Would you rather...

[InTheZone]

A ) See the Zips beat the Suckeyes next year, but lose to Can't State for the next 5 years..

or

B ) See the Zips lose to the Suckeyes next year, but beat Can't State for 5 years straight..

Just a little offseason fun. I'm curious to see some answers.

[RootforRoo44]

this is a fantastic question.

I choose beating Can't State for five straight years, UNLESS OSU is ranked #1.

[bobbyake]

Even though Can't's our rival, Can't's an Akron metropolitan school. I'd root for Can't against Ohio State any day. It's hard to pick which I'd prefer here.

If you beat Ohio State, it will send a message to recruits that you can beat the big programs at schools like Akron. The win will also receive national recognition.

If you lose to Can't State 5 times in a row, no one except for Zips/Flushes fans will know about it. Recruits might not even take note of it.

[Blue & Gold]

Even though Can't's our rival, Can't's an Akron metropolitan school. I'd root for Can't against Ohio State any day. It's hard to pick which I'd prefer here.

My thoughts, to a tee. bobbyake, I like your style.

But I must admit, I ALWAYS have butterflies before the Can't games - either basketball or football. I didn't have butterflies before the Columbus State game a few years ago. But you could probably chalk that up to low expectations.

[Dr Z]

Easy question for me, took a nanosecond to figure out. Beat Columbus State.

I've seen the Zips beat Ken+ PLENTY in my life time already. If you said 10 years, I would have to think a whole minute.

PS The Zips team that beats Columbus State is NOT losing to Ken+.

[skip-zip]

Beating OSWho...without a doubt.

It's an easy choice because it would do more to help our program than 20 wins against Ken+.

But Dr. Z is right. An Akron team that is good enough to beat OSWho is probably going to beat Ken+ rather easily.

[Quickzips]

Hands down, no questions asked, not even that close. I'll take beating OSU every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Beating Can't 5 years in a row would be nice and all, but nobody outside of the diehards in this region would even notice. Beating OSU once would not only be a national news story but it would send a message to all the front-running, bandwagon jumping, nut hugging Ohioans that college football does exist outside of Columbus. One win over OSU would do more for this program than 10 years of dominance over the Golden Felons.

[zipseuph]

wow. Beating OSU would help us out for a whole week. if we did nothings after that than we would fall back into oblivion. yes, it would be fun, but Can't is our rival, NOT OSU. yes we compete against them for recruits and blah blah blah, and I would love to see our boys go out to the shoe and stomp their heads in, but you guys really need to stop with the OSU stuff it's embarrassing to the rest of us.

[ZachTheZip]

Which one will fans talk about for decades to come? Which one will gain us a media firestorm of coverage and help recruiting for the next decade? Which one fundamentally alters the way college football is viewed in our region? I think this is an easy choice.

[Buckzip]

The answer is which one would be better for the program long term.

The answer is obvious.

[jberry1337]

I don't think beating OSWho would benefit Akron any more than beating Can't State. Any "Media Firestorm" that would result, would consist of nothing but who on Columbus State messed up, and who should be fired. Maybe after 5 years of beating down on Can't and the rest of the MAC, we could be considered competition enough to admire positives about a win against OSU, but not right now.

Oh, and I would pick beating OSU, but that's because it would be awesome - I just don't think it would make us anything more than we are, except ESPN would have to mention us once or twice. (And it would probably just be embarrassing stats)

[skip-zip]

Hands down, no questions asked, not even that close. I'll take beating OSU every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Beating Can't 5 years in a row would be nice and all, but nobody outside of the diehards in this region would even notice. Beating OSU once would not only be a national news story but it would send a message to all the front-running, bandwagon jumping, nut hugging Ohioans that college football does exist outside of Columbus. One win over OSU would do more for this program than 10 years of dominance over the Golden Felons.

Cincinnati did a pretty good job of that last year. Their local radio ads were HILARIOUS, if you ever got to hear them.

[Quickzips]

I don't think beating OSWho would benefit Akron any more than beating Can't State. Any "Media Firestorm" that would result, would consist of nothing but who on Columbus State messed up, and who should be fired. Maybe after 5 years of beating down on Can't and the rest of the MAC, we could be considered competition enough to admire positives about a win against OSU, but not right now.

From 2004-2009 the Zips took 5 of 6 games against Can't. What did it do to advance the football program? Nothing. Having the Wagon Wheel is nice, beating up on the Portage County Step-Child is fun, but it has no lasting effect on the football program. Recruits don't care, Joe Akron doesn't care, the local media largely doesn't care and the national media doesn't even notice. If you can honestly look me in the eye and tell me that the same could be said about one win over OSU then you my friend are delusional.

[Dr Z]

Hands down, no questions asked, not even that close. I'll take beating OSU every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Beating Can't 5 years in a row would be nice and all, but nobody outside of the diehards in this region would even notice. Beating OSU once would not only be a national news story but it would send a message to all the front-running, bandwagon jumping, nut hugging Ohioans that college football does exist outside of Columbus. One win over OSU would do more for this program than 10 years of dominance over the Golden Felons.

Cincinnati did a pretty good job of that last year. Their local radio ads were HILARIOUS, if you ever got to hear them.

I thought so too. I posted those ads on ZN, but can't seem to locate them.

[skip-zip]

I don't think beating OSWho would benefit Akron any more than beating Can't State. Any "Media Firestorm" that would result, would consist of nothing but who on Columbus State messed up, and who should be fired. Maybe after 5 years of beating down on Can't and the rest of the MAC, we could be considered competition enough to admire positives about a win against OSU, but not right now.

From 2004-2009 the Zips took 5 of 6 games against Can't. What did it do to advance the football program? Nothing. Having the Wagon Wheel is nice, beating up on the Portage County Step-Child is fun, but it has no lasting effect on the football program. Recruits don't care, Joe Akron doesn't care, the local media largely doesn't care and the national media doesn't even notice. If you can honestly look me in the eye and tell me that the same could be said about one win over OSU then you my friend are delusional.

I completely agree. We can debate whether someone would like to beat Can't rather than OSWho, but the question of the value of the victory isn't even a debate. I don't think the publicity generated by every win we've ever had over Ken+ combined could equal that. Especially if OSWho is again given their customary favoritism from the sportswriters, and is near the top of the writer's poll before they even play a game.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The worst Zips teams beat K.e.n.t 8 out of 10 football seasons.Pretty much any of the top 100 D-1A...and Top 50 1-AA programs can beat K.e.n.t's football team 5 consecutive times. It isn't that big an accomplishment.

Beating Ohio State in football is a historic event. Silencing 105,000 people is a lot more impressive than silencing 10,500 K.e.n.t fans.

There's no decision to be made - You take a shock the world win over Ohio State any day of the week.

Would an Appalacian State fan trade their win against Michigan for anything? No.

Would I trade 5 K.e.n.t basketball wins for one over Ohio State? I probably wouldn't. Beating K.e.n.t 5 consecutive times is just as difficult as beating Ohio State once. Plus the bragging rights carry more weight...it would kill K.e.n.t Fan to lose to Akron 5-in-a-row. K.e.n.t Fan doesn't care about football.

[zips4ever2008]

While I love beating Can't at any sport, I agree that a win over OSU would be huge. It's been way too long since an in-state school beat OSU. I don't care if they are missing six players key to their team. To beat them at their place infront of 100,000+ scarlett and gray glad fans would be priceless. What would make a victory over them even better is if they are ranked #1 and knock them out of the national title race. GO ZIPS!

[Let'sGoZips94]

Easy question for me, took a nanosecond to figure out. Beat Columbus State.

I've seen the Zips beat Ken+ PLENTY in my life time already. If you said 10 years, I would have to think a whole minute.

PS The Zips team that beats Columbus State is NOT losing to Ken+.

Exactly. I'd take beating OSUcks anyday. I'd also be able to tell my friends to shut up about the Suckeyes.

[MDZip]

A lot of you seem to have very short memories. Our last victory over Ohio State really did very little for the program.

[K92]

As much as I would love to see the Zips beat OSU, I could not bear watching them lose to Can't 5 years in a row. I think there is actually a clause in the ncaa bylaws that states any team that loses to Can't 5 consecutive times automatically loses their div I-A status.

[GP1]

A ) See the Zips beat the Suckeyes next year, but lose to Can't State for the next 5 years..

or

B ) See the Zips lose to the Suckeyes next year, but beat Can't State for 5 years straight..

This is not a tough one for me. Beating Can't is the answer not just intellectually, but also emotionally. I hate Can't and I honestly think the school is a joke. They are best know for the kids being killed in the 1970s...that is just pathetic. Intellectually, I also want to win our division. Beating Can't is one step closer in that race.

In reality, even if God willed Can't to beat us five straight years, gravity of Can't's sucking would somehow allow us to win 4 of 5.

[InTheZone]

I agree, I think we're the only 2 on this board that would choose option B. I think if you polled fans and players on this question, you'd get two very different results. I hate Can't State with a passion and cannot fathom the pain and embarrassment that would come with losing to those fairies 5 years in a row. Any joy in beating Ohio State would be greatly overwhelmed by the humiliation of being beaten by that joke of a program for 5 straight years. I can handle and live with losing to Ohio State. I cannot handle the thought of being dominated by the Flushes. Losing to them in my senior year was honestly the most crushing defeat of my athletic career. Losing to Ohio State two years earlier sucked, especially when I felt like we had the opportunity to win that game, but I got over it very quickly.

[RootforRoo44]

As much as I would love to see the Zips beat OSU, I could not bear watching them lose to Can't 5 years in a row. I think there is actually a clause in the ncaa bylaws that states any team that loses to Can't 5 consecutive times automatically loses their div I-A status.

Don't they squeak by D2 Delaware State once a year? Maybe that's what happened to them.

And yes, beating Can't State is a no brainer...how could any of you choose Ohio State over that? I do stand by my beating OSU if they are #1 though, beating a #1 team is something you dont ever get a chance to do. But that wont happen and even if it did, there is no way we lose to Can't five straight times.

[Lee Adams]

The worst Zips teams beat K.e.n.t 8 out of 10 football seasons.Pretty much any of the top 100 D-1A...and Top 50 1-AA programs can beat K.e.n.t's football team 5 consecutive times. It isn't that big an accomplishment.

Beating Ohio State in football is a historic event. Silencing 105,000 people is a lot more impressive than silencing 10,500 K.e.n.t fans.

There's no decision to be made - You take a shock the world win over Ohio State any day of the week.

Would an Appalacian State fan trade their win against Michigan for anything? No.

Would I trade 5 K.e.n.t basketball wins for one over Ohio State? I probably wouldn't. Beating K.e.n.t 5 consecutive times is just as difficult as beating Ohio State once. Plus the bragging rights carry more weight...it would kill K.e.n.t Fan to lose to Akron 5-in-a-row. K.e.n.t Fan doesn't care about football.

Anything? I would have to think App State might trade a win over a pathetic Mich team for a I-AA championship?! Thing is App State is usually good enough to compete for the championship. You saw what good it did for Akron to beat NC State in 06. If you are beating Can't consistently from here on out it might mean you are making some progress in being competetive in the MAC. Tell me if you would rather beat OSU once or compete in the MAC year in and year out.

[Blue & Gold]

Any joy in beating Ohio State would be greatly overwhelmed by the humiliation of being beaten by that joke of a program for 5 straight years. I can handle and live with losing to Ohio State. I cannot handle the thought of being dominated by the Flushes.

Very good point.