bigham78

Not to stop your early season smack talking.But, I'd like you to keep this mindPenn St 45Temple 3Temple 27Akron 6Penn St returns a lot of weapons on offense and I'd be careful about talking smack looking at that comparison from last season.

Yeah!! Its OSU fault!! I love people on here. If I have said it once, I have said it a million times......OSU has been the big school in Ohio from the beginning. They play on national tv every week. They are ranked in the top 10 every year. They play in an enormous sold out stadium every week. They play the likes of Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, USC, Texas, etc... every year and play in big bowl games. They have names like Woody, Eddie George, Archie Griffin...blah, blah...They had 14 guys drafted in one year!!Akron has only been D1 for 20 years. We have had what?....2 or 3 winning seasons? We have been to one bowl game, which we lost to Memphis. We play in the worst conference in the country. We play teams like Can't State, Temple, Eastern Michigan, Morgan State and Buffalo every year. Up until now our stadium was a 30,000 seat decaying dump in the middle of a muddy field that we can't even sell out on a sunny day when we play our arch rival!! If we played on tv it was on ESPNU or Fox sports Ohio where nobody saw it. We haven't had as many players drafted in our history as OSU had in one year. I could go on and on.....Please....tell me why everyone should be all juiced up because we have a new stadium? You think because they live in Akron that they should abandon their generations of OSU fandome to root for Akron? My answer is why? Until we give people a reason to be excited, why should they be? A stadium is a good start, but it is only a building. Until we put year after year winners on the field, nobody will care. Say what you want, but that is the honest truth of the matter. We are excited because we went to Akron and we are sick of hearing about how we stink and are irrelevant. You can't make people excited and you can't make people care. Well, you CAN make them care. Its called winning and beating teams people know.Also, don't give me this "go away" speech. I dish out a grand a year for Akron season tickets. I am excited as hell for the season to start, but I am not naive enough to believe that everyone should be a Zips fan because they live in NE Ohio. I am also not blaming OSU for their success. That reminds me too much of class envy and I cant stand it.All valid points except I strongly disagree that the MAC is the worst conference in the country.The SBC hands down is the worst conference in the country. MAC record VS SBC since the football conference was formed in 2001Akron is 2-1 Ball St 4-2Bowling Green 3-0Buffalo 0-0Cent Mich 1-1East Mich 1-1Can't St 1-1Miami 2-0NIU 1-0Ohio 1-0Toledo 0-1West Mich 0-0Temple 1-0Current MAC 15-7 Vs SBC since conference was formed in 2001.The SBC is a joke and despite having gotten a deal for extra bowl games. (Just more bowl blowouts)The SBC is a glorified scrimage for all teams in Div 1A including the MAC.They're good for an upset here and there. But, the SBC has had more then it's share of blowout losses. If, you just look back over the past four seasons the bad blowout losses are unreal.North Texas has given up over 50 points in blowout losses 12 times over the past 4 seasons. That's not even counting the blowout in the 40's where coaches that called off the dogs. You make a valid points. But, the SBC is the worst conference in Div 1A or FBS.

They were pre-painted, much like the steel for the upper deck. They resemble roller coaster support columns (i.e. cylindrical)That sounds great. Then I'm more then okay leaving it as is.

It's sad but, there always a few bozos around who seem to have dark cloud over them about everything Akron wise.

I'm okay with them leaving it as is if what you're saying about the supports is correct. I just thought they were regular steel columns and that is very HS like if you're here in the SE and see the monies boosters and touchdown clubs put into their stadiums. There's a HS not far from where I work NorthView HS in northern Fulton County. They have very nice looking jumbotron that's sits on four cheap looking steel columns painted a light blue. I have to admit the spacing and look of one at the Info is better looking.But, I can't fully tell from cams and I don't recall them being painted after they were installed. I believe they came in the color they are just like the supports for the upper deck. If, they're the nice looking colums you're saying. Then I'm okay with them being left as is. But, I've seen jumbotrons on brick supports at several colleges here in the South and IMO, most would be very pleased with the end product.

Maybe they are leaving a little more room to accommodate the dimensions of a soccer field.Also, when you consider there are 80 or 90 players, plus coaches, trainers, equipment managers, benches, water stations, kicking net, photographers, videographers, sideline reporters, recruits, etc., etc., on the sidelines, you need a fair amount of room.True that.I'm pretty sure they've seen the crowded sidelines at some of the older stadiums and kept that in mind on this design.

Since we appear to have a communications issue here.My 53 year old (brother) and his 33 year old son (My nephew) who was home from Kuwait went over to the Info on yesterday. He's been stateside for few days and wanted to see all that was going in Akron for the short time he was in town.I'm truly sorry that seems to have gotten lost and resulted in some very classless comments at what is supposed to fan friendly site.

1) I'm from Ohio and have lived here 15 years.2) I was talking about two people my Brother and his Son (Home from Kuwait) who made a point to go over and see the info while he was in town.3) I'm not even going to comment on the what you posted above and it's sad you even posted something like that even in attempt to be funny.

He's your nephew and your brother. So this explains the whole Georgia thing.No my Nephew was in town and and with his Father (brother) stopped by while he was in town visiting and as he wanted to see the UofA stadium and sent me an email on his way back to Kuwait.I'm sorry if that didn't come out right.

I think that after they add the crumb rubber fill, it will darken up and look more uniform.That will make a difference. But, it's been pointed out the pictures are not doing the colors any justice and I would pass judgment on the field before it's done. It's currently a work in progress and having seen these type of fields put in live and in person. I'm sure everyone here will love the finished product. Or at least I hope everyone will.

That's what my nephew and brother just told as they stopped by for look yesterday and via emails today told me the pictures could do no justice to what they saw in person. I posted picture of HS stadium under construction here in Metro Atl and that picture is not close to actual green color of the turf they're putting in.I wonder why there seems to be so much room around the field to the edge of the stands? Maybe they will lay more pieces along the side still but it seems to me there will still be a good amount of room from the seats to the actual playing field. Maybe it is just the way the photo makes it look, but you figure they would want us to be closer to the action for sheer intimidation and noise.They will fill in the sides and you need some sideline room. Compared too many stadiums I've seen you want to have some room and not too little or too much as is the case with some stadiums.

That's what my nephew and brother just told as they stopped by for look yesterday and via emails today told me the pictures could do no justice to what they saw in person. I posted picture of HS stadium under construction here in Metro Atl and that picture is not close to actual green color of the turf they're putting in.

They had big jump on the Info. The construction started July 2007 Vs January 2008 for the Info.

please tell me this isnt how the turf will look once finished...other than that, GREAT PICS!That picture is distorted. It was raining yesterday and I'd wait for the finish product before making judgment on what it look like while it's being installed. They only just started and the picture I posted below says IMO, it going to look great when completed. Here's a better one.

I have season tickets to Wake games and there is no beer sold in the stadium. Lots of wine and cheese in the parking lot before the game, but none in the stadium. No ACC school allows booze sales at their games. I went to the ACC BB championship in Charlotte a couple of years ago and sadly enough there were not beer sales at that event either.If I thought the kids wouldn't get out of hand, I would be all for it. Kids will be kids though and frequently bad behavior follows. If they need to drink that badly, they should just do what I suggested before and have their girlfriends stuff mini-bottles in their bras before the game.One of my co-workers a Wake Grad said there were sales at Wake games. I'll mention this too him when I see him at work today.Miami has sales at Dolphins Stadium and also had them at the Orange Bowl.

Beer is good....... Beer before a college football game is good....... Beer in a college football stadium with potential underage drinking being reported is bad..... Beer could cause an ugly scene..... No beer in the stadium. Let the girls sneak it in their bras like they do at every other school. One mini-bottle at a time. Beer after a college football game is good..........How many on-campus stadiums around the country sell beer?There's only a handful that I know of and one them Wake Forest is actually a mile off campus. Whole conferences like the SEC alcohol is banned at all SEC sporting events. That's means even at off campus venues and bowl games involving SEC teams. Alcohol is not sold. UofA is dry campus and they'll have to admend that just so the skyboxes can serve it.I could be wrong. But, I seriously doubt there will be beer sales in the Info.

Please get the freaking job and move on. This is a big distraction from what should be a very exciting time for those who care about UA athletics. If our AD wants to leave at this time, just go. Give me Hunter. Give me someone who wants to be here. I don't care.Why does UA have to be his steady paycheck while he shops his self around?Couldn't really disagree more.Go Zips!Care to elaborate?I can't speak for watcher.But, AD's don't have to shop themselves around. When you oversee a program like UofA that's been doing all the great things under your watch. The programs will come looking for you. He might be sending out his resume. But, the schools are calling him as well.College AD's is big business and anyone you get as the program facilities continue to grow and teams start winning and the schools with openings will beat a path to your door.

I still think they're going to brick the four post holding up the the scoreboard. That's usually done near the finishing of the installing a scoreboard I've seen done at other schools.

I don't know the answer but I assume they will not practice at the new stadium. It cost a lot of money for that outdoor facility including the grass fields and lights. The new stadium should be a game day experience for the team and a perk for their hard work preparing for home games. That would also be a lot of wear and tear on the new turf.I agree. You have a practice field and the fieldhouse that can be used for practice. The stadium should be used for games.

I think the original plan is better and I never cared for the model when it was shown.Now if they'd switch back to the original plan for lights atop eastside stands and not three free standing towers behind the stands.

They did that part of endzone late yesterday The first 5 yards were rolled out today. We have turf going in.

Getting close...turf is the next step:http://www.prograssturf.com/Product/InstallProcess.aspxthat video is PERFECT. This is exactly what we all needed to see so we understood where the turf install stood at. Props for the linkThe steps on the site are perfect. I've been going back and fourth to the site and cams to match the step by step they show at the site.This one great process to watch and I wish they had this stuff when I gave up a huge chuck of skin to the Rubber Bowl in 1976 during a summer scrimage we played there in August temperatures in the high 90's that day.

While I was at the open house this evening, too pick your seats, I stopped too talk with with the project manager, and he said that the rest of the stands would be installed, starting in ten days. They will start from the north side of the tower, and work south towards Exchange Street. What looks like brick underneath the upper deck on the west side, is actually particle board. He said he has 300 men working 3 shifts per day. He said that he was a little disappointed that his men were behind schedule on installing the green glass at the top, but was confident that they would catch up. Other then that, he said everything is all schedule, and will be ready before opening day.Thanks for the info.I've been more concerned about the rest of the upper deck Vs the glass installation.

I see we will be slowing our opponents down by playing on a sleek new gravel field...awesome!That is cool, I see the scoreboard work being done as well. Wonder why they need to test out the goalposts?There a couple of new HS's being built one near where I live and one near where I work and both are having the field turf installed and the goalposts are up and they're about the same stage as info with the gravel being brought in. I guess they just want the posts up as I've seen other schools here in Metro Atl that switched from grass to field turf and they took their goalposts down while the field was being installed. I love seeing the support for the Jumbotron going up as well.

Yeah I would say it has been won of the quickest visuals of the process. But I'll be happy to see the remainder of the west upper deck going in.I for won am to excited two mention the too neatest things about the knew stadium, so I won't.Eh when you're typing in the office how focused can you be on grammar for a message bored. Ditto