NCAA FBS

[legendofzippy]

With the wild weekend that just occurred, there's probably no bigger topic in sports right now than the BCS standings. A lot of debate about who should really be in the top 2, but you may notice that one team is getting exactly zero attention in that discussion - Northern Illinois.

So is the MAC really an FBS conference? On paper, yes. In reality? Not even close.

NIU is close to completing their second straight undefeated regular season, and they have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate at QB (by far the most game-changing position in the sport), and yet they currently sit behind five (!) two-loss teams.

What else is a MAC team supposed to do? They have a very good team, a top QB, and have a big zero in the loss column, but they won't even get close to consideration for a championship.

At some point we should just be considered a different division of college football. It's clear the NCAA will never let a MAC team actually win a championship in football, so why not quit pretending and give us a legitimate shot at a championship.

[Buckzip]

With the wild weekend that just occurred, there's probably no bigger topic in sports right now than the BCS standings. A lot of debate about who should really be in the top 2, but you may notice that one team is getting exactly zero attention in that discussion - Northern Illinois.

So is the MAC really an FBS conference? On paper, yes. In reality? Not even close.

NIU is close to completing their second straight undefeated regular season, and they have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate at QB (by far the most game-changing position in the sport), and yet they currently sit behind five (!) two-loss teams.

What else is a MAC team supposed to do? They have a very good team, a top QB, and have a big zero in the loss column, but they won't even get close to consideration for a championship.

At some point we should just be considered a different division of college football. It's clear the NCAA will never let a MAC team actually win a championship in football, so why not quit pretending and give us a legitimate shot at a championship.

The MAC will never get any respect. As bad as conferences like the B10 are, they are still far superior to the MAC from top to bottom. NIU will go a major bowl game and get smoked by some other major conference middle tier team.

Some people get all excited when a MAC team competes with or beats a B10 team, but you need to remember that to the B10 team they are completely looking past the MAC team and for the MAC team, that is their season and they are very prepared for it.

As I have said before, transitives don't work in sports. it is quite often that team A beats team B and then team B beats team C and then team C destroys team A.

Do you remember the Cincy Sugar bowl game a couple years back when they were top 5? Many saw it coming, but Cincy fans were convinced they would win that game.

The good thing that the MAC is doing is they are scheduling tougher OOC games. Until the MAC starts winning those with some consistency, they won't get respect. Of course the teams they are scheduling look at those as bye weeks. Sooooo, if the MAC ever starts winning those, they will no longer be scheduled.

The MAC should be a stepping stone to move to a bigger conference. UCF and Temple both did it.

[Dr Z]

Some people get all excited when a MAC team competes with or beats a B10 team, but you need to remember that to the B10 team they are completely looking past the MAC team and for the MAC team, that is their season and they are very prepared for it.

Most of the time MAC teams are playing away against L10 teams. Home field advantage is a pretty big deal in football.

[GP1]

At some point we should just be considered a different division of college football. It's clear the NCAA will never let a MAC team actually win a championship in football, so why not quit pretending and give us a legitimate shot at a championship.

Yes. In fact, we should get together with all of the nonBCS conferences and start out own division making it official. Then we can start working on our own spring league, but that's another topic...or not.

This has nothing to do with what the ncaa will or will not allow and the ability of nonBCS teams to compete on a regular basis. NIU made a bcs game last year and were basically manhandled by an average FSU team. Game Summary If the same happens again this year, everyone will say, "See, the don't belong."....and they will be right.

There are only about 10-15 teams in the country with football programs designed to win a national championship. 15 is probably being too generous. No non bcs team can compete at that level for many, many reasons. Can non-bcs teams compete against the rest of the bcs teams after the first 15 or so? Sometimes, but most of the time no because they are always trying to compete with the bcs schools at their game and it rarely works.

I would recommend a book called David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell. MAClike conferences are always trying to pick up a sword and go head-to-head with Goliath (the bcs schools). It's a losing game yet they continue to do it because they never think differently or about how they can be successful.

Instead of maclike fans/conferences sitting around endlessly bitching about the bcs schools only getting to play for a national championship, why don't we set up our own division in which we can compete for our own national championship with like talented schools and a great playoff system?

Instead of maclike fans/conferences sitting around endlessly bitching about all of the TV revenue the bcs conferences get, why not play at a time when networks are starve for sports entertainment and will pay a lot for the national sport (football) to be televised?

Instead of maclike fans/conferences sitting around endlessly bitching about nobody going to games because so many people stay home to watch BCS or the weather is unpleasant, why not play at a time when fans have little to do, they are starved for some live football and are eagerly looking forward to watching a sporting event in increasingly nice weather?

Instead of maclike fans/conferences sitting around endlessly bitching about having to play on Tuesday or Wednesday nights, why not play during a time of year when fans want something to do outside on a Friday or Saturday and the best option is live college football?

Instead of maclike fans/conferences sitting around endlessly bitching about no interest in their brand of football because the NFL and BCS suck up all the oxygen, play at a time when there is interest for live football and you are the only source of the product. To top that, become the only source of football gambling opportunity for all of the gambling degenerates in this country and watch the league explode. The nfl is made widely popular because of gambling.

Maclike conferences provide great entertainment for fans. The problem is they don't put themselves in a position to succeed or allow others to see what a great product they have. They purposely go out of their way to make themselves look bad (see Tuesday and Wednesday games). Last Friday was as good of a college football game as anything else that was played that weekend. It was well played and well coached by both teams. It was the best college football game I went to this year. If you take every game that was played last weekend, play it in the middle of nowhere with only the teams dressed in black and white uniforms with no fans, the Akron-Toledo would match up against anything played. It was just as good of a game as osu vs michigan or alabama vs auburn. It just didn't have all of the glitter around it.

The MAClike conferences can be so much more than they allow themselves to be. The real shame is they are doing it to themselves because they are firmly committed to participating in the definition of insanity...and we all know what that is.

[Buckzip]

Most of the time MAC teams are playing away against L10 teams. Home field advantage is a pretty big deal in football.

I agree with you. However, usually the MAC team had been looking at that game for a year, while the B10 team looks at it as a scrimmage. Sad, but true.

It's not just the B10 either. Look at the SEC. They play weak OOC schedules too. If Chatt or some of those other teams had Auburn uniforms on, Bama would have beaten them 100-0.

Anyone that thinks that that was the same scUM team that OSU beat Saturday was the same team Akron should have beaten are clueless. Sorry but it's true.

[Buckzip]

@GP1

Fantastic post.

[legendofzippy]

The MAClike conferences can be so much more than they allow themselves to be. The real shame is they are doing it to themselves because they are firmly committed to participating in the definition of insanity...and we all know what that is.

First off, Gladwell should be required reading for everyone. All of it.

But for the MAC, Sun Belt, etc., why do they do it? I would guess that even at their lower levels, the money is just too good. Why rock the boat when everyone's getting paid?

No one wants to lose the bowl system. Even now, as mad as Nick Saban has to be about getting left out of a championship because of a miracle, all he has to do is look at his bank account to feel better.

I would think a 16 team playoff with the "big" schools and a 16 team playoff with the "mid-major" schools would make everyone a lot happier, and still generate a ton of cash. But it's only a concept. The current system is a proven winner, financially anyway.

But does it produce the best team as champion? lolololol

[GP1]

First off, Gladwell should be required reading for everyone. All of it.

But for the MAC, Sun Belt, etc., why do they do it? I would guess that even at their lower levels, the money is just too good. Why rock the boat when everyone's getting paid?

I would think a 16 team playoff with the "big" schools and a 16 team playoff with the "mid-major" schools would make everyone a lot happier, and still generate a ton of cash. But it's only a concept. The current system is a proven winner, financially anyway.

Why rock the boat? For the best reason possible, because we can do better. MAC schools are like beaten down housewives who are scared to leave their crappy husbands because they are afraid they can't make it on their own. Worse yet, they think the a-hole they are married to is going to one day wake up and decide to treat her better.

I'm convinced that there is actually more money to be made in the spring for us than in the fall. I'm also convinced the BCS schools could make more money if they would stop playing non BCS schools, charge more for tickets and also for television. In 1986, that's over 25 years ago, ABC sports offered the USFL $175 million over a four year period to televise their league in the spring. If they offered $175 million in 1986, what would they offer in 2013? To give an indication of the market, FOX is currently paying MLB $500 million per year to televise games and the ratings for baseball are terrible compared to the past. I don't think we would get $500 million per year, but we could do pretty well. FOX is great at televising football and making anything entertaining.

A 16 team playoff with the opportunity for a non BCS level school to lose a first round game and soon be forgotten? No thanks. I'm tired of playing their game. The BCS teams can have their 16 team playoff and we should have our own. Good luck and good riddance to them.

[Buckzip]

Their are other divisions already. Akron chooses to be where they are as do the rest of the MAC teams.

[g-mann17]

You know what, every year someone on here pulls the "we should drop down" or "we should make our own division". You state the MAC isn't good enough to compete etc.

There are 10 teams that I would say NIU couldn't compete with, maybe 20 that BGSU couldn't. The difference is, both schools (and Akron) are ready to play to anyone.

I read Buckzip talk about "That wasn't the same Michigan" BS! That was the very same Michigan and after we smacked them in the mouth in the first quarter they knew how the game was going to be. Tired of this crap. BZ has to justify his favorite team struggling against Michigan. But you know what, this is the real world. The emotional up or down that you get going into a game only lasts about 15 minutes of real time, and then talent and discipline take over.

So sick of these topics "we can't compete let's go home" absolute garbage.

If the BCS does break off, it will be so different from what you see now. There won't be Indiana's and Vanderbilt's in that division, it will only be the top of the top. And that is why it won't be happening any time soon. There are 100 universities that also have a say in what happens and a split doesn't benefit a single one of them.

We don't have a shot at a National Championship because in every state across this country there are 100's of thousands of people who did not graduate from the "Marquee" school in there state and they stupidly root for a school that has absolutely no impact on them. In fact anyone who only has degrees from a MAC school or Cincinnati devalues their degree every time they buy Suckeye gear.

[Dr Z]

Testify g-mann!!

[Captain Kangaroo]

Realistically, Keith Dambrot has zero chance to win an NCAA championship.

Sure, there's a tournament. But realistically (different than statistically) Dambrot's best hope in a given year is to win a conference championship, and maybe a game in the NCAA tourney. No different than Bowden winning a MAC championship and a bowl game.

Should we drop to a lower basketball division too?

[legendofzippy]

You know what, every year someone on here pulls the "we should drop down" or "we should make our own division". You state the MAC isn't good enough to compete etc.

There are 10 teams that I would say NIU couldn't compete with, maybe 20 that BGSU couldn't. The difference is, both schools (and Akron) are ready to play to anyone.

I read Buckzip talk about "That wasn't the same Michigan" BS! That was the very same Michigan and after we smacked them in the mouth in the first quarter they knew how the game was going to be. Tired of this crap. BZ has to justify his favorite team struggling against Michigan. But you know what, this is the real world. The emotional up or down that you get going into a game only lasts about 15 minutes of real time, and then talent and discipline take over.

So sick of these topics "we can't compete let's go home" absolute garbage.

If the BCS does break off, it will be so different from what you see now. There won't be Indiana's and Vanderbilt's in that division, it will only be the top of the top. And that is why it won't be happening any time soon. There are 100 universities that also have a say in what happens and a split doesn't benefit a single one of them.

We don't have a shot at a National Championship because in every state across this country there are 100's of thousands of people who did not graduate from the "Marquee" school in there state and they stupidly root for a school that has absolutely no impact on them. In fact anyone who only has degrees from a MAC school or Cincinnati devalues their degree every time they buy Suckeye gear.

I can see we can't have this discussion without people's jealousy of OSU breaking out.

Say what you want about NIU being able to play with anyone - the point is they'll never get the chance. This isn't about OSU being ahead of them, it's about 2-loss teams being ahead of them.

I have Akron gear and OSU gear. Please explain to me how an OSU sweatshirt devalues my engineering degree in the marketplace. That statement is beyond idiotic.

[GP1]

You know what, every year someone on here pulls the "we should drop down" or "we should make our own division". You state the MAC isn't good enough to compete etc.

Dropping down would be the wrong thing to do and short sighted.

Making our own division with other maclike conferences and playing in the fall is the wrong thing to do because it forces us into a sword fight with Goliath.

Making our own division with other maclike conferences and playing in the spring is the right thing to do because it allows us to slingshot ourselves forward. It would balance out our level of football so that the great game that was played at The Big Dialer on Friday could be a weekly event. There would be an opportunity for relatively equal teams playing each week. That's my idea of competition. I don't think there is much competition in maclike conference teams beating up on IAA teams or BCS handing out payday games to maclike schools. Those games degrade competition. For the most part, they are meaningless games. Sure, teams make a lot of money, but everything else is devalued. When a school like tosu plays Florida A&A, they are devaluing their fans and taking a dump on them and their hard earned money. It's no wonder college sports fans are so jaded....25 to 30 percent of the games are designed to be complete garbage and that's putting it mildly.

It seems to me that the defenders of the norm look at the UofA vs Michigan game and believe there is something better there than the UofA vs Toledo game. Both were great college football games regardless of where they were played, how many people were at the game or what TV network they were televised. Americans love football and if they saw that weekly, they would have an appreciation for it. Give them what they want.

[GP1]

If the BCS does break off, it will be so different from what you see now. There won't be Indiana's and Vanderbilt's in that division, it will only be the top of the top. And that is why it won't be happening any time soon. There are 100 universities that also have a say in what happens and a split doesn't benefit a single one of them.

Indiana and Vandy won't care. They already don't care. Soon enough, they will need more money to sustain what they have "built" and will be more than happy to feed at the bottom of a super division. Since they only consider money, it is only logical that the split will benefit all of them. I'm not certain it is a matter of whether or not they want to, I think they will have to. I'm not interested in being a part of that any longer. I think we can do better.

[GP1]

Say what you want about NIU being able to play with anyone - the point is they'll never get the chance.

They had two chances last year. FSU handled them easily and the game was worse than the score. They lost to a horrid Iowa team.

[g-mann17]

I can see we can't have this discussion without people's jealousy of OSU breaking out.

Say what you want about NIU being able to play with anyone - the point is they'll never get the chance. This isn't about OSU being ahead of them, it's about 2-loss teams being ahead of them.

I have Akron gear and OSU gear. Please explain to me how an OSU sweatshirt devalues my engineering degree in the marketplace. That statement is beyond idiotic.

Of course you don't understand. College sports is marketing, period. Every dollar you spend on OSU gear is a dollar not spent promoting the University of Akron, where you got your degree. It devalues the product because even you, a graduate, aren't proud enough of your alma mater to wear it.

The value of a degree is equal parts public awareness (marketing), job placement, and education. The reason sports exist is to push the marketing of the school. Not just for student attraction, but to make people aware of what the school offers in terms of quality graduates.

[legendofzippy]

Of course you don't understand. College sports is marketing, period. Every dollar you spend on OSU gear is a dollar not spent promoting the University of Akron, where you got your degree. It devalues the product because even you, a graduate, aren't proud enough of your alma mater to wear it.

The value of a degree is equal parts public awareness (marketing), job placement, and education. The reason sports exist is to push the marketing of the school. Not just for student attraction, but to make people aware of what the school offers in terms of quality graduates.

Lol. So you think my degree is influenced by someone wearing a Zips sweatshirt? Ok. Man, those poor fools at MIT. I bet they never get a job with that degree.

[K92]

I am so tired of Akron students/alumni trying to justify rooting for OSU.

[GP1]

College sports is marketing, period. Every dollar you spend on OSU gear is a dollar not spent promoting the University of Akron, where you got your degree. It devalues the product because even you, a graduate, aren't proud enough of your alma mater to wear it.

It more than devalues it. It is literally taking money from Akron and giving it elsewhere. Akron gets a percent of all of the sales.

I was in the team shop for the first time Friday. If you live in the cold of NE Ohio, the selection is very good. Although I think there should be a law against hooded sweatshirts, they seem to be popular. Shame on a graduate who can't find anything to wear in there. They have good merchandise. I couldn't have been any more pleased with my trip to The Bid Dialer.

[Zips Win!]

Indiana and Vandy won't care. They already don't care. Soon enough, they will need more money to sustain what they have "built" and will be more than happy to feed at the bottom of a super division. Since they only consider money, it is only logical that the split will benefit all of them. I'm not certain it is a matter of whether or not they want to, I think they will have to. I'm not interested in being a part of that any longer. I think we can do better.

This is where your idea of a BCS division (playing only each other) and Non-BCS division (playing only each other) is halted. At least for the next 5-7 years, if not longer.

While I find the idea intriguing for the Zips to have a chance to play every weekend with a realistic chance to win, good luck finding enough BCS level schools who will be willing to go 3-9 every year at the hands of the upper tier teams. Eventually IU and Vandy and about 30 others will get tired of losing.

The BCS schools will continue to find a way to make sure there are enough winnable games on their schedules (by playing non-BCS schools) while keeping more and more of the money for themselves. So while it is a clever idea, the BCS schools at large will not let us break apart.

[bobbyake]

Regardless of NIU getting a shot at a national title or not, they are doing exactly what we need to mimic. The fan base in this area wants a winner that is nationally known. Everyone borrows Ohio State because they are the closest thing to representing this area at the national level. I don't like it, but I understand it. If Akron started putting together undefeated records, we would give these frontrunners in this area something they value, a team that has national standing.

What hurts our school the most is the lack of revenue coming in from football. We depend on that big payday every year. The odds of winning those games are low. This makes putting together undefeated seasons very challenging.

The formula for MAC teams should be:

win all your non-conference games + win all your conference games = National spotlight for a non-bcs school in a bcs game.

If the MAC could ditch the scheduling with the Big Ten and work a deal with the Sun Belt or CUSA, we would have more bowl eligible teams every year.

Maybe a BCS bowl game with more non-significant bowl games makes more money than playing those payday games in the regular season.

Maybe winning MAC teams start to bring in more fans for regular games. Just my thoughts.

[Captain Kangaroo]

How cool would it be to magically make all the OSU gear worn by UA grads turn into UA gear? What a presence-statement that would make.

When I walk into an Akron bar after a game wearing a nice Akron golf shirt, on many occasions the bartender will ask "Are you a coach?" It's unfathomable to many that an everyday alum might be walking around campus in Akron gear. If you are in Akron gear they expect you to be either a player or a coach.

And I don't look much like a player anymore.

[Buckzip]

You know what, every year someone on here pulls the "we should drop down" or "we should make our own division". You state the MAC isn't good enough to compete etc.

There are 10 teams that I would say NIU couldn't compete with, maybe 20 that BGSU couldn't. The difference is, both schools (and Akron) are ready to play to anyone.

I read Buckzip talk about "That wasn't the same Michigan" BS! That was the very same Michigan and after we smacked them in the mouth in the first quarter they knew how the game was going to be. Tired of this crap. BZ has to justify his favorite team struggling against Michigan. But you know what, this is the real world. The emotional up or down that you get going into a game only lasts about 15 minutes of real time, and then talent and discipline take over.

So sick of these topics "we can't compete let's go home" absolute garbage.

If the BCS does break off, it will be so different from what you see now. There won't be Indiana's and Vanderbilt's in that division, it will only be the top of the top. And that is why it won't be happening any time soon. There are 100 universities that also have a say in what happens and a split doesn't benefit a single one of them.

We don't have a shot at a National Championship because in every state across this country there are 100's of thousands of people who did not graduate from the "Marquee" school in there state and they stupidly root for a school that has absolutely no impact on them. In fact anyone who only has degrees from a MAC school or Cincinnati devalues their degree every time they buy Suckeye gear.

Ell O Ell.

[Buckzip]

How cool would it be to magically make all the OSU gear worn by UA grads turn into UA gear? What a presence-statement that would make.

When I walk into an Akron bar after a game wearing a nice Akron golf shirt, on many occasions the bartender will ask "Are you a coach?" It's unfathomable to many that an everyday alum might be walking around campus in Akron gear. If you are in Akron gear they expect you to be either a player or a coach.

And I don't look much like a player anymore.

I travel a lot and whenever I see someone wearing the real nice Polo or golf shirts, I think coach also.

Most fans wear jerseys or tee shirts. At least the low class fans that I know.