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I was a big fan of the double-bye format. Getting to advance straight to the semis was a huge incentive for the top 2 teams in the regular season.

On phone but just got another WR transfer commit. Bebe Hills from Washington State.

And important to consider the team isn’t built and decisions by players aren’t made in the silos that our threads on this forum are. We’ve had success by WRs since Moorhead arrived. We have a well regarded QB who knows the system coming back. Doesn’t hurt to have Coach Brookhart on staff when it comes to developing wide receivers given his track record having been a WR and coached elite NFL WRs etc. Not only are they finding their level but they go to a P4/P5 and realize they are not only competing for playing time but for time given by coaches into their personal development to gain said playing time. coaches develop favorites. It may not be ‘Akron is their only or last option.’ Fit matters, prior recruitment/relationships factor in, and I think there are plenty of players who have chosen to go P4 out of high school that may get a reality check and understand they could be a better fit elsewhere - different level, different conference, different coaches, whatever it may be.

Kids are just finding their level. Some kids were too good for FCS and moving up to the MAC, some weren't good enough for P5 and moving down to the MAC. Up to the staff to find the ones that fit well

I think it's way too early to crown a MAC regular season champion. All the teams are very flawed and will have head scratching losses. I wouldn't be surprised if 11-7 wins the MAC this year.

WR out of Fresno St. Had many offers out of JUCO

With all these P5 leagues now looking to get 8-10 or more teams in the NCAA Tournament each year, ... the NCAA should really revisit awarding conference champs from Top 20 leagues into the NIT. Mid-majors pay a 'penalty' for being in one-bid leagues. But 10-bid leagues get an extra reward with at least 2 more teams in the NIT. It really is not fair. But FAIR in our society seems no longer viable no matter what the sport-business-etc. is. If you can bend, stretch or even break the rules - especially if you have the money/power to get what you want. So be it.

The portal is one of those things where you can like it or hate it, but if you try to fight it and not adapt you're going to get left behind.

Ok, I hate to be negative but let’s look at this (and most of these signings) realistically. This kid redshirted his freshman year and appeared in one game with no stats this year. He’s from Colorado, signed at Washington State and now transfers to Akron. I feel pretty confident that he is not coming to Akron because he has a lot of other options. Hope he pans out and becomes a great player but so many (not all!) kids are in the portal for a reason.

Even Saturday home games in September and October are poorly attended. In general live attendance at sporting events is down compared to decades past. More people prefer to watch from the comfort of their own home. I don't see that trend reversing. If your goal is to take the next step, programs like Toledo or Ohio aren't who you should try to compare yourself to. I'm not exactly sure what renovations you have in mind for the JAR or the cost associated with them. Either way a renovated JAR won't be a premier arena in the MAC and definitely won't be at the elite mid-major level. You can put lipstick on a pig, but at the end of the day it's still going to be a pig. Maybe revisit the arena decision once Infocision is fully paid off. Perhaps by then the University debt load would be more manageable.

The MAC punted on attendance leaguewide when they agreed to make most of their conference games on weekdays for the TV deal. I'm not sure comparing basketball really works. I'm not overlooking anything or operating under any assumptions. I realize the costs associated and how hard it will be to pull off. I think renovation is more probable and, if done right, can achieve a close-enough impact. I'm just pointing out that you're never going to consistently hang with the big boys playing in the current JAR. I love how we jumped to the forefront of the MAC in NIL, but I don't expect that to last. UMass will be ahead of us the day they join. I expect Toledo and Ohio to be competitive there too. It's not realistic to expect NIL to be a separater for long IMO.

The MAC will come down to Akron & Miami.

2 guys on visits it looks like from their Instagram profiles DB Tyrell Raby formerly of MTSU DB Ben Kamara formerly of D2 Upper Iowa

I wish there was more at stake for winning the regular season championship. Hasn't Toledo won the regular season 3 years in a row? ...See, I don't even remember. Winning the MAC Tourney is a blast & a rush, but it's kind of a downer for the rest of the season.

Respectfully, this is an oversimplification as well. With better decision-making, the Zips football program could have grown with the stadium. Instead, we fired Brookhart for Ianello, one of the worst coaches I've ever seen. We actually did have some success with Bowden - then dumped him for another one of the worst coaches I've ever seen in Arth. Do you think it's helps that the school is in Morega, California, which looks like this? Listen, I love the City of Akron and UA, but I'd be fine with St. Mary's gym too if it looked like that when I walked out of it. Your pitch (beyond winning, of course) can't just be NIL. Yes, it's important, but: 1) You'll never compete with bigger schools on that alone, 2) I know we are ahead of others, but at least some in the MAC will eventually catch up.

It's not really an oversimplification. Our football program has one of the nicest stadiums in all of the G5 yet we've been a bottom 10 program since it was built. Imagine how much further ahead our football program would be today if we were playing in a mid-tier MAC stadium, but had $4 million in NIL to spend each season. There are lots of mid-majors that have relatively new arenas and the program is still hot garbage. Build it and they will come is only true in Hollywood movies. I would say St. Mary's basketball would be the next step program that we would all love to see Akron become. At least those with realistic expectations. Have you seen their arena? They play in what looks like a high school gym. The reality is boosters will get much more bang for the buck spending 2 million per year in NIL for 30 years than donating $60 million for a new arena as that's what recruits are going to care much more about. If you have a program that's flush with cash then fine do both, but schools like Akron have a finite amount of resources.

Why are you so focused on the negative? It must be miserable.

And on more positive news, here is an article on the 25 worst college programs of all time and we're not even mentioned. Happy New Year. 🎉