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Season previews

ZachTheZip

By ZachTheZip
in Akron Zips Football

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K92 Rookie

K92

Posted
Posted
This preview isn't too bad. Most of the facts are correct, which is more than you can say about most preseason previews. I think the nightmare and dream season scenarios are dead on...Nightmare: 0-12 Dream: 5-7 (Wagon Wheel win)
legendofzippy Newbie

legendofzippy

Posted
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Nice article - all was fair enough. Steve French has said before that the MAC is shady in its scheduling. As this article points out, the top teams in the West all play Akron. In reality, this doesn't make sense, but does play into the idea that if you give your best teams easy schedules, it gives them a better chance at a bowl game.

I don't know if the MAC really does that, but from a business standpoint it makes sense.

Just to clarify, it doesn't bother me. Might as well play the best anyhow, but our schedule does seem odd. I mean, the NFL doesn't do that.

LZIp Grand Master

LZIp

Posted
Posted
Nice article - all was fair enough. Steve French has said before that the MAC is shady in its scheduling. As this article points out, the top teams in the West all play Akron. In reality, this doesn't make sense, but does play into the idea that if you give your best teams easy schedules, it gives them a better chance at a bowl game.

I don't know if the MAC really does that, but from a business standpoint it makes sense.

Just to clarify, it doesn't bother me. Might as well play the best anyhow, but our schedule does seem odd. I mean, the NFL doesn't do that.

Because the NFL is a business model that is set up on equality. The NCAA is not.

OU Dude Newbie

OU Dude

Posted
Posted

I've noticed that Akron and Buffalo seem to be getting the short end of the scheduling stick lately as well. Part of the problem of a 13 team conference is that there are some teams that play 3 cross over games, and others only play 2. Akron has drawn the straw of playing 3 West games every year and the West tends to be the stronger division top to bottom so that increases the chances of a tough schedule for the Zips. If you look at how the West games vs the Zips have been distributed the last 4 seasons its fairly even except for a game with EMU being replaced with NIU.

NIU- 3

Ball St- 2

Toledo- 2

CMU- 2

WMU- 2

EMU- 1

I remember pulling this for data Ohio a while ago and the results were similar, except the EMU and NIU's numbers were reversed. Another thing to consider, and this is a double edged sword, is the number of midweek MACtion games your team has to play each year. Akron hasn't had to deal with that too much, a thursday game to start the season and a friday to end the season are about as wild as it gets. Compare that to Ohio who hasn't play on a saturday in November since 2009. Last year's MACtion schedule forced them to play 3 weekday games in 12 days, they lost 2 of them. The upside of that however is that playing on TV helps with recruiting.

The key to the MAC's success is getting Akron, Buffalo and UMass up to respectable levels. I'm optimistic Akron will get there soon, I'm less hopeful for the other two. Best of luck this season, I'll be pulling for you.

GP1 Veteran

GP1

Posted
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I've noticed that Akron and Buffalo seem to be getting the short end of the scheduling stick lately as well.

This happens to teams in leagues who are not historically long term members of leagues. We get the short end because the league likes to take a crap on us. I'm not whining, because it happens to a lot of teams in a lot of conference as a result of the NCAA being such a weak governing body.

For example, Lee Corso once said South Carolina would not win an SEC championship in 300 years (or something like that). Part of his reasoning was the SEC would take a scheduling crap all over them because they are not a long term member of the league like LSU, Alabama, etc. Last season, when SC was slated to have a very good team, the SEC fed them LSU and Florida in back-to-back road games. LSU on the road is an almost guaranteed loss for an SEC East team. Follow that with a trip to the Swamp after an LSU loss and a second loss in a row is almost guaranteed. The guarantee came true and one loss (SEC) Georgia won the SEC East even though SC ran them out of the stadium earlier in the year.

LZIp Grand Master

LZIp

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This happens to teams in leagues who are not historically long term members of leagues. We get the short end because the league likes to take a crap on us. I'm not whining, because it happens to a lot of teams in a lot of conference as a result of the NCAA being such a weak governing body.

For example, Lee Corso once said South Carolina would not win an SEC championship in 300 years (or something like that). Part of his reasoning was the SEC would take a scheduling crap all over them because they are not a long term member of the league like LSU, Alabama, etc. Last season, when SC was slated to have a very good team, the SEC fed them LSU and Florida in back-to-back road games. LSU on the road is an almost guaranteed loss for an SEC East team. Follow that with a trip to the Swamp after an LSU loss and a second loss in a row is almost guaranteed. The guarantee came true and one loss (SEC) Georgia won the SEC East even though SC ran them out of the stadium earlier in the year.

South Carolina doesnt win SEC championships because Spurrier is a career underachiever. No reason for him not to be at the top with the talent he brings in. His teams underachieve every year.

Dave in Green Newbie

Dave in Green

Posted
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@LZip, have you considered where South Carolina ranks in recruiting versus other SEC teams? I just took a quick look at the 2013 recruiting class rankings, and South Carolina had only the 8th best recruiting class in the SEC. For 2014, there are currently 9 SEC teams in the top 25 recruiting class rankings (including Vanderbilt), and South Carolina is not one of them, so they're only 10th at best in their conference.

LZIp Grand Master

LZIp

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@LZip, have you considered where South Carolina ranks in recruiting versus other SEC teams? I just took a quick look at the 2013 recruiting class rankings, and South Carolina had only the 8th best recruiting class in the SEC. For 2014, there are currently 9 SEC teams in the top 25 recruiting class rankings (including Vanderbilt), and South Carolina is not one of them, so they're only 10th at best in their conference.

Hmm. Looks I may be mistaken. He still brings in exceptional talent, though. I would expect him to have won the East more than once in his 8 years at coach. Zero conference championships (including an absolute blowout loss) and one division championship.

Dave in Green Newbie

Dave in Green

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Well, you're right that South Carolina usually has a top 25 recruiting class. But they've only rarely squeaked into the top half of the SEC recruiting classes over the years. It would take a heck of a coach to win the SEC with below average SEC talent.

GP1 Veteran

GP1

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Well, you're right that South Carolina usually has a top 25 recruiting class. But they've only rarely squeaked into the top half of the SEC recruiting classes over the years. It would take a heck of a coach to win the SEC with below average SEC talent.

You are correct. Every once in a while, the talent lines up. Last year, it was lining up for SC and the SEC took a crap on them with the schedule. It isn't unusual for a league to do that to a program like SC

  • 3 weeks later...
Lee Adams Collaborator

Lee Adams

Posted
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When we start to bitch about scheduling,all we are saying is that we are not good enough to run with the best in the conference. If you are afraid to lose then your are a .... The program needs to get back to the point where it can compete with the BEST teams in the MAC YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT,not just once every 5-6 years. Otherwise think about playing at a level where you can be competetive pretty much every year.

GP1 Veteran

GP1

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Otherwise think about playing at a level where you can be competetive pretty much every year.

When the BCS schools have their own division, we will be at a level we can compete in every year. We are perfectly positioned for when this happens. Before The Big Dialer, not the case. We need the BCS schools to go on their own way sooner rather than later though or MAClike schools will continue to die a death by a thousand cuts.

Our problem isn't where we are positioned. Our problem has been our uncanny ability to shoot ourselves in the foot at almost every opportunity. The opportunities were few and far between, but the ones that presented themselves were not taken advantage of. Thanks to Mike Thomas, the only opportunity we ever really took advantage of was hiring a name coach from Pitt that was able to bring in some really good assistants, a D-1A QB and a winner at RB. Together with a scrappy defense, they won the MAC and tied in some BCS wins over the years....accomplishments previous coaches were complete failures at.

Firing that coach from Pitt was a good opportunity as well because the timing was right and the program needed freshened up. Unfortunately.....here we are.

  • 4 weeks later...

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