GP1

What goes on around UofA should have nothing to do with what goes on at UofA.

Them? We haven't found one!!! It's been 20+ years. Is Moses leading the Athletic Department/MAC?

When the BCS was created, did anyone say those schools were moving up? Of course not. I realize it isn't a division of the NCAA officially, but it basically is. If the non-BCS schools created their own division, why would that be moving down?

Hangover? What hangover? I don't see any problems in our society today with our government and citizens spending like drunken sailors..... Wait a minute, we're as broke as a welfare recipient on the last day of the month.

You need to think harder. My posts have been centered around much more than money. Level competition has always been at the center of my posts. Ideas such as fans not getting ripped off for having to purchase tickets for Miami (OH) vs. Florida have also been at the center of my posts.....Florida is stealing from their fans, and Miami is whoring the football program out....How is that good for college football? If you do want to talk about money, we can do that. What are the expenses going to be to make the MAC and UofA a real D-1A school that can effectively compete with every other, and that means BCS schools out there? How much "building" can the Univeristy and taxpayers take?....We have a 25,000 seat stadium so how much woudl it be to tripple the size? Can they afford it? Can they support it if it is built. My opinion has less to do with saving money and more to do with the existing landscape of college football and a desire to watch teams in college football compete at the same level. We are a D-1A school in name only. The MAC is a D-1A conference in name only. There are going to be even more changes in college football over the next five year. The BCS schools are going to dictate the terms of those changes. Nobody is going to ask the MAC leadership what they think about BCS level changes in terms of a playoff and the size, membership and direction of their conference. The MAC is already a non-factor in those discussions. If the MAC needs to make a move on its own, it needs to do so before the BCS schools make the move for them. If that is a separate level of college football somewhere between D-1 and I-AA, then fine. There area already four divisions, would another really hurt? Would the walls of The Big Dialer really come crashing down if we played all of the same MAC schools and had a OOC schedule of Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Nevada and pick a I-AA school? That would be a Hell of a good schedule. Let the BCS schools play one another without their early season fodder and let the non-BCS schools play some games where they have a chance to win and a chance at a national championship. I-AA or another division could do that. So Akron pounding Morgan State and more than likely Gardner Webb isn't stealing from our fans? Get off the I-AA and moving down BS. It is stealing. It is also part of what is wrong with college football when intermixing of teams at vastly different capabilities is allowed. The problem is BCS teams load up on three non-bcs teams a year to pad their wins. I don't know if what I want is moving down or more of a reorganization of college football. I find it hard to believe that 130 DI teams compete at the same level. I know by the NCAA rules they do, but in reality they don't. Do some of you really not see the changes coming in the NCAA? If you don't, why not? If you do, what should we do about it is the question.... It seems as if the answer the MAC has is sit around and wait for everyone else to decide what they are going to do and just fall victim to the change. That's a terrible position to take. 300+D1 basketball teams dont compete on the same level either. I can't see college basketball ditching 3/4 of their schools to make things more competitive. You're right, they don't. D-IA basketball should downsize as well. It would breed more competition in what has become a meaningless regular season.

We love to debate this so I have a good analogy. Will the MAC suffer the same fate as Pluto. Growing up, Pluto was a planet damn it and we all knew it. After looking at it for a while, scientists have had second thoughts about Pluto being a planet. In fact, it is no longer a planet for the reasons outlined in the link. Maybe we need to look at the MAC and other non-bcs schools and ask ourselves if they are really D-1A conferences or not. If they aren't, what are they? If they are, why? Is the MAC a Dwarf D-1A conference like Pluto is a Dwarf Planet? I don't know why everyone gets so upset at these questions. Questions are part of being human and are at the core of learning...UofA is a learning institution. Being a Dwarf Conference is a heck of a lot better than being an asteroid (I-AA). We need to decide what we are and where we need to be. If it is a new division of football, then so be it.....something between D-1A and I-AA. Pluto is still going around the Sun even though it is not called a planet. Pluto still has a ton of fans. There is even a Pluto fan club. The MAC will still have college football if it is no longer a D-1A conference. There might even be more fans if the NCAA did it right. Pluto probably has more fans today than it did when it was a planet.

You need to think harder. My posts have been centered around much more than money. Level competition has always been at the center of my posts. Ideas such as fans not getting ripped off for having to purchase tickets for Miami (OH) vs. Florida have also been at the center of my posts.....Florida is stealing from their fans, and Miami is whoring the football program out....How is that good for college football? If you do want to talk about money, we can do that. What are the expenses going to be to make the MAC and UofA a real D-1A school that can effectively compete with every other, and that means BCS schools out there? How much "building" can the Univeristy and taxpayers take?....We have a 25,000 seat stadium so how much woudl it be to tripple the size? Can they afford it? Can they support it if it is built. My opinion has less to do with saving money and more to do with the existing landscape of college football and a desire to watch teams in college football compete at the same level. We are a D-1A school in name only. The MAC is a D-1A conference in name only. There are going to be even more changes in college football over the next five year. The BCS schools are going to dictate the terms of those changes. Nobody is going to ask the MAC leadership what they think about BCS level changes in terms of a playoff and the size, membership and direction of their conference. The MAC is already a non-factor in those discussions. If the MAC needs to make a move on its own, it needs to do so before the BCS schools make the move for them. If that is a separate level of college football somewhere between D-1 and I-AA, then fine. There area already four divisions, would another really hurt? Would the walls of The Big Dialer really come crashing down if we played all of the same MAC schools and had a OOC schedule of Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Nevada and pick a I-AA school? That would be a Hell of a good schedule. Let the BCS schools play one another without their early season fodder and let the non-BCS schools play some games where they have a chance to win and a chance at a national championship. I-AA or another division could do that. So Akron pounding Morgan State and more than likely Gardner Webb isn't stealing from our fans? Get off the I-AA and moving down BS. It is stealing. It is also part of what is wrong with college football when intermixing of teams at vastly different capabilities is allowed. The problem is BCS teams load up on three non-bcs teams a year to pad their wins. I don't know if what I want is moving down or more of a reorganization of college football. I find it hard to believe that 130 DI teams compete at the same level. I know by the NCAA rules they do, but in reality they don't. Do some of you really not see the changes coming in the NCAA? If you don't, why not? If you do, what should we do about it is the question.... It seems as if the answer the MAC has is sit around and wait for everyone else to decide what they are going to do and just fall victim to the change. That's a terrible position to take.

You need to think harder. My posts have been centered around much more than money. Level competition has always been at the center of my posts. Ideas such as fans not getting ripped off for having to purchase tickets for Miami (OH) vs. Florida have also been at the center of my posts.....Florida is stealing from their fans, and Miami is whoring the football program out....How is that good for college football? If you do want to talk about money, we can do that. What are the expenses going to be to make the MAC and UofA a real D-1A school that can effectively compete with every other, and that means BCS schools out there? How much "building" can the Univeristy and taxpayers take?....We have a 25,000 seat stadium so how much woudl it be to tripple the size? Can they afford it? Can they support it if it is built. My opinion has less to do with saving money and more to do with the existing landscape of college football and a desire to watch teams in college football compete at the same level. We are a D-1A school in name only. The MAC is a D-1A conference in name only. There are going to be even more changes in college football over the next five year. The BCS schools are going to dictate the terms of those changes. Nobody is going to ask the MAC leadership what they think about BCS level changes in terms of a playoff and the size, membership and direction of their conference. The MAC is already a non-factor in those discussions. If the MAC needs to make a move on its own, it needs to do so before the BCS schools make the move for them. If that is a separate level of college football somewhere between D-1 and I-AA, then fine. There area already four divisions, would another really hurt? Would the walls of The Big Dialer really come crashing down if we played all of the same MAC schools and had a OOC schedule of Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Nevada and pick a I-AA school? That would be a Hell of a good schedule. Let the BCS schools play one another without their early season fodder and let the non-BCS schools play some games where they have a chance to win and a chance at a national championship. I-AA or another division could do that.

Syracuse isn't the New York flagship university, Buffalo is. I thought it was Army. You would think Navy would be the only flagship university.

Miami is not one of the schools I expected to be on the "move down" side of the MAC. I always thought their pride in their tradition would be enough to carry them through and make moving down an unthinkable proposition. Akron is quickly being isolated in the MAC as a school with a desire to improve athletics. Still, I think if the MAC dropped some weight then things would look better for the schools that stayed. I don't really disagree with your post. Since the 1970s, Miami has had spurts of being good with long stretches of being really bad being the norm. I believe Miami has made a decision to basically have a football team because they have to. What Miami really has is a nationally ranked hockey team and I believe that is going to be the focus of their AD. UofA could do the same thing with the soccer program. I've been saying for a long time on this board and I get crucified every time I say it, but it appears as if it is going to come true faster than I even thought it would. The MAC needs to drop down to I-AA before the BCS schools and the NCAA do it for them. If we do it on our terms, I will be the best scenario. If we do it on their terms, it will be a shitty deal. The league is a I-AA league right now that just calls itself D-1A. The party is over. MAC schools and our society in general don't have the money to sustain the costs it takes for everyone to constantly be in a "building process". What has been built in the MAC in terms of facilities is still small time in comparison to what BCS schools have. If you have any doubts, take a drive down to Columbus and drive around the basketball arena and look at their sports complex. Ours doesn't even come close to that. That statement is neither pro, nor con, tOSU.....It's just a fact. Us being behind is never going to change because the party is over and there is no more money to throw at sports teams. What we do have are really good facilities compared to the I-AA schools. The MAC would be the best I-AA conference and the champion would stand a good shot at winning the National Championship each year. Sorry guys...the party is over. I don't say that to be an a-hole or anything else. Just take a look around at our society. Is there anyone out there who believes there is money sitting around for UofA to become a BCS level school? We're freaking broke for crying out loud. It was fun to debate these issues the past few years, but the reality of our society in the past two years has changed everything. There is NO FREAKING MONEY. No money = no "building". I hope they tear down the stadium and get rid of the football program before they drop to I-AA. I have zero interest in I-AA ball. Be careful of what you wish for.... The MAC is already I-AA.

Miami is not one of the schools I expected to be on the "move down" side of the MAC. I always thought their pride in their tradition would be enough to carry them through and make moving down an unthinkable proposition. Akron is quickly being isolated in the MAC as a school with a desire to improve athletics. Still, I think if the MAC dropped some weight then things would look better for the schools that stayed. I don't really disagree with your post. Since the 1970s, Miami has had spurts of being good with long stretches of being really bad being the norm. I believe Miami has made a decision to basically have a football team because they have to. What Miami really has is a nationally ranked hockey team and I believe that is going to be the focus of their AD. UofA could do the same thing with the soccer program. I've been saying for a long time on this board and I get crucified every time I say it, but it appears as if it is going to come true faster than I even thought it would. The MAC needs to drop down to I-AA before the BCS schools and the NCAA do it for them. If we do it on our terms, I will be the best scenario. If we do it on their terms, it will be a shitty deal. The league is a I-AA league right now that just calls itself D-1A. The party is over. MAC schools and our society in general don't have the money to sustain the costs it takes for everyone to constantly be in a "building process". What has been built in the MAC in terms of facilities is still small time in comparison to what BCS schools have. If you have any doubts, take a drive down to Columbus and drive around the basketball arena and look at their sports complex. Ours doesn't even come close to that. That statement is neither pro, nor con, tOSU.....It's just a fact. Us being behind is never going to change because the party is over and there is no more money to throw at sports teams. What we do have are really good facilities compared to the I-AA schools. The MAC would be the best I-AA conference and the champion would stand a good shot at winning the National Championship each year. Sorry guys...the party is over. I don't say that to be an a-hole or anything else. Just take a look around at our society. Is there anyone out there who believes there is money sitting around for UofA to become a BCS level school? We're freaking broke for crying out loud. It was fun to debate these issues the past few years, but the reality of our society in the past two years has changed everything. There is NO FREAKING MONEY. No money = no "building".

Do you really think it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to update the web page? Gentlemen= I am not blaming the coach for the web page/web site updating. My reference about the coaching staff was much more about the depth chart and making sure it had been submitted to someone (who...I don't know). I'm sure SOMEONE at UA could put together a depth chart, but coaches are responsible everywhere for SUBMITTING (not POSTING) the "true" depth chart. They do have depth charts. They change every day during two-a-day practices based upon the performance of the players in the previous practice. I'm sure if the web master wants one, all he has to do is ask. I'm less worried about depth charts and rosters, and more worried about what they are going to do this Saturday. I don't care about their names, who their parents are, what their favorite snack is, where they are from, what year they are in or anything else other than how they perform this Saturday. It's time to start winning....I really could care less about the person in the uniform. 20+ years of losing has been enough for me.

I also find it disappointing. Our Athletic Dept. is probably too busy kissing the backside of someone who never played basketball at UA (and changes with the wind) to concern themselves with an NFL star who is one of our own. I think it is more complicated than that. A problem we have is the constant turnover when ADs change every 3 years. A positive about George Van Horne working in Athletics is he is committed to UofA and should develop a lasting relationship with JT. Even if George takes another job in Development, he should always maintain the JT "account". I agree with the LBJppreciation Day nonsense was just that...nonsense. What good came out of it?

What is his talking about Akron doing for the city? I'd have his back if I though he had a meaningful impact on the City, but he doesn't. Making people feel good is not meaningful.

Great post. I think the endowment could easily happen....Hell, it only takes $10,000 for an endowment. I don't think Nike or Coke are ever going to sponsor an arena. LBJ has pull, but not that much pull. The day he retires is the day he is cast aside by Nike and Coke for the next "King". LBJ works for them, they don't work for him. A degree from UA? Maybe some day, but there is really no need for it. LBJ will support UofA on the margins, but never the level some think he should....I'm not even sure why he should support it.

Do you really think it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to update the web page? No, but it might be their responsibility to create a current roster to give to th athletic department so that they can update the web page. Do you think they really don't have a current roster that the web master could request? Doesn't this go back to Gozips.com sucks? Yes. Is there any other D-1A web board in the country where the head coach is being questioned for the schools official site not being updated? Does Tressel or Mack Brown or Butch Davis get blamed when their web page is not updated? It just amazes me sometimes. Our coach gets blamed for the web site not being updated and not having a golf outing. He gets no credit for having a womens day. We just think so small time. It's no wonder we are what we are.

I haven't read the article. The questions I would like to know are: 1. Do you believe the ESPN special was over the top and would you do it again? 2. Do you understand why the ESPN special would lead some to believe you are a self-absorbed jackass? 3. Do you plan on firing the clowns you have managing your career or do you think their idea to have the ESPN special was a good one? 4. Do you ever plan on marrying the mother of your two children or do you stay single so you can bang girls in every NBA city? 5. If you win a ring in Miami, do you believe it will be tainted because you were Wade's wingman and you couldn't do it on your own? I would love someone to ask those questions. I've never really held leaving Cleveland against LBJ. He is grown man who can do whatever he wants to do. I think the way he did it tells a lot about him and I think we are going to find out a lot more about him when he settles in Miama.....and I think a lot of it may not reflect in a positive way on him.

Do you really think it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to update the web page? No, but it might be their responsibility to create a current roster to give to th athletic department so that they can update the web page. Do you think they really don't have a current roster that the web master could request?

Do you really think it is the responsibility of the coaching staff to update the web page?

Please! Don't ANYONE tell GP-1 that Gozips.com is in a rebuilding phase! Do we ever stop rebuilding?

If he wins, it doesn't matter where he went. If he doesn't win, it will be something that matters far down the list of things that matter, yet don't. Coach I coached for Charlie Weis and Weis went to Notre Dame where he didn't play football. Weis may not have been a good head coach, but he is still a well respected coach and it doesn't matter that he didn't play at ND or in the NFL. Edit: K-Roo made this point above before me. Didn't see it. Bill Bilichick played at a small D-III school in New England and is one of the best coaches in the NFL and probably the best coach of his generation. I don't think that all of the guys on the Patriots are looking at his Super Bowl rings and saying, "Why would I listen to that guy? He didn't play at a D-I school." I think the guys who looked down their noses at Owns should be ashamed considering they were stealing their scholarships. There is a good point to be made in all of this. From reading his posts, ITZ played around the last five years of the Owens disaster, which followed the Faust disaster and predated the JD disaster (one disaster after another...see the trend?). ITZ saw first hand how quickly a coaching staff can fall apart and players lose the respect of them. Owens ran into the exact problem with hiring and retaining good coaches after his fourth season. JD had the same problem and Faust had the same problem. Owens, Faust and JD all had their best coaching staffs in their first 4-5 seasons. After that, the writing is on the wall that you won't be around for long and you end up hiring coaches who were not as good as your original staff. Staff members from the first 4-5 years all three previous coaches have done well after leaving Akron. The coaches from the later years either went back to coaching high school where they came from or went away not to be heard from again. I could list a bunch of guys from Faust's first 5 years who are at BCS schools and in the NFL coaching today. Player talent and coaching during the first 5-6 years of Faust were better than at any time during the D-1A era......and then the wheels fell off....... in a hurry. Both JD and Owens have guys from their early staffs at big time programs. Akron is a good place to cut your teeth. The point is, Coach I needs to win in his first 3-4 years or it all starts to unravel beginning with the coaching staff. It is critical the Zips win sooner rather than later. If you lose and assistant coaches start to leave, it is one of the major signs of a program being in trouble. Some coaches on the staff will leave after next year. UofA will be a place for them to collect a pay check until they can find a better paying job in a better conference. Get over it, that's the way it is.

I mentioned one time I get a publication from Wake Forest called Gold Rush. You can't find this on line. It is about Wake athletics. I'll type a bit of information from it about Wake soccer since some of you are going to the game. Below is typed word for word. Deacons at a glance 2009 record 17-4-3 (5-2-1 in ACC) Coach: Jay Vidovich (225-87-31 in 16 years at WF) Key returnees: Anthony Arena (So., D/MF), Akira Fitzgerald (Sr., GK), Andy Lubahn (So., MF) Key losses: Corben Bone, Austin da Luz, Ike Opara, Zach Schilawski Outlook: Four members of the Deacons earned All-ACC recognition last year, and all four of them are now in MLS. Yet the National Soccer Coaches Association of America picked WF No. 3 nationally in its preseason poll. That's a testament to the program, the system and the talent depth that has set a benchmark for years. Vidovich said the group showed energy and ambition in its early practices, but if they stay steady and just grow, they figure to be among the elites in college soccer again.

This is a good deal for UofA.....not great, but good. Regional television is about the best avenue the MAC can get. Tuesday and Wednesday night ESPN games have not been good for the MAC and this is a step in the right direction of getting away from that disaster. Like DrZ said. This is a good deal for the schools. Now the schools have to live up their end of the deal and provide quality entertainment for those watching the games. If the games are good, it will increase ticket sales.

Or, one develops a following because of their greatness.....as long as we are exploring Vulcan logic.

Someone mentioned BBQ around the WS area. Go to Lexington to either Smiley's or Speedy's. BBQ in the south means pork. Chopped BBQ is what a lot of people call pulled pork. The special in Lexington is the sliced BBQ. I recommend the sliced in Lexington. Try it without the sauce and see how good the flavor of the pig is before you put sauce on it. It may not need sauce. Placing the meat on a bun is a no-no. The bread takes away from the flavor of the pig. Knife and fork only.