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You have to be kidding? First of all, how many Big 10 regular season weeknight games have you seen? I think Indiana has played a non-conference game on a weeknight. SEC..a couple per year, probably mostly involving the lowest team= Vanderbilt.If you are a GOOD team in the MAC or Sun Belt, you get the "luxury" of playing a couple of Tuesday and Wednesday night games in the cold of November. ESPN screws the smaller conferences into these horrible time slots.I have said it for years, and I will keep saying it= keep it SOMEWHAT FAIR...MAC needs to step in and say, "no school will play more than 2 weeknight games...1 home and 1 away". If we can count on at least 5 Saturday home games, I can live with it.I am just one fan that, if we start getting to too many weeknight games= bye bye season tix! Not much sense in having a family of 4 driving 1 hour on a Tuesday night to sit in the cold.

After looking many things over:Jerry Lovelocke seems to be the best QB available that has or has had an Akron offer(obviously with JD). http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recr...Lovelocke-85414http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/...cruitId%3d70572http://hsmaryland.scout.com/a.z?s=394&...amp;nid=4423673Going with more of a traditional passing game/offense, I think this kid would be even MORE inclined to come here. He is a passer, not a runner.

http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/pa...ls/lq82cr34.jpgStart with that picture!Keep the stripes on the helmet (perhaps blue/white/blue vs. white/blue/white), A-Roo instead of A, outline "Akron" and jersey numbers in white (or make them white outlined in gold). I think this would be the best mix of the old and the new.That is just a great deep blue and deep navy. Awesome!

Powlus hiring? Besides footballscoop.com, has there been "official" confirmation of this hire. Excuse my ignorance...I might have a '96 ND grad who will buy season tix or partial season tix just to see his idol, Powlus.

While waiting around for the new arena ("The House that LBJ and Zeke built"), Akron should schedule 1 game over the next 3 years at the Q against a high profile team. It will help grow interest & could help garner some additional funds.

And I thought I was busy with 1 job, a wife, a 3 year old, 1 year old and a home. Amazing what he is doing. These are the stories that don't get enough exposure in the media!!!!Awesome work, LeVon!!!

OK, all over the board I know. But, hey, why not?!?!!?1. Anyone know when the Spring Game will be? I assume not Holy Saturday, so Saturday 4/10/10? I would love to see us play later for better chance of warm weather. Also would love to see it happen with a "package deal" with the Aeros= How about a 1 PM spring game, dinner at local restaurant and tix to Aeros game for some great price? Perhaps even throw in a night at the Sheraton Cuyahoga Falls?2. Off-season= Last year it was the new stadium, Walt Harris (and a few other coaches) and Chris Jacq vs. Rodgers. This year it is new coaches all round, Nicely, Wagner and a bunch of young RBs. Here is the crazy thing= I think we are actually MORE settled going into this year than last. We know the stadium, this coach will not be fired, Nicely is clearly the starter, we have a true leader on D and Alexander looked pretty darn good at RB, with Martin and Torrence showing zips (instead of flushes) of greatness (or at least pretty goodness). I know, I know..new coach, new schemes, etc. But, I still personally think we are and will be more settled.3. Syracuse, Gardner-Webb are set from what I know. How about odds for MAC opponents coming to Info/Summa? Buffalo at home, BG at home? Miami anywhere this year? Personally, I would love to see SU, GW, BG, UB, Miami and Central or Toledo. That would be a fun home sched.

Pitt is a CITY school= not going to happen. Does very little to open things up for the Big Ten.Missouri is a definite possiblity, but not sure how much they really open things up for the Big Ten. I would guess there is a pool of 10-15 schools that will be considered.

It's going to be Louisville.They are expanding their football stadium and building a new basketball arena. This gives the Big Ten a footprint in a state it does not currently occupy, which happens to move them a little closer to SEC country and the South.Louisville has no huge ties to the Big East, having come from C-USA and I believe the Metro conference before it.The Big Ten is not so worried about adding a national power in football. They want a school that is well-rounded in what it offers in athletics, the school itself (academics, research, enrollment, etc), the city, the state, the facilities, etc.I would say Rutgers & Syracuse would be fallbacks, with VTech, Maryland (HIGHLY unlikely based on long-standing traditions with ACC..but look them over for school, facilites, region, etc.) and MAYBE WVU. But my $$$ is on Louisville.

Pass on PSU and Wisky in the same year.Give me Western Kentucky in our brand new stadium instead of an ass whooping in front of 70k.We should play at least 6 at home each year. Seven would be nice but we didn't build a stadium to sit idle.Ideally, yes. But, realistically, find a program comparable to Akron's that plays 7 home games a year. Even 6 might be tough to find in some cases.Ideally, I agree..I really would rather play another non-BCS FBS team than play at Browns Stadium. But I'm trying to mix what seems to be somewhat realistic when looking at the needs of fans, AD, coaches and team.

Looking at Rivals at lunch, here are some possibilities:Recruited by Ianallo while at ND, few if any big offers and uncommitted according to the site:Brad Bars, LB, Nashville, TNScott Secor, K, New Lenox, ILTyler Warden, QB, Glen Ellyn, IL_______________________________Commited to ND, recruited by Ianallo...Only name that I could see who MIGHT leave would be Tommy Rees, QB from Lake Forest IL. His other offers were BG, Miami (OH), CMU, Stanford and Tennessee. If he was REALLY close to Ianallo and Weiss, perhaps he would at least take a look at Akron and see an opportunity for a big time career here. ________________________________Recruited by ND, unclear who from ND was recruiting in some cases, not many if any big offers, could fit with what Ianallo wants to do on offense, defense, and or recruiting/area:Ryan McCollum, LB, Warren, OH (he was also being recruited by Akron)Stacy Blunt, WR, Dublin, OHJerry Boyd, DB, Indianapolis, INJosh Marshall, QB, Fredricksburg, MDMichael Perkins, RB, Valparaiso, INChris Robinson, RB, Elsie, MIAnthony Rose, ATH, Amherst, VACould have a Blunt & Bars on the team. Nice!

Looking at Non-BCS conferences, here are the teams that make the most sense for a 1-1 for both schools (meaning, they are not SO MUCH BETTER/WORSE than Akron to not benefit from a good, competitive game against a FBS school):CUSA= UAB, Marshall, Tulsa, UTEP, Tulane & Memphis. Of those 6, really key in on UAB, Marshall and Memphis for regionality, travel, etc.SB= WKU, Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State. Troy would be great, but not sure if they would really have great interest.MWC= Wyoming, UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego StateWAC= LA Tech, Idaho, Utah State, New Mexico State & San Jose StateAnd, of course, Army and Navy.. I think it is best to look at a "4 years snapshot". REALISTICALLY, looking at 4 years of scheduling (16 non-conference games):4 home games against FCS (I-AA)- 1 per year3 games against a lower BCS (IU, Minnesota, Syr, UConn, etc.)= 2 there, 1 here. 1-1-1 arrangement.4 games against big-time FBS- 1 per year. PSU, OSU, Wisconsin, WVU.1 home game against a big-time FBS team at Browns Stadium (for example, go to PSU twice, get them once at Browns stadium)4 games with non-BCS teams that are FBS schools; 1for1 series with teams above. 1/1 with Memphis, 1/1 with San Diego State as an exampleSo, looking at 4 years as an example:2012= @ PSU, vs. Indiana State, @ Minnesota, vs. Memphis2013= @ WVU, vs. Maine, vs. Minnesota, @ Memphis2014= @ PSU, vs. Missouri State, @ Minnesota, vs. San Diego State2015= @ Wisconsin, vs. Old Dominion, vs. Penn State (@ Browns Stadium), @ San Diego StateIf we develop and become one of the top 3 programs in the MAC, no reason we cannot win all 4 against FCS, 3 of 4 against non-BCS schools that are FBS and pull maybe 1-2 upsets along the way.

FB? Tight end? What are these?They are players that get teams first downs, but not touchdowns. They are the type of player that people from the suburbs are obsessed with because they typically look like them so we get threads like this.The real question should be, Who are the big play wide receivers going to be next year? WRs get touchdowns, TEs and FBs get first down. Ah, so you don't think in the next 9 months we won't get that thread too? Obsessed with? My God, how many fresh topics could we possibly have on a forum? TE and FBs will play a part of the NEW offense, which is why this is a pertinent question in the here and now with our new coach. It doesn't diminish the more important positions on offense= OL and QB, nor the next most important, WR and RB.And are we really turning this into some sort of black/white or "inner city vs. suburb" thing with the "people from the suburbs are obsessed with...". WOW, I now know why there is that new emoticon bouncing around.

I am not an ND fan, nor a hater. But Ron Powlus was actually a darn good QB overall. Just didn't live up to the ridiculous hype. For his Irish career, he completed 558 of 969 passes for 2,078 yards and 52 touchdowns with 27 interceptions. His completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns are all school records, and his 7,479 yards total offense are also the most in school history.That moron Clausen said something about national championships with his flushy rings, limo, etc.

Figure we are going to need to groom 2 FBs for 2010. Obviously Ianallo and staff might start searching for one, but who do we like as possiblities?I don't see any current RB wanting to make that switch. Alexander at 6'1, 215 could put on 15 lbs or so and fill the role, but I like what he offers as a bigger RB.Typically I would think someone that is an LB might have played some RB or FB in HS:Troy Gilmer 6-1, 215 RFR or Matt Little 6-2, 230 So. would seem to be candidates. Not sure what they did in HS in regards to playing any RB.As for TE, if Ritossa stays (and you would think he would b/c he is MORE likely to see the ball now), I think we have a solid 3 in Weber, Ladrach and Ritossa. I know we also have a couple of younger guys (Root and Petrides), but I honestly know little about them.

So you are asuming that Tonga and Henderson will still be here along with Fleming. I hope you are correct.You forgot Joe RashI did forget Rash. And no, my point is that I didn't include Tonga and Henderson b/c I think it is likely they will not be here. Fleming..50/50 on that one.Wagner might move to the outside, but if he is listed at 6'1, 220 now...I assume he can easily put on 10 to 12 pounds. So, realistically, he is probably going to be playing at a TRUE 6'0, 227 lbs. We'll see where that puts him.

I hope D'Orazio stays on, but I question whether to 2 guys we have coming in and Rodgers match what our new coach will look for. Rodgers could DEFINITELY be a candidate for a possesion receiver type.It really depends on whether D'Orazio thinks he can play in more of an I-formation, pro-style offense and/or if he is willing to play other positions (safety comes to mind!).But I think we need to add 1 pro-style QB in this recruiting class based on the comments of the type of O Ianello wants to run.

DE Sewell 6-1, 280DT Marcoux 6-3, 275DT Harvey 6-4, 290DE Hazime 6-3, 255DT main back-ups:Antoine Jones 6-3, 260Marquinn Davis 6-6, 290DE main back-upsDeni Odofin 6-3, 230Shane Shead 6-3, 240This is not even including guys like Tonga, Henderson and potential "move-up" ends like a Will Fleming (at 6-4, 220, no reason to think he can't get around 235 by beginning of the year. Boston College, as an example, plays many DEs in the 240 to 255 range).I think we definitely have the pieces to quickly move to this type of line-up. Size is there overally, and I think Sewell would excel as a DE. Might be some question marks about DE depth, but I think we can get there relatively quickly.

A lot of us MUST be happy with his comments on the type of offense and defense. Looks like we will concentrate on running the ball, I-formation and 4-3 defense.We might need to move some guys around to DL and FB, but I love to hear we are going in this direction. He has been born and raised out of the Bama, Wisky and ND offenses...and that is a good thing. We might even see a TE involved!!!I am more excited just from hearing this. Nicely will excel if we put in an O similar to ND.

I understand completely the concerns, but just b/c JD did not work out that does not mean that every guy that was not a HC and "just" an assitant should be lumped in with JD. JD had some level of success, and might have had even more if his QB did not wig out on him. And, this is NOT coming from a JD supporter. I wanted him fired BEFORE this season.I know very little about this guy, but I will give him a chance. I am not excited by the pick, but I will let it play out. I hope it is less the "buddy" thing that has been mentioned, and more the "this guy was always great...man I hope I get the chance to hire him b/c he is going to be kick ass as a HC some day" syndrome from TW.Now, it will be interesting to see what kind of staff he builds. I really, really, really hope he considers bring back Okruch. I really liked a lot of what the D brought last year, and if they can switch that over to a 4-3 (which I believe they can relatively easily), I think we can have a VERY STRONG defensive unit next year. I think Okruch can definitely be the leader and bring some continuity that, in this case, would not be so bad.

How do you say his name= is it "E Ah nello"?

Say what you want about Oregon and Boise State, but their "gimmicks" have been part of what has brought them attention and, in some ways, led to their success.Smurf Turf in BoiseRidiculous, (like them or not), obscene # of combinations, and ever-changing (even DURING the game) uniforms for Oregon.Gold turf, pink uniforms. That will win us championships. :-)

I was speaking of the ones they wore during the Arizona game. The names on the back are in white on a white jersey.The numbers were shiny gray. At first I thought it was a prank and they used duct tape to make them. Not a fan of them at all.If I lined up against any of them I would make fun of those girly uniforms all day long.The current Zips uniforms are way better. PS If a recruit decides on a school for the uniform, I don't want that recruit.oh yeah....I don't think I have heard of a kid choosing a school BECAUSE of the uniform (though I have heard of kids choosing a school b/c their # was available...you HOPE that, in that case, the kid has everything else even with another school and needs something litlle to push him one way or another). HOWEVER, a kid might have some interest to see/investigate that school b/c of the uniform. Kid that grows up watching the tradtional unis of an OSU, PSU, UM, Georgia, Tennessee, etc. Or the kid that likes the "new age" look of Oregon, Boise, et. Uniforms represent, at least partially, the image of the team, which can transcend to the coach, school, etc. Having a recognizable brand is big in drawing interest and uniforms are a huge part of that brand.At least Oregon teases the fans with the names on the back. I hate that we don't do it. Screw this team unity thing having ANYTHING to do with names on the back. If you want to get fans familiar with players, build fan interest, etc., it helps to have the names on the uniforms. And, to be brutally honest, if part of what a kid wants to see is his name on the back of a uniform, good for him. He has earned it. Why put even 1 recruit and fans that follow the game at a disadvantage by NOT having the name on the jersey. Sorry, we are not the NY Yankees or Notre Dame football.

What is our contract with Adidas? I know sometimes a new coach brings along a new brand, but I have to believe more often that is a coincidence.Anywho, seems that if we could, it would be nice to sport the first "L23" football unis in college football.Though I liked the new home uniforms, I think it was total bush league/Division 1-AA or LOWER esque to only have new home uniforms. I have never heard of ANY school doing that.I would still love to see a more traditional style with a bit of "new age" flair.

The very Mangino that is spoken of here worked under Tressel at YSU. He had a little bit of success at Kansas, I think.