skip-zip

This news just made my day. And now I'll wait to see what the OSWho fans have to say....especially when it appears they thought their only competition for this kid were other Big 11 teams . I love the "favors OSU" comment But remember....Akron can't compete for a player who wants to go to Cowlumbus....who would ever think such a thing?

I've seen this statement in one form or another countless times. All a conference looks for is three things.Willingness to fund the athletic programs.Consistant development of academic programs.Television Market.Do you really think that USF and Cincinatti had attendance going for them? No, they were schools that were planning on pumping big money into the University and Athletics programs to make themselves more notable.Other lateral moves Marshall to C-USA (UCF doesn't count, the MAC was a hold over for them), BC to the ACC, Miami to the ACC. Those were developments of attendance and value added from marketing. But those are lateral, those teams went from one conference to a slightly better rated conference, not from Non-BCS to BCS. Does increased attendance help? Yes, because it's more money to pump into the program.I'm sure Marshall believed it was an upgrade at the time they made the move.I'm sure some of the factors you mention above contributed to the attractiveness of these schools. And I don't believe that attendance is the only factor. But consistent high attendance is something the people can impact. And it could act as the catalyst to start us moving in a direction that would indeed make us attractive to a larger conference.

As we all know, a lot of things need to happen over the next several years for us to be attractive to a big conference. It's certainly not impossible. I just don't think it's going to happen. And probably at the top of the list is sustained, high attendance. A good indication should be the number of people in attendance this year when we hit those cold November home games.

I think that, unfortunately, the majority of the people who come to that first game will be walk-ups right before gametime. I'm sure this isn't what we wanted to see, but I would be willing to guess that at least half of the attendance that day will not be advanced ticket sales.

There's no way a new arena will be built for an ABA team. Your average high school gym is too big for an ABA team.Bingo!!

Some good comments here.I think it was a mistake if the idea to include "extra room for expansion" was part of any expectation that if we became a consistently good MAC team, people in Akron will overflow the stadium...game after game...and season after season. MAC programs, good or bad, struggle to reach the 17,000 average, have struggled to reach it for decades, and I don't think that's going to change without a dramatic upgrade in the conference's level of play.However, I do believe it was a fantastic idea if it was designed that way to allow for our growth into bigger conferences. We simply don't know what opportunities may develop over the next 30-40 years that this stadium will likely be used by us. And I'm happy that we wouldn't be "stuck with what we have".

confirmed. this is where im going to be going bright and early to tailgate. So far no other lot has really sparked my interest.Someone suggested earlier in the thread that lot 34 seems to have a lot of grass areas on the perimeter....which will be a necessity if you have a tent. Can anyone else confirm this? If so, this might be the place to be.I'd still love to see a "tailgate city" across all of that grassland area by the old softball complex.

Right now, I'm not overly concerned about the total crowd being accomodated. It won't be as easy as parking everyone in a big grass field adjacent to the stadium, like we had before. And for some people who get there closer to game time, there's going to be increased traffic, longer walks, and possibly a shuttle involved. I just hope it doesn't turn off some potential new fans.Now back to the tailgating...I guess the only thing that concerns me is that, with the limitations with the parking decks, and the number of outdoor lots that are completely paved.....how many areas are even available that have grassy areas where you can even set up a tent? Someone mentioned lot 34. Is that it? And could it accomodate everyone that sets up tents and/or cooks food?I'm hoping that people with a good knowledge of the physical characteristics of the different parking lots on campus will start reporting their findings on here, and we can all start to determine where the best areas will be for our set-ups long before the first game.

All I've been told is that you won't be permitted to cook anything in any of the parking decks.

That is one way to look at it. The other way is like this...It was an Orlando Sentinel article and UCF is in Orlando. Auburn and NC State represent the SEC and ACC respectively. Local school and the area power conferences far outweigh RPI when making a headline.Just like we see during post-season tournament selections, having the "names" seems to mean everything to these folks. And until we become a "name", this is how it goes.

Unless they were going to have it at BW3, or downtown somewhere, this is a great choice since it's a genuine sports bar-type atmosphere. Only a couple of miles down the street from campus, and VERY supportive of the Zips. All kinds of jerseys and other Zips stuff are in the place. And that's more than I can say for many of the restaurants and bars in the area.

It's a huge game for both teams.For Indiana, it is an absolute must win. While a perennial also-ran in the Big 10 for the last 40 years, IU had never lost to a MAC team prior to last season, when they lost to both Ball State and Central Michigan. A loss at Akron would be, to say the least, a devastating blow to a program desperate to become competitive in the Big 10.For Akron, it's not only a legitimate shot to chalk up another win against a BCS opponent, it's the marquee game for the inaugural season at the Info. It's the chance to finally open the eyes of northeast Ohio football fans to what has long been one of the area's truly great entertainment values that now features an arguably unmatched venue.What makes this game most interesting to me is that for the first time in Akron football history, the Zips actually will be facing real pressure to win... and not just be competitive... against a BCS opponent. Who knows what the spread will be, but it doesn't really matter if Akron is favored or an underdog. They need this game. And they need it bad.And that's the only thing that worries me about the Morgan State game. Akron's not experienced enough or good enough to look past anybody, and I think the Zips will have a tough time not thinking about Sept. 12 while they're getting ready for Sept. 5.I do find this to be a unique opportunity. Why? Although one can probably say that this level of opponent probably has no bigger impact than beating Syracuse or NC State over the last few years, there are a couple of important differences.1) This is Big 11 Country. More people in the Midwest will take notice of such a victory....I'm talking about those Big 11 fans who probably paid little attention to our last two BCS victories.2) This victory would take place in AKRON, and not on the road. ESPN will be showing highlights of our new stadium and field that night, AND during a game where it should be packed. Hopefully, all of the Cleveland news stations will be there as well to give us nice coverage that night....possibly helping to open the eyes of a few more curious local football fans who may just decide to give an Akron game a try.It's not the type of victory that I would necessarily be looking for to help us gain ground in terms of respect on a national level. But I still think it would be the most beneficial victory to date in our D-1A era as a program.

I do doubt that CSU would ever become an Akron "satellite campus". But, the idea of them paying a new pres big money is perplexing to me.Honestly, I really don't want to be associated at all with that campus either, considering the great things we are doing here.

Ahhh..someone in absolutely the right mindframe.

I always prefer those 6pm home games on Saturday. Gives you a chance to get some things done before spending the mid-afternoon to evening at the game. Although, I've always seemed to notice that some of you go there in the morning, regardless of the game time. At least they didn't give us any 12-noon starts. I think I'm getting way too old to start drinking at 7am, like I did for the Can't game in 07.

Something is incorrect in the first part of the article.We did indeed make the move to 1-A in 1987, but did not start playing in the MAC until 1992. Up until that point, we were an independent. Thanks for letting us know about your previous.

I didn't make it to the 2000 game, but did go down there for the 1995 game. Had a great time in Blacksburg also. The problem was there was no game. The score was (if I remember correctly) 49-0 at halftime. And the VT fans we tailgated with claimed that they didn't have a very good offense. Anyway....because VT has gained some notoriety nationally in recent year, I think it may be a dream to get them to give us a return game anymore. I'll take it!! Sounds like a good excuse for another Virginia road trip.

Sure. Why would we want or need that? Our only real connection to free publicity on a national level.

I almost couldn't believe it when I first heard about it. To me, it's sickening. And the libs in Cali just keep electing her to office.

I like how Keith mentioned "Top-25" in his remarks. That needs to always be the goal. Getting near that mark is the only thing that's going to ensure at-large bids, and avoid a disaster like we had in 2007. And I hope we start doing what we need to do, scheduling-wise, to put us in position to approach that goal. I think we're doing all that we can by continuing to boost Keith's contract as he continues to show signs of long-term success. We all know that the day will likely come where that success could attract offers that are far out of Akron's reach to equal. But until we get to that point, giving him some reasonable raises that we can afford, as he shows continued success, is really all that we can do. I must admit. As I have watched what has mostly amounted to a poor women's basketball team since the early 80's, I haven't had much hope. But, I made posts on here last season saying that I really believed, for the first time, that I have seen signs of hope. It didn't result in a lot of wins. But I've been around many losing basketball teams that showed me that they were "competing", but not "playing like they could win". And there's a big, big difference between the two. I believe I'm seeing a different Akron team now, and they do have talent, and I think it's deserving of an extension for Kest to see if the trend continues.

My favorite Rowdie moment from 2008-09 basketball....Sitting near the Rowdies at the MAC title game, It was funny enough hearing the "Buffalo's in Canada" chant.....but they topped it when they started a "USA.....USA......USA" chant.Absolutely Hilarious!!My wife and I still laugh about that to this day.

I think in any case, we should never do "less" than what the big boys are doing. If they don't print media guides anymore, fine. But if they were still printing media guides, we HAVE to print one. And if they are still having pre-season luncheons, we HAVE to do the same.If we were to stop doing the things they do, it gives people another reason to look at us as "small time". We're a D-1A school, just like the rest of them, and we need to take advantage of every opportunity we have to continue to act like one.

I definitely would vote for Northwestern. I feel badly for them in a way. They have such high academic standards, yet they have to compete against these other programs. I think academics should always come first, and this school exemplifies that. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, that philosophy creates somewhat of an uneven playing field.

I was hopeful, but also aware that this kind of situation is a long shot. I think you only have a Victor Green type of situation materialize every once in a great while when you are an Akron. But I hope he gets another chance to get a job on someone's DB roster.

One that immediately stood out for me is the mention of an NCAA tourney appearance in softball in 84 and 85We were actually NATIONAL RUNNER-UP both of those years, losing in the national title game. I was in school at the time. It was a pretty cool feat back then to see Akron nearly winning a team national championship. And the National Runner-Up in Soccer the following year....I see you caught that one.