FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[JCUStreaks70]

Oh, and one other thing I found myself wondering at the game:

How is it that Notre Dame can sell 30,000+ tickets to a bowl game, but a school with a larger enrollment can't get 3,000 to show up for their national championship?

I'm not suggesting St. Thomas should be able to get 30k, but think about that for a second.  They graduate over 10,000 people every four years and only had about 2,500 (my estimate) at the national championship game.

I would guess that St. Thomas had finals this past week (I know John Carroll's was) so that probably had a lot to do with it. And with the cost of air fare, and being so close to Christmas it may not be a luxury their fans were able to do. Mount Union was a little bit better off, being in Alliance, it's only 6 hours, whereas St. Paul is 16 1/2 hours from Salem. I mean, we don't know what kind of watch parties they may have had in their Alumni cities. Again, I know for big games and the playoffs Chicago's John Carroll Alumni Association has watch parties, so it may have been a lot easier for Tommie fans to do that.

[Desertraider]

Oh, and one other thing I found myself wondering at the game:

How is it that Notre Dame can sell 30,000+ tickets to a bowl game, but a school with a larger enrollment can't get 3,000 to show up for their national championship?

I'm not suggesting St. Thomas should be able to get 30k, but think about that for a second.  They graduate over 10,000 people every four years and only had about 2,500 (my estimate) at the national championship game.

How did the Mount Union crowd compare?

Much bigger, but it's a shorter drive and there are plenty of Mount fans who book their trips well in advance of the national championship because they assume that the team will make it there.  I can't give a great estimate because that was the side I was sitting on.

As for the Notre Dame/UST comparison, I'm only looking at raw data and comparing.  Never said it was apples to apples (in fact, I made a point to say it wasn't apples to apples), and I accomplished my goal of stirring you guys up.

Mount fans don't assume Mount will be there every year...everybody else assumes it...Mount fans expect it (however unfair that may be to the team). It would be cool if the venue for the Stagg Bowl was only used for the Stagg Bowl - they could leave one side of the field painted year round I wonder if they paniced whenthe found out Mount and UWW were on the same side of the bracket? I'll bet they have people working there that have never had to do the endzones for anyone else (what do you mean it's not Mount Union and Whitewater, we left the field prepared from last year!

[JCUStreaks70]

Oh, and one other thing I found myself wondering at the game:

How is it that Notre Dame can sell 30,000+ tickets to a bowl game, but a school with a larger enrollment can't get 3,000 to show up for their national championship?

I'm not suggesting St. Thomas should be able to get 30k, but think about that for a second.  They graduate over 10,000 people every four years and only had about 2,500 (my estimate) at the national championship game.

How did the Mount Union crowd compare?

Much bigger, but it's a shorter drive and there are plenty of Mount fans who book their trips well in advance of the national championship because they assume that the team will make it there.  I can't give a great estimate because that was the side I was sitting on.

As for the Notre Dame/UST comparison, I'm only looking at raw data and comparing.  Never said it was apples to apples (in fact, I made a point to say it wasn't apples to apples), and I accomplished my goal of stirring you guys up.

Mount fans don't assume Mount will be there every year...everybody else assumes it...Mount fans expect it (however unfair that may be to the team). It would be cool if the venue for the Stagg Bowl was only used for the Stagg Bowl - they could leave one side of the field painted year round I wonder if they paniced whenthe found out Mount and UWW were on the same side of the bracket? I'll bet they have people working there that have never had to do the endzones for anyone else (what do you mean it's not Mount Union and Whitewater, we left the field prepared from last year!

This kills me to say, but considering the fact that the previous 12 Stagg Bowls have had 2 teams who wear purple, then they could just paint the whole darn stadium that color. Add that with the fact that behind the big 3 (UMU, WWW, UST) the next two teams are Linfield and Mary Hardin-Baylor who also wear purple, so it's often a safe bet.... Maybe one day, we'll get them to have to add Gold and Blue to the mix.. 

[Desertraider]

Oh, and one other thing I found myself wondering at the game:

How is it that Notre Dame can sell 30,000+ tickets to a bowl game, but a school with a larger enrollment can't get 3,000 to show up for their national championship?

I'm not suggesting St. Thomas should be able to get 30k, but think about that for a second.  They graduate over 10,000 people every four years and only had about 2,500 (my estimate) at the national championship game.

How did the Mount Union crowd compare?

Much bigger, but it's a shorter drive and there are plenty of Mount fans who book their trips well in advance of the national championship because they assume that the team will make it there.  I can't give a great estimate because that was the side I was sitting on.

As for the Notre Dame/UST comparison, I'm only looking at raw data and comparing.  Never said it was apples to apples (in fact, I made a point to say it wasn't apples to apples), and I accomplished my goal of stirring you guys up.

Mount fans don't assume Mount will be there every year...everybody else assumes it...Mount fans expect it (however unfair that may be to the team). It would be cool if the venue for the Stagg Bowl was only used for the Stagg Bowl - they could leave one side of the field painted year round I wonder if they paniced whenthe found out Mount and UWW were on the same side of the bracket? I'll bet they have people working there that have never had to do the endzones for anyone else (what do you mean it's not Mount Union and Whitewater, we left the field prepared from last year!

This kills me to say, but considering the fact that the previous 12 Stagg Bowls have had 2 teams who wear purple, then they could just paint the whole darn stadium that color. Add that with the fact that behind the big 3 (UMU, WWW, UST) the next two teams are Linfield and Mary Hardin-Baylor who also wear purple, so it's often a safe bet.... Maybe one day, we'll get them to have to add Gold and Blue to the mix.. 

+K - thank god Wabash didn't make it Red? What's red? Do we have to make it? We have Purple, Black, White, some Silver left from a few years ago...nope no red.

[JCUStreaks70]

Oh, and one other thing I found myself wondering at the game:

How is it that Notre Dame can sell 30,000+ tickets to a bowl game, but a school with a larger enrollment can't get 3,000 to show up for their national championship?

I'm not suggesting St. Thomas should be able to get 30k, but think about that for a second.  They graduate over 10,000 people every four years and only had about 2,500 (my estimate) at the national championship game.

How did the Mount Union crowd compare?

Much bigger, but it's a shorter drive and there are plenty of Mount fans who book their trips well in advance of the national championship because they assume that the team will make it there.  I can't give a great estimate because that was the side I was sitting on.

As for the Notre Dame/UST comparison, I'm only looking at raw data and comparing.  Never said it was apples to apples (in fact, I made a point to say it wasn't apples to apples), and I accomplished my goal of stirring you guys up.

Mount fans don't assume Mount will be there every year...everybody else assumes it...Mount fans expect it (however unfair that may be to the team). It would be cool if the venue for the Stagg Bowl was only used for the Stagg Bowl - they could leave one side of the field painted year round I wonder if they paniced whenthe found out Mount and UWW were on the same side of the bracket? I'll bet they have people working there that have never had to do the endzones for anyone else (what do you mean it's not Mount Union and Whitewater, we left the field prepared from last year!

This kills me to say, but considering the fact that the previous 12 Stagg Bowls have had 2 teams who wear purple, then they could just paint the whole darn stadium that color. Add that with the fact that behind the big 3 (UMU, WWW, UST) the next two teams are Linfield and Mary Hardin-Baylor who also wear purple, so it's often a safe bet.... Maybe one day, we'll get them to have to add Gold and Blue to the mix.. 

+K - thank god Wabash didn't make it Red? What's red? Do we have to make it? We have Purple, Black, White, some Silver left from a few years ago...nope no red.

Haha, I don't see Red anywhere. You know if they did make it Red, the Wabash fans would all come here and talk about how great they are.. 

[pradierguy]

I hope Luke Poorman pans out, but right now he's at Neal Seaman hype-level and scarrrrrrres me to death.

[Toph]

I hope Luke Poorman pans out, but right now he's at Neal Seaman hype-level and scarrrrrrres me to death.

Perhaps he'll be a poor man's Seaman.

Puns

[Craft_Beermeister]

I hope Luke Poorman pans out, but right now he's at Neal Seaman hype-level and scarrrrrrres me to death.

Perhaps he'll be a poor man's Seaman.

Puns

nice

[raiderpa]

I don't remember Seaman's hit and wgt, but he was a very good high school qb, who just was not good enough at Mount. He may have gotten injured early as well. He was a great kid and well liked by the players and coaches as I remember, but looking at Poorman's highlights, the Florida kid looks like a much stronger passer.  The film on the web shows him throwing different routes with zip and touch and under the tutelage of LK, maybe he could be very special.  Time will tell.

[hsbsballcoach7]

I hope Luke Poorman pans out, but right now he's at Neal Seaman hype-level and scarrrrrrres me to death.

You always need to cautiously optimistic with these young men and remember they are 18-22 year olds. Many will do dumb things like we all did at that age, our information just wasn't available for many to find on the internet. I do think if Mount isn't comfortable with handing the reins to a freshman (Poorman) or sophomore (Lowry or Klaver), then I wouldn't have any issues letting Peyakov take the reins. I think they'll give Peyakov his shot, based on the playoff depth chart, then if he doesn't take charge it will open the door for an underclassman.

[HScoach]

Seaman got hurt in HS and was never the same player speed wise.  Then he couldn't stay healthy at Mount either.    I was very excited when he came to Mount as he was a stud at Louisville.    Did everything.  Was best athlete on a very good HS team but unfortunately the injury bug got him.

[mr_mom]

Congratulations, Mr. Candle!  1-0 as Toledo head coach.

A little symmetry since Matt Campbell got his first win in a bowl game as well.

[Dr. Acula]

Seaman got hurt in HS and was never the same player speed wise.  Then he couldn't stay healthy at Mount either.    I was very excited when he came to Mount as he was a stud at Louisville.    Did everything.  Was best athlete on a very good HS team but unfortunately the injury bug got him.

Best athlete on a team that played for the D2 title in HS.  He was a complete stud in HS.  Deadly accurate. Tore up his knee and was never the same.  Sad because he could have been really good if healthy.  Heck, he came in hobbling on a bad wheel in that Stagg and gave them a spark before he further injured himself. 

[Craft_Beermeister]

Akron won the Idaho Potato Bowl last night and for the first time ever in school history since moving up to FBS in 1987 won 8 games in a season.  Terry Bowden turn the program around in four years, but many don't know the whole story behind Bowden landing in Akron.  I don't know the whole story either, but I do know a very interesting twist about what happened in 2011 when Akron decided to replace its head  football coach.   

In 2011 Akron athletic director Tom Wistrcill had a plan to hire Akron native Paul Winters who stared for the Zips and previously had coaching roles for the zips, but that plan quickly unraveled.

Winters played high school football at Akron's St. Vincent–St. Mary High School where was a star athlete.   He continued his career at the University of Akron (1976–1979) as a star running back ending up career seventh on the University of Akron's all-time leading rusher list with 2,613 yards.  Paul continued coaching for the Zips and worked his way up to offensive backs coach until 1986 when he accepted the running backs coaching position at the University of Toledo and then at the University of Wisconsin in 1990.  In 1994 winters was back at Akron as running backs coach and offensive coordinator before in 2003 he left to become head coach at D2 Wayne State. 

In 2013 Tom Wistrcill's plan was to bring Winters back to Akron as head coach convinced Paul wanted to come home.  Well right around that time Winters won NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and signed a 5 year extension at Wayne State.  Wistrcill had no plan B so he reached out to Larry Kehres and offered him the job.  Out of curtsy to Akron Larry met with Wistrcill and Larry had no interest in leaving Mount Union.  In desperation Wistrcill started a national search and was very fortunate to land Terry Bowden.  In the end everything worked out well for all.

[Dr. Acula]

The fact that a D3 coach met only out of courtesy and a D2 coach (and alumnus) didn't even interview for an FBS HC position pretty much sums up Zips football.  Akron has great facilities for a MAC school.  They needed a big name to move the needle at all.  Fortunately, it looks like Bowden is doing it.  I'd like to see "butts in seats" attendance numbers though because the couple games I watched were played in a painfully empty Infocision Stadium.