POLL: 2009 will be a success if...

[Class of 82]

I say a MAC East title, but have realistic hope for more.

[Let'sGoZips94]

MAC East title, but don't get me wrong, I think we can win the MAC Championship game.

[ZachTheZip]

The MAC East would be a reasonable measure of success. It gets us a bowl spot, and gives us a chance to win the MAC title.Another indicator of success would be a winning non-conference record. Sure we'll beat Morgan State, but I fully expect to beat Syracuse as well, and Indiana is a toss-up.Another thing would be beating Buffalo and Temple. We haven't won against either of those two teams since 2006. That's pathetic.

[tbozeglav]

I voted to the mac championship because winning the east doesn't mean anything very significant right now. It all depends on how good of competition the East is this year and how everyone's records turns out. If the east has a bad year (unlikely but possible), then winning the east may not be that great of an achievement. On the other hand, though, if the east is very strong, then winning it would be huge. I think we have a legit chance to make it to the MAC championship this year, but its soo hard to tell right now how things will shape up in the east.

[Class of 82]

Hmmm... I wonder if the vote for just a winning record came from JD.

[GP1]

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.

[Zipsrifle]

I voted to the mac championship because winning the east doesn't mean anything very significant right now. It all depends on how good of competition the East is this year and how everyone's records turns out. If the east has a bad year (unlikely but possible), then winning the east may not be that great of an achievement. On the other hand, though, if the east is very strong, then winning it would be huge. I think we have a legit chance to make it to the MAC championship this year, but its soo hard to tell right now how things will shape up in the east.

I'm with you here. IMO, winning the MAC East means nothing. You'll probably go to a Bowl game, but if you can't win the MAC, you're not worth anything in the Media's eyes. Got to Win the MAC to even get a little respectability nationally. To be honest with you, if it weren't for the Stadium this year, I would be as excited as I was last year about Football, which I wasn't. Last years team really did have a shot to go far, but screwed the pooch every chance they had (Except at Can't). I hope we aren't falling back into the "How can we lose this thing" mentality we had during the LO years.....

[Dr Z]

...we do a half decent job of stopping the run and put pressure on the opposing quarterback. The rest will fall into place if that happens.

[zen]

or bust

[skip-zip]

The tough thing for me is deciding what to make of the way we floundered after the Buffalo loss, which essentially was the MAC East title game. Did we just lose some of our desire after that loss? Or, were those games an indication that we really hadn't improved as much as many of us had thought?I'm going to hang my hat on the hopes that the way we performed against teams like Syracuse, Army, Cincinnati, BG (a team that blew us out in 07), Can't, Toledo, and Buffalo demonstrates that we took a step forward last year. And with Buffalo's personnel loses, the coaching changes in our division, and a senior 3-year starting quarterback at the helm.....I think this a very winnable year for us in the East. However, I still think we have a lot of work to do to catch up with the West.I'm really concerned about that stretch of road trips @ Buffalo @Syracuse @NIU in consecutive weeks. That will be a real test.

[uafan]

IMO, nothing short of a MAC championship will suffice. JD has been here long enough to get his people in here, he has an outstanding coaching staff, and his job is, or should be, on the line. I think we will be OK offensively, but D and special teams bother me.

[ZachTheZip]

How's about not screwing up to cost us wins? Last season the team was so close to beating Cincinnati, BG, and Buffalo but each time one critical mistake doomed us. That's the difference between a 8-4 record and a 5-7 record, winning the East, and making a bowl. They're so close to being good that it's frustrating. Clean up the mental mistakes and we're a top MAC team with the potential to be much more.

[Dave in Green]

There are many degrees of success. Any improvement over the previous year could be considered at least modest success. How high do we want to set our personal expectations?It wasn't that many years ago that the football team set the bar high for the men's basketball team by winning the MAC Championship. No matter how successful the Zips basketball team has been over the past few years, they didn't match the 2005 football team's level of success until last season. So now it's back on the football team to rise to the challenge.I watched that UA team win at Ford Field when they were not universally expected to win the MAC Championship, much like last season's basketball team. I want to go back to Ford Field and leave with the same feeling I had in 2005.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Winning record, overall successful first year for the new stadium, fun for the fans and increased buzz in the local community. That's what I want this year. I'm not even sure that I can quantify what exactly will make for a successful opening season at the Info, but for me there will be lots of little bits in play. How's the parking handled, is there local interest and participation in general merriment and tailgating on game days, are the concessions done well? Or are we left with a feeling that even with the new digs this is "small time" football that doesn't merit our interest and commitment? It's not enough to pour cash into the infrastructure. Football at it's heart is nothing more than an entertainment choice, and UA will have to do the little things right to generate something lasting.STZ