MaxZIP

Akron has had 2 3* recruits in 2 years. I like the new additions.

Akron will close the talent gap with mostly guys that are off the radar, JC types, and prop 48.

Are you referring to me? Just pointing out that I have fun going back to look at the recruiting sites. It is interesting to see if players have come from relative nothingness to the best player in the MAC (Lynch) and/or if they were highly recruited. The highly recruited guys tend to have more strength/weakness analysis which is cool to track development. FYI, There is a fine line between a 3 star and no star recruit.

It is always fun to go back and look at players recruit rankings. Lynch was a 2 star with little fanfare. We need a good base of real football players not just highly (3*) touted role players.

The Zips have Penn State, Marshall, and Pit on tap for next year. We could possibly pick up two OCC games.

I hope you are right...just not in the next 3 years.

JMU had better size than the Zips. I agree that TB moving the team in the right direction. Having a big back and size on both lines will win you a few games in the MAC with pure power.

The Zips were third in the MAC is 2011 and middle of the pack in 2012. I agree they must improve over this year but they have not been in the bottom of the MAC for years. The Zips need touchdowns to win in the MAC.

The MAC is not known for coaching stability. For one reason or another...nobody is safe.

Good point. It would be nice to pick up a win like ULL to show progress early next year. I think they will be stuck at 6-7 wins for a few years unless a solid QB is found. Toledo was a real spoiler this year for NIU. Toledo beat Buffalo preventing a matchup of ranked teams in the MACC like the Can't v Northern Ill game last year. NIU needs some quality points to make a BCS game. Heck Buffalo lost to OSU, Baylor, and Toledo and would have been ranked if not for Toledo.

I still see a huge talent and size gap between the Zips and top MAC teams. I think they will be stuck at the 5-6 win threshold for a few years before making a MACC. A solid to great QB would definitely help expedite the process. 2-3 more wins are great but the metric is subject to many forces. A more intimately connected metric for coaching success is player development. Coaching in the MAC seems to be all about player development as the raw talent is more raw and less obvious in recruits at this level. Bowden has to prove that he can turn silver to gold to raise general talent level and augment with some higher profile signings. Zips kickers have not been that much worse than other MAC kickers. Lack of kickers is a huge issue and needs to be addressed because of how it changes coaching decision making. Now I am not talking about going for 3pts down 48 in the 3rd quarter or anything. But lack of confidence in the kicking game does alter play calling beyond going for it in the grey zone. I agree as long as the players are not leaving early.

Agree with your win total. Where have the zips made the most improvement and where will recruits make an impact next year?

6 wins is a fair assessment. I believe the MAC schedulers do manipulate crossover schedules to favor certain teams.

So we are closing in on the end of the ’13 Zips Football season. The wins include a 7 point victory over a winless Miami, a 1 point victory over a 1 win UMass (their only win was Miami), and the marquee win against a 3 FBS win Can't team. Can't having only beaten Miami, a 1 win Western Michigan (their only win against UMass), and the mighty 3 win Bobkittens. The Zips beat teams with a combined 5-28 record looking to be 5-31 by the end of this season. 1.) Is this success evidence of moving in the right direction or is it a function of competition 2.) What are your projections for next year with a solid recruiting class coming in 3.) How big of a role do the MAC schedulers play in determining success 4.) Where have the Zips shown the most improvement and is it sustainable?

I was told the score of an exhibition game didn't matter.

At this point in program development, each win is worthy of celebration. The Can't win was huge but so is continuing on the path to relevance. I applaud what the team did this past weekend. Now they must get their minds right to win a very winnable game. UMASS is looking at this game as their slump buster. Take care of business.

True, one additional observation is that the Zips didn't go deep when the had the wind.

Dillard is also worthless. He can't get off the line and the D can pretty much focus elsewhere when he is in.

It looked like he was hooking or pulling the ball to use baseball and golf terms. All the wheel routes and out patterns were thrown up field from the intended receiver with a noticeable curve.

Ohio Board of Regents Enrollment Data You are correct. Main campus headcount is down across the state.

I was expecting more from Wenning given the pile of stats he amassed this year. Still think Lynch is better. Add #11 Hire refs that can spot a ball. Wow!

I would say Bob Evans is a better fit. The colors match and headquartered in Ohio…don't forget about the three course menu starting at $9.99. The SEC is like a diner serving homemade cathead biscuits and gravy. The MAC is a rusty hotdog cart. Always there but leaves you feeling unsatisfied, bloated and wondering it is you actually just ate.

I want to see Kretzer of McAdams step up this year. They will benefit from Diggs, Harney, and tree if Evans can find them for the open 3 looks

I like Reghi on Akron produced programming. He got the other MAC fans all fired up last year. He is boring when playing it even.

I would settle for the pro Akron refs. The Ball State crew was awful with spotting the ball evenly.