Akron vs. Penn State in 2009

[zippyrifle32]

* as far as "manipulating conditions" to show an increase in revenue, why is it so hard to believe that we might actually have made more money than before?

I meant this in a positive way. It's not hard to believe they make more money than before. The presentation of the increase in how much money is made could be one form of manipulation. For example, increasing revenue sounds really good if it is presented as, "increased revenue 150%". That would impress a lot of people.

ah... I gotcha now. usually manipulation has a negative connotation, so like you said... it's all how it's presented. just a misunderstanding

[GP1]

There's a reason GP1 has the tag line:"...you want it to be one way. But it's the other way."

It actually fits so much of the thinking on this board I actually had to include it as a tag line.

[roodog97]

I always thought that coaches from mid-majors use the opportunity to play upper tier BCS teams as a recruiting tool. I recall Akron football players in the 90s comment that they picked Akron because they would have the opportunity to play against Nebraska who dominated at that time. These guys are competitors and as such probably want to play upper tier programs.

[ksu sucks]

I always thought that coaches from mid-majors use the opportunity to play upper tier BCS teams as a recruiting tool. I recall Akron football players in the 90s comment that they picked Akron because they would have the opportunity to play against Nebraska who dominated at that time. These guys are competitors and as such probably want to play upper tier programs.

well, because this discussion has turned into anything but a discussion, lets talk about other tentative OOC games next year. Heres the link:http://www.gozips.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPS...p;ATCLID=538215I had a few thoughts/ q's about the possible opponents:Kentucky? Good or bad pickup?at Indiana? I thought we were thinking of opening the INFO with the Hoosiers... Syracuse is obviously a good pick. Nice BCS win for a confidence boost.

[ZachTheZip]

I always thought that coaches from mid-majors use the opportunity to play upper tier BCS teams as a recruiting tool. I recall Akron football players in the 90s comment that they picked Akron because they would have the opportunity to play against Nebraska who dominated at that time. These guys are competitors and as such probably want to play upper tier programs.

well, because this discussion has turned into anything but a discussion, lets talk about other tentative OOC games next year. Heres the link:http://www.gozips.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPS...p;ATCLID=538215I had a few thoughts/ q's about the possible opponents:Kentucky? Good or bad pickup?at Indiana? I thought we were thinking of opening the INFO with the Hoosiers... Syracuse is obviously a good pick. Nice BCS win for a confidence boost.

That website hasn't been updated for about three years.

[ksu sucks]

I always thought that coaches from mid-majors use the opportunity to play upper tier BCS teams as a recruiting tool. I recall Akron football players in the 90s comment that they picked Akron because they would have the opportunity to play against Nebraska who dominated at that time. These guys are competitors and as such probably want to play upper tier programs.

well, because this discussion has turned into anything but a discussion, lets talk about other tentative OOC games next year. Heres the link:http://www.gozips.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPS...p;ATCLID=538215I had a few thoughts/ q's about the possible opponents:Kentucky? Good or bad pickup?at Indiana? I thought we were thinking of opening the INFO with the Hoosiers... Syracuse is obviously a good pick. Nice BCS win for a confidence boost.

That website hasn't been updated for about three years.

hahaha. sorry for the old link.

[g-mann17]

(OSU would be an exception)

What am I missing? You rip the AD for scheduling Penn State, yet tosu is an exception? Huh?Over the last decade PSU has been pretty good a few years and really average the others. Take the chance we catch them on a down year and take the cash as well. I am banking on Mack getting FMV for the game, unlike what tosu paid us last year- yet you want to schedule them?

Over half of our team hails from Ohio. It is the dream of almost every young football player from Ohio to play for OSU. Where have you been? Ohio State has developed a history and a winning tradition. A game in Ohio Stadium is truely a recruiting tool for those athletes that get snubbed by that program. So there's your exception. Duh.

What a stupid exception! Is sounds like you just want to watch OSU. Now playing tosu is a recruiting tool, yet a very large number of current players on the roster hail from Pennsylvania and playing PSU isn't a recruiting tool? Ridiculous.I thought you wanted wins...not recruiting tools...

What are you 12 years old. I don't talk to little kiddies if I can help it. Welcome to my ignore list.

Really? That is just pathetic. You have a horrible argument and then just talk circles to support it. It must be fun being on a board where you ignore everyone whose opinion is different then your own.

[g-mann17]

You and the many other posters on this board hate OSU because of jerk fair weather OSU fans rubbing your nose where you don't want it rubbed. I knew my post would provoke a post like yours. How can you argue against the observation that most young kids in Ohio love OSU (except during Cooper's tenure when Michigan beat them often)... as long as they are winning and win they do. Recruits that get snubbed by Ohio State would love to get a chance to prove them wrong. It's only human nature and a good recruiting strategy would take advantage of that. Ohio-Centric - we are in Akron, Ohio, and Ohio is where we recruit most heavily (40% or 50% - only nerds would bring this difference up; 50% is a fair estimate of team numbers on average and more that representaitve of Akron's recruiting effort). If we could just develop that winning tradition that I'd like to see we would have even more recruits from Ohio and might even steal some from that school in Columbus that you hate.

It's not about the people on the board not liking OSU. That's not part of of it. I even indicated that in my post. No it's about the fact that we do recruit from areas where the kids don't care for OSU. They are Penn State fans, Michigan fans, Purdue fans. You basically state that we should schedule OSU because we are an Ohio school and all other big programs we should give the thumbs down to if they won't play us at home. That's poor logic. Do you not think that the recurits we have from Appalachia Ohio and Western PA don't want to go to Beaver Stadium and play a program that snubbed them? I'm for money games. Especially when the money game pays better then any bowl game we might qualify for unless we manage an undefeated season. Do I think we should play Penn State, OSU, and Michigan in the same year? No. Do I think we should schedule them on a once a year rotation? Yes. Because it is a great recruiting tool for the pipeline states we recruit in. Hell if we could get a game against Georgia Tech that would be a big coup for our Atlanta recruiting base.

[UA1987]

You and the many other posters on this board hate OSU because of jerk fair weather OSU fans rubbing your nose where you don't want it rubbed. I knew my post would provoke a post like yours. How can you argue against the observation that most young kids in Ohio love OSU (except during Cooper's tenure when Michigan beat them often)... as long as they are winning and win they do. Recruits that get snubbed by Ohio State would love to get a chance to prove them wrong. It's only human nature and a good recruiting strategy would take advantage of that. Ohio-Centric - we are in Akron, Ohio, and Ohio is where we recruit most heavily (40% or 50% - only nerds would bring this difference up; 50% is a fair estimate of team numbers on average and more that representaitve of Akron's recruiting effort). If we could just develop that winning tradition that I'd like to see we would have even more recruits from Ohio and might even steal some from that school in Columbus that you hate.

It's not about the people on the board not liking OSU. That's not part of of it. I even indicated that in my post. No it's about the fact that we do recruit from areas where the kids don't care for OSU. They are Penn State fans, Michigan fans, Purdue fans. You basically state that we should schedule OSU because we are an Ohio school and all other big programs we should give the thumbs down to if they won't play us at home. That's poor logic. Do you not think that the recurits we have from Appalachia Ohio and Western PA don't want to go to Beaver Stadium and play a program that snubbed them? I'm for money games. Especially when the money game pays better then any bowl game we might qualify for unless we manage an undefeated season. Do I think we should play Penn State, OSU, and Michigan in the same year? No. Do I think we should schedule them on a once a year rotation? Yes. Because it is a great recruiting tool for the pipeline states we recruit in. Hell if we could get a game against Georgia Tech that would be a big coup for our Atlanta recruiting base.

Let me try to summarize my argument for you so that you might understand:1) We've played the LSU's the Florida's the Auburn's ect... for the last 21 years and we have not developed winning tradition as a result. Our best season in IA has been 7-3-1, and that was in 1992. In the past we had to schedule this way to fund Football operations. These were not effective recruiting tools as very few kids on our roster were from these states. These were MONEY related games that tore down the reputation of our program, but we had to do it because we could not draw at the worn down Rubber Bowl.2) With our new stadium, our Football operations will be in the black. We no longer need the MONEY games for football. We should not be putting our football program in bad contracts just to fund other University non-revenue sports, for the present. Bad contracts are agreements that exclude our opponent from playing in our stadium as home field advantage is key to winning.3) We should be scheduling OOC games with high level competition from the Big East and Conference USA to develop interest in these teams and conferences. Teams from both conferences would play at the Info, which would give us a better shot at winning. Other OOC games could come from other conferences, but only if one game in the contract is played here (one exception - OSU as our program recruits heavily in Ohio). Penn State in 2009 does nothing for recruiting as it was just announced. Most if not all of our 2009 recruits will be in Akron watching it on TV. 4) Northeast Ohio is desperate for a winner. If we turn into the Boise State of the Midwest we will have fans piling into the Info for years to come. Enrollment would spike, recruiting would improve, gear sales would be up... now we could syphon off a bit for non-revenue sports. We might even find ourselves in being invited to an upper level bowl to play and beat an elite program. Now some of these things may happen even if we do play one bad contract a year. 1 out of 12 is only 8.33333% as our Captain Kangaroo has said. But I'd be willing to bet that most would scream like Ned Beatty in Deliverance if someone tried to take 8.33333% of anything away from you. I don't like chiseling our schedule down at all for a short term departmental budget balancing act. I'm not hitching up to that strategy. Some of you have... now lets see how our AD plays this one out.

[Zipmeister]

I'm OK with this game as long as UofA schedules a I-AA team to open the new stadium the week before the PSU game. Everyone else has a cupcake the first game, we should too. That stadium is going to be up for 100 years so who we play the first game ever really isn't important.

We could schedule Indiana (State University of Pennsylvania).

[Zips Win!]

You and the many other posters on this board hate OSU because of jerk fair weather OSU fans rubbing your nose where you don't want it rubbed. I knew my post would provoke a post like yours. How can you argue against the observation that most young kids in Ohio love OSU (except during Cooper's tenure when Michigan beat them often)... as long as they are winning and win they do. Recruits that get snubbed by Ohio State would love to get a chance to prove them wrong. It's only human nature and a good recruiting strategy would take advantage of that. Ohio-Centric - we are in Akron, Ohio, and Ohio is where we recruit most heavily (40% or 50% - only nerds would bring this difference up; 50% is a fair estimate of team numbers on average and more that representaitve of Akron's recruiting effort). If we could just develop that winning tradition that I'd like to see we would have even more recruits from Ohio and might even steal some from that school in Columbus that you hate.

It's not about the people on the board not liking OSU. That's not part of of it. I even indicated that in my post. No it's about the fact that we do recruit from areas where the kids don't care for OSU. They are Penn State fans, Michigan fans, Purdue fans. You basically state that we should schedule OSU because we are an Ohio school and all other big programs we should give the thumbs down to if they won't play us at home. That's poor logic. Do you not think that the recurits we have from Appalachia Ohio and Western PA don't want to go to Beaver Stadium and play a program that snubbed them? I'm for money games. Especially when the money game pays better then any bowl game we might qualify for unless we manage an undefeated season. Do I think we should play Penn State, OSU, and Michigan in the same year? No. Do I think we should schedule them on a once a year rotation? Yes. Because it is a great recruiting tool for the pipeline states we recruit in. Hell if we could get a game against Georgia Tech that would be a big coup for our Atlanta recruiting base.

Since I'm on UA1987's ignore list, you can inform him I'm actually 13 living in my mother's basement and I haven't been to a Zips game in decades. Putting the PSU-OSU argument aside, you also mentioned scheduling as a recruiting tool. While I agree that a schedule that has a major BCS opponent on it may entice a kid to commit to UA- as opposed to selling them on coming here and then having to take a bus to Middle Tennessee, for example. But I'm not buying that playing tosu is this really great recruiting tool. Does it hurt in recruiting? No- But what type of player did we recruit in 2005 and 2006 because tosu was on the schedule in 2007 that we wouldn't have signed if they were not on the schedule? Honestly, did we sign a player who was going to BG or Miami for example, but changed his mind. Other MAC schools play them to. Where is the impact?Every year there are 2-3 dozen or more D1-BCS caliber Ohio seniors that don't get the big, bad tosu call and every year these same guys end up at Illinois, Mich State, Iowa, Indiana, UC, Pitt, Northwestern, etc. So again I ask, where is the real recruiting advantage gained by playing them?

[g-mann17]

You and the many other posters on this board hate OSU because of jerk fair weather OSU fans rubbing your nose where you don't want it rubbed. I knew my post would provoke a post like yours. How can you argue against the observation that most young kids in Ohio love OSU (except during Cooper's tenure when Michigan beat them often)... as long as they are winning and win they do. Recruits that get snubbed by Ohio State would love to get a chance to prove them wrong. It's only human nature and a good recruiting strategy would take advantage of that. Ohio-Centric - we are in Akron, Ohio, and Ohio is where we recruit most heavily (40% or 50% - only nerds would bring this difference up; 50% is a fair estimate of team numbers on average and more that representaitve of Akron's recruiting effort). If we could just develop that winning tradition that I'd like to see we would have even more recruits from Ohio and might even steal some from that school in Columbus that you hate.

It's not about the people on the board not liking OSU. That's not part of of it. I even indicated that in my post. No it's about the fact that we do recruit from areas where the kids don't care for OSU. They are Penn State fans, Michigan fans, Purdue fans. You basically state that we should schedule OSU because we are an Ohio school and all other big programs we should give the thumbs down to if they won't play us at home. That's poor logic. Do you not think that the recurits we have from Appalachia Ohio and Western PA don't want to go to Beaver Stadium and play a program that snubbed them? I'm for money games. Especially when the money game pays better then any bowl game we might qualify for unless we manage an undefeated season. Do I think we should play Penn State, OSU, and Michigan in the same year? No. Do I think we should schedule them on a once a year rotation? Yes. Because it is a great recruiting tool for the pipeline states we recruit in. Hell if we could get a game against Georgia Tech that would be a big coup for our Atlanta recruiting base.

Since I'm on UA1987's ignore list, you can inform him I'm actually 13 living in my mother's basement and I haven't been to a Zips game in decades. Putting the PSU-OSU argument aside, you also mentioned scheduling as a recruiting tool. While I agree that a schedule that has a major BCS opponent on it may entice a kid to commit to UA- as opposed to selling them on coming here and then having to take a bus to Middle Tennessee, for example. But I'm not buying that playing tosu is this really great recruiting tool. Does it hurt in recruiting? No- But what type of player did we recruit in 2005 and 2006 because tosu was on the schedule in 2007 that we wouldn't have signed if they were not on the schedule? Honestly, did we sign a player who was going to BG or Miami for example, but changed his mind. Other MAC schools play them to. Where is the impact?Every year there are 2-3 dozen or more D1-BCS caliber Ohio seniors that don't get the big, bad tosu call and every year these same guys end up at Illinois, Mich State, Iowa, Indiana, UC, Pitt, Northwestern, etc. So again I ask, where is the real recruiting advantage gained by playing them?

The biggest recruiting advantage?Simple. Cash, so that you can spend more time on the road pitching your program and less time in a conference hall finding ways to raise funds.

[skip-zip]

UA1987...in response to your last post, I'm not aware that any football program in the MAC is anywhere near operating in the black. In fact, I believe the atest data says that most of us finish several million in the red. But, you believe that we can significantly increase football revenue by skipping the 800,000 dollar paydays at Penn State and rely solely on our own home attendance? When we will only have a 30,000 seat stadium? And assuming that we can pack it every game, every year from September to November? In any weather conditions? And also taking into account that what we are offered to televise a game is far less than the bigger schools? Good luck. As far as playing big games to help recruiting, it doesn't imply that playing a game at Tennessee might expose us to players from Tennessee. It's the tv coverage, the appearances on wrap up shows on ESPN, etc. that gives you some nationwide exposure. Not to mention, being able to tell all of your recruits that they will have the opportunity to play some big schools.

[UA1987]

UA1987...in response to your last post, I'm not aware that any football program in the MAC is anywhere near operating in the black. In fact, I believe the atest data says that most of us finish several million in the red. But, you believe that we can significantly increase football revenue by skipping the 800,000 dollar paydays at Penn State and rely solely on our own home attendance? When we will only have a 30,000 seat stadium? And assuming that we can pack it every game, every year from September to November? In any weather conditions? And also taking into account that what we are offered to televise a game is far less than the bigger schools? Good luck. As far as playing big games to help recruiting, it doesn't imply that playing a game at Tennessee might expose us to players from Tennessee. It's the tv coverage, the appearances on wrap up shows on ESPN, etc. that gives you some nationwide exposure. Not to mention, being able to tell all of your recruits that they will have the opportunity to play some big schools.

Previous posters ran the numbers. Read them. What can screw this up over the next few years is bad scheduling and losses. We have to win to draw and keep the fans. Nobody is saying we should rely strickly on home attendance. A favorable OOC away schedule could bring in good money. Yes, your above mentioned TV exposure can help (hasn't done much for us though), if we don't get clobbered and the announcers are fair. Until we win consistently even when we play well against an elite team, it will be because they didn't play well against the 'little school' (I don't think potential Akron recruits like to hear that). I hear it all of the time... even on local radio with Todd Blackledge and Chris Speilman (Speilman does compliment MAC teams a bit more than Blackledge, however). I'm sick of it and I'm sick of this conversation too. We've tried it the 'Payday' way for the last 21 years now it's time to schedule strategically and win. How can anyone argue against winning and the revenue that will bring. Unbelievable.

[pdt1420]

I understand the financials involved, but I too am getting tired of being involved in money games. When all we want is to win the mac and get 6-7 wins to be bowl eligible, why do we saddle ourselves with a sure loss. Be honest, as much as I want to beat the "big boys", we're not there yet.Replace Wisky with a cream puff this year, and we just moved to 4-2 and we're talking alot better about our team. Hell, not even a cream puff! Pump our schedule with more Cincys and Louisvilles, etc that we have a realistic chance at beating. Losing by ONLY a few to OSU last year was the best we could have realistically hoped for. I hate hoping for close loses, it kills any momentum and any pride that your team has.Figure it out financially, I don't believe we HAVE to get pounded on once a year just to make budget. Get some 8-4, 9-3 MAC East champs seasons under your belt, then play the elites.And futhermore, I know this is a contradiction to how some feel about our basketball scheduling, but the outcomes are different. We've seen us win 25+ games in bball and miss out on the dance, but if you win 8 or 9 games in football, you go bowling.

[pdt1420]

Previous posters ran the numbers. Read them. What can screw this up over the next few years is bad scheduling and losses. We have to win to draw and keep the fans. Nobody is saying we should rely strickly on home attendance. A favorable OOC away schedule could bring in good money.

I agree with this. Non UA-related fans won't come to see games just because we're playing who WE see as rivals or good games. Face it, we need to win, and win often. Some of us have a hard time getting up for the last homegame in a 5 win season, AND WE'RE DIEHARDS!Joe 6-pack (god bless palin) isn't gonna give up his Saturday to watch a losing program just because it's a new stadium.We win to put butts in the seats, then they develop a closeness with the program and a disdain for our rivals, THEN they stick with us when we struggle and stick up for us at work when we lose to a strong BCS team down the road.I think that's the formula.

[zippyrifle32]

(god bless palin)

[pdt1420]

(god bless palin)

wow, no... got it... a college kid that likes obama... shockingListen, I just used "Joe 6-pack" and couldn't get the Palin quote outta my head.But yeah, thanks, now everyone knows where you stand politically, thank you.

[ksu sucks]

(god bless palin)

wow, no... got it... a college kid that likes obama... shockingListen, I just used "Joe 6-pack" and couldn't get the Palin quote outta my head.But yeah, thanks, now everyone knows where you stand politically, thank you.

Isn't sad how almost all college kids vote democratic, not due to their own politcal beliefs, but rather because that's the "progressive" thing to do. I bet if you did a study, a majority of the students backing obama probably don't even rometly share the same ideals as he does. All that these students are doing is making uninformed poltical decisions, which is better than no decision, right?

[Dr Z]

PLEASE go discuss your poitical views here. The tv commercials are bad enough during televised sports. Let's keep the 'Akron Zips Football' forum clean from political views.

[johnnyzip84]

PLEASE go discuss your poitical views here. The tv commercials are bad enough during televised sports. Let's keep the 'Akron Zips Football' forum clean from political views.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Dr Z!

[zippyrifle32]

in my defense, i was actually planning on not voting. i changed my mind and will be mailing in my registration tomorrow and between now and the election will be figuring out who i'm writing in. i have no political association and would love to see a third party independent take down the two party system. back to the subject... i was talking to a few football players today and asked their opinion of the subject. the general consensus was that they acknowledged the need for the money, but would rather have an easier time becoming bowl eligible. a couple did state however, that they would like their cake and eat it too... meaning they waltz into places like syracuse and nc state, win and take their money.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Previous posters ran the numbers. Read them. What can screw this up over the next few years is bad scheduling and losses. We have to win to draw and keep the fans. Nobody is saying we should rely strickly on home attendance. A favorable OOC away schedule could bring in good money.

I agree with this. Non UA-related fans won't come to see games just because we're playing who WE see as rivals or good games. Face it, we need to win, and win often. Some of us have a hard time getting up for the last homegame in a 5 win season, AND WE'RE DIEHARDS!Joe 6-pack (god bless palin) isn't gonna give up his Saturday to watch a losing program just because it's a new stadium.We win to put butts in the seats, then they develop a closeness with the program and a disdain for our rivals, THEN they stick with us when we struggle and stick up for us at work when we lose to a strong BCS team down the road.I think that's the formula.

For at least the first couple of years at the new stadium, fans will come even if we have a poor team. Don't underestimate the draw that a facility can be. GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZip

[pdt1420]

For at least the first couple of years at the new stadium, fans will come even if we have a poor team. Don't underestimate the draw that a facility can be. GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZip

Agreed, but I think the lower limit (if we're playing poorly) would be 2 years of drawing just for the stadium. Alot of people will go the first year, but if they witness a sloppy unprofessional loss, then that'll probably be it for them.I'm not one for looking at the glass half empty, and I'm pretty sure this won't happen, but the worst thing that could happen to Akron is to be 3 years into a new stadium and you're having to run the "discounted tickets through Giant Eagle" and "kids get in free with parent purchase" promotions.If, big picture, we want to become the best MAC football program, and potentially move on and up... then we MUST sell out every homegame for the next two years. If we can't do it with the Rowdies, a brand new stadium on campus, and BCS caliber recruits like Devoe, then we never will. I think that's just the truth. But I think we will do just that, sell out every home game, if we create a schedule that:1) allows us to be 7-3 going into the last home game 2) with wins over an NC State or a UConn 3) and no blowout losses to a BCS power4) and playing for a MAC playoff spot.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

For at least the first couple of years at the new stadium, fans will come even if we have a poor team. Don't underestimate the draw that a facility can be. GO ZIPS!SeeTeeZip

Agreed, but I think the lower limit (if we're playing poorly) would be 2 years of drawing just for the stadium. Alot of people will go the first year, but if they witness a sloppy unprofessional loss, then that'll probably be it for them.I'm not one for looking at the glass half empty, and I'm pretty sure this won't happen, but the worst thing that could happen to Akron is to be 3 years into a new stadium and you're having to run the "discounted tickets through Giant Eagle" and "kids get in free with parent purchase" promotions.If, big picture, we want to become the best MAC football program, and potentially move on and up... then we MUST sell out every homegame for the next two years. If we can't do it with the Rowdies, a brand new stadium on campus, and BCS caliber recruits like Devoe, then we never will. I think that's just the truth. But I think we will do just that, sell out every home game, if we create a schedule that:1) allows us to be 7-3 going into the last home game 2) with wins over an NC State or a UConn 3) and no blowout losses to a BCS power4) and playing for a MAC playoff spot.

I'm still torn on the big money games, and here's why: Most years we lose to the "name" schools in the money games, although there have not been many crushing losses by 50 points recently. One of these years, the stars will align and the Zips will win one of these games, which if it happened as the program is surging ahead with new facilities and better talent would potentially provide a slingshot-like boost to the program. Let's all remember too that with the economy falling apart at the international level, the chances aren't bad that people will be looking for affordable entertainment, and comfort, close to home in the next several years (no I'm not joking about that). Zips football may fill a vital niche in Akron, with really good major college entertainment right down town, which will be MUCH more accessible and affordable than any other option available to those in the metro area. Beyond those thoughts, whether or not it's a great thing to ever attain major "name" status is something I'm torn about quite frankly. The thought of ticket lotteries, auctions, having to fight crowds for tickets and parking; some of the things that come along with such status are not attractive to me. Are there programs that reside in the middle? Someone describe a program that has "name" draw, plays high quality major college football, gets press coverage and draws well, but isn't so "mega" that you have to sell your soul for tickets or deal with NFL-like hassles to see the games. That's where I'd like to see the Zips wind up. GO ZIPS! BEAT BGSU!SeeTeeZip