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Maybe a little overstated, but true. No disrespect to the others, but barring a major upset, it's pretty much a no-brainer right now. I think everyone knows were the best in the MAC, but how far have we separated ourselves? That might be answered this year.

Are you saying Zippy is not on the ballot? I thought after a year absence after she won the title, she would return to the ballot this year?

Interesting.I wonder if the fact that there are no "bigger" schools in the state within any reasonable distance had anything to do with the unusually high level of interest? And that the Norfolk/Hampton/Virg. Beach area has it's own media market, and has probably been pumping this for quite some time?Unlike so many people around here, who are mechanically programmed to be Cowlumbus State fans as soon as they start watching sports, it seems like the folks of SE Virginia might have a little more local loyalty.A side note: I have a neighbors who has been telling me for months that he will have luxury box tickets at the Info. So, I asked him about it again the other day, and he said, "I told my work to give them to somebody else...I'll be too busy either watching or going to OSU games, and I won't use them". Well......new stadium or not....I guess some mentalities will never change.

It's still hard for me to believe that the rule was the way it was to begin with.

Observations/Surprises1) What ever happened to that giant transfer OL from Minnesota? I stood next to that guy once, and I was scared. 2) A freshman TE. 3) Andre Jones won't be a return man...with his speed. I'll never forget listening to that WMU game a couple of years ago on the radio. One of French's best calls ever (besides the Alcorn field goal in '92).4) Bain not being a starter. Although...I think that's been addressed here.5) A FR (Wagner) starting at Grant's old spot at LB. Although, I've heard a lot of good things about him.6) Carter might be sharing time in the secondary with Cobham? I think Jalil is maybe our best DB (close race with Graham).7) I thought Lemon was going to get the start at Rover....I guess that's not the case.

Hey...I think I like this guy already. What a clever way to get out a quick "hello" to everyone.

Thanks for the info, g-mann. So, we've raised an additional 6.5 mil (21.5 total) in sponsorships since the naming rights for the field and stadium were purchased? I just want to make sure I have the numbers right.

Actually, another longtime fan suggested to me the other day that we go party in the field at the Rubber Bowl, and then ride a shuttle up to the game. I think the traffic and parking are going to be much more challenging, as I've said many times. But since our group will be there very early, we won't have to face many of those challenges. I've just always hoped that the close-to-game-time problems won't dampen the spirits of those casual fans who might be wanting to become a part of Zips football.

The same disadvantages he had when he started working at Minnesota? Remember, Hunter and Mack were handed 20 million guaranteed for a stadium. They didn't have to make those connections. In fact other than FirstMerit and Towpath Credit Union what other sponsoship money has come in during the last three years? We still have 4 gates that have no sponsor, we still have a Press Tower with no sponsor, we still have an endzone gameday facility with no sponsor. I know the economy is tough, but really, you couldn't find people to sponsor/endorse these things?I like Hunter, he's a great guy, I've had great interactions with him, but these were things he in which he was in charge. Remember we were supposed to be at point where bonds were only going to cover 30 million of the original 55 million. We only ever got to 21.5 million (unless i'm missing something that is an epic fail).It's not a bash on Hunter, but when you are given two candidates and one is familiar with the area and has received only 2 million and the other is a person who had no previous connections to an area and was able to receive upwards of 80 million, who are you going to pick.I'm not sold on Wistrcill. He has only done the fundraising/sales portion of the AD job. What if he is too abrasive to Dambrot, Porter, or Mitchell. Or what if he isn't willing to find ways to fund pay increases for top performing coaches? What if he stinks at hiring personnel. Who knows. But at the very least we know he can raise money. And we need money more than anything else right now.I think you may have missed a few things about his background:He is from LaCrosse WI - roughly a couple of hours from Minneapolis.He went to college in MinnesotaHe played basketball in college in MinnesotaHe worked previously at the U of M right after college.He also worked at Wisconsin, a school in the neighboring state that is in the same conference. I hope Tom's skills and knowledge played a part in the success of their new stadium project, and that some of those skills will be helpful to our cause. But, I think it's pretty difficult to even remotely compare the ability to generate support at a Big 11 school in a major US city, to the situation we have here. In fact, I personally feel that we've over-ambitiously put a pretty hefty price tag on some of the remaining sponsorship opportunities. And that's not to say that I don't share in your dissappointment if we have indeed only raised another 2 million beyond the original sponsorships for the naming rights to the stadium and the field.As far as the numbers go, I think we got 20 million for the stadium naming rights, and 10 million for the field. Can anyone confirm this? Anyway...back to the purpose of my post. I am ALSO not one of those "it has to be an Akron man" kind of person. I was just merely pointing out the disadvantages of not being from the area, or having experience with the area, as it pertains to being in the field of sales.

Zach and Z...I want to add a comment that relates directly to the sales portion of having a job such as an AD. As someone who has been in sales at various levels for a good portion of my career, I clearly understand the value of being familiar with the area. Knowing the characteristics and history of the people you are selling to has advantages, and to a larger extent, already having any kind of relationships with key figures is a considerable advantage. I can count numerous times where people had a leg up on being hired, or promoted, simply due to their knowledge of the sales area, or having pre-existing relationships with potential clients. This new guy may indeed do a fantastic job selling our athletic programs to the corporate community, and the general public. But in my professional opinion, he will be working with some disadvantages that someone who is already from the area may not have had.

Two things really caught my attention...1) We hired someone with experience working within a couple of HUGE athletic departments.2) He is not only an athletic administrator, but someone with a business background. I think that will be a big plus.

As I've said before, it should not be a surprise that something like this would happen. I just hope that's it, but there's a log jam of talent in many areas. And I hope the best we have are the ones that are still here.

Delmonico would have had the best nickname in all of college sports.

If Jamaica can have a bobsled team…It is pretty funny to think that they were racing bobsleds before they were playing American football.

No kidding. I'm not sure I'd recognize him if he passes me on the street. I'm glad he's getting a chance to keep playing basketball.

Zen...I will probably never forget that I saw this. It's yet another reason why I laugh every time I hear OSWho folks act as if they are the high and mighty. All that "THEEEE" crap, that Snoopy Song, and everything else. Hilarious...absolutely hilarious.

Yep...it's really a defining era of Akron Football. The data clearly tells me that we've never been able to separate ourselves favorably from MAC-level teams. And as someone who has personally witnessed most of the last 3 decades, I've really only seen short-lived glimmers of hope that we were moving ahead of the pack. I think we need to begin to do that consistently before we raise our hopes of "moving up".One step at a time folks....and hopefully Step #1 happens this year.

I was referring to being #1 in the preseason. It's a whole different animal compared to moving into the spot later in the season.Thanks for clarifying. I just wanted to remind everyone that we've been #1 before. And although it's obviously more important to be #1 at the end of the season, this is clearly an indication to me that the base of folks who recognize us as one of the top programs in the country is growing. You could never achieve a #1 ranking in a preseason poll without a high level of respect from a lot of people.

I hope you're referring to being #1 in a preseason poll, and not #1 in general. Because, if you recall, we were the #1 team in the country towards the tail end of the 2005 season. I have to admit, after almost 30 years of following and supporting Zips athletics, I have probably never been all that excited about the start of a soccer season....until now.

And surpisingly they even mentioned that he was a draft pick from Akron last year.And they even said "The University of Akron". I was shocked.

I'm surprised you failed to mention that the catch by Baptiste was thrown by Akron transfer Carlton Jackson. His appearance again in Akron is likely to be the only drama that MSU can possibly create in this game.

Perhaps it's a blessing that we'll be able to view the picturesque area south of Exchange during our game day experience. I think it will look fine if people actually sit there.

Maybe this is like the whole outback kind of theme? make zippy feel at home.This is where they're adding a real kangaroo environment... Looks like the Outback... Real Kangaroos at the Infocision for opening weekend...Now THAT's a great idea. And maybe the Outback restaurant could pay us big money to have their sign placed there.

It's a great time to start speculating. But, some of the answers will remain the same.1) Will the local excitement increase? Yes, the new stadium will do that, but for how long? I think we'll know when we see how many folks show up for the November home games.2) Will we get more NATIONAL attention?. Yes, when we win games that have NATIONAL significance. I sometimes get a little confrontational with the "if we just win games" perspective. Being a winning MAC team in football will NOT generate much NATIONAL publicity. Will being a perennial MAC champ do it? Probably not as long as the MAC is so lowly regarded. It is what it is. Beat MAC teams, and few notice. Pull a Boise State and beat Oklahoma, and people take notice. I certainly wish this was not how it is. MAC kids work hard, and are often good at their own level. But, if increased notoriety is what we're after, and I sure hope we are....winning more games than the other MAC schools, playing against "our own level" of competition, likely won't ever garner us the attention that we all wish will come. Don't get me wrong. Winning the MAC title a few years ago was one of my most cherished moments as a several decades Zips fan. It was truly a great experience for all of us, I'm sure. But, when we are talking about NATIONAL significance, I don't really think it did a whole heck of a lot for us.

Hey...of course this topic is relevant. ANY news that improves Akron's chances, in the only relevant team sport where we truly have a chance to win a National Title in the near future, is worth reporting.I'm not much of a soccer fan. In fact, the only soccer games I've attended in recent year are Akron soccer games. But I still believe that a National soccer title would do a lot for us in term of our national publicity as a university. Much more than I think it would have when we almost won the title in the mid-80s.