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Believe it or not, they were bypassing the RNC, which was in Cleveland. Just how much could they have expected the RNC to affect Akron traffic to create any delays with the convention in Cleveland....vs. the idea of having it go into the beginning of the school year and football season in Akron. Unbelievable.

I know. That's what I am seeing too. Captain K points out some great scenarios where he appears like he can really be a factor as well. My post was simply questioning whether a shift to utilizing his talents can turn from theory into reality at that particular position. it's a position that's virtually been ignored in our offenses since the arrival of Mr. Bowden. I don't want to see us waste his talent, his comeback efforts, and anything else that's been invested in the conversion.

I think you're right. That's why we have to sacrifice some of these games and go on the road for some opportunities to knock off some teams that WOULD matter to the casual fan. That's the only solution.

I'm afraid you're right.

Yes, Bowden should be commended for finding a way to get us to 7 wins and a bowl game victory. But in fairness, the schedule got enormously easier in November. Everyone clearly saw that as a golden opportunity to get bowl eligible. It will be interesting to see if that carries over, unlike what happened after the 2013 season. "We got better week by week....even in the October losses" is a tough one for me. Sitting through Two HOME losses to CMU and OU, where we simply could not score, didn't leave Zips fans with a "on the cusp of turning the corner" kind of feeling, as you suggest. A home win over lowly EMU and a blowout loss to Bowling Green wasn't a trigger for renewed optimism either. For me, the only game I can point to as any real turning point was the convincing win over Buffalo in mid-November, since it happened after we had just squeaked by UMass, and tallied a less-than-impressive home win against a really bad Miami team who's only previous wins were against EMU and Presbyterian.

Great point. That's something worth looking into even further. It's actually pretty shameful when you see the potential draw that an area like Akron has, vs. Boone, NC.

Hey, don't get me wrong. I think you guys have made a little noise in a relatively short amount of time. But I think it's tough to point to a couple of games, especially near-meaningless bowl games, to make a case for the league, one way or another. That's why, if you are going to stay in the Sun Belt for awhile, ASU is really your measuring stick. And they blew you guys out on your home field last year. If you can fare better in those key games going forward, I think you'll be able to gain some respect outside of just being a good team in a bottom league. As far as our game is concerned, we really don't know where we stand. I'm sure we all appreciate that you regard us as a good program, but we have nearly 3/4 of our starters to replace, and it's a mystery as to how good we can possibly play early in the season.

Great Question. Maybe it will be a MAC title celebration, or better yet, a Sweet 16 celebration. Uh oh. I did it now. This is normally the time of the year where the overly optimistic prognosticators on this board come out with their predictions.

I hope everyone understands how important this is. The Private Money, in bunches, is so vital to get us to another level. We're fighting against some big programs with big buckets of money. We have to equalize the playing field vs. them.

Ahh. The struggles to get up to D-1A levels. I remember that so well as a mid-80's Zips fan. That conference is pretty bad, you must admit. But if you guys can unseat Arkansas State as the "powerhouse" someday, you'll be well on your way to earning respect as a D-1A program.

A neutral site game against a #222 RPI opponent. That'll generate some excitement.

Seems like a great thought. But at that size, I'd guess that his basketball offers will continue to come in at an echelon higher than his football offers.

I still can't figure out how the Armadillo ever existed. A bar for 21 and over, on a college campus, when the drinking age for us college students was 18 or 19 years old (depending on the year) in the 80s. Even after I turned 21, I think I went in there 1 time.

Well, when "We Ain't Come To Play School" warrants a one-game suspension for a 3rd string quarterback who isn't going to play anyway, and badmouthing your coaches for poor play-calling in front of the national media warrants NO suspension, you have to surmise that being booted from the program required something pretty severe. Of course, that only scratches the surface. History and trends of a program's behavior tells the only true story. And all the denial, excuses and ranting in multiple paragraphs on a fan forum cannot change it.

I agree. If something was severe enough that even OSWho couldn't cover it up, then I don't want him in the Blue and Gold.

I will too. It sounds like they are making a little bit of change to cater to Akron sports fans. It's always puzzled me that they have never taken advantage of being right across the street from Akron's new football stadium by making it more of a Zips-themed place.

And it appears that those people here who are on the "RPI Isn't Used" crusade are misinformed. But they may get their wish in the future. The NABC also wants an updated composite ranking system -- something as a substitute to RPI -- and so the NCAA says it will take a close look at altering its analytical measures in that regard. But a change there isn't coming until 2017-18

Actually, as always, the magnitude of the "slap" is not why it has become a big deal. It's all because someone without money was hit by someone with a ton of money.

Here's what's interesting. Everyone, regardless of the record they predict, is counting on ROAD WINS at Ken+ and Buffalo. This is what the entire potential success of this season boils down to. Can we duplicate those two impressive, breakthrough, season-defining performances from last year, which were at home. Much different challenge this time, but must have the same results.

K92 has the first part of my answer, so I don't need to copy it again, word for word. In addition, since 8.5 simply means that we need one more regular season win, and get to a bowl game, AND we have to WIN the bowl game again, that's gonna be quite a daunting task.

WOW. What a late kick to win !! Zippyfan, they explained that he didn't have a good enough national qualifying time to run in the 1,500, so he's only in the 800.

I hope everyone has caught the information about watching this on TV tonight. Clayton WON his semifinal heat, and is running in the 800 Meter Final tonight at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR. His finals race is supposed to be on NBC Sports Network at 8:51PM Eastern Time. Good Luck Clayton. We'd love to see you in the Olympics representing our University and our Country.

I'm always entertained by the inaccurate information of "sports experts" who decide they want to talk about the Zips. We "REJOINED" D-1A in 1987? Did I miss something about our football history? Maybe we played with the big boys somewhere between playing in D-III or D-II in the 60s or 70s?

And we spent a lot of money to get that. And now that the new "Z" logo comes from that, don't expect anything to change anytime soon.

Sure, you hope that we grew as a team during that period, and may be ready to reach the "next level". But with so many of the important pieces gone, and a much tougher road vs. 2-3 of the victories we had last year, is it really difficult to argue with someone who sees that matching last year appears to be an uphill battle right now? Only us here, as the most connected fans, have any real knowledge of the newcomers, and can really be hopeful about if/when some of these guys may be able to produce.