OU Dude

RE: Unfair scheduling of crossover games- Its important to look over multiple seasons to get a fair sample size, here are the 12 most recent crossover games scheduled against the 6 MAC West teams- BSU- 2 CMU- 2 EMU- 1 NIU- 3 UT- 2 WMU- 2 1 game out of 12 was rotated from a bad team (EMU) to a good one (NIU), could have been intentional, or could be just the way the schedule worked out. Overall I think its a pretty fair distribution, given the challenges that come with creating a 13 team schedule.

We'd love to see AA back in Athens one more time.

for those interested, found this article regarding TV exposure. EDIT: updated with correct link, thanks for the heads up DiG.

I'm not suggesting Cubit was fired because he didn't play weeknight ESPN games, he was fired because his AD didn't think he could lead the program to be better than NIU and Toledo. I mentioned WMU because they are a good example of a team that has had some success without MACtion. The part that is open for debate is what, if any, impact would playing more weeknight games have on the program. In no way am I suggesting that Solich is not the key reason for Ohio's success, I'm simply trying to say that according to him, the exposure from playing on TV, and winning on TV, has been a net positive for his program. He will also admit to the down sides as well. Last year Ohio had to play 3 games in 12 days because of the weeknight schedule which was detrimental to a team with tons of injuries that needed rest late in the season.

Another team that's worth looking at is WMU. They hired Cubit the same year OU hired Solich and in 8 seasons the Broncos had an overall winning record and were bowl eligible 5 of the 8 seasons. In spite of that success Cubit was fired. It's interesting to note that Cubit made a conscience effort to NOT participate in weeknight ESPN games, home or away. Here is a list of all of the non Saturday home games the Broncos played during the Cubit era. 2012- 0 2011- 1, Fri Akron 2010- 0 2009- 1, Tues BSU 2008- 0 2007- 0 2006- 0 2005- 0 Both of these games were the last game of the season, played during the week of Thanksgiving. WMU has played in only 1 weeknight MACtion game, a loss @Toledo on a Tuesday in 2011. WMU plays every home game on Saturday in 2013 as well. And here's their total avg attendance each of those years with their overall records- 2012(4-8)- 14,579 2011(7-6)- 19,985 2010(6-6)- 14,255 2009(5-7)- 20,330 2008(9-4)- 18,547 2007(5-7)- 19,494 2006(8-5)- 18,625 2005(7-4)- 18,906 WMU was fairly consistent in their schedule, record, and attendance under Cubit but weren't good enough to get past NIU and Toledo in the West. Now we'll see if the new coach can take the program to the next level and continue the anti-MACtion strategy, or will he eventually sell out and start playing midweek games. it will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Thanks Dave. There's been some discussion of how to quantify this better over on the OU board and as you can guess its not easy to do. Its hard to put an exact number on what the effects of team record and November weather would have. One poster on the OU board pulled the attendance for all of Ohio's home games in the Solich era, home games played on weeknights are marked bold- 2012__ 2011__ 2010__ 2009__ 2008__ 2007__ 2006__ 2005 25,893 24,244 22,955 24,616 19,938 19,823 19,409 24,545 25,542 23,155 21,645 20,188 18,268 18,297 18,546 21,034 23,673 23,146 19,855 17,968 15,018 17,031 15,631 17,959 20,044 17,490 19,455 16,018 13,114 16,781 15,026 16,721 19,122 17,155 15,255 14,756 10,042 15,632 15,010 9,908 16,789 14,155 15,112 14,135* ----- 11,438 --------- --------- Sorry, it didn't paste with the correct spacing but I think you can get the idea. Each column is a year and each year is stacked from highest attendance to lowest, not chronologically. You can see that once the MACtion games started in 2009 that they were usually the lowest attended but were within a respectable range of the lowest Saturday game, in my opinion. Compare that with the overall attendance averages over the same time frame- 2005 (4-7) - 18,033 (was 16,406 not including Pitt game) 2006 (9-5) - 16,724 2007 (6-6) - 16,500 2008 (4-8) - 15,276 2009 (9-5) - 17,947 2010 (8-5) - 19,046 2011 (10-4) - 19,891 2012 (9-4) - 21,844 The team record is listed next to the year which supports the previous comments about winning having a positive impact on attendance. But also notice the positive trending the last 4 years in the avg overall attendance and the avg MACtion attendance. When I said the drop off in attendance was small I was speaking more subjectively than objectively. An attendance variance of a few thousand is hardly noticed in bigger conferences but it can feel like a massive number in the MAC. I tend to look at that size of variance as minimal, others may see it differently and I can understand why. Side note- it will be interesting to see if there is a culture shift at Ohio and how that affects both students and alumni. In the 20 years prior to Solich Ohio avg 3.05 wins/yr and went to 0 bowls. That's an entire generation of alums whose football experience involved going to Peden to watch the Marching 110 and then leaving. Compare that to the students who just graduated, they saw their team avg 9 wins/yr and went bowling every year. Add on top of that 4 years of DJ Cooper and Co. I don't know what, if any, long term effects it may have but it will be interesting to see. Akron is in a place where they have to do a lot of heavy lifting without much payoff but once the momentum gets moving I think Bowden will get the ball rolling. You've already got the top notch stadium and the success on the bball court, when the Zips start winning on the gridiron it will be huge for your school and for the conference.

Here is an article quoting Solich -"Solich said you can't overestimate the effect it's had among recruits, both in Ohio, the breadbasket of MAC recruiting, and across the nation. Solich began rattling off the home states of his players, from California to Oklahoma to New York to Florida. He said TV helps in Ohio, too." You can keep saying that playing on ESPN does not help with recruiting, but that doesn't make it true. Yes, winning is part of the equation, but it's not one without the other, as you claim. Does attendance take a dip on weeknights? Sure, some. But is the amount significant? Even with Ohio playing 2/6 home games on weeknights their avg attendance for 2012 was 21,844 in a stadium with a capacity of 24,000. Ohio was tops in the MAC in attendance and set a MAC record for ticket revenue. The small drop off in attendance for the weeknight games is hardly noticed. Weeknight games have made the MAC more favorable to the casual observer, not less. There is no such thing as sympathy in college football. If there was our alumni would be at our stadiums on game day and not in Columbus. Pick our pocket? So you think ESPN agreed to reopen negotiations with 4 years left on our contract as a way to pay LESS money? You're so set on being bitter and playing the scorned victim you're not even making since now. I'm not saying the MAC will get paid a fair amount but it will be more, and that's a step in the right direction.

Frank Solich laughs mightily at the assertion that weeknight games are bad for recruiting. Ohio has not played a Saturday game in November, home or away, since 2009 and their recruiting classes continue to improve, not in spite of it, but because of it. it should also be noted that Ohio has averaged 9 wins/yr since 2009 as well. The coaching staff regularly credits Ohio playing on weeknight TV as a huge selling point to recruits who see it as a positive. Overall attendance for Ohio has trended upwards as well, since 2009 weeknight home games have had an avg attendance of 16,534. Last year the avg was 17,956. Only bitter MAC fans see MACtion as a "disgrace" and an "embarrassment". The media and the avg Joe Football Fan speak of MACtion fondly. In fact the word MACtion is often used as a reference to any game that is high scoring and exciting, not one that is mocked for being "embarrassing". The games are played (mostly) in small college towns on a chilly weeknight in the Midwest in the middle of November, nobody is expecting 50K fans to be packing our stadiums. Keep this in mind regarding these renegotiation talks- we're 4 years into an 8 year deal with ESPN, they don't have to do squat if they don't want to. But the fact that they are willing to open it up for talks half way through the deal shows that there is a value to our programming and they are willing to discuss paying more for it. That's a positive step in the right direction.

I've noticed that Akron and Buffalo seem to be getting the short end of the scheduling stick lately as well. Part of the problem of a 13 team conference is that there are some teams that play 3 cross over games, and others only play 2. Akron has drawn the straw of playing 3 West games every year and the West tends to be the stronger division top to bottom so that increases the chances of a tough schedule for the Zips. If you look at how the West games vs the Zips have been distributed the last 4 seasons its fairly even except for a game with EMU being replaced with NIU. NIU- 3 Ball St- 2 Toledo- 2 CMU- 2 WMU- 2 EMU- 1 I remember pulling this for data Ohio a while ago and the results were similar, except the EMU and NIU's numbers were reversed. Another thing to consider, and this is a double edged sword, is the number of midweek MACtion games your team has to play each year. Akron hasn't had to deal with that too much, a thursday game to start the season and a friday to end the season are about as wild as it gets. Compare that to Ohio who hasn't play on a saturday in November since 2009. Last year's MACtion schedule forced them to play 3 weekday games in 12 days, they lost 2 of them. The upside of that however is that playing on TV helps with recruiting. The key to the MAC's success is getting Akron, Buffalo and UMass up to respectable levels. I'm optimistic Akron will get there soon, I'm less hopeful for the other two. Best of luck this season, I'll be pulling for you.

lol, sorry my bad. I skimmed that and forgot why I originally logged in to comment- I saw an article about Ball State's new coach and his ties to the Miami OH coaching tree that Senderoff and Christian and it got me thinking about what that might mean for the MAC if a little clique of friends forms, how would other coaches see that and could that create problems. What's your impression of KD's interaction with other MAC coaches, do you think he sees them more as colleagues or as competition? personally, I like the idea of all of the coaches getting to know each other well, could help with retention, etc.

how does a team that went 14-2 "get hot at the right time"? and how does the team whose only conferences loses were to the other 14-2 team spend "the long haul" as "the third best team in the league"? if you're suggesting that 9-7 Can't State was better "over the long haul" than OU I would love to see the reasoning for that. Be sure to mention the losses to NIU and BG during their 1-5 streak as indicators of Can't State being a top 2 MAC team.

this from the guy who spammed all the MAC team message boards last year with an article declaring with near absolute certainty that Cooper was following Groce to Illinois. I would provide a link to it but it seems you deleted it in embarrassment. you'll have to forgive me if I don't take you for your word.

Your own website has an article titled "Akron Police Report: Diggs Hit Ex" and yet now you say it didn't happen. What is your evidence that contradicts your own reporting and the filings in the police report? Just saying something emphatically doesn't make it true.

wow, disappointing to see some of the comments towards a poster who has always been cordial and encouraging. I don't recall Akron easing up on Ohio in any of their match ups this year, I'm not mad at the Zips for running up the score, I'm mad at the Bobcats for not playing well enough to win. You can't blame VCU for doing what they are supposed to do. This is the big leagues. like Reggie Keely said- Mans game and frosted tips don't mix.

funny thing happened to Ohio this year, when they called up teams and asked them if they'd like to schedule a 1-1 with a mid major team returning its entire roster from a 29 win Sweet 16 run the response was less than enthusiastic. go figure.

Also, if you ask someone in Athens if they have running water you can say 'well, you better go catch it!" and they will indeed try to catch it.

I too would heartily recommend Casa Nueva, however, according to their Twitter feed they are closed until 6pm Wed. because of the water main break.

Quite the contrary, the pressure is all on the Zips. The Zips are the ones trying to maintain a winning streak, the Zips are the ones trying to build an at-large resume (Ohio has no shot at one), the Zips are the ones that came into Athens last year at 12-1 with a chance to lock up first place and lost by 24 (and lost by 25 the year before that), the Zips are the ones that all the experts are looking to keep winning. A loss for the Zips would be bad, but another blow out would be devastating. For the Bobcats though, win or lose it doesn't really matter, the second seed is all but locked up and it all comes down to 2 games in Cleveland. Ohio is 7-1 lifetime in MACC games and recently 2-0 v the Zips, so they'll be confident regardless. Because of Akron's success Ohio has been able to settle in right behind the lead car and draft for the first 499 laps, saving fuel and preparing for the final lap. For a Sweet 16 team that returned 9 players expectations and pressure are surprisingly low. We owe it all to the Zips. I don't think the Bobcats will do you any favors in their Bracket Buster game either, the road has not been kind this year.

If both Akron and Memphis win out they'll finish the season tied at 22. Akron is currently ahead by a game but only play one game (2/22) between now and the game at OU (2/27) while Memphis plays 3 games (2/20, 2/23, 2/26) between now and then. If both teams keep winning Akron will not have the country's longest winning streak at tip off in Athens. no pressure.

the Buffalo game was on a Wednesday, not a Saturday, which makes a difference. Through 4 MAC games attendance is averaging 7,642, and that includes the Buffalo game, so I don't see it as problematic. The bigger problem is the 3 biggest MAC draws- Can't, Akron, and Miami Can't is tomorrow at 11am so there's concern the students won't show up, hence the free McDonalds breakfast promo, the Akron game is on Wednesday which will knock a couple of thousand off and the Miami game is during Spring Break so the big home games aren't going to be as big this year, unfortunately. Ohio's two biggest games, attendance wise might end up being Portland and Bowling Green. weird.

I'm not sure your claim that Akron's paid attendance being higher than Ohio's is accurate. Ohio's avg attendance during winter break when the students were not on campus was 5,421, the lowest turnout was for Maryland-Eastern Shores on Dec. 22nd and that was 4,448. Ohio has a good student turnout but I think 3K+ might be a little high. Ohio's attendance success is not a result of being in a rural area and not having other entertainment options though. A top 5 party school doesn't need a bball game to have a good time, if you know what I mean. If anything, Athens' rural setting is a challenge as very few alumni live within an hour radius and the local residents of Appalachia aren't exactly known for their disposable income and passion for supporting higher education. Akron seems to be making good progress, the size of the JAR will actually be an advantage as it can fill up quickly and looks to be an intimidating environment when full. If there are any best practices to steal from Ohio I would suggest consolidating the student section and giving and the band them the entire lower level across from the team benches. Don't think of the students as taking good seats that you could charge money for, think of them as adding to the game day experience. A better atmosphere will attract more locals and alums than prime seating will. It's a bummer the game in on a Wednesday but I hope a lot of Zips fans can make the trip to Athens, it should be another good game.

Toledo reminds me of Ohio a couple of years ago- young, undersized PG with a lot of potential, an aggressive SG that can take over a game.. and not much else. They played well in Athens saturday, weren't intimidated and fought for 40 minutes. Appear to be well coached and confident, they could be real dangerous in a year or two but still have the ability to rise up and take down a better team from time to time. The Bobcats went there last year and started the game 15-0, and lost. Zips will be able to hold them off, but it will take a solid team effort to do so.

As an Ohio fan I don't really know a whole lot about this team after 14 games. I know they can be lights out at home but I also know they have yet to go on the road and not look lost, confused, and out of sorts. 8-8 in conference? Who knows, nothing would surprise me at this point. I think OU and Akron will split their games with the home teams getting the wins but the big question is- can Akron go to Athens and keep it within 25? Next to last home game for seniors Coop, Baltic, Keeley and Offutt... you know they've already got that one circled! It's on a Wednesday but if there is anyway you can make the trip you should be there, it should be one to remember. I can see 10K in there easy, maybe more if both teams are battling for 1st.

wow, guys, that's horrible. I feel for ya. I agree with those that say the students should be lower level in the middle. That way they are right on the court and can influence play on both ends. And the band needs to be straight across from the visiting bench. and loud. that's why they call it a home field advantage. regardless, Zips students are fools if they don't pack the JAR this year.

Hey, I'd really appreciate it if you guys would go easy on us this Saturday, we lost on Homecoming last year and it ain't no fun. Saw a funny comment from a Bobcat fan on another board, he was at the OU vs OSU game a couple of years ago when OU took a lead into the 4th quarter. He and his friends we're cheering loudly for the Bobcats when an angry Buckeye fan stood up and yelled at them "Hey, this game is important to US!" lmao. So yeah if you spoiled our perfect season it was suck for us, so don't it please. I'm super impressed with what Bowden has been able to do, I knew he would turn things around but I had no idea it would be this fast. I was losing my mind during the TN game, that was crazy. Just the change in optimism from iCoach to TB is worth its weight in gold. Anyways, good luck to you guys, hope you go on a big winning streak.. after next week!