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FINALLY! The people in charge of advertising our football team have FINALLY made a poster that actually makes us look like we're a division-I school!

Thought I would start a new thread on the "Thinking Bigger" theme that keeps surfacing. To me, at UoA, "thinking bigger" means different things to different sports. For Men’s soccer - it should be National Championships, for Football it should now be a winning record and possibly bowl game, for Men’s basketball it should be winning MAC championships, Women’s basketball should be about winning MAC championships, track should now be thinking on a national level, etc, etc. IMHO, our coaches are doing amazing things with what they have and collectively the combined successes of our teams means the AD and administration are doing a great job too. Frankly, I am amazed we have been able to retain the coaches we have. They are all approaching their ceilings while competing in the MAC. If we stay in the MAC, these goals above are realistic. We have the best coaches we can afford and they are doing a great job with the resources they have. It is nice to want things but if your goals are unrealistic/ unachievable, you will constantly be disappointed. Haven’t we all experienced this in our professional careers? If you want more, there has to be more dramatic changes and a well thought out plan. To me, “Thinking Bigger” is not about being critical of individual coaches when our season ends, it about carefully thinking what that next steps should be. Are there tweaks KD, JE, TB, JK can make individually? Sure, and I am confident they will make them. To me, “Thinking Bigger” means we need to get in to a bigger conference. This is not an easy task to take on and could have catastrophic impacts on the school and community if not successful. I do believe national success with our athletic teams will create notoriety for the school, which will subsequently benefit the city of Akron. Before taking on a move this monumental, I think the first questions that need to be asked are………”Does NE Ohio and the city of Akron want to “think bigger” too? Is there enough room/support/demand for another high profile athletic program in Ohio? I along with all of you on ZN.o want more, but does the rest of the community feel the same way? I am not confident they do. I live in Washington DC and the University of Maryland is having the same debate on their own “Thinking Bigger” initiative. They decided a move from the ACC for the Big 10 is the way to go. They are in a large thriving market with a much larger fan base and more money. They are thinking bigger but let me tell you there are many people that think their move will be a disaster. While the UoM is on a different scale than us, the issues/questions are the same as our (coaches, facilities, recruits, money, losing records). I copied a couple of bits from articles on the UoM move below. I am not trying to argue with anyone but I think given our current situation in the MAC, we will continue to be disappointed if our expectations are not realistic. I want more but I am content at the moment because my expectations are realistic. _____________________________________________ Maryland joined the Big Ten largely because of its financial problems and the increased revenues it would bring in from league membership. But to compete in the Big Ten, Maryland had to make investments in its top programs. The school followed through Tuesday, signing offensive coordinator Mike Locksley to a three-year contract, according to multiple media reports. CBSsports.com's Bruce Feldman was first to report Lockley's contract. Locksley had two seasons left on his initial contract with Maryland, and the new deal goes through the 2016 season and coincides with the deals for head coach Randy Edsall and defensive coordinator Brian Stewart. Locksley reportedly will earn around $600,000 per year, about $100,000 more than his initial contract. He has Big Ten ties as the offensive coordinator at Illinois from 2005-08. A Washington D.C. native, Locksley is one of the top recruiters in the area. In college football more than any sport, the winningest schools have the deepest pockets. It shows in the quality of a school’s athletic facilities. The Terrapins’ facilities will be — by far — the worst in their division. For Maryland, the trouble begins with Byrd Stadium. The school says its capacity is 54,000, making it among the division’s smallest. The stadiums at Penn State and Michigan accommodate more than 107,000. At Ohio State, capacity is around 102,000. Beginning next season, three of Maryland’s division rivals will have the potential, based on the size of their stadiums, to more than double the school’s game-day revenue from ticket, parking, food and souvenir sales. Profits can be funneled back into the football program to upgrade facilities and increase salaries to lure the best coaches. You don’t need to be a numbers whiz to realize the math adds up poorly for the Terrapins. The support Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State receive from their huge fan bases is another hurdle for Maryland. If all the current Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State season-ticket holders canceled their tickets, there would be a long list of people eager to buy them — and keep the cash registers turned on. Maryland doesn’t have the money to add 50,000 seats or more to Byrd Stadium. And even if the financing were available, it would be foolish for the school to invest in a major expansion project. There isn’t enough interest in the Terrapins’ product. As much as Byrd Stadium will put the Terrapins at an economic disadvantage, their sub-standard training facilities figure to hurt more in terms of preparation. Maryland will be the only member of the Big Ten without an indoor practice facility. Coaches believe you play as well as you practice. No matter the weather in Ann Arbor, Columbus or State College, practice goes on as usual. Not so in College Park. For safety reasons, the Terrapins can’t work outdoors in extreme weather conditions. Although coaches would rather not cut short practice time and alter well-planned schedules, they have no choice when the weather could jeopardize the health of players. Recruiting players is easier for Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. Beyond the intangible benefits of having rich traditions to sell, coaches of longtime top-25 programs have more practical advantages in the use of private planes, allowing them to make more recruiting stops (per NCAA rules, of course) free from the shackles of commercial flight schedules. Edsall is faring well in recruiting despite having to do it the old-fashioned way. But consider this: Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer doesn’t have to worry about getting stuck in the ‘C’ boarding group on Southwest. The good news for Maryland is that Edsall is doing all he can to overcome the university’s brick-and-mortar issues. Talk to high school coaches, and they’ll tell you Edsall has done a great job in persuading some of the top players in Maryland and the District to sign with the Terrapins. Edsall and Athletic Director Kevin Anderson actually care about educating players. They want to build an honorable program that’s also successful.

yo AKRONNNNNNNNN hit me up saturday. i might tag along for s#its n giggles...