No Bowling This Year.

[clarkwgriswold]

We can criticize the NCAA, question the formula that results in the classification, gripe about NIL and question the dedication of the modern athlete to academics, but one inescapable fact remains and that is that the University of Akron football program is the only program in this position.  Every other school is operating under the same constraints and standards yet UA is the only program in this position and that's damn embarrassing.  

[UA1996MAENG]

I've tried to read up on how the APR is caluculated in regard to the score for each year (not the averaging of three).  In this environment, in which thousands of athletes transfer each year, and UA specifically turns over 30-40% of its roster each season, how the hell do they calulate any kind of graduation rate? Or is the score based more on the grades (GPAs) of athletes for that academic year?

[kreed5120]

36 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

I've tried to read up on how the APR is caluculated in regard to the score for each year (not the averaging of three).  In this environment, in which thousands of athletes transfer each year, and UA specifically turns over 30-40% of its roster each season, how the hell do they calulate any kind of graduation rate? Or is the score based more on the grades (GPAs) of athletes for that academic year?

 

Every scholarship athlete can earn 2 points per year. 1 for staying in school and another for keeping grades above a certain threshold. If you have 85 scholarship athletes that means a team can earn 170 points per year. If you have 80 then it would be 160 and so on. They take the points earned and divide it by the points possible. That score is then multiplied by 1000 to arrive at APR. For Akron to be at a 913 it would be the equivalent of us scoring a 155/170 (based on 85 scholarships) a year.

 

You don't get penalized for players who transfer to another school. The penalty would be if they drop out of school entirely or enter the portal, but don't enroll anywhere (which would also be the equivalent of dropping out).

Edited 9 hours ago by kreed5120

[kreed5120]

46 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Even in this anarchy of so-called college football, I don't think an athlete can just fail classes at one university and transfer to another and be eligible to play. Or maybe I'm wrong.  Who knows anymore.

 

You're correct. There a many players who haven't been able to enroll at a school because of grades. 

[MangoZip]

11 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Every scholarship athlete can earn 2 points per year. 1 for staying in school and another for keeping grades above a certain threshold. If you have 85 scholarship athletes that means a team can earn 170 points per year. If you have 80 then it would be 160 and so on. They take the points earned and divide it by the points possible. That score is then multiplied by 1000 to arrive at APR. For Akron to be at a 913 it would be the equivalent of us scoring a 155/170 (based on 85 scholarships) a year.

 

You don't get penalized for players who transfer to another school. The penalty would be if they drop out of school entirely or enter the portal, but don't enroll anywhere (which would also be the equivalent of dropping out).

This rule seems like it would hit Akron pretty hard. Being a lower tier D1 (and MAC) school it seems like several players in the last couple years have hit the portal and/or flunked out and never reappeared on another roster. I’d guess that this is fairly typical when dealing with so many Juco kids. They overestimated their value and ended up working at Wal Mart - and bringing down Akron’s APR in the process. 

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, egregiousbob said:

Interesting that Nemer didn't identify a single element of the Plan.  Could it all just be another PR move by the BOT? Likely.

 

That was my thought as well. Why wasn't an action plan put in place after that disastrous 885 score year?

 

This is already looking like a 2 year minimum ban. I wouldn't be surprised if it's more realistically 3 years. The University being reactive instead of proactive is a big reason why we find ourselves in messes so often.

[WeRise225]

4 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

That was my thought as well. Why wasn't an action plan put in place after that disastrous 885 score year?

 

This is already looking like a 2 year minimum ban. I wouldn't be surprised if it's more realistically 3 years. The University being reactive instead of proactive is a big reason why we find ourselves in messes so often.

If that's the case Id expect under 1k fans to attend any games. 

[kreed5120]

12 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

This rule seems like it would hit Akron pretty hard. Being a lower tier D1 (and MAC) school it seems like several players in the last couple years have hit the portal and/or flunked out and never reappeared on another roster. I’d guess that this is fairly typical when dealing with so many Juco kids. They overestimated their value and ended up working at Wal Mart - and bringing down Akron’s APR in the process. 

 

I don't disagree that the athletes we are targeting play a big part in this mess. The problem is this isn't a Miami (FL) issue where we're bringing in questionable characters, but still winning. Joe is bringing these players in and we're still going 8-38. Akron football is an embarrassment both on and off the field. We should probably revisit our recruiting strategies.

[a-zip]

2 hours ago, MarkWiley said:

If an education is not important to that player, they check out entirely, often not bothering to finish their courses.  There is nothing the program can leverage against the kid to enforce his actions.

100%   These players are essentially fluent throughout all schools that have a sports program.  If a kid plays for 6 years at 4 different schools and tanks the last semester he is at each school, is the NCAA saying that school is responsible?!?!  That is absurd!!  Did we take kids from the portal that just tanked their last semester at their previous school and we inherited that GPA?  If so, that is foolish.  While I do think the NCAA is a hypocritical bunch, I still put this squarely on UA's administration.  They had warnings and didn't address them.  They should have spent less time (and $$) designing the 5th new  A  logo.

[egregiousbob]

1 hour ago, MarkWiley said:

 

Do you have a source for that?  My understanding is Akron can still participate in the Championship.

 

Per the NCAA website, teams must earn a four-year average APR of 930 to compete in championships. "For football, falling below the threshold bars a program from conference championship games and bowl games. The minimum threshold of 930 equates to a 50 percent graduation rate.

 

 

[UA1996MAENG]

4 minutes ago, a-zip said:

100%   These players are essentially fluent throughout all schools that have a sports program.  If a kid plays for 6 years at 4 different schools and tanks the last semester he is at each school, is the NCAA saying that school is responsible?!?!  That is absurd!!  Did we take kids from the portal that just tanked their last semester at their previous school and we inherited that GPA?  If so, that is foolish.  While I do think the NCAA is a hypocritical bunch, I still put this squarely on UA's administration.  They had warnings and didn't address them.  They should have spent less time (and $$) designing the 5th new  A  logo.

Maybe UA admin really does not care because....the program is going to be cut or relegated back to FCS anyway?  Was it somewhere on this site that there was a some info that one (urban) MAC university petioned to remain a conference member without football? Is the end of some sort coming after this upcoming season?

[clarkwgriswold]

26 minutes ago, WeRise225 said:

If that's the case Id expect under 1k fans to attend any games. 

 

So, to clarify, we won't notice a difference in the attendance.

[kreed5120]

13 minutes ago, UA1996MAENG said:

Maybe UA admin really does not care because....the program is going to be cut or relegated back to FCS anyway?

 

I've tried fighting the good fight of arguing to keep the program FBS. Each passing year as the cost of FBS escalates and the football program reaches new levels of ineptitude it's becoming harder and harder to defend.

 

If this path continues one has to ask at what point should we explore the decision of joining Dayton in the non-scholaship Pioneer League? I'm not saying we're there yet, but that date might be approaching. I don't see the value in scholarship FCS as any cost savings there is more than offset by reduction in revenue.

[UA1996MAENG]

2 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

I've tried fighting the good fight of arguing to keep the program FBS. Each passing year as the cost of FBS escalates and the football program reaches new levels of ineptitude it's becoming harder and harder to defend.

 

If this path continues one has to ask at what point should we explore the decision of joining Dayton in the non-scholaship Pioneer League? I'm not saying we're there yet, but that date might be approaching. I don't see the value in scholarship FCS as any cost savings there is more than offset by reduction in revenue.

That Pioneer Conference (or additional non-scholarship conferences of that type) might be the future for many G5 programs. There seems to be at least a few G5 teams in each conference that "chose the wrong time" to be terrible, to the point where NIL and the Portal make a recovery extremely difficult if not impossible: Kent, most of Conference USA, half of the Sunbelt, etc.

[AkronAlumnus]

53 minutes ago, WeRise225 said:

If that's the case Id expect under 1k fans to attend any games. 

My uncle had season tickets for he and my aunt since I can remember and they never missed a game - he actually played FB for the Zips in 1988!!  He told me he isn't renewing his tickets again.  Kinda sad but I understand it, how many others will follow?  He admitted it might be time to prioritize hoops and soccer and that's coming from a UA FB Alum. 

[dre22era]

4 hours ago, GP1 said:

What must happen before going to a bowl game? If you guessed winning at least six games, you would be correct. He was brought here to win games. If we wanted a choirboy loser, we could have stuck with Arth. The central problem is, he isn't winning enough games.

 

If Akron wins eight games and the MAC, I'm not concerned that we can't go to a bowl game we really can't afford to go to. Akron could take that success and run with it. If at this time next year, this nonsensical probation is gone and we are winning, all is good. 

My brother is a college head coach.

College coaches are hired to Lead, guide, empower, educate, unify, build, and WIN. 

Akron is not a Power 5 School. 

1st thing that comes to mind when Ohio State is mentioned is Football. 

1st thing that comes to mind when Akron is mentioned is = EDUCATION and as a Akron Alum I am proud of that.

I be damn if folks on here throw my Alma Mater under the bus in defense of a negligent coach allowing his players to not give a damn about academics. There is no excuse for that. 

Power 5 Schools can afford to pay coaches millions to leave on the strength of them not winning. 

As a mid major our goal is not to compete for National Championships. Our goal is to bring in a HC who can build a consistent winning program on the field and in the classroom. A winning program that unifies the city of Akron, Students, and Alums. With all the $$$ that has been dumped on this program we should be on a consistent level with Buffalo, Miami (OH), and Ohio Univ. 

[dre22era]

We haven't won a Conference Championship since 2005 - our only one in the program's history and folks wanna come on here and blame NIL for our struggles that have existed long before NIL. 

NIL is not the reason we can't even compete in our own conference. NIL is not the reason why we got our ass kicked by Ohio Univ 30-10. We continue to hire overrated glorified assistant coaches expecting them to act as a Head Coach. 

FYI
 

Quote

Sources told ESPN that university officials were concerned about the culture and discipline in the program under Moorhead, who had a 14-12 record with the Bulldogs that culminated with a 38-28 loss to Louisville in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl on Monday.
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/28415581/mississippi-state-fires-joe-moorhead-2-seasons

 

[pdt1420]

People keep banging on Joe… wasn’t there just a post that it has improved every year he’s been here? And been above the threshold the last two years?  &nbsp
 

How is that him not “leading young men”?

[dre22era]

Joe Morehead 

Record 8–28 (.222)

FBS teams have fallen below the required academic threshold of 930 for postseason eligibility since the start of the CFP era:
• 2025 Akron
• 2024 Akron (practice reduction)
• 2023 NMSU (COVID waiver)
• 2023 LSU (COVID waiver)
• 2014-17 Idaho

 

Folks really have the nerve to defend that. 

[kreed5120]

17 minutes ago, pdt1420 said:

People keep banging on Joe… wasn’t there just a post that it has improved every year he’s been here? And been above the threshold the last two years?  &nbsp
 

How is that him not “leading young men”?

 

The threshold is 930. Year 1 we were in the 880s. The past 2 seasons we were around 920. All 3 years we have been below the 930 requirement. 

Edited 7 hours ago by kreed5120

[Hilltopper]

1 hour ago, dre22era said:

My brother is a college head coach.

College coaches are hired to Lead, guide, empower, educate, unify, build, and WIN. 

Akron is not a Power 5 School. 

1st thing that comes to mind when Ohio State is mentioned is Football. 

1st thing that comes to mind when Akron is mentioned is = EDUCATION and as a Akron Alum I am proud of that.

I be damn if folks on here throw my Alma Mater under the bus in defense of a negligent coach allowing his players to not give a damn about academics. There is no excuse for that. 

Power 5 Schools can afford to pay coaches millions to leave on the strength of them not winning. 

As a mid major our goal is not to compete for National Championships. Our goal is to bring in a HC who can build a consistent winning program on the field and in the classroom. A winning program that unifies the city of Akron, Students, and Alums. With all the $$$ that has been dumped on this program we should be on a consistent level with Buffalo, Miami (OH), and Ohio Univ. 

You hit the nail on the head! If this situation was somehow the fault of the administration, we would be having the same type of problems in the other programs. Moorhead dropped the ball even though the administration was all over him about this problem. They even hired an outsider firm to help. They offered players the chance to come back and complete their degree for no charge! But the guys we were bringing in didn't care after they left via the portal or after they ran out of eligibility. 

 

[Ham]

@kreed5120 are you sure about the APR formula?  85 athletes earn 2 points each achieve 1000 score.  If 12 of those athletes fail to earn one of those two points the "score" would be 158/170=0.929 (929).  What if a player is injured or otherwise decides to just drop out of school?  The formula can't be that simple.  

[kreed5120]

11 minutes ago, Ham said:

@kreed5120 are you sure about the APR formula?  85 athletes earn 2 points each achieve 1000 score.  If 12 of those athletes fail to earn one of those two points the "score" would be 158/170=0.929 (929).  What if a player is injured or otherwise decides to just drop out of school?  The formula can't be that simple.  

 

You can do a Google search for yourself, but it is that simple. 

 

If a player has a career ending injury I would imagine any University would either continue to honor their athletic scholarship or give them an academic one. That would be horrific PR otherwise. @Hilltopper, if I understood correctly, said Akron offered to allow players that were no longer on the team the ability to continue their education here for no charge. That's an incredibly generous offer. 

[mrelegazna]

Good to know this is simply all Joe's fault, because it means once he's gone, and we hire a decent replacement, poof! Problem solved!  I love easy answers!

 

Sarcasm aside, unfortunately like most problems this big they are also complex, with no easy answers (I watch a lot of docs and shows about plane crashes and other man-made disasters, and it is almost NEVER a single cause or issue, it's always a chain or series of them) or single scapegoats. 

 

Not just with respect to Joe, but Nemer - I don't think that just because he made a PR statement that contains PR instead of details and wonk means he doesn't care about the problem and/or is ill-equipped to fix (or is secretly fine with it because it will help him cut or drop down the program). 

 

Maybe time will tell that he IS incompetent and/or anti-football, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt until we have a lot better reason to feel otherwise.

 

We're just gonna have to be patient, because this isn't getting fixed overnight nor does it seem Joe will be out the door before the season starts. 

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by mrelegazna

[Let'sGoZips94]

The more that comes out about this, the more my anger turns towards whomever leaked whatever those APR numbers were (my fire Joe post previously was more of a joke). The ABJ shared different numbers that indicate YOY progress. It feels like whomever leaked it wanted it to be an Akron hit piece instead of some sort of journalistic reveal. 

 

I hope we play our asses off this year and give a massive middle finger to the NCAA. I also hope more journalism is done into the academic fraud committed at most schools to pass this stupid APR.