psc2009

It's being reported today that the Minutemen are interested in jumping to FBS and becoming a football-only member of the MAC. They're a pretty average CAA team right now, so I don't know if they'd be much better talent wise than Western Kentucky is in the Sun Belt. But, it'd certainly help the numbers. http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=563

Because its building a sweet new basketball arena, Bowling Green was awarded a host site for the 2012 Women's NCAA Tournament. It's pretty good news for the Falcons, but I'd say it's great news to the whole conference. If BGSU can get a host site, who is to say that a school like Akron can't? The Zips have great basketball fans, a good arena and a large market. I'd love to see some tournament action at UA! http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=548

The last few posters hit the nail on the head. I don't care how nice a stadium Akron has. The Zips are not going to get great games until they show that they can win. It's not "If you build it, they will come. It's if you make any effort at being competitive, we'll think about coming to your place."

Akron did a great job representing itself at the MAC Preview. UA finished second overall and Hanna Ek won the individual title. Not a bad way to start the week! http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=543

Here is Evan Meyer's look at last night's game. It might not have been the best night, but he does a great job (IMHO) of putting everything in perspective. The defense was solid and Wagner was a beast. The only problem was that a young QB struggled and nobody was able to bail him out. http://www.themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_158

Maybe it's just me, but I think that Akron has a great chance to upset a Big East team. Ianello should have UA focused and Syracuse always seems to play at its opponents level. If the Zips get out early, and if the fans get behind their team, I think that this could be a nice upset. http://www.themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_155

TMD's 2010 preview is out. We've got Akron finishing sixth. Maybe more importantly though, in that ND story, Rob Ianello has some good quotes. Perhaps most importantly, he eludes to a game with the Irish being announced soon. http://themacdaily.com/1_154_2010-MAC-Football-Preview.html

NIU also had that string where they were knocking off the BCS teams. The MAC doesn't win consistently against Top 25 teams, but every now and then, the conference throws out a huge showing. For the UT / Miami series, the part that makes me happy is that the @ Toledo game is first. I was imagining Toledo going down to Miami and then the Canes saying, "You know what, never mind". It's good to see that won't happen.

You hit the nail right on the head. It's just a PR ploy. Same with Desmond Howard being there. Hey, at least his appearance means that someone from ESPN will attend this year.

I wanted to share TMD's MAC East football preview podcast. It goes into a decent amount of discussion about UA. The main focus was on the coaching change. If you don't have time to listen to the podcast, the consensus was that Ianello is a good recruiter, but we both had some concerns about his coaching background. I'm hoping that we were both wrong. UA is making some great strides these days, especially with that gem of a stadium. http://themacdaily.com/1_59_Podcasts.html

I wanted to put this here because of the Rob Ianello's hiring. It's TMD's look at the new coaches coming into the league this year. Personally, I think that Ianello brings a lot to the table that could help fix the Zips. He has recruited this area, and he's got a winning track record. My only real concern today is that he doesn't have "non-BCS" experience, but that's pretty minor IMHO. http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_151

I figure that if any fan base can answer this, then it would be the Zips after the Charlie Frye campaign a few years ago. Now, Temple has started a web site for Bernard Pierce, a sophomore running back that had one really good year, but it was still just one good year. All of my thoughts are here: http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=480 But, the gist of my opinion is that it's too much, too soon and that he's not ready. Honestly, I still don't think that UA should have gone all out like it did in '04, largely because of the pressure that put on Frye. Hopefully, that makes sense.

About 10 minutes through this podcast, Coach Porter comes on to talk about how the Zips season is going, his scheduling philosophy and how he recruits. Fun stuff IMHO.http://themacdaily.com/1_59_Podcasts.html

Also, The Mac Daily is hosting a live chat from the game today. Here's the link.http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_128

The Irish, who for so many years were too good to play MAC teams, are going to play the Broncos next season. It's the first time since the MAC was formed that ND will play a MAC team. Now, we need to get Akron a game against ND. The last time the two teams met was in 1910.http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=220

There are good teams and then there are special teams. After tonight's 5-1 win over Meeshagan, the Zips are really a special team. http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=217When do we get to start playing in some World Cup qualifiers?

In the past, one good, big center has been able to own MAC competition. That's what I'm expecting for UA this season. Lots of blocks, rebounds and of course easy buckets.

Here are TMD's midseason grades on each MAC East team. I think that the thoughts on Akron speak for themselves.http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_120

These rankings have Akron way down at 11, below an 0-6 Ball State team that has lost to a I-AA. Too low or just right?http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_119

Our season in pictureI'll second that. Wow. I can't believe that happened to the new stadium. Is the Rubber Bowl still standing or did it fall in on itself today?

It looks like Akron has a break at the right time. They need to regroup right now. That's certainly what Coach Brookhart was thinking. OPEN is a lot easier opponent that Central Michigan.http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_79

His point was that if Akron runs for 3.5 yards every play, they'll utilize the most clock and keep LeFevour off the field. It was a joke where he was trying to explain how good Dan LeFevour is.

It's going to be a real tough game for Akron on Saturday. The pundits don't like the Zips right now, but this is the MAC and anything can happen. Why can't Rodgers run for 300 yards and throw for another 300? Maybe LeFevour plays like he did against Arizona?http://themacdaily.com/index.php?p=1_107

Think back to two weeks ago. There was such a great buzz around Zips football. Today...

Chris Jacquemain is officially off the Zips and the running backs coach was suspended for an unrelated incident. It's been a rough week for UA.http://themacdaily.com/index.php?news&nid=190Note: Title was moderator-edited. The coach is not "out," as stated in the original title.