Guess one game with UNLV was enough

[exit322]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Pac12/s/rs9HNYpHmK

 

Instead, we're going to Fort Collins next year.

[kreed5120]

Probably a disappointment for the dozen or so Zips fans who were looking for an excuse to make the trip out to Vegas. Overall, this should be a better game for Akron. Colorado St isn't at the level of a UNLV so it should at least be a little more competitive.

[MangoZip]

They also visit Arizona State so that’s two trips out West. If they would happen to play Sacramento State out there, they will really be racking up some frequent flyer miles. 

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, MangoZip said:

They also visit Arizona State so that’s two trips out West. If they would happen to play Sacramento State out there, they will really be racking up some frequent flyer miles. 

 

TBF if we have to fly out to Sacramento State then Sacramento State would be the one paying for travel as that's part of their agreement when they joined the MAC.

[ZippyRulz]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

Probably a disappointment for the dozen or so Zips fans who were looking for an excuse to make the trip out to Vegas. Overall, this should be a better game for Akron. Colorado St isn't at the level of a UNLV so it should at least be a little more competitive.

 

I haven't priced plane tickets just lately but it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to do both. You can get a direct round trip to Vegas from most airports on most carriers and then it's a relatively short round trip to Fort Collins. I did a similar trip in 2024 to visit family on the west coast with brief stayovers in LV coming and going. Although I've never been to the UNLV campus so it would have been fun to attend a game there.

 

 

 

 

[kreed5120]

10 minutes ago, ZippyRulz said:

 

I haven't priced plane tickets just lately but it shouldn't be too hard or expensive to do both. You can get a direct round trip to Vegas from most airports on most carriers and then it's a relatively short round trip to Fort Collins. I did a similar trip in 2024 to visit family on the west coast with brief stayovers in LV coming and going. Although I've never been to the UNLV campus so it would have been fun to attend a game there.

 

It looks like it's 800 miles from Vegas to Fort Collins and then 800 miles back. That's not relatively short round trip, at least not to mention lol.

 

I wasn't planning to make the trip though so it's not like I'm the target demographic.

[exit322]

Honestly if I were going to go out west, I'm probably more inclined to go to Fort Collins than to Las Vegas.

[kreed5120]

I don't disagree. I've been to Vegas 5-6 times in my youth. I don't regret the trips, but I've outgrown it. Same with New Orleans. Much prefer the outdoors these days.

[ZippyDoo]

Kreed your funny, Colorado State "more competitive".... 

 

if joe moe comes back does it really matter if you lose 35 or 45?

[kreed5120]

44 minutes ago, ZippyDoo said:

Kreed your funny, Colorado State "more competitive".... 

 

if joe moe comes back does it really matter if you lose 35 or 45?

 

By that I meant we might lose by 20 instead of 40.

[exit322]

1 hour ago, kreed5120 said:

 

By that I meant we might lose by 20 instead of 40.

 

Hard to tell, CSU is a worse program than UNLV right now, but one in a considerably better league.

[phil]

Brookhart played 3 years at Colorado State as a wide receiver.  I wonder if he still has any connections at the school.

[Lee Adams]

On 11/11/2026 at 11:00 AM, MangoZip said:

They also visit Arizona State so that’s two trips out West. If they would happen to play Sacramento State out there, they will really be racking up some frequent flyer miles. 

Ill take Phoenix. Visit there often. Used to live there. Plenty to to outdoors and indoors.

[exit322]

14 hours ago, phil said:

Brookhart played 3 years at Colorado State as a wide receiver.  I wonder if he still has any connections at the school.

 

It's definitely possible. Ohio State is playing New Hampshire next year (Day played QB there).  Tressel OSU played Youngstown a few times.  It makes sense to leverage these connections.

[Let'sGoZips94]

Theoretically, what is stopping Akron from going Independent in football and playing 12 pay games to fund the athletic department since there is no meaningful championship to play for? Sneak one here and there while our basketball, soccer, baseball, etc. programs thrive. 

[exit322]

6 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Theoretically, what is stopping Akron from going Independent in football and playing 12 pay games to fund the athletic department since there is no meaningful championship to play for? Sneak one here and there while our basketball, soccer, baseball, etc. programs thrive. 

 

I'd say at this point, it's that the P4 teams only play 2 such games (max) now.  So you're not going to get all that many buy games.

 

And with even the MAC going to 9 conference games, and those teams also needing buy games...are there even 12 games on a schedule as a low-level independent?

Edited 1 hour ago by exit322

[zippy5]

7 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

Theoretically, what is stopping Akron from going Independent in football and playing 12 pay games to fund the athletic department since there is no meaningful championship to play for? Sneak one here and there while our basketball, soccer, baseball, etc. programs thrive. 

Having enough guys in one piece to play game #6, for one

[kreed5120]

5 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

I'd say at this point, it's that the P4 teams only play 2 such games (max) now.  So you're not going to get all that many buy games.

 

And with even the MAC going to 9 conference games, and those teams also needing buy games...are there even 12 games on a schedule as a low-level independent?

 

This is the correct answer. Not to mention we would lose MAC membership as it requires FBS football. We would be forced to find a new home for all our other sports. 

[Let'sGoZips94]

32 minutes ago, exit322 said:

 

I'd say at this point, it's that the P4 teams only play 2 such games (max) now.  So you're not going to get all that many buy games.

23 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

This is the correct answer. Not to mention we would lose MAC membership as it requires FBS football. We would be forced to find a new home for all our other sports. 

 

There are 68 P4 squads, correct? That's 136 open games and there are 69 G6 teams. An Independent program would remove the scheduling headaches of working around a conference schedule throughout the season. $750k a game would be $9M for the athletics department. Even half that would be around double what Akron gets for their MAC/ESPN share. Unless the new deal significantly improves the per-school revenue, it's every man for themselves. That's why Miami OH, Ohio, and Toledo are in every conference realignment discussion. More and more schools are going to be looking to get creative. I'm semi-joking about going Independent and being the Mississippi Valley State of football, but what is the point in being in the MAC with its low ceiling in this new landscape - both financially and athletically? That's the main point/question I'm getting at.

Edited 1 hour ago by Let'sGoZips94

[kreed5120]

2 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

There are 68 P4 squads, correct? That's 136 open games and there are 69 G6 teams. An Independent program would remove the scheduling headaches of working around a conference schedule throughout the season. $750k a game would be $9M for the athletics department. Even half that would be around double what Akron gets for their MAC/ESPN share. Unless the new deal significantly improves the per-school revenue, it's every man for themselves. That's why Miami OH, Ohio, and Toledo are in every conference realignment discussion. More and more schools are going to be looking to get creative. I'm semi-joking about going Independent and being the Mississippi Valley State of football, but what is the point in being in the MAC with its low ceiling in this new landscape - both financially and athletically?

 

Well we don't know yet what the new MAC TV deal will pay. We can't jump to any conclusions before we see the finalized numbers. We also typically play 2 P4 already and that pays ~2.5 million so it's not all new money. Not sure if going independent impacts any payouts we currently receive from the CFP system.

 

It's not that I'm opposed to being in another conference than the MAC. It's more a matter that it's kind of impossible to be an independent in all sports. If theoretically we were kicked out of the MAC the MVC would probably be the ideal landing spot, but it's not a certainty they would take us. We would have to have a plan in place. 

[exit322]

9 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Well we don't know yet what the new MAC TV deal will pay. We can't jump to any conclusions before we see the finalized numbers. We also typically play 2 P4 already and that pays ~2.5 million so it's not all new money. Not sure if going independent impacts any payouts we currently receive from the CFP system.

 

It's not that I'm opposed to being in another conference than the MAC. It's more a matter that it's kind of impossible to be an independent in all sports. If theoretically we were kicked out of the MAC the MVC would probably be the ideal landing spot, but it's not a certainty they would take us. We would have to have a plan in place. 

 

Honestly I think basketball is strong enough that the MVC would take Akron if the situation called for it.  Also adds an elite soccer program to the league (BGSU and WMU already play in the MVC for soccer).  If Akron were to make an FCS move, I don't think there'd be any trouble finding a league, and the MVC feels like it'd be that league.

 

Akron's CFP payout is not affected by going independent (http://collegefootballplayoff.com/sports/2017/9/20/revenue-distribution)

[exit322]

27 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

More and more schools are going to be looking to get creative. I'm semi-joking about going Independent and being the Mississippi Valley State of football, but what is the point in being in the MAC with its low ceiling in this new landscape - both financially and athletically?

 

I think there are ways to go get creative, but as @kreed5120 noted, we should see what we're getting from ESPN first before making some wild move.  Hopefully the delay is because someone else is interested in the rights (it's gonna be heavy streaming just because it's the MAC, but ESPN is bleh), but I'm sure it's not.