Zips Scheduling

[ZachTheZip]

Does anyone think it is a bad decision that the first Zips home game vs Ball State is slated for 6pm when Ohio State plays USC at 8pm?They could have made it a noon or 3pm game and made one hell of a day for football!Why do they constantly do things like this?

I am more concerned about having the last two home games (including the final game in the Rubber Bowl) be on weeknights in November. People that want to watch the OSU game on TV wouldn't show up to see us play Ball State anyways.

[Dr Z]

Does anyone think it is a bad decision that the first Zips home game vs Ball State is slated for 6pm when Ohio State plays USC at 8pm?

Works to my advantage, I'll be at the Rubber Bowl. They'll be plenty of Columbus St games on tv the rest of the year I can flip by with my remote.

[ZippyRulz]

What will be the take on a sold-out Infocision game? We might make a little more going on the road at SEC/ACC/BigTen but I would still rather be playing YSU or a good 1-AA team in Akron (with no return trip required). It would be better for building the program/fanbase and boosting the local economy. The one exception might be if playing at a BCS school is carried on network or ESPN, or of course if we can get a major name to come to Akron. Yes, we need to pay for the stadium but we also need to use it as much as possible.

[TennesseeZippy]

What will be the take on a sold-out Infocision game? We might make a little more going on the road at SEC/ACC/BigTen but I would still rather be playing YSU or a good 1-AA team in Akron (with no return trip required). It would be better for building the program/fanbase and boosting the local economy. The one exception might be if playing at a BCS school is carried on network or ESPN, or of course if we can get a major name to come to Akron. Yes, we need to pay for the stadium but we also need to use it as much as possible.

My personal opinion is that you can have the best of both worlds. You schedule at least 6 home games, but also play one "biggie", an OOC game against a BCS school. You get the payday, and you get these youth the opportunity to play against a BCS school, making Akron more attractive to recruits. What if Appy State didn't schedule MEEEEEEEEEEECHIGAN last year? Even if they don't win the ballgame, they get a heck of a payday. And those kids will remember forever the chance they had to play in the "Big House".Realistically, despite having the new stadium, you are going to have a VERY hard time getting a top-of-the-line BCS school to come to Akron on a home and home in this day and age. Top schools aren't going to risk blowing their BCS chances playing tough non-BCS schools on the road. I don't personally agree with this scheduling philosophy, but that's the thinking that BCS schools follow.

[UA1987]

TZ - a couple of things... We have been playing the big boys on away only contracts for years (last time we played TN the score was 52-7; we scored first) and it has not built us a program (only the cupcake rep.). If you are a school that will not play here (except OSU) then forget it. Building a program means winning and home games are a must for that. I for one am very interested in the Cincinnati's, Indiana's and Syracuse's of the world and I'm looking forward to their visits to Akron in the future. Obviously we will never get TN to come here, but what that means is that they should not be a scheduling target for the present.

[GP1]

What will be the take on a sold-out Infocision game? We might make a little more going on the road at SEC/ACC/BigTen but I would still rather be playing YSU or a good 1-AA team in Akron (with no return trip required).

Your post got me thinking about the first game at IC. Is it too late to jam in a I-AA team to open the stadium the first game of the year? I really don't like playing I-AA teams, but this one time it may be a good idea to open the stadium with a win and build some karma. They need to guarantee sell outs as best as possible the first year. Game 1 against a I-AA team (the stadium will be packed regardless of the visiting team). Game 2 OOC against a BCS program at home could sell a lot of tickets.The downside with this strategy is I-AA teams (the last I heard) don't count towards bowl eligibility.

[Dr Z]

TZ - a couple of things... We have been playing the big boys on away only contracts for years (last time we played TN the score was 52-7; we scored first) and it has not built us a program (only the cupcake rep.).

I agree with TZ. Also picking the Tennessee game back in 1989 is hardly an overview of our program today.Here are some more recent results that gives a better view of how he fair:2007 at OSU 2-20 at IU 24-412006 at PSU 16-34 at NCST 20-14 WIN2005 at Purdue 24-49PS Didn't we score 9 points against UT that game? I also think UT was a top 5 team that year.

[UA1987]

Dr Z. - 1 win in @ 20 of these 'away only' games is not how you build a winning program. I'm not saying we're not competitive (I think we have a shot at Wisconsin; we could get buried too), but 'away only' game contracts are for suckers, desperate programs, or teams playing up a division.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I agree with TZ. Also picking the Tennessee game back in 1989 is hardly an overview of our program today.

That perception seems to be a really tough thing to overcome. Even the staunchest UA supporters seem to be stuck in 1989...referencing games played 20 years ago...asking for 1-AA teams on our 2009 football schedule. Does that happen at Miami? Toledo? No. It happens at places like EMU, K.e.n.t and unfortunately Akron.We are getting a 60+ million dollar football palace. The place WILL be full. The teams WILL win. The opponents SHOULD be exclusively quality, 1-A OOC and MAC opponents. If the stadium is NOT filled to capacity -- heads should roll. You don't spend 60+ million dollars and use the same techniques to garner crowds that were used in the Rubber Bowl era. The bar has been raised, both on the field and in the stands. 5,000 person crowds and 4-8 teams can no longer be accepted.The "low hanging fruit"..."the easy way out" is:* Schedule 1-AA cupcakes to inflate the team's record (this is known as the "Lee Owens Technique")* Schedule "Band Night" and get a few thousand HS bands to pad attendance* Schedule YSUThis is 2008, not 1988. The Low Hanging Fruit Days are over. It is time to expect a quality Division 1 NCAA Football experience in Akron.Personally -- I think that dawn has arrived. But to many, only seeing is believing. So we'll need to wait until September 2009 for people to forget about Jim Dennison's firing, Murray State, YSU and HS Band Nights. I can't wait.

[johnnyzip84]

I'm not sure if Toledo fans ASK for it or not, but there has only been one season (2004) since Amstutz has been the coach that UT has NOT scheduled a 1-AA (FCS) team. Actually, I don't see it as being that bad of an idea. While not the cost of IC, UT put up a relatively large sum of money to add the luxury boxes, etc to the Glass Bowl some years ago. And while they bring in a yearly 1-AA team, they also bring in a "name" program about every year or every other year. It seems like a decent balance to me.

[GP1]

I agree with TZ. Also picking the Tennessee game back in 1989 is hardly an overview of our program today.

That perception seems to be a really tough thing to overcome. Even the staunchest UA supporters seem to be stuck in 1989...referencing games played 20 years ago...asking for 1-AA teams on our 2009 football schedule. Does that happen at Miami? Toledo? No. It happens at places like EMU, K.e.n.t and unfortunately Akron.We are getting a 60+ million dollar football palace. The place WILL be full. The teams WILL win. The opponents SHOULD be exclusively quality, 1-A OOC and MAC opponents. If the stadium is NOT filled to capacity -- heads should roll. You don't spend 60+ million dollars and use the same techniques to garner crowds that were used in the Rubber Bowl era. The bar has been raised, both on the field and in the stands. 5,000 person crowds and 4-8 teams can no longer be accepted.The "low hanging fruit"..."the easy way out" is:* Schedule 1-AA cupcakes to inflate the team's record (this is known as the "Lee Owens Technique")* Schedule "Band Night" and get a few thousand HS bands to pad attendance* Schedule YSUThis is 2008, not 1988. The Low Hanging Fruit Days are over. It is time to expect a quality Division 1 NCAA Football experience in Akron.Personally -- I think that dawn has arrived. But to many, only seeing is believing. So we'll need to wait until September 2009 for people to forget about Jim Dennison's firing, Murray State, YSU and HS Band Nights. I can't wait.

Excellent post.I'm with you as far as not playing I-AA teams every year. As far as other teams around the MAC before I get to my question, Toledo played Liberty in 2007. BSU, favorite to win the MAC West, is playing Northeastern first game of the year and WKU later in the year. Here is the question.... Are we missing a scheduling trend in college football that is benefiting other schools and we are not taking advantage of it? I don't know the answer to this, but in recent years, UofA has been late to the party on various trends happening around college football. For example, running a Heisman Trophy campaign for a player who would never win it, late to the party with the spread offense and picking up the 3-3-5 defense when everyone is running away from it. Could the trend in college football, with the addition of the 12th game, be to allow D-I teams to schedule one cupcake per year to collect money and tune up the team for D-I teams since spring practice allows for less tune up time? The goal of the team should be to win the MAC East, make the post season and then let the chips fly. Does a tune up game in August against a I-AA team hurt or help win the MAC East or is it neither?Some of the I-AA teams Owens played were mid season games. I am completely against that as there is no reason to tune up mid season. I just see the trend of I-AA teams early season for I-A teams and it worries me that we are once again going to be the last to catch on. It might be nice to tune up on someone instead of everyone else tuning up on us.I hope my questions provide some discussion.

[UA1987]

Well... the 1989 Tennessee reference was made for Tennessee Zippy for an obvious reason. The following scores are a little more current for those of you that are worried about looking up to date:'Away Only' scheduled games (no return game in Akron)2007OSU 20-2 L 2006PSU 34-16 LNCS 20-17 W2005Purdue 49-24 L2004PSU 48-10 LVirginia 51-0 L2003Wisconsin 48-31 homered - L2002Iowa 57-21 LMaryland 44-14 LVirginia 48-29 L2001OSU 28-14 LPurdue 33-14 L1999PSU 70-24 LNavy 35-28 W1998Pittsburg 35-0 L1997Nebraska 59-14 LLSU 56-0 L1996Illinois 38-7 L1995Kansas State 67-0 LThe next eight years are worse.UCONN, Indiana, Army, and V-Tech are not listed because they actually played us (or will) in Akron. Remember, we almost upset #10 V-Tech at the Rubber Bowl. UCONN was very close in Akron too.Scheduling 'away only' games (like Wisconsin this year and Tennessee later in our forward schedule per TZ) tears down a program. My points - Home field is a huge advantage. Our schedule must take advantage of our new home field, with quality opponents. Building a winning tradition is our long term answer in Akron.

[GJGood]

I agree with TZ. Also picking the Tennessee game back in 1989 is hardly an overview of our program today.

That perception seems to be a really tough thing to overcome. Even the staunchest UA supporters seem to be stuck in 1989...referencing games played 20 years ago...asking for 1-AA teams on our 2009 football schedule. Does that happen at Miami? Toledo? No. It happens at places like EMU, K.e.n.t and unfortunately Akron.We are getting a 60+ million dollar football palace. The place WILL be full. The teams WILL win. The opponents SHOULD be exclusively quality, 1-A OOC and MAC opponents. If the stadium is NOT filled to capacity -- heads should roll. You don't spend 60+ million dollars and use the same techniques to garner crowds that were used in the Rubber Bowl era. The bar has been raised, both on the field and in the stands. 5,000 person crowds and 4-8 teams can no longer be accepted.The "low hanging fruit"..."the easy way out" is:* Schedule 1-AA cupcakes to inflate the team's record (this is known as the "Lee Owens Technique")* Schedule "Band Night" and get a few thousand HS bands to pad attendance* Schedule YSUThis is 2008, not 1988. The Low Hanging Fruit Days are over. It is time to expect a quality Division 1 NCAA Football experience in Akron.Personally -- I think that dawn has arrived. But to many, only seeing is believing. So we'll need to wait until September 2009 for people to forget about Jim Dennison's firing, Murray State, YSU and HS Band Nights. I can't wait.

Excellent post.I'm with you as far as not playing I-AA teams every year. As far as other teams around the MAC before I get to my question, Toledo played Liberty in 2007. BSU, favorite to win the MAC West, is playing Northeastern first game of the year and WKU later in the year. Here is the question.... Are we missing a scheduling trend in college football that is benefiting other schools and we are not taking advantage of it? I don't know the answer to this, but in recent years, UofA has been late to the party on various trends happening around college football. For example, running a Heisman Trophy campaign for a player who would never win it, late to the party with the spread offense and picking up the 3-3-5 defense when everyone is running away from it. Could the trend in college football, with the addition of the 12th game, be to allow D-I teams to schedule one cupcake per year to collect money and tune up the team for D-I teams since spring practice allows for less tune up time? The goal of the team should be to win the MAC East, make the post season and then let the chips fly. Does a tune up game in August against a I-AA team hurt or help win the MAC East or is it neither?Some of the I-AA teams Owens played were mid season games. I am completely against that as there is no reason to tune up mid season. I just see the trend of I-AA teams early season for I-A teams and it worries me that we are once again going to be the last to catch on. It might be nice to tune up on someone instead of everyone else tuning up on us.I hope my questions provide some discussion.

I still like the way Akron has not scheduled any 1-AA, or FCS, school recently. In conjunction with the $$$ the most important thing the football program needs is a better national perception. From the national perception point of view , scheduling 1-AAs is a "no win" situation. If you win, you only did what you were supposed to. If you lose, then how it hurts the program in the eyes of potential recruits could be immeasurable.To some degree I may agree with avoiding some of the perennial top 10 or 15 type schools until the program is more nationally established, but would still like to see some BCS conference competition. Cincy, Indiana, and Syracuse are probably good matches for the Zips. Hopefully in the future we can get home and homes with schools like Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, Baylor, and Iowa State. I know those schools have played in MAC stadiums in the not too distant past.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Cincy, Indiana, and Syracuse are probably good matches for the Zips. Hopefully in the future we can get home and homes with schools like Iowa, Purdue, Minnesota, Baylor, and Iowa State. I know those schools have played in MAC stadiums in the not too distant past.

We now have the capability to do so. In the Rubber Bowl Era you couldn't afford to bring in a decent OOC foe. With the backing of 8,000 "paying" fans...at an average of about $5.00/ticket...you don't have much scheduling flexibility. You bring in what you can afford.Filling 30,000 seats at $20.00 per ticket...NOW your wallet can entice someone decent to make the flight into CAK.

[g-mann17]

Excellent post.I'm with you as far as not playing I-AA teams every year. As far as other teams around the MAC before I get to my question, Toledo played Liberty in 2007. BSU, favorite to win the MAC West, is playing Northeastern first game of the year and WKU later in the year. Here is the question.... Are we missing a scheduling trend in college football that is benefiting other schools and we are not taking advantage of it? I don't know the answer to this, but in recent years, UofA has been late to the party on various trends happening around college football. For example, running a Heisman Trophy campaign for a player who would never win it, late to the party with the spread offense and picking up the 3-3-5 defense when everyone is running away from it. Could the trend in college football, with the addition of the 12th game, be to allow D-I teams to schedule one cupcake per year to collect money and tune up the team for D-I teams since spring practice allows for less tune up time? The goal of the team should be to win the MAC East, make the post season and then let the chips fly. Does a tune up game in August against a I-AA team hurt or help win the MAC East or is it neither?

WKU is a FBS school (I hate those letters, 1-A school) not 1-AA. Even if they are a new school, they are a good program. They would probably be stronger competition than someone like Duke, or the poor SBC schools.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Well... the 1989 Tennessee reference was made for Tennessee Zippy for an obvious reason. The following scores a little more current for those of you that are worried about looking up to date:'Away Only' scheduled games (no return game in Akron)2007OSU 20-2 LUCONN 44-10 L 2006PSU 34-16 LNCS 20-17 W2005Purdue 49-24 L2004PSU 48-10 LVirginia 51-0 L2003Wisconsin 48-31 homered - LUCONN 38-37 L2002Iowa 57-21 LMaryland 44-14 LVirginia 48-29 L2001OSU 28-14 LPurdue 33-14 L1999PSU 70-24 LNavy 35-28 W1998Pittsburg 35-0 L1997Nebraska 59-14 LLSU 56-0 L1996Illinois 38-7 L1995Kansas State 67-0 LThe next eight years are worse.Indiana, Army, and V-Tech are not listed because they actually played us (or will) in Akron. Remember, we almost upset #10 V-Tech at the Rubber Bowl.Scheduling 'away only' games (like Wisconsin this year and Tennessee later per TZ) tears down a program. My points - Home field is a huge advantage. Our schedule must take advantage of our new home field, with quality opponents. Building a winning tradition is our long term answer in Akron.

All that listed above is Rubber Bowl Era history. It is inescapably "us," but it should no longer define us. Infocision should be the dawn of an era where we can compete with an upper-echelon BCS school once per season. Like Miami has...like Toledo has...like NIU has...like Marshall has...like UCF has..etc. Beyond that, the $700,000 pay check remains crucial to our athletic budget.Should we play 1-AA schools? The games DO now count towards bowl eligibility. And as GP1 stated, everyone else is doing it. But I don't like it. Maybe I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the Howard & Liberty shams from the early 2000's. Those games sucked. I'm also tired of the Penguin fans chirping that they should play the Zips while they sit at the 1-AA level. Marshall stepped up. UCF stepped up. Middle Tennessee stepped up. Western Kentucky stepped up. Penguin Fan needs to shut his yap until he decides to get Gannon, Clarion and Slippery Rock off his schedule.

[TennesseeZippy]

This is a very interesting discussion. I certainly understand those who only want to schedule home and homes and not travel to upper echelon BCS schools. You want to continue to build the program, and I appreciate your zeal in supporting the Zips. And, yes, with InfoCision, the quality of the home schedule should be improved, and more home games are needed.My only argument was that I didn't think we should rule out playing one upper tier BCS school a year for a good payday. Most MAC and non-BCS schools do this, and the financial gain can benefit the program. I don't think that you should schedule more than one per year, and that's the fault that I've seen in recent scheduling. It's not that we are playing upper-tier BCS schools -- it's that we are playing 2 or more of these a year, which dramatically decreases our chances of becoming bowl-eligible. It's like having a couple of guaranteed losses, and then having little room to slip up the rest of the year. And the year that Akron played Tennessee, it was actually the Vols' worse season in twenty-some years. They lost their first five or six games if I'm remembering right, and it was a nightmare in Knoxville that year. Although the Vols won that game in Knoxville that day, it was a nightmare season overall.

[Dr Z]

And the year that Akron played Tennessee, it was actually the Vols' worse season in twenty-some years. They lost their first five or six games if I'm remembering right, and it was a nightmare in Knoxville that year. Although the Vols won that game in Knoxville that day, it was a nightmare season overall.

I hope the Zips can have a nightmare season like that one!?!

[TennesseeZippy]

And the year that Akron played Tennessee, it was actually the Vols' worse season in twenty-some years. They lost their first five or six games if I'm remembering right, and it was a nightmare in Knoxville that year. Although the Vols won that game in Knoxville that day, it was a nightmare season overall.

I hope the Zips can have a nightmare season like that one!?!

OK, I was off a year. My bad. I was thinking UT and UA played in '88, not '89. The memory's going on me. The year before (1988) was the nightmare season. I guess that I've opressed it all these years. 1988 University of Tennessee season

[Captain Kangaroo]

And the year that Akron played Tennessee, it was actually the Vols' worse season in twenty-some years. They lost their first five or six games if I'm remembering right, and it was a nightmare in Knoxville that year. Although the Vols won that game in Knoxville that day, it was a nightmare season overall.

I hope the Zips can have a nightmare season like that one!?!

I was at the game. Carl Pickens went nuts. A true freshman, he scored a TD receiving, and via an interception. Chuck Webb ran for well over 200, and he only played because Reggie Cobb got busted for drugs shortly beforehand.Derrick Alston had a great game for the Zips and ran for 100+. In general, between the 30's the Zips offense moved the ball fine. But that was it.Great time was had by all. One of my favorite roadies!

[GP1]

Should we play 1-AA schools? The games DO now count towards bowl eligibility. And as GP1 stated, everyone else is doing it. But I don't like it. Maybe I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the Howard & Liberty shams from the early 2000's. Those games sucked. I'm also tired of the Penguin fans chirping that they should play the Zips while they sit at the 1-AA level. Marshall stepped up. UCF stepped up. Middle Tennessee stepped up. Western Kentucky stepped up. Penguin Fan needs to shut his yap until he decides to get Gannon, Clarion and Slippery Rock off his schedule.

Week 1 College Football ScheduleI don't like it either, but are we missing the trend? Look at the number of I-A teams playing I-AA teams week one in the above link.I think BCS teams have figured out that the loss of five spring practices has resulted in too many possible upsets the first game of the year. The BCS schools found a solution with the help of their most loyal and biased supporter, the NCAA. The solution? Add a 12th game to the schedule at the beginning of the season before taking on I-A teams so the BCS teams can get the extra five days of practice they lost in the spring. At the end of fall camp and before I-A games is a I-AA team that allows the BCS schools another payday and basically a scrimmage in front of their home crowd. Last year, OSU played their second team the second series of the game against YSU.....talk about shams and a waste of four hours for anyone going to that game. I really believe this has been a huge contributor to the inability of the MAC to surprise many BCS teams as of late.If the Zips scheduled in the following manner, I wouldn't necessarily like it, but I would understand the need for the tune up game.Week 1 - I-AA patsy. Instead of the Acme Zip Game we could call this sham of a game the Sham Wow Game and everyone attending gets a free Sham Wow.Weeks 2-4 consist of the following games in any order - One BCS payday on the road, one non-BCS school (home and home) and one BCS school (home and home).I would really like to play all OOC games before any MAC game.

[UA1987]

My formula for OOC forward football scheduling in order of importance:1) Focus on the second half of the Big East as they would play one game here most likely and we would be somewhat close in talent and depth 2) Focus on the second half of the Big Ten (for the same reason)3) Focus on all of the Conference USA teams (for the same reason) 4) Contact select WAC, MWC, and Sun Belt teams or any of the Service Academies (for the same reason)5) Contact the second half of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and maybe a lower level PAC 10 team for a home and away 6) If all else fails, look towards old rival YSU or another Div. IAA school with a strong academic rep.- home only, as game one, if possible If none of these can be booked or if we are in heavy financial difficulty (desperate), then book big name programs as away games with no returnand, if OSU calls, play them anytime. These phone calls should already have been made and proposed matchups should be on the wall somewhere in the AD's office.

[Still-a-zip]

Everyone has some great arguments. I definitely do not like the 1AA idea of scheduling. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose. You definitely need to schedule home and home with other D1 schools. I don't think it necessarily matters from what conferences. Now that we get 4 non-league games you need to schedule one or two lower tier D1 schools that you have a good shot at beating (North Texas, Mid TN, UL Monroe, Duke, Baylor, Minnesota, etc). Then you should schedule 1 or 2 decent schools that are more of a 50-50 chance (Kansas St., Indiana, Colorado St., Vanderbilt, Nevada, etc.) But you have to keep some of the powerhouses on the schedule. Yeah, you are probably gonna lose, but it helps recruiting. Players like to go play at the big schools and yes it is a pay day. I think you should try to build a program like Fresno State did. Look at their schedule this year for example. Their non-league games are 1. @ Rutgers 2. vs. Wisconsin 3. @ Toledo 4. @ UCLA. 2007- they had 1. vs Sacramento St. (which I don't like) 2. @ Texas A&m 3. @ Oregon 4. vs. Kansas State. It's hard to schedule because games are scheduled years in advance. I am sure Fresno didn't expect Rutgers to be good this year when they scheduled them. It keeps it very interesting. I think they are on the right track with the route they are heading in scheduling. If you can beat the teams you are supposed to every year and beat half the teams you aren't supposed to, eventually you are gonna be pretty good. Obviously, it is a hell of a lot easier said than done!

[GP1]

Week 1 - I-AA patsy. Instead of the Acme Zip Game we could call this sham of a game the Sham Wow Game and everyone attending gets a free Sham Wow.

I've actually thought of a good radio ad for this non-existent game. Keep in mind that I think honesty is always the best approach with a customer as it is respected. Here it goes....."Come see the University of Akron Zips take on the College X Piles of Crap at InfoCision Stadium on August #. We know this game is a sham. You know this game is a sham. We know that you know this game is a sham and you know that we know this game is a sham. What do you expect? It's the end of summer, the Indians stink and you people are starving for some football and you know it. Don't pretend you aren't. We have it. You will receive a brand new Terrible Sham Wow (variation of Terrible Towel) at the gate. See you at the game."I don't see any reason we can't get Sham Wow to make some of their product with the Zips logo on it. One of two directions can be taken with these sham games. The first is to insult customers and act like the game might be interesting. The second is to embrace the sham that these games are (like we have embraced being called the Zips and kangaroo mascot) and run with it.

[Zips Win!]

My formula for OOC forward football scheduling in order of importance:and, if OSU calls, play them anytime.

Screw this idea. You can also screw OSU and all their fans...Unless they are paying me $4 mil to play the game and in my house, I would never play them.Play one 1-AA school like GP1 suggests and the remainder are D-1 schools..Let's also mix in 6 home games per season beginning in 2009.