The World of College Football

[exit322]

21 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Why would the MVC want them for Olympic sports? It's a basketball first conference and NIU is horrendous. My guess is the best they could hope for would be something like the Horizon, Summit, or OVC.

 

That's also probably why Toledo isn't taking a harder look at the invite. Toledo actually cares about basketball. They likely don't want to take a huge step down in basketball just so they can fly halfway a crossed to country to play in a slightly better G5 conference. Mind you all the best MWC football schools were raided already by the PAC-12.

I was just guessing based on geography.  Horizon is probably the most likely (though the Horizon League isn't all that bad at basketball, either)

 

It could very well be the two of them approached the MVC and the MVC wasn't interested, and then Toledo just sat back to the MAC.

[exit322]

4 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

I have also heard rumblings that this is going happen…

Of course it is.  Akron isn't interested in trying to grow the program and actually win, so why not find more easy money to get everyone hurt and lose by 40?

[clarkwgriswold]

56 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

In other news, the softest football program in the country resides 1.5 hours southwest of Akron. 

 

I'm so glad that our elected legislators are focusing on the most important issues of the day.

[clarkwgriswold]

9 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

I think that's easier said than done. Basketball has 13 scholarship players per roster. In a year where you turn over half your roster you're recruiting 6-7 new guys.

 

In football, where all schools are spending more money and resources to recruit, you have 85 scholarships. Between transfers and incoming freshman, you're recruiting ~30 players a year. Not to mention spending time to re-recruit the remaining ~55 guys to avoid them from entering the portal. You would probably need ~5 Bud Wentz for football to have a similar impact. Pretty much one required per position group.

 

Agreed, but Bud's NIL influence is far beyond throwing in money.  He also has fashioned the formulas for determining the NIL values of potential recruits.

[MangoZip]

6 minutes ago, exit322 said:

Of course it is.  Akron isn't interested in trying to grow the program and actually win, so why not find more easy money to get everyone hurt and lose by 40?

The athletic dept is caught in a whirlpool that they can’t get out of. I think they truly do want to improve the football program but they are so desperate for the money to keep the entire athletic department afloat that they can’t resist the big payday games. Vicious cycle 

[MarkWiley]

9 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

The athletic dept is caught in a whirlpool that they can’t get out of. I think they truly do want to improve the football program but they are so desperate for the money to keep the entire athletic department afloat that they can’t resist the big payday games. Vicious cycle 

I hope they have the guts to give it one year, give the team the chance to get out of OOC with 2 or even 3 wins and get a bowl game.  Then see how that chargers the program.  Here's hoping.

[Let'sGoZips94]

If the new AD wants to get a buy game on the schedule, swap out Duquesne for a P4. That is a move I'd be ok with. Do not touch Wyoming or UAB. Nebraska, Wyoming, UAB, and another P4 would be a fun OOC schedule.

 

The fascination programs have with FCS/DII/DIII programs in football & basketball for "wins" is baffling to me. 

Edited December 11 by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

16 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

Agreed, but Bud's NIL influence is far beyond throwing in money.  He also has fashioned the formulas for determining the NIL values of potential recruits.

Yes, my comments just wasn't about the money. He jokingly said his full-time job is being the GM for the basketball program. He's very involved in the recruiting process and takes time to meet with the kids when they come to campus.

 

I'm saying it's not feasible for 1 guy to be as involved in every facet when you're actively trying to bring in 5x the number of players compared to basketball in a given year. It would need to be a more divide and conquer approach.

[kreed5120]

10 minutes ago, MarkWiley said:

I hope they have the guts to give it one year, give the team the chance to get out of OOC with 2 or even 3 wins and get a bowl game.  Then see how that chargers the program.  Here's hoping.

We've already seen it. Bowden had an 8-5 season and it didn't change anything. It would take prolonged success before Joe Akron's opinion of the program would ever change.

[Section210Zip]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

In other news, the softest football program in the country resides 1.5 hours southwest of Akron. 

Supposedly this is a troll job. I heard this guy is actually a Michigan fan. 

[LZIp]

49 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

The athletic dept is caught in a whirlpool that they can’t get out of. I think they truly do want to improve the football program but they are so desperate for the money to keep the entire athletic department afloat that they can’t resist the big payday games. Vicious cycle 

It’s time to cut some more sports then.

[catdaddyp]

Former CB coach Tre Bell headed to UMASS after spending a year with WVU.

[UA1996MAENG]

1 hour ago, LZIp said:

It’s time to cut some more sports then.

With Title-IX, cuts could only be in men's sports.  What goes?  Baseball and cross country were brought back recently.  If enrollment and athletic revenues do not improve, it'll be football to be cut eventually. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

Bill Belichick to UNC. 

 

Welcome to professional sports. 

[kreed5120]

36 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

With Title-IX, cuts could only be in men's sports.  What goes?  Baseball and cross country were brought back recently.  If enrollment and athletic revenues do not improve, it'll be football to be cut eventually. 

Cutting cross country doesn't really save much money. I know they talked about making baseball self funded when they revived the program. I have no idea how true that ended up being. Baseball I know at most northern schools is among the most expensive Olympic sports to run, but if it's 70%-80% booster funded, cutting it probably doesn't save us much money either.

[LZIp]

46 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

With Title-IX, cuts could only be in men's sports.  What goes?  Baseball and cross country were brought back recently.  If enrollment and athletic revenues do not improve, it'll be football to be cut eventually. 

I’m not a title 9 expert, but cutting women’s Lax and Men’s baseball and cc should be back on the table as that’s was was most recently added. Honestly, everything besides men’s basketball and football should be on table. Yes even soccer.  I don’t like it, but if this is where college athletics is going and we are hamstrung as a University, we need to adapt. Those two sports are your gateway to the university, with ability to profit at the individual sport level AND numerous examples of enrollment increasing when either of those two teams have success on a national level.

 

I am shocked at the lack of institutional support our football program receives. Unsure if it’s a new development or just recently brought to light, but it’s no wonder we are what we’ve been. The issue is much bigger than the staff and players. If the football team has to whore themselves out to support athletics, sacrificing any chance of a successful season, they need to get a disproportionate cut of the revenue from the buy games.

Edited December 11 by LZIp

[Captain Kangaroo]

3 hours ago, Section210Zip said:

Supposedly this is a troll job. I heard this guy is actually a Michigan fan. 

That is definitely what OSU fans will rationalize is true. But it probably isn't.

[clarkwgriswold]

You can't cut Rifle team.  Those people have guns. 

[Blue & Gold]

Can we put a sponsor's logo on our football jerseys?  One Goodyear logo wouldn't look too bad. NBA does it.

Edited December 11 by Blue & Gold

[GP1]

1 hour ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Bill Belichick to UNC. 

 

Welcome to professional sports. 

I heard free tuition for his 24 year old girlfriend was part of the compensation package. 

[clarkwgriswold]

Recruiter to 17 year old prospect:  "Young man, you're going to have a chance to play for Bill Belichick."

Recruit:  "Who?"

[MDZip]

Jerry Seinfeld once had a joke about all the movement in the NFL and he said basically at this point we're just rooting for laundry. I think college football has arrived at that same point. 

[ZippyRulz]

3 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

You can't cut Rifle team.  Those people have guns. 

 

Ha... not that the other sports' athletes don't...

 

[ZippyRulz]

3 hours ago, LZIp said:

I’m not a title 9 expert, but cutting women’s Lax and Men’s baseball and cc should be back on the table as that’s was was most recently added. Honestly, everything besides men’s basketball and football should be on table. Yes even soccer.  I don’t like it, but if this is where college athletics is going and we are hamstrung as a University, we need to adapt. Those two sports are your gateway to the university, with ability to profit at the individual sport level AND numerous examples of enrollment increasing when either of those two teams have success on a national level.

 

I am shocked at the lack of institutional support our football program receives. Unsure if it’s a new development or just recently brought to light, but it’s no wonder we are what we’ve been. The issue is much bigger than the staff and players. If the football team has to whore themselves out to support athletics, sacrificing any chance of a successful season, they need to get a disproportionate cut of the revenue from the buy games.

 

AFAIK, women's basketball and volleyball are still required for MAC membership.

 

[72 Roo]

9 hours ago, MarkWiley said:

I hope they have the guts to give it one year, give the team the chance to get out of OOC with 2 or even 3 wins and get a bowl game.  Then see how that chargers the program.  Here's hoping.

UA administration needs to look at what they can do to make the program better rather than what they can cut. Cutting is the cheap, cowardly solution to the problem. Improvement is the only way out. It is also harder but pays the greatest dividends. It's time to for leaders to learn payday games do not solve problems, rather they make them worse. If there is money available to fund a $1.3M sponsorship with the Browns there is money to field a competitive football program.