GP1

2004 first season. 6-5 overall. Finished second in the MAC East behind Miami. The key to that season was not an Owens recruit, but Brett Biggs coming off the bench against and giving the program some life in a loss to Middle Tennessee. The program did well the next two seasons as Brookhart brought more of his own people in.

Look at more than the W-L. Nobody is celebrating. I'm pointing out that without being crippled with injuries, BG is a good team that would have had a chance at Detroit, won around 8 games and gone to a bowl. If BGs season was only the first six games, it would be defined as a success. We've never had that good of a start to a season. It is common for people to mistake facts for reasons. It's why sports debate is so dumb and why turning on ESPN can only make someone dumber. The fact is BG will have a 3 win season. The reasons are easily explainable. I don't think a three win season makes George a bad hire and stand by him being a good hire. I wish Akron would hire this boldly after fixing all of the other crap that would destroy a bold hire. I wish at the end of a three win season Akron fans could look back and easily explain it with the understanding that it was a fluke and better days were ahead, but our failures are so many they are hard to explain and fix.

He's already having success, it just didn't show up in wins because he was killed by injuries. He has been recruiting well, endowments, win against rival and a real team, two sold out home games, win against Liberty, I thought they had a great game plan against the Zips and executed it as well as they could all things considered. If any first year Akron coach had the pre-injury success George did the first six games of the start of their career at Akron, we would all be floored at the success. Some of you can't be so obtuse that you can't see what a great hire he was. I wish Akron had the brains to think outside the box and hire someone other then Faust, Ianello, Bowden and Arth.

George will be in the NFL HOF before too long. The Bowdens are freaking dinosaurs. Are you kidding me?

I don't know, but he has a two week head start on the rest of college football and Franklin is already in place. Announcing a coordinator hire this early in the recruiting process could be helpful in securing key players from the TP.

Maybe the conversation could sound something like this. "Mr. Commissioner, you are killing us with the schedule. All we ask is to play our rival when the weather is nice on a Saturday early in the season so we can have a decent crowd. You did it for the BG/Toledo rivalry and all they did was sell out a stadium and put on a very exciting game. We all know the only people dedicated to weeknight games are drunks and degenerate gamblers. Gamblers will bet on anything and drunks will drink to anything, so trading Kent for another MAC school on a Tuesday night won't matter. Would it be too much to ask for you to dislodged your head from your ass for a few minutes to schedule the Akron/Kent rivalry early in the season?" There you go. Problem solved.

For those of us who actually follow the MAC we understand how difficult injuries can be on a team. Nick Saban isn't going to win in the MAC with bach up quarterbacks. Let's review. Before the injury bug got them, they had wins against Liberty, Lafayette and a Toledo team that could finish with 8 wins and a bowl. BG was easily on their way to a bowl and an outside shot at Detroit based upon their remaining schedule. I know how easy (lazy) it is to use facts as reasons. The fact is BG is on a long losing streak. The reasons are pretty clear. To think Eddie George, Nick Saban, Woody Hayes or anyone else would couch their way out of it would be stupid. George made the FCS playoffs last year at a school that I don't think had ever made it. Sanders won at Jackson State. Colorado is a black hole of college football misery and long term success there isn't realistic. BG isn't a black hole and I anticipate him doing well there for as long as he wants to.

I want Finley with fewer fumbles and less shell shock in the pocket. The word "game manager" is used as a slur these days. I'd take a really good game manager who makes the right decisions and knows when to live to fight another day. The key to success in MAC, more than any other conference, is to limit mistakes and wait for the other team to blow the game.

This was always my complaint against Sam Hartman at Wake Forest. He padded the stat sheet but never won a big game.

I'm personally glad he is gone. Low completion percentage. Fumbled 8 times in 42 carries.and we all know turnovers are how you lose. If Akron cannot find someone to complete more than 53% of his passes and not kill them with fumbles, we have bigger problems than I thought.

That's a pretty easy list to screw up. Amato? You're digging pretty deep to make a point. Let's play a game. Who is more relatable to the athletes students alumni fans and general community around Akron? Eddie George or The Bowdens? Eddie George or JT? Eddie George or Faust? I can't believe I'm about to type this.... Eddie George or Chuck "Chesty" Amato? There is a reason they sold out two games this season.

S&P 500 the past few years. Get you money out of the coffee can in the pantry grandpa. 2024, 23 percent 2023, 24 percent 2022, 18 percent 2021, 28 percent 2020, 18 percent

The MAC commissioner works for us. If the membership isn't demanding a parole from weeknight games, we have bigger problems than I think.

Parade someone like Eddie George through their door and see what happens.

Good post. By the end of next week, the final MAC standings will be available. Akron probably will finish in the middle of the pack in conference wins and overall wins. That's what 5 wins gets you in the MAC. We are out of the basement and with all things considered, it's a pretty good finish. Some believe shaking up the coaching staff and bringing in a no name who only has youth and energy on his side. Like all bad ideas, this will result in failure. With that said, Joe should leave and should have after last season. The leadership of the University isn't capable of developing a winning program. His time here will become pointless if it hasn't already. He should leave the leadership to their ultimate failure. It is inevitable.

One of the smartest things UofA has done in relation to a new basketball arena is NOT partner with the City of Akron to build it.

Great post. The link below is what it looks like when an athletic department runs itself in the interest of the University and not the next rung on a ladder. That endowment probably provides approximately $200,000 per year to the coach's salary forever. It's real money and not an initiative that will lead to real money some day (logo). https://bgsufalcons.com/news/2025/6/26/generous-gift-from-alumni-raises-prominence-of-bgsu-football-program In addition, they hire a big name coach and sell out two games. I know this will be shocking for some, but one of these games was at the exact same time as an OSU game. Apparently, getting 0.2% of the population of Ohio to show up for a football game isn't that hard if you show some competence. In 2020, BG, Akron and many other MAC schools had large budget cuts to athletics. BG got to work and tried to make a bad situation better, and it appears to be working. Their football results this year are a fluke caused by unfortunate luck with injuries. Akron, on the other hand, did what they normally do. Akron sits around wallowing in misery, self pity and failure while what appears to be planning their next misstep.

The only way out is just another coach? There is so much wrong at Akron that another coach isn't the answer.

Or, bring in a former NFL player who knows what he is doing, committed to the program long term and give him some support. Take away the QB injuries and Eddie George is a great hire. Maybe the best hire of the year next to Wake's. BG sold out two games this year and was playing good. The administration is completely behind him. He is selling his home in Tennessee to move to Ohio. What else is he supposed to do? Great question. George looked at his roster last week and came up with a great game plan to have his team ready to not just compete, but to win. They executed on a great game plan last night and we're on their way to winning until the injury Gods stepped in. The coaching genius last night was Eddie George.

On Tuesday night in front of almost nobody.

On some level, I sort of understand punching someone in the balls in order to not have to play in this horrible game anymore.

Is this halftime ever going to end? Id like to get back to the comedy.

It just got worse.

You must not be old enough to remember Vinny Testaverde.

I know I've said this already, but good grief. This is a terrible game.