Kentucky buyout - Was certainly looking forward to an SEC school coming to Akron but understand taking the big buyout given our situation (crappy team, no butts in seats, GREAT economy). There's a certain amount of pride seeing P5-level schools show up in Akron - Syracuse, Indiana, Virginia Tech, Iowa State ... a feeling of we belong on the same field as those guys and you'll come to our house on occasion to play us. Neutral site games, 3 P5s away and even an FCS supposed victim makes it feel, year after year, like we need to do 'tricks' to survive. Give me Toledo's 2024 schedule all day long. Seems to say they have some respect for themselves and are above 'that.' Funny how they seem to go bowling every year too (I know ... that doesn't matter and schools lose $ ... then why do any schools even bother ...).
Adding tosu - What GOOD does that game do for The University of Akron brand?!? We get our asses handed to us and make ourselves laughingstock for Akron-grad and other tosu honks at the same time! Far less impact if we get beaten by another P5 school outside of Ohio while taking a payday. Can't wait for family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to drag AKRON's name through the mud yet again next year. TERRIBLE move, Guthrie.
$ going to stadium/progrum improvements - Bought one season ticket this year after a long hiatus. Attended one game and won't be back until we're at least competitive again in the lowly MAC AND the game-day focus/experience is on the game itself instead of everything else between plays. NO WAY I'm going to try to get two words to in somehow to the people I'm with before the sound system blares again. I'll have family and friends over for food and big screen TV before I put myself through that lousy experience again.
Tarping - ESPN and CBSSN generally do a decent job of keeping camera angles tight. Nothing says "We KNOW people don't and won't attend our games." more than tarping large sections of a stadium off. Compared to many other stadiums across the country, ours is beautiful and just begs for something on the field to return butts to seats. Don't hide YOUR embarrassment under a tarp, Guthrie.
More scheduling - Is it REALLY that hard for the MAC to schedule rivalry games when weather is decent and on a SATURDAY?!? The ESPN/CBSSCN baloney sandwiches on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in November just suck but, hey, we do what the 'fancy man' tells us to do. #MACTION!
Can we just get some DECENT pitch-and-catch football? Thanks to streaming, I can watch almost all if not all games around the country any given week and I have. It's a pleasure to watch teams like SMU, Troy, UTSA, Memphis, Liberty, Western Kentucky, App State, James Madison, Wyoming, Fresno State, South Alabama and even Jacksonville State. They may not win every game but damn near every game is at least watchable/entertaining and reasonably fundamental.