I don't think either Akron or Miami want to get into "attendance smack." I will say, as far as I know, this is the first time since the early '80s that we have been below 15,000. We had an opening game where they had to clear the stadium because of lightning, and didn't let anyone back in for 45 minutes. Our audited attendance for that game was a big zero. That opener was to be a sellout. Then, for homecoming, we had a steady, cold drizzle the entire game. Butts in the seats? 8,000. We sold more tickets than that. Then, we had some counting problems for the OU game.
No, our attendance has not been stellar, but it points to the problem with the stupid rule. I think it is good that schools like Miami and Akron are trying so hard to get more people to see their teams, but how many people watch you have nothing to do with your level of competitiveness nor your program's desire to win. If Akron went 11-0 this year, they'd still deserve the MACC.
BTW, if we're going to be the East rivals every year from now on, you're going to have to expect a little smack talk!
On another note, I'm glad Lee Owens is gone. It makes Akron a lot easier to root for (although I still don't root for you guys!).