Week #4 - UNLV Preview

[GP1]

22 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

Akron can't afford to fire him.  Otherwise it's long since time to try something else.  This isn't working, and he's not the guy to rise above the program's limitations.  But he sure will talk about them every chance he gets.

What if he is rising above the limitations and this is the best we can hope for until the overall circumstances improve?

[exit322]

12 minutes ago, GP1 said:

What if he is rising above the limitations and this is the best we can hope for until the overall circumstances improve?

 

I've wondered that.  It's a very good question.

 

Might go into your Dayton/Davidson discussion in the other thread...

[kreed5120]

I have heard Joe talk less about the programs limitations this year compared to previous ones.

 

I feel some have unrealistic expectations for the program. Programs like Miami, WMU, and Toledo are probably spending ~$8-$15 million more than us per year when you combine NIL spend and operating costs. Even with that none of them are going to come close to sniffing the playoffs this year or the foreseeable future.

 

Akron's athletic department was wise focusing what little resources we do have on basketball. Dollars go further there. The current FBS system is stacked against conferences like the MAC.

[LZIp]

3 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

 

Akron's athletic department was wise focusing what little resources we do have on basketball. Dollars go further there. The current FBS system is stacked against conferences like the MAC.

Don’t get me wrong, love the basketball program, but I’m not seeing the benefit outside of the conference. The focus on resources there is only keeping the program where it has been historically. We still get smoked when we make the NCAA tourney. I can’t remember the last notable win the program has had. Miss St, Penn St, or Oregon St during the KD days?

[AkronAlumnus]

Closer than the score indicated, 5-plays go different & the games competitive.  UA played with them despite their 11M NIL budget.  Without the blown coverage(s) and the trick play INT things could have been different

[kreed5120]

24 minutes ago, LZIp said:

Don’t get me wrong, love the basketball program, but I’m not seeing the benefit outside of the conference. The focus on resources there is only keeping the program where it has been historically. We still get smoked when we make the NCAA tourney. I can’t remember the last notable win the program has had. Miss St, Penn St, or Oregon St during the KD days?

 

We literally took UCLA to the final seconds in the tournament. Probably win if Freeman doesn't foul out on a bogus call. Ohio won a game just a few years ago. Buffalo a few years before that so MAC teams winning games can be done.

 

The thing about basketball is it's significantly cheaper to compete. I think between operations and player spend Akron is around $4.5 million. Even if you gutted basketball to bare minimum and redirected all of that to football that might only free up $2 million. That's not enough to materially improve the football program.

 

It's not a situation where Akron has the money to be competitive in football, but decides to invest it in basketball instead. It's that Akron acknowledges they don't have the resources to be good in football so they just decide to punt on the sport financially to free up a little extra for basketball. If they didn't do that Akron would be terrible at both sports and nobody would be happy.

Edited Saturday at 10:37 PM by kreed5120

[LZIp]

7 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

We literally took UCLA to the final seconds in the tournament. Probably win if Freeman doesn't foul out on a bogus call. Ohio made the Sweet 16 just a few years ago. Buffalo a few years before that so MAC teams winning games can be done.

 

The thing about basketball is it's significantly cheaper to compete. I think between operations and player spend Akron is around $4.5 million. Even if you gutted basketball to bare minimum and redirected all of that to football that might only free up $2 million. That's not enough to materially improve the football program.

 

It's not a situation where Akron has the money to be competitive in football, but decides to invest it in basketball instead. It's that Akron acknowledges they don't have the resources to be good in football so they just decide to punt on the sport financially to free up a little extra for basketball. If they didn't do that Akron would be terrible at both sports and nobody would be happy.

I think the program being able to keep Freeman was much more the exception than the norm. Ohio only won their first round game with Preston.  Their success and of course Buffalo’s were pre-NIL era or maybe just the beginning..at the very least, nothing like it is today.

 

im not arguing to take money from the basketball program, just more so stating none of it really seems to matter on a national scale. With that said, I could be convinced a few million more dollars in operating budget/NIL to work with could mean the football program could be annual conference contenders, considering we’re trending towards .500 with the lowest budget in all of FBS. Then again, any success would be limited to the conference level.

[exit322]

8 minutes ago, LZIp said:

I think the program being able to keep Freeman was much more the exception than the norm. Ohio only won their first round game with Preston.  Their success and of course Buffalo’s were pre-NIL era or maybe just the beginning..at the very least, nothing like it is today.

 

im not arguing to take money from the basketball program, just more so stating none of it really seems to matter on a national scale. With that said, I could be convinced a few million more dollars in operating budget/NIL to work with could mean the football program could be annual conference contenders, considering we’re trending towards .500 with the lowest budget in all of FBS. Then again, any success would be limited to the conference level.

 

A few million more might make the basketball team good enough to win an NCAA Tournament game.

 

No no I'm wrong.  A few million more and they are absolutely good enough to win NCAA Tournament games.

Edited Saturday at 10:53 PM by exit322

[ZippyRulz]

Ironically, only the football program is self-sustaining with a couple million dollars per year in revenue.

 

[exit322]

Official attendance today was 5,607.  Honestly that feels low, especially since the RMU game was announced at 10,032.

[LZIp]

21 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

A few million more might make the basketball team good enough to win an NCAA Tournament game.

 

No no I'm wrong.  A few million more and they are absolutely good enough to win NCAA Tournament games.

I could agree with that too. Though you better have an undefeated season or hope you don’t get upset in Cleveland to have a chance.

 

if the extra couple million is coming from dropping the football program to FCS to join a league like the A-10, better hope you’re a top 2 team. Then again, they been a one bid league as much as they’ve been a two bid league the past 4 years.

 

our government needs to fix college sports.

[exit322]

3 minutes ago, LZIp said:

I could agree with that too. Though you better have an undefeated season or hope you don’t get upset in Cleveland to have a chance.

 

if the extra couple million is coming from dropping the football program to FCS to join a league like the A-10, better hope you’re a top 2 team. Then again, they been a one bid league as much as they’ve been a two bid league the past 4 years.

 

our government needs to fix college sports.

 

If you have the couple million to really beef up the basketball team, you're playing a nonleague schedule that negates the "negatives" of the MAC in that regard.

 

BUT, if in this hypothetical you're going to the A10, you do have more leeway from not being in a one-bid anymore.

Edited Saturday at 11:26 PM by exit322

[GP1]

2 hours ago, exit322 said:

 

I've wondered that.  It's a very good question.

I don't know the answer. I do think I know what the answer is not. That is a MAC school making individual decisions. There are strengths in numbers. I think NIU has made a horrible mistake.  

[exit322]

2 hours ago, GP1 said:

I don't know the answer. I do think I know what the answer is not. That is a MAC school making individual decisions. There are strengths in numbers. I think NIU has made a horrible mistake.  

 

I honestly don't, but I think the "successful decision" here was fairly unique to NIU.  More money from the MWC and a more local set of rivals in a league that's probably more suited to all their other sports.

 

The "MWC - Horizon League" move would not be as fruitful for Akron/Kent, though adding YSU twice in basketball wouldn't be the end of the world.  I think there is a path for Akron to make a move in that realm that would work, but I think you're right (at least, together as a group of the six Ohio MAC schools).

Edited Sunday at 02:41 AM by exit322

[kreed5120]

12 hours ago, LZIp said:

I think the program being able to keep Freeman was much more the exception than the norm. Ohio only won their first round game with Preston.  Their success and of course Buffalo’s were pre-NIL era or maybe just the beginning..at the very least, nothing like it is today.

 

im not arguing to take money from the basketball program, just more so stating none of it really seems to matter on a national scale. With that said, I could be convinced a few million more dollars in operating budget/NIL to work with could mean the football program could be annual conference contenders, considering we’re trending towards .500 with the lowest budget in all of FBS. Then again, any success would be limited to the conference level.

 

That was before Freeman was a breakout star. I do agree keeping someone like him 4-5 years probably just isn't going to happen moving forward under the current rules. There is legislation that plans to limit how often players can transfer without penalty so perhaps that could restore some order for both basketball and football.

 

The MAC is terrible. 6 out of the bottom 10 teams (per Massey) in FBS are MAC schools. That's not including NIU, who just left the MAC, that is also in the bottom 10. There is a big difference between beating 3-4 MAC cupcakes (who are on par with an upper tier FCS program) and actually being able to consistently compete with the top handful of teams in the MAC. I don't even think we have the full allotment of assistants and support staff so that would eat up a decent chunk to get just there before even getting into NIL.

[GP1]

9 hours ago, exit322 said:

 

I honestly don't, but I think the "successful decision" here was fairly unique to NIU.  More money from the MWC and a more local set of rivals in a league that's probably more suited to all their other sports.

 

The "MWC - Horizon League" move would not be as fruitful for Akron/Kent, though adding YSU twice in basketball wouldn't be the end of the world.  I think there is a path for Akron to make a move in that realm that would work, but I think you're right (at least, together as a group of the six Ohio MAC schools).

Why couldn't the MAC schools just keep the MAC and abandon scholarship football?

[exit322]

1 minute ago, GP1 said:

Why couldn't the MAC schools just keep the MAC and abandon scholarship football?

 

You're losing a number of the teams when you do that, but I don't have an answer otherwise.

[kreed5120]

On 9/27/2026 at 8:25 AM, GP1 said:

Why couldn't the MAC schools just keep the MAC and abandon scholarship football?

 

Before any concrete decisions get made it's probably best to wait out and see what, if any, legal changes make it through congress.

 

There are some parts of the legislation that would help mid-majors/G6, namely limiting players to only 1 transfer without having to sit out a year.