Belt Loops: Grantland On Akron Football

Notes and news about MAC stuff, including who's linked to us.

• Michael Weinreb looks at what the heck Akron is doing by hiring Terry Bowden. It's something we're all still trying to figure out. I'm not much of a Grantland reader but someone on my Facebook page from college said congratulations on the Grantland mention. Then I looked at the site referrals and received loads of traffic on something I wrote in Year One of the site ... so I knew something was up.

It's a neat read, although there have been many like it in the past. Read Weinreb's article on Akron, then compare it to John Underwood's SI article on Bowling Green ... from 1964. For over 57 years now we're a perky upstart conference with hopes of making it big, dang blastit!

And looking back on that article ... hey I'm still in favor of the MAC "dropping down" to FCS, or follow suit with some other conferences in creating a soft chewy center between BCS teams and FCS. (I guess that would alphabetically be "DCS.") Or this mid-major tournament idea if, heck, they're still not going to let mid-majors play. The point is, if the goal of playing organized sports is to win a championship, and it's freakin' impossible to do so — well then, let's make the goal to win the MAC.

• Toledo's postseason ban appeal has one last shot and it probably isn't a good one. Dave Hackenberg points out that if the NCAA wants to hang UConn, they must do the same for Toledo. And his argument: while it's not fair to the current players who did nothing wrong, it's fair to the school for so much turnover, causing technically ineligible players who left the school in less-than-good standing.

• Jermaine Henderson was a finalist for the Miami basketball job, but that went to John Cooper so Henderson is taking his ONE F*CKING SHOT mentality to Missouri State where he'll join the coaching staff there.

• FalconBlog looks at outgoing BG basketball senior Dee Brown and his four-year career that never quite got to where we thought it might ... but still pretty darn consistent. Had a pretty decent mid-range shot and would occasionally carry the team with scoring if needed.

• OHIO is getting some Big 12 and Big East football teams into the hills of Athens. They're doing a home-and-home with Kansas in 2016-17 and the same with Cincinnati for 2018 and 2020. God, are we still going to be doing this site then? Hope so.

• Hey, remember when Drew Willy went 20-for-22 passing in a rout of Temple? Me neither, and that's what Bull Run is here for.

Got links for us? Email Matt Sussman below or tweet them to @HustleBelt.