GP1

What if the Cavs come back from behind and win the current series and go on to win the World Championship? I think there is still a VERY good chance of the Cavs beating Orlando in six games (even though I brutalize Browns fans because they are such a stupid lot, I really like the Cavs).Anyhow, comparing low level programs to professional teams seems desperate. Remember, eventually people are going to go watch the games. Watching the NFL, regardless of how bad the Browns can be at times, is still far more entertaining than watching low level D-1A college football. Cleveland fans are so paranoid and insecure most of the time, this marketing strategy would backfire anyhow. I'd rather see the MAC make itself more entertaining within itself than worry about comparing it to professional teams.

Interesting thoughts continue.......I know lots of us want to believe the MAC should be able to win against mid level BCS teams. That just isn't the case anymore. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The MAC is closer to I-AA than mid level BCS. We can't even beat CUSA teams in bowl games anymore.

I'm all for more home games, especially since we will now have a home truly worthy of them.But I'm more than glad to have the BCS games as well... for several reasons:1) Kids who commit to playing in an Akron uniform deserve the chance to play quality opponents.2) Playing quality opponents makes your team and your coaches better over time, and sends the right kind of message both to fans and to potential recruits.3) I'm much more interested in seeing how the team I cheer for stacks up against a Penn State or Michigan State than I am in watching us play Morgan State, a game that excites me about as much as a tuna salad sandwich.4) And finally, as the most expensive athletic program--by far-- football bears the responsibility for generating revenue to at least help offset its tremendous cost. The new stadium will sure help attract better draws at home, but it also means you've got to be willing to go get paid on the road, too. If you want to continue as a D-1 program, this is just the reality. And, frankly, I'm okay with it.Anyways. My two cents.Interesting points. Here is my response to your points and respectful disagreement.1. They deserve to play ONE BCS team per year. Starting out the year 0-4 does nothing for the program.2. Recruits want to win, not just compete against teams better than they are while losing. Winning records are good recruiting tools. Losing records result in coaches getting fired every three years which continues the cycle of losing.3. Is it better to lose 45-0 against PSU or win 45-0 against Morgan State? Both are uninteresting, but one gets you one step closer to a bowl which is REALLY interesting.4. Break the bank one game a year against a BCS team. Starting 0-4 does not bring people to the new stadium.

This is a good point. It takes 22 good players to win. Big Ten schools usually only have 11 good players on the field compared to the Big XII, PAC 10 and SEC.In the end, a lot falls on the coaches shoulders because he is responsible for not as much the coaching (coaching staffs all know about the same things) of the players as much as getting good players to come to his school. Recruiting is the single most important thing a coach does.John Calipari (sp?) said on TV the other day that the three following things were necessary for a coach to be successful:1. Recruit good players2. Recruit good players3. Recruit good playersI couldn't agree more.

Parking discussions on this board always make me smile because it is IMHO a trivial matter yet it is taken so seriously. This is all we need to know about parking for UofA games. There will be enough. There is a lot of parking on campus and in Spicertown. Assuming 24,000 will drive to the games, only 12,000 spots are needed if you assume at least two people per car. Between commuters and Univeristy employees, there is typically enough parking during the day. All of it is well within walking distance. If you think about it, some spots only seem far away because you can't see the stadium from the lot (ie: the lots behind the Robs are only a five minute walk to the stadium yet it seems far). Has our society become so lazy that we can't walk five minutes to a game?.............probably, but I hold out hope.I would figure it out like this. Divide 24,000 by the average number of tickets sold per sale and you have a rough estimate of the number of spots necessary....probably a little more are necessary, but it is a good estimate. If that average is 3, then only 8,000 spots are necessary. 8,000 is probably close to the number of commuters and University employees that park each day. Some of you may think there needs to be a big marketing campaign, including billboards, about parking. Please don't start the thread. All the University needs to do is work with the local media on a story about where to park and walking distances from parking lots. Seems pretty easy to me. The ABJ has been doing a good job with the new stadium thus far and there is no reason to believe they wouldn't run a story like this as a public service matter. Now, go enjoy a game in a nice stadium and don't worry about parking.

Oh don't worry about them. They aren't going and neither is anyone else because the crime is so bad around campus. Oh, and also because the parking is so bad. And because tuition is too high. And because the city is ugly. And because the university is killing the area around campus. And because...well...you get the point.........and they fired Jim Dennison....... and they paid Gerry Faust instead of Bob Huggins........

This writer sums it up perfectly.

I put finish with a winning record. By winning, I mean at least 7 wins. In fact, 7 wins could win the MAC East so I guess I voted for two different outcomes but could only vote for one.

It would be too much taking into account how much billboard advertising returns.Here is a better idea. Take half the money they spend on billboards and flush it down the toilet. Take the other half and spend it on scholarships for students. No matter what, half of the money will be spent wisely in lieu of ALL the money being flushed down the toilet on billboards.While I love the idea of the scholarship, I don't think a $450 scholarship will build the brand awareness that the football team desperately needs at this time. It pains me that we finally have a brand to market, and let an economically sound opportunity slip away. I know you like to see cash in the drawer at the end of the day from your marketing, but building a brand is not about that, you have to see the forest through the trees when measuring brand awareness.What else is there for marketing other than cash in the in drawer at the end of the day? Marketing results are ultimately measured in money. It is a business and they have to function on money...not wishes. Reminds me about an old saying about wishes, "Make a wish or $#!+ in your hat. See which one fills up first." Billboards have not and will not work. Can't State wishes that billboard on Rt8 would work. You are wishing that a billboard somewhere in Akron will work at raising brand awareness (see below for MAC brand awareness). Is the fact that UofA has a football team a secret? I doubt that.MAC schools individually have brand awareness and the league has a brand awareness. The exposure on ESPN, early season beat downs by BCS schools and disgraceful performances in bowls the past couple of years have given them increased brand awareness...although not a brand awareness they would like to have. Here is the MAC brand: a third tier D-1A conference (Dollar General). Sane people are not willing to pay to see third tier conferences play (we on this board are all actually a bunch of idiots for paying to go see it). Change that with a billboard.?.I have had Wake Forest season tickets the past two years. They play in the ACC (second tier conference) and they have a 32,000 seat stadium (around the size of UofA's and some ACC teams play in 80,000+ seat stadiums). They have been historical losers (remind anyone of a team we all love?). The past three seasons they have had winning records, an ACC championship, a couple of first team All-Americans getting drafted in the first round, three straight bowl appearances (the last two they won) with a BCS bowl appearance. Their games are NOT sold out when my wife and I go. They play Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, Vandy, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia, VA Tech, Miami, etc. Does everyone in NC know they have a football team and a good one? Of course. Will a billboard increase brand awareness? Barely.The point is this. I spent years in the forest believing there was some magical marketing "trick" that could get people to come to games. The new stadium is the "trick". MAC schools are playing "trick or treat" with their advertising and only marketing the "trick" end of it because there is rarely a treat when you get to a game. The people of NE Ohio are not stupid and they know a crappy product when they see it. Most have a good understanding of football with the exception of Browns fans. The problem the MAC has now is they are selling a crappy product and people know that; meaning the brand awareness is there. Never assume your customers are stupid. Fans have had too much TV exposure with the MAC to continue to fool people. MAC schools can't run adds saying, "Don't believe your own eyes. Listen to what I say. Our product is great."Since we should not spend all of our time complaining, I will offer solutions. The MAC and MAC schools don't need more brand exposure, they need less if they are planning on tricking people to come to games. ESPN games with empty stadiums are not helping the brand. Getting killed by BCS schools is not helping the brand. Getting killed in bowl games by CUSA teams is not helping the brand name. Some say adding more bad teams to an already bad conference will somehow make it a better brand (the logic behind this is almost insane...... 13 bad teams + 2 horrible teams = good football ). The MAC either needs to take the step of moving to I-AA to save itself, or the following:1. Ditch the ESPN week night games.2. Only one BCS pay day per year.3. Stop adding teams and actually reduce the number of teams to 10 with nine conference games per year.4. Ditch the MAC Championship played in front of 50,000 empty seats at Ford Field.

It would be too much taking into account how much billboard advertising returns.Here is a better idea. Take half the money they spend on billboards and flush it down the toilet. Take the other half and spend it on scholarships for students. No matter what, half of the money will be spent wisely in lieu of ALL the money being flushed down the toilet on billboards.

It's because football season is around the corner. Basketball is just something we fill the time with between football seasons. Board activity alone proves that.

You know I love ya DrZ, but after the lack of success of billboard marketing over the past 20 years, what makes you think billboards will work? Is it that sooner or later you may be like the broken clock being correct twice a day with this idea? Come to think of it, a billboard sales rep should donate one to UofA and claim credit for the increased ticket sales next year. He could say something like, "It wasn't the new state of the art stadium, or the buzz of the newe stadium, or countless articles in the ABJ, it was the billboard on West Market Street!"How did the Can't State billboard on Rt8 work out for them last year? Perhaps 10-20 more people showed up for games total because of it?Billboards don't sell tickets. The only reason athletic departments use them is because they don't have any better ideas and they heard about them at a conference they went to. I'm sure the debate will continue......

This is a link to an NFL web page where license plates are sold. I looked on Go Zips and couldn't find anything, but it could be my fault I couldn't find it. I want a nice (not plastic) Zips license plate for the front of my car. Does anyone know where I could get one? Was it my fault I couldn't find it on Go Zips? Help?

Interesting points. Let's examine.....There should be no argument that the Big East is better than the Big Ten in BB. In fact, the BE is the best conference in college basketball........hands down. The competition and talent is absolutely brutal. I don't remember any BE team losing to the likes of Sienna in the Tournament. MSU making the finals can be more explained by a team on a three week run at the end of the year instead of a good team from a good conference making the finals. Why would Big Ten football be an upgrade over the BE? The BE and BT are second tier conferences behind the SEC, Big 12 and PAC 10. From top to bottom, the BE = BT in football. They both have overrated teams at the top (see PSU and tOSU getting destroyed by USC, a team that lost to Oregon State, in the same season), extremely average teams in the middle that beat up on I-AA teams and MAC schools early in the season to become bowl eligible and MAClike teams at the bottom. I'll give you that Syracuse is primarily a BB school, but Pitt? Pitt is a football school that happens to have a good basketball team.

In regards to Missouri... I dont see them going anywhere anytime soon. They've been the only consistent Big12 North school to give the Big12 South any competition. The Big12 needs to keep Missouri, otherwise the Big12 would become grossly unbalanced. However, if the Big10 was SOMEHOW (and I put big emphasis on this because any Big12 team would be a fool to leave that conference right now) able to lure a Big12 team to the Big10, the Big12 would be stuck short a team. There's no way that the Big12 would pick any schools east of the mississippi, and there really aren't any teams "big" enough to fill that slot anywhere in the great plains region. My theory on all this: If the Big10 decides they will expand their conference to 12 teams, they are going to seek either Notre Dame or an elite Big East team. Any team located in the eastern Midwest region would be ideal for the Big10. Seeing how the Big East is really the only major conference that has conference members in that region, they'd be the Big10's prime target. Personally, if the Big10 can't lure Notre Dame in (which is entirely possible given past attempts), I see the Big10 going after Pitt, West Virginia, or Syracuse. Geographically, Rutgers is a too far East to make sense for the Big10.Actually, Rutgers is the school that Big Ten would probably go after for the simple fact that it is in the largest market in the country (New York city metro). The Big Ten has been itching for years to get into a market of that size. The prestige of the Big Ten would do nothing but help Rutgers as far as athletics is concerned and it would be a cash cow for the conference.Wouldn't quality of product be more important than location? Rutgers is about as uninteresting as....well....the rest of the Big Ten. You can't force people to watch TV, you can only give them good programing and hope they watch. I'd take going to the gun club any day over watching Rutgers. It's hard for people from the midwest to understand, but people in the northeast are not interested in Big Ten football. They have their own teams like UCONN, Syracuse and BC and have no interest in Iowa, etc.Let's face it, Notre Dame is the logical choice for the Big Ten. Untaped media market? How about the entire country? The move would break NDs ties with NBC and make the Big Ten Network that much more valuable. The problem is there is very little for ND to gain from joining the Big Ten. They have their own TV network so why give that up to join the Big Ten. The biggest thing ND gains is joining a very average conference in both FB and BB. Average teams playing average competition have the appearance of looking good. Remember how good NDs BB team was supposed to be at the beginning of this year before playing Big East competition?ND has now run into the same problems as the Big Ten. Like the rest of the Big Ten schools, it is located in a part of the country where good "athletes" don't want to live and are not from, South Bend is an ugly place (yes, I've been there more than once), snow, girls in winter coats half the year, uninteresting style of football and some level of academic standards. Let's face it, you can almost be retarded and go to an SEC school.

Barbara HlivkoI know this is a link on another topic page, but I think Barbara has earned her own topic on the most viewed page of this board. The article from Go Zips says it all. She was always enthusiastic and will be missed.

I think I said it earlier when that website of Grant pimping himself was posted on here, the kid was a solid MAC linebacker, and a decent player for us, but nowhere near NFL caliber in terms of talent. He should've been getting ahead in the real world these past few months instead of wasting his money on websites and at some sham "training facility" in Miami that preys on kids like him. Best of luck to him in life after football.I think the same thing. However, given the current job market he has just a good of a chance of making the NFL as he does getting a real job.

bryan williams udfa to the brownsIsn't this how Chase Blackburn got his start?

That's what you get when the goal of your spring game is "no turnovers". The good thing for the Zips is that when a team runs a "no turnover" offense, it usually involves no big plays and no risk as well meaning an easy win for the Zips.It's funny reading a newspaper article about Can't because a serious writer has to write about something that has actually become funny. When I read the story, I always have the feeling the writer is laughing while writing the article.

There are only two possibilities I can think of here: 1. Cartwright is completely clueless when it comes to sports and doesn't realise that the mere mention of dropping football could severely hurt the program.2. She mentioned it on purpose in order to create a decline in the program thanks to worse recruiting leading to worse performance leading to worse fan support. She can't just drop football because she would lose out on a very large percentage of donations to the university, but if you take the program down slowly to the point where it is an embarrasment you just might be able to drum up some support to move down to 1-AA.I think she's just clueless. Why BG hired her after what she did at Can't is a mystery.As for Toledo and the point-shaving thing, what's bad is that they keep implying that there are more names to be named.Good points.When she destroyed the hockey team at Can't State, the team was average, but not terrible. I love hockey. The games were entertaining and they were in a good conference with tOSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, BGSU, Lake Superior State, Miami, etc. There was an off campus fight or something that gave here the excuse for ending the program.

Thanks for the link.Two things. First, Cartwright was the President (I think) at Can't State when they eliminated hockey.Second, this public discussion is a recruiting disaster for BG football and could negatively impact the program for years. They just poured a ton of money into their stadium/practice area.

The Akron vs. Memphis MCB is on ESPN Classic right now!

Yeah, that guy went to multiple boards braggin up his son and saying how interested he was in the school.What a DBThere was something odd about it..... It's interesting how many people on this board bought into it. The kid was one of five players in his senior class to sign a D-1A scholarship and he had the least talent. Odds were he was not a D-1A player and it proved out to be true. When coaches take over programs, they have very frank discussions with players about their athletic ability and whether or not they fit into the future of the program. I'm sure many discussions like that went on at Syracuse as well as other schools around the country.

If inside LB is his position, he should do very well at the D-III level. A 5' 10" ILB at the D-I level is not good for the Zips.

I guess Trey Fairchild's dad will have to find another board now to promote his son.