wadszip

Not to knock Ball. But Dunn was the guy I was hoping would leave as a grad transfer and head to UA . But unlike at OSU, there is room for both to get 10-15 carries a game here, so maybe it's not out of the realm of possibility. Lets just pretend Dunn decides to come home. How about the Akron 2012 class coming out of high school (per the 247 composite recruiting rankings)? 1. Se'Von Pittman: 4-star, 88 national rank 2. Brionte Dunn: 4-star, 96 national rank 3. Jelani Hamilton: 4-star, 120 national rank 4. Warren Ball: 4-star, 220 national rank 5. Jamal Marcus: 4-star, 320 national rank Only 22 schools signed more 4-star recruits in that class. That's not even counting that Larry Hope, JoJo Natson, Bryce Jones, etc, were also from that class. On paper, I'm guessing no MAC team would have ever had as much "high end" talent from one class on a team at the same time. ... For example, Matt Falcon was the highest rated MAC player in 2016. He was ranked 443 in 247's composite rankings. Yeah, I know recruiting rankings don't make a program, but it would be something for the star gazers to think drool over.

I'm guessing that Tuley-Tillman still needs to be accepted into whatever master's program he is going to pursue. He still has an Akron helmet at the top of his Twitter page, and here is what makes me believe the first part. His tagline: "UMich grad. Masters candidate UA"

FWIW, Edmondson graduated from McKinley with Se'Von Pittman in 2012.

BTW, the only reason Akron's 10-year average is that low is due to the Director's Cup not giving a single point to Akron in 2006-07. ... Since 288 teams scored that year, I gave Akron (and Ball State and Western Michigan, who also didn't score) a 289 ranking. However, the scoring must have been drastically different then, because Akron's soccer won the MAC regular season and made the Sweet 16 but got a 0. I also believe either the men or women's track team won a MAC title that year and also go a 0. But if Akron can again finish in the top 100 (which it has 6 of the past 8 years, and a 102 finish in that period), the updated 10-year average will be way better next year, and could potentially surpass Kent depending on how they fare. And Akron's overall average is hampered by this starting in 1993-94 when Akron was in its infancy in the MAC... The Zips didn't score a point in 4 of the first 5 years.

I'm going to put this in the football forum since it's the most heavily trafficked. This is a copy and paste from a post on the MAC CSN board: After Kent had a decades-long stranglehold on being the MAC's top ranked team in the Director's Cup challenge, Akron has now finished atop the MAC the past two years, finishing No. 71 in the final rankings this year, and being the only MAC school in the top 100. Going over the historical results (2005-06 not included since it only showed the top 100 and no MAC school finished within the top 100 ... and only Kent results from 2004-05 since again only top 100 are shown and Kent was the only MAC school). Here are this year's rankings, and some historical rankings: Final 2015-16 rankings: 1. Akron-71 2. Kent-113 3. WMU-139 4. EMU-140 5. CMU-146 6. Ohio-167 7. Bufalo-186 8. Miami-187 9. BG-201 10. NIU-245 11. Toledo-247 12. Ball State-268 All-time average rankings (1993-94 was the first year): 1. Kent-86.5 2. CMU-116.8 3. EMU-136.5 4. Akron-158.6 5. Miami-158.9 6. Ohio-165.6 7. WMU-194 8. NIU-195.6 9. BSU-196.4 10. Toledo-201.3 11. Bowling Green-202.2 12. Buffalo-218 Last 10 years (+- compared to previous results): 1. Kent-88.1 (+1.6) 2. Akron-120.2 (-38.4) 3. CMU-126.9 (+10.1) 4. Miami-156.4 (-2.5) 5. Ohio-161 (-4.6) 6. EMU-176.8 (+40.3) 7. WMU-201.9 (+7.9) 8. NIU-207 (+11.4) 9. Buffalo-207.4 (-11) 10. Bowling Green-218.2 (+16) 11. Toledo-227.9 (+26.6) 12. Ball State-245.3 (+48.9) In the East, Kent remained pretty much unchanged while Akron, Buffalo, Ohio and Miami all improved. In the West, every school lost ground. Last Four years: 1. Akron-78 (-42.2) 2. Kent-87.5 (-0.6) 3. CMU-132.6 (+5.7) 4. EMU-135.8 (-41) 5. Ohio-159.3 (-1.7) 6. Miami-168.5 (+12.1) 7. Buffalo-179.8 (-27.6) 8. Bowling Green-182.5 (-35.7) 9. WMU-199.5 (-2.4) 10. NIU-227.5 (+20.5) 11. Toledo-252.5 (+24.6) 12. Ball State-259.3 (+14) In the East, again Kent is relatively unchanged, and Akron, Ohio, Buffalo and BG all improved ... only Miami fell back. In the West, EMU after a tough spot in the mid-2000s, has returned to its historical average, and WMU improved slightly; CMU, NIU, Toledo and BSU again have fallen back some more. here are some bullet observations: 1. Kent State has absolutely dominated these rankings. Has won the MAC rankings at least 16 times in the 23 years; has finished runner-up at least five times and likely has never finished lower than third. 2. Akron's two straight top finishes very well could be the longest non-Kent streak, depending on the unknown 2005-06 results, since CMU edged out Kent in 2006-07 in what was a down year. CMU won being ranked 145. 3. Not a huge surprise, but the two Cleveland teams have dominated these rankings recently. In the past 10 years, they have accounted for 14 of the MAC's 16 top 100 finishes (87.5%) ... Kent (8), Akron (6) and Central Michigan (2). 4. Overall, MAC schools have finished in the top 100 35 times (with the Cleveland teams accounting for 68.5%): Kent 18, Akron 6 (all in the past 8 years), CMU 6, Ball State 2, Miami 2, Eastern Michigan 1. 5. In the past 10 years MAC schools have finished in the top 75 seven times ... Kent (4), Akron (3). 6. Overall, MAC schools have finished in the top 75 13 times... Kent (8), Akron (3 ... the past three years), Ball State (1), Central Michigan (1). 7. The best overall finish was Kent (57) in 2000-01. Kent also, not surprisingly, has the No. 2 (62 in 2013-14) and No. 3 (65 in 1999-00) finishes; Ball State has the best non-Kent finish (67) in 1994-95. 8. Akron's most recent four-year average appears to the first time a four-year graduating class has ever finished higher, by average, than a Kent class. Finally, here is the best finish by school: 1. Kent-57 (2000-01) 2. Ball State-67 (1994-95) 3. Akron-71 (2015-16) 4. Central Michigan-74 (1998-99) 5. Eastern Michigan-86 (2002-03) 6. Miami-95 (1998-99) 7. Ohio-103 (1994-95, 2011-12) 8. Buffalo-105 (2014-15) 9. Bowling Green-127 (1997-98) 10. Toledo-128 (2001-02, 2011-12) 10. Western Michigan-128 (2003-04) 12. Northern Illinois-132 (2011-12) Overall, while the scoring criteria and the number of schools competing in the Director's Cup has changed over the years, I think it gives a pretty good picture of which schools are doing what in terms of overall athletic departments. With that, it's pretty clear that Kent (historically and currently) and Akron (currently) are running laps around the rest of the league. And in an East-West breakdown, it looks as if the East schools are improving athletics at a clearly better pace than the West schools, which seem to be dropping back.

Did a quick twitter search and Davis and Jest, who both are active on Twitter, both still have University of Akron in their bios. Holley does at well, but he hasn't tweeted since signing day. Nelley doesn't seem to have an account, so not sure there. With such a tiny recruiting class, you'd hope that everybody qualified. But on the bright side, maybe a couple non-qualifiers (and I'm only guessing that is why those guys aren't appearing on the official roster) helped open the door for Tulley-Tillman (same position as Neeley) and Jelani Hamilton (same position as Jest). Maybe it opens the door for another late grad transfer or two to also still join.

Another local offer is out to 6-2, 205 pound 3 star athlete Kadeem Trotter of Canton McKinley. Saw he had the Akron offer (along with most of the MAC) when Boston College offered him the other day. Unfortunately, he is visiting Iowa State this weekend and will be making his announcement shortly after. Hopefully, Reggie Corner can help sway him to the good guys, but sounds like Syracuse is the team to beat. Kind of going to LZips' point, and something that has been talked about, these are the guys Akron needs to keep home over schools like Syracuse, Iowa State (though Matt Campbell will make ISU a player for Stark County kids), Boston College and the rest of the MAC. But its not going to change overnight. TB is getting local prospects to buy in, but more winning seasons (and bowl wins) should help with guys like Trotter in future years. I like the local guys in the fold, and really it's not like they are much different (albeit position wise) than a guy like Trotter ... IE not a program changing, can't miss prospect ... But it will be nice to have a day where local prospects jump on an Akron offer early (which we are starting to see), but can then land/keep kids when "bigger" programs come calling. That's TBD, but all you can do is continue to win and see where the chips fall.

Since there was a thread about Logan Tulley-Tillman, I didn't see one about 6-5, 300 pound DL grad transfer Jelani Hamilton from The U. Looks like it happened in late May. He was a big time prospect coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) who has been injury riddled the past two years. http://www.gozips.com/sports/fball/2016-17/bios/hamilton_jelani_65qn?view=bio http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205558506 Maybe he is just another Michaelee Harris (who is no longer on the roster ... was still on it this spring), or maybe he can at least be like Moses McCray and be a solid depth addition to the interior line for a year. Btw, his photo on the Miami site is badass.

Since there was a thread about Logan Tulley-Tillman, I didn't see one about 6-5, 300 pound DL grad transfer Jelani Hamilton from The U. Looks like it happened in late May. He was a big time prospect coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) who has been injury riddled the past two years. http://www.gozips.com/sports/fball/2016-17/bios/hamilton_jelani_65qn?view=bio http://www.hurricanesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205558506 Maybe he is just another Michaelee Harris (who is no longer on the roster ... was still on it this spring), or maybe he can at least be like Moses McCray and be a solid depth addition to the interior line for a year. Btw, his photo on the Miami site is badass.

Here are videos of the latest offers: Marquis Bridges: RB/DB, Ellet http://www.hudl.com/athlete/6087527/highlights/292691416 http://www.hudl.com/athlete/6087527/highlights/313520430 Kyle Vantrease: QB, Stow http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2737956/highlights/316816419 DeAmonte King: WR/DB, St. Vincent-St. Mary http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3481881/highlights/294918435 Reggie Corner Jr.: DB, Canton McKinley http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1484927/highlights/336304063 All four of these kids look like they can be big-time players. King just visited West Virginia and it looks like he may pull the trigger, but maybe TB and the rest of the SVSM contingent can get in his ear.

Recruiting rankings matter if you are Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, FSU, or one of the handful of schools who are constantly in the top 10 in both recruiting rankings and the actual rankings. But once you get outside of that elite group (which usually gobbles up 90 or more percent of the true blue chippers), recruiting rankings are insignificant. There are really only about 50-100 truly elite players in any given recruiting class. Once you get outside of that, there isn't that great a difference between say recruit No. 101 and No. 1,000. It's all about development and coaching. Remember when J.D. Brookhart pulled in back-to-back No. 1 classes in the MAC?

Reggie Corner Sr. is 32/33. Figure, Reggie Jr. is 17, so it's possible. Pretty crazy, though, that Akron could have a father and son playing for them within a nine-year period.

Looks like the local offers are still coming. I saw that Ellet's Marquise Bridges, St. Vincent-St. Mary's DeAmonte King, Stow QB Kyle Vantrease and McKinley's Reggie Corner Jr. were all offered in the past two days. BTW, seems like just yesterday Reggie Corner Sr. was playing for the Zips. Keep locking down The State of Akron!

Yeah, that's what I was getting at. It's going to be near impossible to get a kid away from Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame or any of the blue bloods. But there is enough talent in this area where you can still build a strong program even without landing the best of the best if you can clean up on 8-10 on that second tier. Which leads me to ... I absolutely agree with your take on OSU, especially since you look at since Meyer took over, the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area has been by far the area instate that he has recruited the hardest. I'd be willing to guess that more than 50 percent of the instate recruits OSU has landed under him have been from the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area. Just look at their roster right now and there could be 10 kids from this area starting for them this year (including four from Summit County), with another 6-7 local kids in the two deep. Eventually, some of these kids are going to be passed up or decide to leave for whatever reason. It wouldn't hurt to have that "hometown" connection with Meyer. Obviously, guys like Jamal Marcus (who isn't local) would be welcomed, too.

Is it just me, or is Terry Bowden beginning to take a page out of the Howard Schnellenberger (Miami) book? Looks like TB is recruiting "The state of Akron". While Akron is not South Florida, by any means, you can make an argument that Summit County football is No. 3 in Ohio behind Cuyahoga and Hamilton (though Franklin and Montgomery are also very good). Regardless, it's an area you can build a program by keeping kids home. Plus, Schnellenberger's "State of Miami" was the three county SE Florida area (Dade, Broward, Palm Beach). A "State of Akron," of Summit, Cuyahoga and Stark is a top 10 (maybe top 5 region in the US for HS football). After locking up home talent, Schnellenberger focused on the rest of Florida. Bowden can do the same in Ohio and (nearby) WPa. Plus, Bowden will continue to get Florida kids with his ties to that state. The one area Bowden can't be like Schnellenberger is, after locking down the home front, trying to pluck some elite national recruits out of HS. But by using transfers, Bowden can (as we've seen) get kids who started off as national level recruits. ... Whether they are from NE Ohio or OOS. It may still take 2-3 more winning seasons to make Akron the MAC school of choice for kids in Cuyahoga and Stark. But the tide is turning in Summit. If he can continue the momentum, don't see any reason the Zips won't be in the mix for nearly any kid from the "State of Akron," and at least beating out fellow MAC schools and even the lower P5 schools for local recruits. While Schnellenberger's "State of Miami" approach turned Miami into a national power, a "State of Akron" (unless the Zips ever start beating out OSU, Michigan and ND for kids) won't have the same type of effect. But still should turn the Zips into a top 40 or so program, with top 25 aspirations on "up" years. I guess closer to home, we saw Mark Dantonio/Brian Kelly/Butch Jones do something similar at Cincinnati. Not only do I think something similar is fully attainable here, but think Akron has an even higher upside in 2016 than UC had in 2003 (when Dantonio took over). Overall, really love where this program is heading. If the athletic department stays the course (and can find ways to eat some short term losses financially), I definitely see a long-term payoff. Consistently winning with a bunch of hometown talent will draw bigger crowds. Winning and bigger crowds probably still never means P5 status, but with the huge TV market UA sits in the middle of, would ensure that Akron, worst case, is in the next tier (and I believe within the next 10 years there will be a P4 and a G1). Since there is a college football market outside of the P4, you better at least get in that next group, which will consist of teams that have winning traditions or are located in big markets. Continue to win and Akron can check of "yes" on both criteria. Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but I like the direction this ship is going (along with pretty much every other men's program on campus). ... 2014 and 2016 Reese Cup winner (best men's AD in the MAC) and Akron will lead the MAC in the Director's Cup standings for at least the third (maybe fourth) year in a row. ... Really in Director's Cup, only two programs in the MAC over the last 10 years have consistently sniffed the top 100 ... Akron and, unfortunately, Kent. But that shows the upside the NEO market has if one of the schools can get out of the other's shadow. And sorry Kent, Akron is light years ahead in future potential.

I had never heard of Hillsboro, Oregon, but it's an extremely fast growing city outside of Portland (population was 8,000 in 1960 and now 102,000). Intel employs 18,000 in the city, so seems like a place that should have some good athletes.

http://www.thesuburbanite.com/sports/20160606/burkharts-ua-commitment-gives-comets-another-division-i-recruit More on Burkhart, and does anybody know more about Tracy Jordan from Springfield? 6-3, 260 is good size and he is a cousin of freshman Pitt commit Bryce Hargrove.

That was nearly Akron's "boondoggle." the Convo concept was originally slated for UA, but redirected toward CSU due to Cleveland, at that time, not having a big downtown arena, where as Summit County had the Richfield Coliseum. Then, less than 5 years after the Convo opened, so did Gund Arena/Q less than a mile down the road, and the Richfield Coliseum is a nature preserve. In a logical world, Akron should have a facility like Wolstein Center/Convo and Cleveland the Q. That was nearly what ended up happening, but fiefdom like greed and lack of regional foresight got in the way. It really is a tale of why NEO is struggling. Two perfectly good facilities are going to be torn down after 25 years of life because both were built in the wrong location. Yeah, Cleveland will still end up OK because the Gund/Q was rightfully built in downtown Cleveland. But Akron/Summit County was left with its proverbial dick in its hands with nothing. Its maddening if you reallly think about it.

Blue & Gold's post was spot on. Really, just two options. 1. LeBron's philanthropy: While, he will continue to do things for UA, doubt it will ever be something like being the main donator/business partner for a new arena. I could see him chipping in some money to help an arena be financed (especially if there is a benefit to some of the things he does ... home for his skills academy and other basketball related ventures), but thinking he is gonna be the main force in a new arena is a pipedream. 2. Goodyear: this is the one multinational corporation, like B&G said, who could cut the check for their hometown. But while Goodyear is involved in sports, it is mainly automotive sports (NASCAR), which makes a ton of sense considering the business it is in. Still, the most likely, but would be a total philanthropic move. And since just keeping world headquarters, for better or worse reasons, is pretty philanthric in its own right. Doubt Goodyear believes it owes anymore to Akron than what it has been doing. 3. FirstMerit: this was the biggest dark horse since unlike Goodyear or FirstEnergy (Browns Stadium), it has no sports naming rights deals. But the Huntington deal killed that as Huntington was a big player in getting the new AAA stadium built in Columbus. It won't throw a bone to a regional hub like Akron. That's unfortunate because FirstMerit wasn't a distressed banking company that had to merge for survival. Edit: I'll throw out one unmentioned new dark horse .... Key Bank. It's a top 20 banking company in the US and has some history of backing arenas (Key Center in Seattle). The Key Center was a 1960s venture (and I'm guessing Key wasn't interested in helping Seattle get a new arena since the Sonics moved to OKC.... Though it was a sham deal as the Sonics were moving to the owner's hometown regardless.) Anyway, with the loss of FirstMerit (and National City a few years back), maybe backing an arena in Akron could help strengthen its standing in NEO now that the two biggest competitors PNC/National City (Pittsburgh) and Huntington/FirstMerit (Columbus) are outsiders.

I'm gonna bump this so I don't have to rehash why I've felt Louisville (even in Cleveland) could make sense on both ends.

Good to see this finally being realistic. Makes too much sense for both sides as I've posted about a dozen times over the last 2-3 years. Maybe the powers to be can take it a step further and try to get a game in Cleveland (read earlier on why I think it could make sense for both programs). Even if it's a one-stop trip to Louisville, the pros still outweigh the cons for the Zips.

Personally, I don't think every P4 league will have between 20-25. A league like the Big Ten, yeah, I could see 20 since it has the most successful conference network and that has been driven off of market size (You really think the B10 would've taken Rutgers and Maryland if they didn't happen to be in two of the largest markets in the country?) The other leagues would probably slot between 16-20 (So, I'm estimating my P4 scenario would be around 65-70 schools). There are currently 128 FBS football schools. That would leave roughly 60 out of the P4. But the point I was trying to make is that there is still demand for football outside of that P4. And wouldn't it behoove the networks to try to group together the "best" of those leftovers into one "league" for financial reasons? And the cord-cutting even makes it more likely why bigger-market schools would be targeted. While cable is losing subscribers, it's not vanishing completely until at least another 10 years (if at all). Even if it vanishes, it's not like the current cable networks are punting and saying "we're done", they instead are keeping up with the new-age trends to stay relevant in the internet age. While that would lessen the impact of being in a "large" market, something is alway going to be said for having a product in a bigger potential viewing area ... whether that is cable or internet. For the short term, with the cord-cutting, it definitely makes more sense for the companies to consider market size. ... For example, a network can lose 25 percent of its subscriber base in Greenville, NC, and be left with (and I'm just roughly estimating numbers) with 225,000 potential viewers. Or it can lose 25 percent in Cleveland/Akron and still have 2.7 million viewers. Yeah, East Carolina (Greenville) destroys Akron in attendance, but does that really matter to the TV networks? In fact, ECU's attendance may actually hurt them more when it comes to TV since if they have 45,000 at their game (in a market of 300,000) that is 15 percent of its potential local market share already being at the game (meaning not watching on TV). Hypothetically, even if Akron could ever get 45,000 that would still represent less than two percent of the total population. Meaning, Akron actual attendance is moot for the networks. Yeah, we would love to sell out every game to brag about attendance, but I'm not sure attendance really means much. It's more about potential viewers (granted, the networks would be banking on a team that is winning, which Akron seems trending up in that category, but still has much to prove). Plus, even moving beyond local markets. How many of the people who are moving to some of the growing markets have ties to areas like Northeast Ohio (or Ohio in general)? It's pretty significant since you're talking about a region that was once one of the top 10 in the country (and the people leaving aren't automatically changing allegiances to whatever school/team happens to be located in whatever Sun Belt region they are moving to ... maybe they aren't Akron fans per say, but people who have NEO pride). For example, me and my wife visited my grandfather in Naples in February. We went to some seafood joint down the street where he lives. We were talking about Cleveland (where we are from). The people next to us overheard our conversation and they were like "we're also from Cleveland". That led to a conversation with them. There, I mentioned we lived in Wadsworth. The bartender overheard that and came over and said, "I overheard you talking, I'm from Akron, and my best friend lives in Wadsworth". He joined the conversation and we talked about "back home" for a bit. It's funny, too, when when we went to Fort Myers Airport, I was wearing a Browns sweatshirt. A guy at security was like "what are we going to do in the draft?" I didn't know what the hell he was talking about at first, then put it together he was a Browns fan. I won't claim to be the most well-traveled person, but it seems wherever I go I meet somebody from Cleveland/Akron/Canton. Was in Vegas last year (wearing an Akron shirt walking through the Venetian). Some guy came put to me and was like "are you from Akron?" I was like yeah, I went to school there. Ended up he was from Bedford and had moved out to Vegas a couple years earlier. We again talked for about 10-15 minutes (since my best friend has a lot of family in SE Cleveland (Bedford), some who he went to school with). Miami Beach two years ago, the same thing, ran into somebody from Cleveland at The Clevelander. I'm sure we all have those stories. Which actually makes a "moved up" Akron program even more marketable nationally since there is no in-market P4/5 competition (if you don't count Ohio State). I'm guessing if Akron could ever make a move up beyond being a MAC school, not only people in NEO would notice more, but also the NEO natives who are now living in other parts of the country. And I still believe that regardless of what umbrella that falls under, if Akron can get into a "best of the rest" league, it has more benefits than staying in the close-knit MAC, if things break like I think they will (regardless if it's ACC or B12 ... one is going to blow up).

Again, I 100 percent disagree. Even under a P4 setup, which you may think is crazy but lets see how things play out, there is still a demand for more college football (outside the P4, just like there is still a demand currently outside of the P5) and there are open time slots networks will want to fill. It was actually Wake Forest that I think will be left out (fourth-wheel in the state of North Carolina), but that's not important. Maybe the ACC "name" would fold and the league would continue under the AAC flag? But I believe, technically, the ACC name rights would belong to Wake Forest. But lets not get wrapped up in the name, but what products could be in the league. I think the TV networks (who do have a lot of pull behind the scenes in who goes where) would push for a new G5 league that plucks 20 (or maybe even 25) of the best of the leftovers, as well as schools that are located in bigger markets. You don't think that will be more beneficial than staying in the MAC? Especially as that new league would also go to a pod setup (meaning travel issues would be a lessened a bit). To put it in perspective, here is a quick idea of what the new ACC/AAC/or some new top-tier G5 named league all together could look like (I'm using 20 here and going by TV markets, along with some general geography) North: NIU (3), Temple (4), Akron (18), Old Dominion (42), Wake Forest (46) Southeast: Georgia State (9), South Florida (11), Florida Atlantic (16), Central Florida (19), Charlotte (22) Southwest: UT-San Antonio (32), UAB (45), Memphis (50), Tulane (51), Arkansas Little Rock (57) West: San Diego State (28), UNLV (40), Fresno State (54), Tulsa (60), Boise State (107) Granted, this is just a quick trying to match teams as best I could geographically (the SE is tough because that's where the underserved markets are), and I was also trying to get the biggest markets in it (with the exception of Boise, which would be an outlier since it is easily the most high-profile non-major). You can flip schools around (and take Akron out all together and replace the Zips with Ohio/Toledo/Buffalo/Marshall if you want), but don't you think something like this could land a pretty significant TV deal (especially since it would neuter the schools that are left out of this group)? Meaning the networks could simply lowball the 40-something left-out schools from the MAC/CUSA/Sun Belt, etc., to have their products simply on an ESPN3 (or other internet packages almost exclusively). It may not be a sexy list of schools, but one that could encompasses a wide region with a lot of potential viewers (which is what the networks want). It would take some time for some of the schools (like an Akron) to build up their programs (but jumping up a rank among the other Ohio MAC schools would speed that process up). BTW, why Akron and not Kent as the No. 18 Cleveland market representative? Simple, it's because of that $65 million stadium that some still like to complain about. Maybe something like this forms and Akron is left out and the Zips are forced to drop down to FCS status, and InfoCision is a complete waste of money. But maybe it is part of the reason (along with being in a big market with a ton of recruiting ground) that boosts this program up a notch... maybe not to "P4" status, but into the clear next notch below. And even if this league is left completely out of the playoffs (which it would be), there are still the marquee bowl games (with big payouts) that the league could work agreements with. It could be a concession. ... You guys stay out of the playoff, but in return, we'll guarantee you X amount of high-payout bowl games against P4 schools as long as your 12-0 playoff caliber champion decides not to try to tip our apple cart. Whatever, it's not like anybody in this group would ever make the playoffs anyway. But they could leverage it in a way that guarantees they won't make noise about getting in as long as the league has a certain number of big bowl game slots. And for basketball, that's at least a 2 bid league every year, more likely a 3-4 bid league.

We'll see. I'm sticking to the general basis that there is going to be a seismic shift in realignment in the next 10 years and either one of the ACC or Big 12 will cease to exist. I personally think the ACC is the one to go because it has more of the products the Big 10 and SEC will want to get a piece of. All signs are pointing to it being a P4 major landscape once the Big 10s new/short TV deal is back up for negotiating (see the link ZippyRulz posted). The Big 10 and SEC will definitely lead that raid as they both have successful conference networks that they will want to grow into new markets. Also, going to a P4 setup benefits both (as well as the stable Pac 12 ... which was left out of the playoffs this year) as it guarantees they will have a school in the field.

Sorry Zach, I disagree 100 percent on this. I'm not saying that Akron is a shoe-in to "move up," but I don't think it's nearly as far-fetched as you (and some others) are making it out to be. I'll start with the "competition" aspect. What makes NIU and Buffalo ahead of Akron in the MAC? NIU has very good football and has Chicago (although DeKalb is to Chicago as Wooster is to Cleveland). Yes, it's the same TV market, but it's a small town on the very outskirts of a market that already has one P5 school (Northwestern) already in it and another (Notre Dame) that for all intents and purposes is "Chicago's" home college. Granted, Chicago is a huge market that could absorb another school in a more prestigious conference, but I don't think NIU would automatically be the MAC school to be the first to be chosen. But it's probably neck-and-neck with Akron, IMO. Maybe NIU is still on top, but both would be, IMO, high on the list of expansion candidates. Buffalo, I don't see it. Buffalo's biggest advantage is academics because it's an AAU school. But academics seem to be playing a minor role in a lot of this reshuffling, or potential reshuffling. The Big Ten, which had an AAU-only policy, decided to take a Nebraska program that it knew was going to lose its status (and sure enough it did within a year of moving to the Big Ten). Now, there is a lot of smoke that the Big Ten could be courting Oklahoma and Florida State (among others), neither of which are AAU schools. It's TV markets and football prestige that seems to be driving realignment. Buffalo has less football prestige than Akron (which is still the Zips biggest issue) and the Buffalo TV market (No. 54) is way behind Cleveland/Akron/Canton (18). Buffalo, unlike both NEO and Chicago, offers very little in gaining traction into fertile recruiting areas, too. Old Dominion is a program that is in the mix. But if ODU is in the mix, Akron definitely is. That "massive" Hampton Roads TV market is No. 42 in the country (right between No. 41 Grand Rapids and No. 43 Oklahoma City). So, massive is a huge reach, unless you want to say Cleveland/Akron/Canton TV market is a "mega" market. I actually think there is going to be major changes in the college athletics landscape. The Big Ten signing a six-year deal with Fox is a sign that it believes crap is about to blow up once the ACC can't deliver on its conference network and those schools would be able to get out of their Grant of Rights agreement. If the Big Ten starts raiding the ACC, the landscape will look totally different that what it does now. You could see the Big Ten raiding the ACC out of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Florida State. Then going west and grabbing Oklahoma. That would put Notre Dame also in play for the Big Ten. That would put the league at 20 schools, who would break down into four pods: 1. Penn State, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue 2. Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Northwestern 3. Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State (the old ACC pod) 4. Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota It keeps every traditional rivalry in tact and sets up nicely for a nine-game schedule ... you play your pod and each year one of the other pods. And Notre Dame keeps its East Coast presence by being with PSU and Rutgers. Plus it would only have one true pod test in Penn State where it could continue to keep USC on the schedule. If the Big Ten, which is the driver of the changes, makes that raid, the SEC is sure to follow by taking North Carolina State (or Duke) and Virginia Tech to get into the North Carolina and Virginia markets. That would get them to 16 members and it could go to a 4-team, 4-pod setup. It could look like: Coastal: Virginia Tech, North Carolina State (or Duke), South Carolina, Tennessee South: Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt Deep South: Auburn, Alabama, Mississippi, Mississippi State West: LSU, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Missouri The PAC 12 is just as safe as the Big 10 and the SEC. Really, it could decide to do nothing and stay at 12 (since the West Coast options are limited). Or it could make a power move to the east and try to pick off Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Kansas from the Big 12 and also go to a 16-team setup (and those four schools would easily add to the league's TV package if Texas is involved). I think that's more likely (if the above dominoes fall into place) than it staying at 12. That league would also go to the SEC style 4-team, 4-pod divisions: Southwest: Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas (the Big 12 teams) California: USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford Mountain: Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Colorado Northwest: Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State The Big 12 losing those four programs (along with Oklahoma to the B10) is a big hit, but it is still easily on better footing than the ACC (which is blown up at that point), because it still would have enough schools, and more importantly the better TV deal, where it could go East and South and start picking up the remains. Like the SEC and Pac 12 (now Pac 16), it probably stops there and goes to the four-team, four-pod setup. North: Pitt, Syracuse, UConn, Boston College Midwest: Louisville, West Virginia, Kansas State, Iowa State South: Clemson, Miami, Duke (or North Carolina State), Cincinnati West: TCU, Baylor, Houston, BYU (three Texas schools and a religious private to go with religious privates TCU and Baylor). That covers (unless I missed overlooked something) every current P5 school outside of Wake Forest (which is screwed, but would be inherited the ACC brand since everybody else bolted). I think this is where GoZips referring to Akron going to the "ACC" comes from (unless you actually think Akron could get in with the current ACC setup, which has absolutely zero chance of happening). Even this "ACC" is shell of it's current self and would be merely the AAC leftovers and some lower-league bigger market teams thrown in. But there would still be TV slots to fill and adding schools located in large markets that could land a solid TV deal (if they bind together and get out of the dead-weight of their current conferences ... AKA Akron). You could reasonably envision the leftovers who are located in big markets coming together to work out a TV package that would be more beneficial than the current setup, even when including the cost of travel ... which wouldn't be that big of a burden if it's broken into pods ... ala which the now P4 would be broken into). These teams still would have zero chance of making the CFP, but it's not like they do now. But there still is some demand from the networks for the product. What you're left with: Wake Forest (ACC holdover, who carries the brand flag) Northern Illinois (No. 3 market, but has P4 competition .. Northwestern for sure, and Notre Dame) Temple (No. 4 TV market with no local P4 competition) Georgia State (No. 9 market, but has P4 competition ... Georgia Tech, which is less than 2 miles down the road) South Florida (No. 11 market, with no P4 competition) Eastern Michigan (No. 13 market, with the most P4 competition of any school since we're talking Michigan. This isn't realistic, but to be fair, I'll include them) Florida Atlantic or Florida International (No. 16 market, but has P4 competition ... Miami) Akron (No. 18 market, with no local P4 competition) Central Florida (No. 19 market, with no local P4 competition) Charlotte (No. 22 market, with no local P4 competition) San Diego State (No. 28 market, with no local P4 competition) UT San Antonio (No. 32 market, with no local P4 competition) UNLV (No. 40 market, with no local P4 competition) Western Michigan (No. 41 market, with no local P4 competition) Old Dominion (No. 42 market, with no local P4 competition) UAB (No. 45 market, with no local P4 competition) Memphis (No. 50 market, with no local P4 competition) Tulane (No. 51, with no local P4 competition) Bufflalo (No. 53, with no local P4 competition) Fresno State (No. 54, with no local P4 competition) Arkansas-Little Rick (No. 57, with no local P4 competition) Tulsa (No. 60, with no local P4 competition) Toledo (No. 77, with no local P4 competition) I'll stop there. I know that's a lot of dominoes that have to fall into place, but when looking at the landscape of what is going down, something that includes most of those schools above (and even some small-market schools like Ohio, Marshall and East Carolina would be in the mix) isn't out of the realm of possibility, especially if you go to a pod set-up. And even if it doesn't fall into place exactly how I put it, there is still opportunity for Akron to "move up" ... as it fits in well with what a network would be looking for ... Big market: check No local P4 competition: check Decent football: Thanks to Terry Bowden, closer to a check, though the next couple of years could go a long way to cementing that Decent basketball: Check Then you have some things that the networks may not care about, but a league would: Football recruiting: Akron's in one of the top 10 areas for producing recruits. Basketball recruiting: Akron's in one of the top 10-15 areas for that. Minor sports: Akron has two national-competitive programs ... track and soccer. I think anybody who is forward-thinking enough can see that moving up isn't some off-the-wall possibility. And I know the people running the athletic office have had a vision of moving up for at least the last 15 years. You don't pump the money Akron has into athletics to be settled with the MAC.