exit322

I like this approach. Enter each game with a "we must win," possibly also because I'm not convinced 6-6 gets a bowl game with some bowl consolidation.

Well if true, that's a good thing. Yeah, I think he'd have been better against UNLV, but these last 8 games are where you want to be at your strongest. Akron still has shown enough that...if the cards fall right...they could contend in the conference.

I don't think the line's been all that bad, really. Sure, struggled a bit against the P4 teams a bit, but even then wasn't that bad. Roggow has proven, though, that CB is QB1 here (though I'd argue Roggow hasn't been awful). CB's going to have to learn how to slide, though, or we'll get 3-4 more games of Roggow throughout the rest of the season.

The 10-day forecast in Mount Pleasant says dry and mostly cloudy. Akron's defense seems like it's been pretty OK against the run and (especially Game 4) had some "minor" issues against the downfield pass. CMU might play into Akron's strengths. Definitely feels like a winnable game.

And the most successful MAC schools are going to effectively do this AND get that higher-caliber freshman.

I dunno, he was coaching under Kenni Burns. Doesn't seem he was a particularly popular commodity.

Imagine if our rivals had that happen, only they were replacing a guy that made Ianello and Arth look good, and that "all we can afford assistant" coach matched Joe's best 5-7 season in his first year and is 2-2 in his second.

Yeah Michigan kinda needed to give a couple seconds back in that one!

UMass is also missing, but they're going to fix that this year. Just need more time to build the program.

You're losing a number of the teams when you do that, but I don't have an answer otherwise.

He needs more time to install his program.

Surely you're not questioning the offensive genius.

I honestly don't, but I think the "successful decision" here was fairly unique to NIU. More money from the MWC and a more local set of rivals in a league that's probably more suited to all their other sports. The "MWC - Horizon League" move would not be as fruitful for Akron/Kent, though adding YSU twice in basketball wouldn't be the end of the world. I think there is a path for Akron to make a move in that realm that would work, but I think you're right (at least, together as a group of the six Ohio MAC schools).

If you have the couple million to really beef up the basketball team, you're playing a nonleague schedule that negates the "negatives" of the MAC in that regard. BUT, if in this hypothetical you're going to the A10, you do have more leeway from not being in a one-bid anymore.

The talent seems to be there. But it seems they just aren't getting coached up. Having the extra practice with the grades back up doesn't seem to be helping... Maybe that means the talent really isn't there.

Official attendance today was 5,607. Honestly that feels low, especially since the RMU game was announced at 10,032.

A few million more might make the basketball team good enough to win an NCAA Tournament game. No no I'm wrong. A few million more and they are absolutely good enough to win NCAA Tournament games.

I've wondered that. It's a very good question. Might go into your Dayton/Davidson discussion in the other thread...

Roggow wasn't bad, but had a tendency to panic at times. I think a better offense would have made this game close. Defense couldn't stop a nosebleed but still "only" gave up 38

Akron can't afford to fire him. Otherwise it's long since time to try something else. This isn't working, and he's not the guy to rise above the program's limitations. But he sure will talk about them every chance he gets.

The gameday operations were still very good for Game 2, fwiw Their real test will be the empty stadium games in November.

Oh okay, that could make some sense. Thank you for the clarification. They are both Atlantic 10 basketball teams. Not sure the A10 would want an Akron, but that plus the Pioneer Football League could be the financial answer (and like with Sac State they have teams out west so we wouldn't lose that...)

Just for my own edification, can you elaborate? I suspect you're right but I'm not sure what exactly they've done.

Thing is, it was mostly the mistakes against Minnesota that made it as bad as it was. Joe needs more time.

He needs more time.