Game 1—@Penn State Nittany Lions

[ZippyRulz]

Winning the MAC East and getting to the MACC game is our Super Bowl, not this game.

 

[skip-zip]

Alright.  So we get back to this old debate.  

 

For me, I'd vote 100% of the time that I'd rather knock off the #5 team in the country over getting to a MAC Championship Game (our Super Bowl?).

[K92]

15 hours ago, skip-zip said:

Alright.  So we get back to this old debate.  

 

For me, I'd vote 100% of the time that I'd rather knock off the #5 team in the country over getting to a MAC Championship Game (our Super Bowl?).

Totally disagree.  Winning a conference championship is infinitely more important.

[zippy5]

I guess it depends. If we beat UPS and go 8-4 but don't make it to the MACC I'd call it a success. If we beat them and end up 5-7 then it will be a yuuuge missed opportunity. 

[skip-zip]

4 minutes ago, K92 said:

Totally disagree.  Winning a conference championship is infinitely more important.

 

That's why we're all entitled to our opinion. 

 

But you missed the post I was commenting about.  It stated that WINNING THE EAST DIV. would be more important than winning the Penn State game.  

[K92]

2 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

I guess it depends. If we beat UPS and go 8-4 but don't make it to the MACC I'd call it a success. If we beat them and end up 5-7 then it will be a yuuuge missed opportunity. 

As a mid-major, beating the number 6 team in the country only carries weight if you win the rest of your games.  If you don't it goes down in history in the category of "fluke" or "overrated team exposed".

[K92]

25 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

That's why we're all entitled to our opinion. 

 

But you missed the post I was commenting about.  It stated that WINNING THE EAST DIV. would be more important than winning the Penn State game.  

Everyone has a different take on what is important.  For me, beating BG and Ohio is more important than beating Penn State.  To win the East, you've got to beat those two plus the rising Miami.  To win the conference, you are probably going to have to beat a tough Toledo team in Detroit.  The potential of winning those games is what makes me tick.

[Dr Z]

I'm pretty confident that if we upset PSU, we will win the MAC east. 

[skip-zip]

2 hours ago, K92 said:

Everyone has a different take on what is important.  For me, beating BG and Ohio is more important than beating Penn State

 

I can respect that.

 

2 hours ago, K92 said:

As a mid-major, beating the number 6 team in the country only carries weight if you win the rest of your games.  If you don't it goes down in history in the category of "fluke" or "overrated team exposed".

 

I definitely agree that there's some validity in that statement.   Maybe our difference in opinion lies in the fact that I think I put much more importance on doing something....anything....that has some sort of national impact.   Even if it's just for a week.  I think our fans need that.   They'd talk about it for years.  I also think our "potential" fans would take note of that much more than they notice how many games Akron has won this year, or the fact that they won the East Div. of a conference that Akronites see as an insignificant entity.   

 

Quite frankly, I don't think the reward for winning the Division or the MAC Title is anywhere near what it used to be.  Back in 1992, when Gerry's boys were 7-3-1, and on the cusp of winning the MAC in our first year in the league, we all knew that a bid to the Silver Bowl in Las Vegas was on the line.  Everyone else went home. Today, maybe more than half of the MAC will get a bowl bid.  And you're probably splitting hairs most of the time in determining whether the MAC #1 or MAC #4 got a better draw.  

[K92]

36 minutes ago, Dr Z said:

I'm pretty confident that if we upset PSU, we will win the MAC east. 

Your confidence hinges on unknown  quantities.  Although I think PSU will be the real deal in '17, preseason rankings have been notoriously worthless over the years and many ballyhooed teams have fallen to mediocrity.  How many times in watching college football have you gotten fooled over an early season upset by team A over team B only to find out team B was an overrated mess?

 

As far as evaluating the Zips, they are a total mystery to me.  I personally think that if Woodson returns to 2015 form, the Zips may have a puncher's chance in the East.  If not, I fear the prospect of a successful season collapses faster than a Big Lots tent in a C5 hurricane.  Too many question marks with too little information coming from camp makes it hard for me to get a read on this year's Zips.  It is a "suck it & see" situation for me.

[K92]

32 minutes ago, skip-zip said:

 

I can respect that.

 

 

I definitely agree that there's some validity in that statement.   Maybe our difference in opinion lies in the fact that I think I put much more importance on doing something....anything....that has some sort of national impact.   Even if it's just for a week.  I think our fans need that.   They'd talk about it for years.  I also think our "potential" fans would take note of that much more than they notice how many games Akron has won this year, or the fact that they won the East Div. of a conference that Akronites see as an insignificant entity.   

 

Quite frankly, I don't think the reward for winning the Division or the MAC Title is anywhere near what it used to be.  Back in 1992, when Gerry's boys were 7-3-1, and on the cusp of winning the MAC in our first year in the league, we all knew that a bid to the Silver Bowl in Las Vegas was on the line.  Everyone else went home. Today, maybe more than half of the MAC will get a bowl bid.  And you're probably splitting hairs most of the time in determining whether the MAC #1 or MAC #4 got a better draw.  

I agree with you about the proliferation of bowl games.  Any team with a pulse gets to go now where in the past some really good teams missed out.  I guess the cool thing is that more teams get to advertise they went bowling but I think the teams that didn't should still get a trophy for outstanding participation.

[zippy5]

[K92]

13 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

 

[zipsoutsider]

AKRON ZIPS PLAYER TO WATCH: TOMMY WOODSON

[Captain Kangaroo]

Back on September 4th 1999 the Zips played Penn State, losing 70-24.

 

We stayed on the PSU campus Friday evening, drank way too much beer and stayed out way too late. So September 4th 2017 will mark the 18th anniversary of one of my all time greatest hangovers (kudos to Rolling Rock). 

 

Other than the evening of September 3rd, my two best memories of that trip were:

•  Reading an absolutely excellent column in the PSU student newspaper on Zips QB Butchie Washington. It was written by Ryan Hockensmith, who is apparently now the General Editor at ESPN the Magazine. 
• Brandon Payne "shusssshing" the crowd after he scored a TD to pull the Zips within 14-10 early in the game. You could hear a pin drop in Beaver Stadium. 

For fun, below are the Zips-centric highlights from that game. The Tony McCray counter-trap play will bring back some memories for the old-timers. And Payne's gesture is featured at the end.

 

 

 

[zipsoutsider]

PSU fan site amused with ZN: https://www.roarlionsroar.com/college-football/2017/08/2698/message-boards-akron-zips-football-penn-state-nittany-lions-state-college?utm_content=bufferb4375&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer&PageSpeed=noscript

[LZIp]

19 minutes ago, zipsoutsider said:

PSU fan site amused with ZN: https://www.roarlionsroar.com/college-football/2017/08/2698/message-boards-akron-zips-football-penn-state-nittany-lions-state-college?utm_content=bufferb4375&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer&PageSpeed=noscript

Who knew Keener was so famous.

[Hilltopper]

18 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Who knew Keener was so famous.

No, Keener is "Infamous"!

[zipsoutsider]

Lazy podcasters do pre-game analysis:

https://www.roarlionsroar.com/penn-state-football/2017/08/2708/roar-lions-radio-episode-22-penn-state-vs-akron-preview?utm_content=buffer97fcc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#comments

 

1.) They think Tommy is good and could be entertaining.

2.) They think our defense is so bad that it will be a blow-out.

3.) They are predicting tailgating by half-time.

4. Weather forecast looks crummy.

5. Only mention Tommy & Gilbert. No mention of WB or others.

[K92]

38 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Who knew Keener was so famous.

Note to Nit fan. . .

Is not

Glad I could entertain Central Pennsylvania, though.

[Dr Z]

08/30 - Right Tackle - Andrew Nelson - Undisclosed injury is expected to miss Saturday vs. Akron

[interrobang]

52 minutes ago, Dr Z said:

08/30 - Right Tackle - Andrew Nelson - Undisclosed injury is expected to miss Saturday vs. Akron

 

This isn't a surprise.  He is still coming off a major knee injury last season and wasn't really expected to contribute until mid-season this year.

[ZipsVoice]

On 8/31/2017 at 8:12 AM, Dr Z said:

I'm pretty confident that if we upset PSU, we will win the MAC east. 

I don't agree...as stated earlier in posts, beating PSU does no equate to what will happen down the schedule.  Lots of mid-majors have pulled upsets of top 10s and then fell flat on their faces...or other things...because they took everything for granted after the big win...

[ZippyRulz]

2 hours ago, interrobang said:

 

This isn't a surprise.  He is still coming off a major knee injury last season and wasn't really expected to contribute until mid-season this year.

 

Sounds disclosed to me

[Dr Z]

37 minutes ago, ZippyRulz said:

Sounds disclosed to me

That site (Don Best) is flaky, coaches don't have to report anything, I'm not sure how they base their info, or get their wording. This morning there was nothing listed under Akron, now they have Woodson listed as probable with a shoulder. Coach said in his presser that Wolf won't play, yet he isn't listed.