Zipsrifle

Exactly. It would level the playing field (not entirely, but some). The BCS is a racket, they know it, and something must be done about it. Someone said that the BCS is close to organized crime. That's right. If even for the simple sake of what is right and what is wrong, the BCS must be drastically altered if not done away with entirely.I agree, but it's money at the bottom of this whole thing! I think there is too much money in this for the people making the money to give up without a strong fight! Unfortunately, those people have a lot of influence over the NCAA (because of the money) so I think this will be going on a long time!

Wow, well said!Btw, did anyone else notice the distinct aroma of charcoal outside the Stile Field House today? It was great! I remember going to Camden Yards in Baltimore and before the game there were all sorts of street-side food vendors set up between the baseball stadium and the right field warehouse. It smelled great. I've been told that Fenway Park in Boston is the same way. Maybe we can get a handful of food vendors to set up shop around the Info - make it almost like a mini-county fair food scene? Ribs, sausage sandwiches, elephant ears, lemonade, gyros, etc. The entire stadium area should smell of a boutique of mouth-watering aromas. When the aroma of polish sausage & charcoal drifts into & fills the Info, all the better! That couldn't help but drive concession sales inside the Info as well. Mmm. People will know that they are at an event!Also, a few guys in my tour group were wondering about alcohol sales. (It was the first question that was asked. Lol.) The answer was that that the board of trustees haven't made up their minds yet.I don't drink. But I think that they should sell beer @ the games. That's just seems to be a big part of the American sports scene experience. And why not? They always make a killing on those $6 beers.I could smell the charcoal INSIDE the field house. I actually started looking around to see if someone was grilling or if there was a fire!!!

If OU can do it with 110, I say we shoot for 110. We don't need a big, sloppy band just to cover the whole field. We need a more elite group of precision marchers, who take the band seriously, and who play loud. Likewise, OSU's band isn't a huge band, is it? However, they may get away with having fewer members because, if I'm not mistaken, they only allow brass and percussion in the marching band, am I correct? Thus the high volume they produce with a smaller number of precision marchers.If we would actually DECREASE the size of our present band, it may have the effect of making a position on the marching band a prestigious position? Something that must be earned? thus, decreasing the number of openings in the marching band may produce the effect we're desiring?OU has around 200 now. They say the 110 stands for giving 110%. OSU has a WAY bigger school population than us. They have tryouts and cut people from the marching band. They march exactly 225 or something like that, all brass and percussion. We take everyone because to put it simply our school isnt' big enough yet. You can cut people but we only have about 180 now. Give the kids a reason to want to come here. The university needs to show they care about the band program. We need instruments that work without duct tape holding them together and a place where we can all fit to have music rehearsal and meetings. When highschool students come and see instruments and uniforms that are falling apart and the fact that we take yellow school buses to the Rubber Bowl it gives them a bad impression. If the band gets any bigger we aren't going to have an indoor area where we can practice at all. Blame it on the students or the directors all you want but it all comes back to getting better funding.First of all, I didn't mean to start a "Bash the Band" session, it was just an observation....sorry.I totally agree with the funding thing, the instruments are in bad shape! Like someone pointed out earlier, it starts with a good plan. Then, lets do the best we can with what we have and work from there. Personally, I really don't need a great halftime show. What I like is how the band gets people pumped BEFORE the game. I've got two of the band CD's (one for each car) and my favorite track is the drum cadence...that is AWESOME! For me, put together a good march to the stadium and a good pregame, and I'm done. Back to the topic of the thread, I really think the Tire Drum would be a great tradition to bring back! Make it one of those HUGE tires and maybe we can beat out Purdue for the biggest drum. Of course, if the tire fell over, it would kill a few band members.......OK maybe we don't go with such a HUGE tire! Oh, and this one sounds cheezy, but we should get one of those mini blimps to fly around the stadium. Have Goodyear sponsor it!

I thought I would add what I thought were a few interesting details from the tour today:1) Our tour guide said that they feel they have the best stadium in the MAC, and in C-USA. Would it be stretching it too much to say that we may have the best stadium outside of the BCS?2) He said they were shooting for a very LOUD stadium. To achieve this, he said that the slope on the stands is steeper than most stadiums. He also pointed out that they intentionally wanted an upper deck and a large press tower to drive the noise towards the field. He also said that this is why they went with metal seating, but I have to believe that was probably driven by cost.3) He said there would be a scrolling billboard on part of the East front upper deck. This would be expanded if additional money comes our way.4) The scoreboard resolution won't be as good as what it is at the Q. It will be close, but not as good.5) He said they have locker room facilities for back to back games. They intend to have highschool games there so I imagine that each team can get a locker room and they can have a couple a day.6) The upper deck of the endzone facility are lounges for the Baseball team, the Softball team, the Soccer team and.....I think it was the track team. (No love for the Rifle team though....it would be a long walk to Schrank South anyway.)7) They wanted the fans to be very close to the action and I"ll tell you what, it looks like you will be.8) He said something about the pregame and the team entering the field and pagentry associated with that will be better. Hopefully someone else can elaborate as I was too busy drooling as I looked around.9) The lights on the West side will be on top of the press tower. The lights on the East side will be at the ends of the grandstand with one in the middle. The lighting will meet the requirements for TV for an NCAA National Championship Broadcast.10) They have much more restroom space than what is required for a stadium of that size. Anyway, this place is going to be flat out AMAZING! I haven't been to every MAC Stadium, but it has to be, by a wide margin, the class of the MAC! fans from other schools are going to $#!+ when they see this place!Oh, and as an FYI, our tour guide called the stands the "Home" stands and the "Visitors" stands.....but we all know he really meant the "East" and "West" stands.

Hmm....I added to my season ticket order today and the guy said there would be a letter sent to my house about when we would be able to go out and pick our seats. We'll have to see what happens.

Dude, you were in my tour group! I'm in pic 5! Your pics turned out WAY better than mine. I guess that is what I get for having an old digital camera. I'll try to get my stuff up here soon!

Someone said this to me many years ago, and I believe it. The Big 10 wants to have 12 teams, and that 12th spot is for Notre Dame and nobody else.Something to consider, by Brother-in-law went to school at The University of Chicago. He said a long time ago they were part of the Big 10 and left with the option to re-join the conference in the future if they desired...... So, how does Big 13 sound????

One thing I've noticed about the UA band when compared to the UofM band or OSU band is that the UofA band isn't always in character. By this a mean, walking into the RB before the game, they would be standing around with stuff laying on the ground, they weren't in a real line and they were talking to each other. It appears to me that once the UofM band was in the vacinity of the stadium, they were ALWAYS in a straight line, at attention and in character. No milling around, etc. Also, my wife made a good point, drop the sheet music on your instrument, it is distracting. I love the skull session idea and once the band leaves....wherever, they need to be in character the ENTIRE TIME!!!!

I'm probably the last guy who would come to the defense of the MAC, but you know this could come back to screw us. Here is how it would go down. We would have 7 wins, one against SD. This would get thrown out and we would be left with 6 wins. There would be 11 teams with 6 wins and 10 bowl spots open. We would be left at home and Indiana (One of the teams we beat) would be bowling......

I think what uakronkids ideas would prevent precisely what you're talking about. If, and thats a big if, all the non BCS conferences came together, the case would be stronger. But do you really think the president's at school like BG, Can't and OU give a hoot about the BCS? Unfortunately, many non BCS schools don't mind it the way it is.I also agree that that approach would likely work, IF everyone jumped on the bandwagon. The problem is that everyone needs to jump on the bandwagon about the same time which isn't going to happen. We'll have to see how this works out. Big, Big money involved, should be interesting. Wait, wait, I know how it will work out! They will simply add another BCS Bowl to be played in Salt Lake City.....that's how it will work out!!

Yea, I was thinking the same thing about the ABJ. Of course, I was cursing them when they didn't have an article about her accomplishments. That was a great story too.

Dude, you really had me going until the end! Actually, the give away wasn't the tranfer thing, it was the "Too Much Air in the Rifle" topic. The back pressure is of little concern when you reach a choked flow situation. Also, Brian and Newt have got the filling the air tank down to a science. Additionally, Rifle shooters are maticulous about keeping things consistent. Now, if you really want to get everyones attention during an air rifle match, try shooting WITHOUT enough air. There is a distict pitch when shooting air rifle, and every once in a great while during a match, someone shoots and it's a lower pitch. This is typically followed by moan or some cursing.... Of course, when I started shooting Air Rifle, this wasn't a concern as you actually had to PUMP UP the air in your rifle before you shot.

Personally, I think Akron's approach will be sit back and wait to see what happens in Utah. I think that if the BCS system stays intact after this, Utah will be shunned by the BCS. I wouldn't be suprised if they were penalized by the NCAA and the BCS for some minor infraction that the BCS Schools have swept under the rug every year. That is why the State is doing it on the behalf of Utah and the Other schools. If it goes to a playoff (Which I think is a great idea), great. If not, we'll at least avoid the wrath of the NCAA.

hahaha we didn't have any bigs.if you think the 35th best player in the country isn't going to start in the MAC, you're out of your mind, im sorry.Well i agree, i dont believe he will start either. I think it would be foolish to start the season throwing him in like that. Dambrot is smart about things he will ease him in and get him prepared to be the dominant player he could be.I think there is a chance he'll start out of the gate. Didn't Humpty start this year?No Humpty out of the gate was a backup for Ronnie and only took over after he was injured.Oh, well, maybe not. I don't claim to be the #1 Zips BB fan...

VTech came to akron and played, so I think they would come back. A Big Ten would probally do an 3 for 1. Which dosen't benifit anyone because they would make us write an "out clause" into the agreement after they get their games first. The The Big East started that, so I am not that interested in playng them. The ACC would be good. We beat NC State when they were ranked 25th at the time. Fro them it might be "play or dodge them" issue. Also I think that at one point we were going to play Hawaii, but it was too much money Big 12/ SEC/PAC 10: forget it! They would want all the games there(and the only reason that Ohio State got an home and home with USC because they had to beg)Time will tell if we can get these games.Yea, and VT was ranked like #15 at the time! I hope with the new stadium, their collective memory won't remember the almost upset in the RB where Jason Taylor had a field day.

How did you come up with 45? Is that 9 weeks or 6 weeks? 45 days seems like a LOT of time to be behind schedule.Question 1: How did you come up with 45? Simple extrapolation based on how far they were behind schedule at the topping off ceremony.Question 2: Is that 9 weeks or 6 weeks?Neither, 45 days is actually 7 weeks and three days (you aren't an education major are you?). :lol: :lol: you aren't a math major are you?7*7 = 49 plus the three days equals 52 days,45 days = 6 weeks and 3 days I'm impressed you caught that. Did you notice Rifle didn't?They say there are 3 kinds of people in this world.; those who can count and those that can't.Re-read my post......I do the math and also point out why I inquired if it was to be considered 9 weeks or 6 weeks (Plus change). Again, I wasn't trying to be a prick, simply trying to understand in a weekly reference how far behind schedlue one person thought the stadium was. Now, if you would like to do some math, I'm game. I should be pretty good at it being 90% of the way through an Engineering Masters degree.

I hope they aren't too restrictive with where people sit if the place isn't full. Though I anticipate sitting West side, front upper deck near the North 30-40 yard line (Family Section), I wouldn't mind moving around. Specifically, I want to sit on the East Side upper deck near the South Endzone. I think there will be a KILLER view of the University, Downtown, and the presstower from that location and I would like to take that in at some point during one of the evening games. Would be kinda cool to look down and see Exchange street far below you.....at least until the dorms are completed.

hahaha we didn't have any bigs.if you think the 35th best player in the country isn't going to start in the MAC, you're out of your mind, im sorry.Well i agree, i dont believe he will start either. I think it would be foolish to start the season throwing him in like that. Dambrot is smart about things he will ease him in and get him prepared to be the dominant player he could be.I think there is a chance he'll start out of the gate. Didn't Humpty start this year?

So you are saying we should neglect our University's best intercollegiate athletic program because they don't bring in money? What are you smoking?!I know basketball and football are the money cows, but when you have a perennial top-10 program playing in one of the worst facilities among commonly-ranked schools, something isnt right.I am not against a new arena at all. In fact, I fully endorse it and hope something becomes of it soon, but you need to consider that a top-10 team in the nation needs facilities that reflect the program's success. Build a better atmostphere for soccer and... wouldnt you know it, more people might come out and watch our team?!The JAR is doing its job fine right now. We don't NEED to replace it because of structural integrity, constant sell outs, etc... but replacing it with something a bit more reflective of the program's rise and "getting with the times" is definitely something we should do.Ah..Emm....Which team has a National Champion this year???? I think someone mentioned this a few days ago, but man there seems to be a lot of kids playing soccer now. I have to think that this thing is gonna start to take hold in the next decade or two. Personally, I think the JAR is adequate. It's not GREAT, but it's not falling down like the RB was. I think if they did a good rennovation job, this could change from adequate to good.

OK, I see a naming contest coming on. OK here's one:Polymer PorterIt's a good one, but Ohio Brewing already has Polymer Pilsner.I'm going to grab some RooBrew as soon as I can. You can't have enough local brew!Well, you can see how often I get to OBC. Hope to fix that next weekend.

OK, I see a naming contest coming on. OK here's one:Polymer Porter

I see both sides. I think LBJ will be in the equation somewhere with a lot of Cash. He had done a LOT to put Akron back on the map amd I also think he has a strong association with the University. Putting an arena at the core of the University could be done, may be next to the fieldhouse, but we do have space issues. The Arena Downtown would definately be a focal point and where I think LBJ would want the arena to be placed.

So when does UA give Lebron an honary degree? I think it is in the cards at some point in time. Personally, I would love to see LBJ start taking a few classes at some point in time....maybe UA had really high tuition for him and it happens to go to a new BB arena???? Going to college really sends a good message.

My Sister went to UC and I see UC and Akron completely different. I think UA is really a major driving force in the city, where as Cinci was a factor, but one of many. I hope to see the University Park neighborhood start to flourish more, that would really start to give Akron some energy.

You underestimate the power of "new-ness". The first game could have been against the cheerleaders and it would sell out because the stadium is new. It will be "the place to be". Second the Ohio State game won't have any more impact than any other OSU game. The same waiting list of people will get the OSU allotment, Toledo will have their's and then the rest will go to OSU faithful and only 74000 people can fill Cleveland Browns Stadium. Which is about 28000 less than normally go to their games. It's actually less of an Impact than regular home game. The problem with attendance has been apathy. Nobody wants to go and watch a team that may or may not win when the atmoshphere and view is depressing. It makes you feel even worse if you lose. There is a a good buzz going into the season around the potential of the team, you have great buzz coming from The Info. Attendance should be the least of anyone's worries. Now if we are 3-5 going into the last stretch with no chance of getting into the MAC championship game, then yes people will use weather as an excuse and not show up for the Temple and EMU games. But on the other hand if we are 5-3 or 6-2 the place will be packed the entire season.To add one more quick note...I would rather have a 90% chance of a win coming in than Wyoming (who most people in the area could not care less about). Winning brings creates fans. Mount Union plays a bunch of nobodies every year until they get in the playoffs (and still plays only about 2 teams that anyone from the area ever heard of) and they have a following, because they win. Build it and they will come, win and they will stay.Exactly! Cleveland Browns Stadium holds LESS than the 'Shoe, so there will be enough people sitting at home to fill ICS! Here is what I wonder. It is a home game for Toledo is it not? I bet that the OSU season tictet holders and the Toledo Season Ticket Holders all get into that game. Can anyone confirm???It is a "home" game for Toledo so they hold almost all of the tickets. As a matter of fact, if you want a ticket for the games and are not a Toldeo season ticket holder, you have to make a $100 donation to the Toledo athletic dept to buy a ticket. Fricking brilliant!NICE! I bet that will piss off a lot of OSU fans, especially when they start getting junk mail from Toleo asking them to donate again! Now, the question is, will the tickets cost as much as a normal ticket to a Toledo Home game, or will they be more? If they cost the same, then for many OSU fans it will be just like paying for a ticket at the 'Shoe. I'm just flat out amazed how much it costs to go to one of those games.