How do you think the zips will do?

[Ryno aka Menace]

I think things look good, we have a top rated recruiting class, some great players coming back. I expect big things this season!!

Does anyone have the 2005 schedule?

Please post it if you can.

Go zips!!

[InTheZone]

I'm not as optimistic. I look for a rebuilding year with a much heavier reliance on the run than in the past. The defense is young, and will probably give up some big plays early on, but they also have the talent now to make big plays which will be interesting to watch. I'd say a 6-5 record would be something to shoot for this coming season with our eyes on the MAC Championship in 2006. Regardless, it's still going to be an exciting year of Zips football with a televised opening against CANT STATE!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

After a quick glance at our 2005 opponents...6-5 is expected. 7-4 is certainly possible.

Note - Schedule below isn't in chronological order

Home Can't (W)

@ Purdue (L)

@ Middle Tennessee State (?)

Home Army (W)

@ BG (L)

Home NIU (L)

@ Ball State (W)

Home OU (W)

@ Miami (L)

@ Buffalo (W)

Home Central Michigan (W)

[Kangaroo Craig]

I'm going to predict 7-4. I think the passing game is going to be better than what most people will predict. I too agree that the defense will continue to improve. The talent there continues to improve as well as the attitude.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Home Can't (W)

@  Purdue (L)

@        Middle Tennessee State (?)

Home      Army (W)

@  BG (L)

Home      NIU (L)

@  Ball State (W)

Home      OU (W)

@  Miami (L)

@  Buffalo (W)

Home      Central Michigan (W)

I think this is the first time a poster has actually "quoted" himself?

Now that I have a few more minutes:

A friend of mine at the University swears up and down that it will be a miracle if the 2005 Zips win more than five games. I just don't believe that...not for a second.

Of the 6 games I have penciled-in as Zips' wins, Can't is the only 2005 opponent to win more than TWO games in 2004! Those games should all be "locks," even without Frye and Co.

Middle Tennessee is a decent opponent, and the game is on the road. Realistically, that's a 50/50 shot.

Purdue? It would be pretty insane to predict our first Big10 win since the 1800's will come this season. I do feel confident that we'll have a better showing than we did vs. Penn State last season.

NIU: They are a damn good football team. It will be a tall order to beat them. But...they're at the Rubber Bowl and we're tough at home.

BG?: Man, that's a tough road game. Insane to pick the Zips in that one.

Miami?: If we couldn't beat them at home, with Frye, it seems pretty safe to say the oddsmakers will have us as heavy underdogs.

There you have it. We should be expected to win 6. If we can payback MTSU, that's 7. But that's a beating of six pretty weak teams, and doesn't lend itself to a bowl game. Beat NIU...8 wins and we can start talking bowl possibilities. Remember however, that 10-win MAC squads have been left out in the cold bowl-wise. 8 seems to me to be the maximum possible wins in 2005, if all planets align.

[Zipsrifle]

All good predictions, but I'll hold off for a while. If the MTSU game were later in the season last year, I say no contest. We were still learning how to walk during that game. I'll have to see what kind of hit they took this year from graduation, but I think we'll pull it out in Tenn. I can't wait for the BG game, nice short drive!

[Hugh Cregg]

Granddaughter is sick, an't get a minutes sleep, so it's prediction time.

Ot is hard to predict anything before you know how the games play out time wise. A game against a certain opponent early in the season is better than another late in the slate and so forth. Where is the open date? Any mid-week games, etc... all play into the equation, especially with a very young team. Here are my best guesses.

Can't State (Toss, but edge Akron)

flushes have everything back on defense and we have very little back up front or in the pocket. flushes have a JUCO QB newcomer and Akron has a defense with many holes to fill leadership wise, which was just not very good the past few years. Kicking game edge goes to Akron, as does coaching intangible. Home field helps, 1-0.

@  Purdue (Loss)

Would be nice, but not going to happen, 1-1.

@  Middle Tennessee State (Toss)

All things being equal we lost more to graduation that MTSU did, this game is at their place, and it is early in the season and coming off the trip to Purdue, just like last year coming off Penn State. A tossup, with the edge going to MTSU for the two-year series sweep, 1-2.

ARMY (Win)

Late in the season, team should be ready to peak, 2-2.

@  BG (Loss)

They are better than Akron in all phases of the game, 2-3.

N ILLINOIS (Loss)

They are better than Akron in all phases of the game, 2-4.

@  Ball State (Toss)

Depends on when this is played. After the middle of the season I give the edge to Akron, early on, on the road, and with a maturing team and a third year head coach the edge goes to Ball State, 2-4-1 > to close to call.

OHIO (Toss)

Again, it depends on when this is played. After the middle of the season I give the edge to Akron. The earlier this is played I give the edge to Ohio by ways of surprise of their system, and the fact that they have been in control of the lasttwo games against Akron only to blow big leads due to awful coaching from their former HC. 2-4-2 > to close to call.

@  Miami (L)

They are better than Akron in all phases of the game and this game is on the road, 2-5-2.

@  Buffalo (W)

Akron is better in all phases of the game, 3-5-2.

C. MICHIGAN (W)

This should be a good game. CMU came on strong late last season, has a comparable coach to JD over in the West, and will have an burr up their saddle. They have decent talent, another too close to call depending on when the game is played and how the season has progressed to that point in the season. If one team is hot and the other team has struggled the intanglibles come into play. Akron won at CMU two years ago and lost in the bowl three years ago, but since those games the head coaches have been fired/resigned and these could be the up and coming programs in the MAC. A nice game, too close to call, 3-5-3.

If the Zips can win 2 of the three tossup games they would get 5 wins. The five losses are sure bets and I will take anyone's money now. I agree with others I have talked with that this team will really struggle early with the lack of leadership up front on both sides of the ball. I have a feeling that youth will be served this year and we will see a lot of true freshmen and red-shirt freshmen/sophs getting a majority of the PT unless an older player is just out of this world. This is not going to be a team of world beaters and is easily the weakest team of the last 3 Zip squads. No Frye, no other veteran lead by example type players on the roster in the grunt positions. This will be a bunch of pups who will have to grow up fast to win games. I expect a year of hard knocks in 2005 which will lay the base in experience for many wins in 2006 and beyond. The foundation is just not there with SR/JR talent or leadership to merit much more.

If the rumors about Travis are true that is an enigma - potentially good for football, but disasterous for basketball if he were to get hurt. At best Travis is in cleats until Thanksgiving which does not have him in basketball shape or in the team dynamic via practice until new years. He'd miss Puerto Rico and the early season chemistry time which cupled with Wood being on the mend does not look good on the glass. Even Gates waited until after college to pick up the second sport, this seems pretty selfish and ego driven.

[Buckzip]

I think we will surprise a few people this next season.