Game #5 Zips @ Toledo - 3:30 pm September 27th: Catdaddyp July Preview → Official Game Thread

[Blue & Gold]

Whoever runs this account has the easiest job in the world. Depressing... but easy.

 

[GP1]

11 hours ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Honestly any money we would save dropping to FCS is probably negated by lost revenue. Non-scholaship FCS or D2 would probably be where things would start making mathematical sense.

If we just wait a few more years, G5 may have it's own division below FBS. By doing so, we can save a good MBB program and very good soccer program. 

[GP1]

2 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

We simply can't be this bad in Year 4 😞

How good should one of the most under resourced programs be?  Seriously, I think that's an interesting question. Losing is one thing. A program completely devoid of any entertainment value is something completely different.

[Lee Adams]

3 hours ago, GP1 said:

If we just wait a few more years, G5 may have it's own division below FBS. By doing so, we can save a good MBB program and very good soccer program. 

Not about 'saving money' after lierally decades of this. They have to play at a level where they can be consistently competitive. Now they are not.

[Lee Adams]

15 hours ago, exit322 said:

Honestly, I debated whether FCS or Division 2 was the better call.

Wherever they can be competitive. Think they could compete against the S.Dakota, N.Dakota and Montana teams among others, in FCS? Personally I would question that also.

[GP1]

47 minutes ago, Lee Adams said:

Not about 'saving money' after lierally decades of this. They have to play at a level where they can be consistently competitive. Now they are not.

You're right, it's not about the money. The central question is whether or not they want to be in the MAC. If that answer is no, it puts a lot of pressure on other programs that are performing well. The other question is, who would want Akron and why?

 

If the answer is yes, they need to figure out how to get more competitive in 2026 and beyond. 

[Blue & Gold]

7 hours ago, GP1 said:

How good should one of the most under resourced programs be?  Seriously, I think that's an interesting question. Losing is one thing. A program completely devoid of any entertainment value is something completely different.

And with our best players leaving via the TP every year what else should we expect?  With the current state of college football I think the best we can hope for is the possibility of catching lightning in a bottle once in a while.  

 

Edited 20 hours ago by Blue & Gold

[exit322]

5 hours ago, Lee Adams said:

Wherever they can be competitive. Think they could compete against the S.Dakota, N.Dakota and Montana teams among others, in FCS? Personally I would question that also.

So probably not.  But they're a lot closer to popping an FCS playoff berth every now and again than they are to an FBS bowl game.

[clarkwgriswold]

This conversation invariably brings the discussion about how UA can't be in the MAC without an FBS football team and the impact that could have on the basketball program.  I say it's about time we started considering other alternatives to a one bid conference where half of the schools make no effort to put out a reasonable basketball program.  I've seen enough Michigan directionals for the rest of my life.

[GP1]

25 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

This conversation invariably brings the discussion about how UA can't be in the MAC without an FBS football team and the impact that could have on the basketball program.  I say it's about time we started considering other alternatives to a one bid conference where half of the schools make no effort to put out a reasonable basketball program.  I've seen enough Michigan directionals for the rest of my life.

You must be tired of winning as well. I'll list the conferences that had multiple bids last year and you tell me which one we can finish with a winning record. This list is from Wikipedia. 

 

BidsConferenceSchools

14 SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

 

8 Big Ten: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin

 

7 Big 12: Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech

 

5 Big East: Creighton, Marquette, St. John's, UConn, Xavier

 

4 ACC: Clemson, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina

 

4 Mountain West: Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah State

 

2 West Coast: Gonzaga, Saint Mary's

 

The MWC and West Coast are not serious options because of travel. That leaves us with even less serious options in the Big Ten, SEC, Big East, Big 12 and ACC. All but the Big East require football membership. That leaves the Big East. Let's see, St. Johns plays in the most famous arena in the world. Marquette plays in an NBA arena. Xavier has their own palace. UCONN is a national power.  I guess once every 10 years we could beat Creighton. 

 

Does leaving the MAC still sound like a good idea?

[clarkwgriswold]

15 minutes ago, GP1 said:

You must be tired of winning as well. I'll list the conferences that had multiple bids last year and you tell me which one we can finish with a winning record. This list is from Wikipedia. 

 

BidsConferenceSchools

14 SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

 

8 Big Ten: Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, UCLA, Wisconsin

 

7 Big 12: Arizona, Baylor, BYU, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech

 

5 Big East: Creighton, Marquette, St. John's, UConn, Xavier

 

4 ACC: Clemson, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina

 

4 Mountain West: Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah State

 

2 West Coast: Gonzaga, Saint Mary's

 

The MWC and West Coast are not serious options because of travel. That leaves us with even less serious options in the Big Ten, SEC, Big East, Big 12 and ACC. All but the Big East require football membership. That leaves the Big East. Let's see, St. Johns plays in the most famous arena in the world. Marquette plays in an NBA arena. Xavier has their own palace. UCONN is a national power.  I guess once every 10 years we could beat Creighton. 

 

Does leaving the MAC still sound like a good idea?

 

Yes.  Thanks for asking.  At least the MAC as currently constructed, especially if it demands what it currently does.

Edited 16 hours ago by clarkwgriswold

[GP1]

8 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

Yes.  Thanks for asking.  At least the MAC as currently constructed, especially if it demands what it currently does.

Pick one of the multiple bid leagues. If fans want a multiple bid league, I have presented them. Pick the one you think is the best fit to be one of the multiple bid teams. 

 

My opinion is this. I go to 1-3 Wake Forest basketball games a year during the ACC schedule. Wake is a bottom third ACC school and I'm going to put this as kindly as possible. They would run Akron out of the gym. Akron is exactly where it belongs. 

[clarkwgriswold]

20 minutes ago, GP1 said:

Pick one of the multiple bid leagues. If fans want a multiple bid league, I have presented them. Pick the one you think is the best fit to be one of the multiple bid teams. 

 

My opinion is this. I go to 1-3 Wake Forest basketball games a year during the ACC schedule. Wake is a bottom third ACC school and I'm going to put this as kindly as possible. They would run Akron out of the gym. Akron is exactly where it belongs. 

I'm not suggesting that there's a perfect conference for UA sports.  I'm proposing that a conference that makes demands that are inconsistent with UA's needs may not be a good home, or needs to change to become a better home for its schools.  That's even more true with the current direction of college athletics.

[kreed5120]

Why would it have to be a consistent multi-bid conference that Akron would have to go to? I would think everyone would agree that the MVC is better than the MAC for hoops. The MVC teams are typically seeded better in the tournament, win more games in the tournament, and on occasion get a 2nd bid. That would probably be more Akron's level for hoops.

 

MAC hoops have drastically declined since covid and there are no signs of it improving anytime soon. The other schools are too busy checking the couch cushions searching for every last nickel and dime to throw at FBS football.

[egregiousbob]

11 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

This conversation invariably brings the discussion about how UA can't be in the MAC without an FBS football team and the impact that could have on the basketball program.  I say it's about time we started considering other alternatives to a one bid conference where half of the schools make no effort to put out a reasonable basketball program.  I've seen enough Michigan directionals for the rest of my life.

What would make Akron attractive to a better basketball conference?  Meh game attendance (6th in MAC?); zero NCAA tournament wins; smallish media market, particularly since there's largely zero coverage of the Zips by the Cleveland media; and a basketball budget that would be middling if not in the lower half of many other leagues.  Bud Wentz's money can only do so much - and what if his financial business faces a serious downturn? I get the frustration with the one-bid issue, but the Zips have had that bid more often then not in recent years and done nothing with it.  

[clarkwgriswold]

31 minutes ago, egregiousbob said:

What would make Akron attractive to a better basketball conference?  Meh game attendance (6th in MAC?); zero NCAA tournament wins; smallish media market, particularly since there's largely zero coverage of the Zips by the Cleveland media; and a basketball budget that would be middling if not in the lower half of many other leagues.  Bud Wentz's money can only do so much - and what if his financial business faces a serious downturn? I get the frustration with the one-bid issue, but the Zips have had that bid more often then not in recent years and done nothing with it.  

 

My issue is not entirely about the one bid conference issue.  It's more about the demands of a conference that does not serve us well.

[kreed5120]

40 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

My issue is not entirely about the one bid conference issue.  It's more about the demands of a conference that does not serve us well.

Exactly, if the MAC demands FBS football, but we determine it's no longer economically viable why would we stay? Not to say that's presently the case, but that time might come.

 

The MAC offers us nothing of value for basketball and doesn't even support soccer any longer. It would be more about finding a conference that more aligns with our strategic direction.

[clarkwgriswold]

4 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

Exactly, if the MAC demands FBS football, but we determine it's no longer economically viable why would we stay? Not to say that's presently the case, but that time might come.

 

The MAC offers us nothing of value for basketball and doesn't even support soccer any longer. It would be more about finding a conference that more aligns with our strategic direction.

And back to my original point, I don't understand the logic of maintaining a persistently bad football program for the sake of the basketball program.

 

Okay, back to football.  ZipsNation is re-entering the Groundhog Day zone.

[GP1]

45 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

 

My issue is not entirely about the one bid conference issue.  It's more about the demands of a conference that does not serve us well.

I'm always here to help. The MAC does not serve us. The conference is a member organization. As such, the members make the decisions. The problems at Akron are almost entirely of our own making.

 

The MAC commissioner and other schools have not hired a series of mid level, at best, ADs since Mack. Nor did they force us to hire Ianello, Arth and keep on to Bowden too long. Further, the MAC is not forcing Akron to fund the program like it's Grandma's checkbook. 

 

Ya, the weeknight games are a laughable joke at this point, but other schools seem to be able to win regardless. If the weeknight games go away, what evidence is there that Akron will be able to maximize that opportunity?

[exit322]

2 hours ago, clarkwgriswold said:

And back to my original point, I don't understand the logic of maintaining a persistently bad football program for the sake of the basketball program.

 

Okay, back to football.  ZipsNation is re-entering the Groundhog Day zone.

The question I think will be interesting to answer (and part of this is difficult because the MWC probably won't want Akron)...how much will NIU's financial position change with this move?

 

Is there a similar move for Akron to consider, if they're going to insist on staying FBS?  That part seems difficult because NIU was somewhat attractive due to not being a terrible program every year.

[egregiousbob]

Big difference. Mountain West claims NIU gives them the "Chicago market."  Of course, it doesn't, but whatever.

 

My guess is that NIU's move will be, at best, a wash if not actually a financial disaster.  Their president is/was considered to be one of the most anti-sports presidents in the MAC, BTW.

 

  

[kreed5120]

37 minutes ago, exit322 said:

The question I think will be interesting to answer (and part of this is difficult because the MWC probably won't want Akron)...how much will NIU's financial position change with this move?

 

Is there a similar move for Akron to consider, if they're going to insist on staying FBS?  That part seems difficult because NIU was somewhat attractive due to not being a terrible program every year.

 

I don't think anyone is advocating to leave the MAC, but stay FBS. Leaving the MAC only happens if Akron decides to drop down to FCS due to soaring costs of FBS making it no longer worth their while. 

 

Talking about joining another conference is more an argument against those who say we can't drop FBS because the MAC won't allow us to stay. Akron's non-football sports are much more appealing than NIU. If NIU could find a home for their sports then Akron won't have trouble doing the same.