iCoach has an opportunity to make history....

[GP1]

There is no other level of football. It's either FBS or drop the program. Moving to the FCS simply magnifies the problems we experience now. If football loses money now, in the FCS it loses far more even with the decreased costs. Montana, which draws more than most FBS programs and is a regular in the FCS final four playoffs loses money hand over fist, as revealed by their AD, and is willing to be less successful in the WAC in order to save money even with the extra scholarship costs.

Moving down is not an option.

It isn't all about money. They can get away with losing more money. There is no end in sight to the amount of money the taxpayers in Ohio (5th most taxed population in America) will flush down the drain on stupid ideas. Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.....The Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron...(insert name of the many white elephants erected in Ohio over the past decade here) the list could go on and on. I'm sure they can find some money somewhere to keep the Zips ship sailing. Pass it off as an "Economic Growth Plan". They'll pay for anything that sounds like that.

Listen carefully everyone....They need to create a division with their peers between I-A and I-AA. Montana and the rest of the WAC can join them.

OK, if there is increased loss of money, add it up for me. Assume we could still whore ourselves out once a year to tOSU, then assume we couldn't. $1.0 million isn't that much to make up and is a drop in the bucket compared to what they spend at the University yearly.

[Zipmeister]

I was tempted to ask zipmeister put me on the quit on the zips list (it was he who made that list, right?) after the kÉnt game... but to be perfectly honest, I'm pretty sure I'll still be watching this year.

Actually, that was Zip Watcher, just look in his signature block, all three charter members are still proudly displayed there. I'm not sure Zipmeister knows that people root for things, unless it is a presented opportunity for sarcasm or being a smart-ass.

There is NO WAY I would start such a list. In fact, I'm pretty sure that irregularities with our fist five opponents will come to light shortly resulting in forfeit wins for the Zips. I'm still predicting we go 12 and 0 during the regular season.

[RACER]

BIG ZIP i don't care if you are talking about Can't.we also lost to a bad 1-aa team also;which is alott worse then losing to

Can't.montana is in the wac.they get more tv $ than the mac.the mac has no national tv contract except the espn crums.

we proved for twenty years the mac cannot compete in d-1,and akron now leads the way.at best we may be able to win

some mac games.we will never be competitive with the bcs teams.if we drop down to 1-aa we will be able to play for

a national championship on the feild.the best we can do now is play in some pizza bowl and get drilled by

some bad bcs team.people keep saying we would lose money in 1-aa,but how do you know for sure.

if akron started winning we would put people in the stands,sell more consessions,apparel,and parking.right now they will

be lucky to get 7k the rest of the way.the fans that don't want us to drop down to 1-aa don't have to worry.

akron will stay in D-1.we will start every season 0-4 in OCC play,and get beat by bad mac teams next year.

we may get a little better under coach I and win a few mac games the next few years.gp is right in that the

mac,sunbelt,and whatever other conference wants to get out of ncaa.start your own leauge so each team gets a fair chance

to compete with each other.like i said before when alabama can pay a coach 40 million then akron has no chance in d-1.

[UAZipster0305]

Good points, but punctuation would be greatly appreciated.

Yes, I would rather play for a I-AA National Championship on the field than get drilled by BCS scum under the illusion that we are on their same level. Boise St. is an enigma in competing for a national championship outside of the BCS just like our men's soccer team. We should embrace it for what it is and be thankful that our soccer team is as competitive as it is.

The MAC, WAC, and Sunbelt have no chance of competing with the BCS schools. EVER. I would much rather see us drop to I-AA than continuing to pretend we are on OSWho's level in football. It brands our university as wannabe's and perenial losers. Imagine how the BCS schools would kick the crap out of each other if they didn't have four creampuff games per year as a "preseason" schedule before starting their conference games.

That being said, there is no shame in being I-AA particularly if the other two conferences I mentioned dropped with us. Hell, C-USA isn't any good and should likely drop as well. The Mountain West is even only borderline BCS.

There needs to be some major leadership among the non-BCS schools to stick together and create a more fair level of college football. I respect I-AA a lot more because the champion is determined on the field.

[RACER]

your points are right on the money.akron and the mac will continue to be punching bags for teams like OSU.

akron will stay in the mac, and pretend to compete in d-1.even if you can win some games in the mac

what does that prove.your the best of the worst! either the non bcs conferences need to to something,or

akron needs to do something on thier own.

[MDZip]

I'm still not very interested in the FCS, but what if all of the "other five" conferences got together and simply decided to play each other and not the BCS teams. Play only each other (WAC-MAC Saturday anyone?) just to force the BCS teams to play only each other and a token FCS team each year. Wonder if that might wield any clout in accepting the playing field simply will not be level but it gives few non-BCS teams at least a chance to be good in the regular season. Then take your chances in a bowl game.

[ZachTheZip]

In ten years, there won't be an FCS like the one we know. Division 1 football is consolidating. There won't be a middle division, rather there will be a scholarship division and a non-scholarship division.

FCS was originally split off as a cost-containment measure. That's why it exists. A few teams like Montana, the CAA, Appalachian State and a few others aren't following that, and they are looking to move up. They dominate the FCS and there is even more of a divide between the haves and the have-nots at their level because not every team has the same number of scholarships and some don't have any scholarships at all. The haves are preparing to move to the FBS in an exodus by the end of the decade. At that point, the FCS will transform into what it was originally intended to be: a level for schools who don't want football to drive the athletic department. The FCS playoffs will die or lose their meaning. Montana's AD is the chairman of the FCS playoff committee and he has released a letter expressing doubts about the viability of the FCS in the near future.

[akronzips71]

I just have to say....

What the hell kind of a program can't televise a game on it's PAID service, but I can watch it for free on Channelsurfing?

The entire administration of this athletic program sucks. I am a grad who lives in New York, for years I have paid to see/hear games, and what do they give me for the money? LESS THAN I CAN GET ON SPORTSRADIO 13560 and CHANNELSURFING FOR FREE!!!!!

If you want to build a program you need to get people involved STARTING with the alumni, who have resources to contribute money and travel to home games.

But in this day and age they can't even get PAID TV coverage right. And I am talking about b-ball as well.

Just freaking amazing.

Rant over, see ya next year.

[Big Zip]

I'm done with the program if they drop to Div 1AA. I'd rather stay home and watch Div. 1 football on TV. I'm not asking for a BCS school I'm asking for being simply a better Div. 1 MAC program. YouTube Tom needs to make an appearance explaining what we are doing. If die hards like the people on this board are ready to throw in the towel it might just be over. He may have successfully killed the program. Maybe that is his intention ala "Major League" make us so shitty he has an excuse to drop us to a lower level. They won't get another dollar out of me. One more question for 1350 guy....the die hard Akron fans are now saying your team should drop to a lower level of competition. How does that make you feel? What would you like to tell them?

[GP1]

"Major League"

I love the baseball reference.

The Zips/MAC are the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Sun Belt/pick a team are the Cleveland Indians. There is no hope for these teams in the current economic climate of baseball. There is no hope for the Zips, etc. in the current climate of college football. One can go to a Pirates/Indians game and pretend they are watching big league play, but they aren't. One can go to a MAC game and pretend they are watching big time college football, but they aren't. It's all about how much reality you want to live in.

[GP1]

That being said, there is no shame in being I-AA particularly if the other two conferences I mentioned dropped with us.

Or, creating their own division between I-AA and I-A. That's the key.

[zipseuph]

looking at the remaining schedule, I honestly don't think theres a game they can win.

What are you talking about? Of the remaining six games, only one is against a team that is over .500. Ohio U, WMU, and Ball State are all awful as well. Sure the Zips are probably worse than all six teams but the schedule isn't going to be what does them in, it'll be themselves.

One of these games is going to be handed to the Zips and they will get that win, you'll see.

you were saying?

[MaxZIP]

That being said, there is no shame in being I-AA particularly if the other two conferences I mentioned dropped with us.

Or, creating their own division between I-AA and I-A. That's the key.

It already exists...non-BCS.