example of how to engage the fans. And More important, engaging the youth. Minor league baseball is miles ahead of everyone else in that. Learn from it. Use it. Maybe the next generation won’t all be fans (and more likely to be future students) of the worthless nuts. The game day experience is definitely lacking. I’ll pay for the tickets and drive the admin to Canal Park. OSU can be stodgy and old fashioned. Open the gates and the seats are filled. That doesn’t work for anyone else in Ohio. Put players on the field in pads and let the young-in’s walk out and meet them. Maybe in the practice facility. Maybe send them out on a pass pattern and lob them the football. I’ve seen worse ideas. A lot of them. game. day. experience.

This forum has had its moments over the years, and someone my disagree on one or two of the dozens of good points you brought up. But I doubt, taken as a whole, your post shouldn’t warrant a ballistics vest. 🙂

There is no doubt the properly run state university football program in Columbus not only operates at break even (at least a few years ago) but generates interest (and loyalty) to the school and millions of dollars into the local economy. If you drive a couple hours south from Akron, away from CLE, Cincy, and Pitt, OSU football IS LIFE. Akron was more popular as a successful FCS program than it is a basement FBS program. Think about that for a second. The old decrepit Rubber Bowl drew more fans, one of the big events of the season was a game sponsored by a local grocery store chain. At one point a human pinball errrrrr indoor soccer team was the most popular team in this market. They never sniffed a championship. This market will support a winning team no matter what it is. You have to market it and you have to win games (not dominate, just win and make it fun). Akron is failing in both of those.