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I'm confused... what did they say to you? This story seems incomplete.They basically called the stadium, and UA in general, a joke and one referred to the stadium as a "waste of money."The same guy said Akron is a sh*t town that will always be a sh*t town. His buddy agreed.Other than that, I had a lovely lunch.First of all, I love Akron. But if these guys think Akron is a bad town, they should educate themselves to the fact that good or bad college football really doesn't have much of a correlation with the good or bad nature of the town where the campuses are located. But, to further elaborate on my last comment about the fact that Suckeye fans simply think that Akron football does not exist, reading all of this just reminded me of something that happened to me a few years ago.My wife and I stopped at BW's on Exchange to watch our season-opening road game at Penn State. It just happened to be on at the same time as the OSWho game against Northern Illinois. And even though we were literally right on Akron's campus, Akron was on TV, and we were in the city of Akron, you would have been sickened by what we experienced. Anyway...of course they all flooded into the place at gametime wearing their red and silver gear (probably most of them didn't even go to school there). And even though both games were running simultaneously, whenever we, or a few of the other Akron fans cheered a good play, they'd turn and look at us like "what the heck are you cheering about"??,,,,as if we were applauding something that NORTHERN ILLINIOIS did !!!!!!I really think many of them were completely oblivious to the fact that Akron was even on some of the tv's!!....or that Akron Football could possibly attract people to a bar to catch the game coverage. I think to these people, Akron is simply just another city within the Suckeye community of fans.

The majority of the Suckeye fans I know just simply think Akron Zips Football is nonexistentent. You try to tell them about a good game we played, or a good recruit that we landed, and they look at you like you're talking about a 6th grade team. Tell them about your great season tickets, and they look at you like "They charge for Akron games"? And believe it or not, some of the people who act this way and think that Akron is just a little pebble that people like OSU can step on are actually AKRON GRADUATES!!Until we do something big, it will always be like this.

1) I know there's always been a preference with some coaches to practice on the more-forgiving natural surfaces. 2) I'm also aware of situations where we wanted to practice on natural grass because that was the type of surface that we'd be playing on at an away game that particular week.

I guess it all depends on where you are at in a given year. Last year, it obviously was a disadvantage to us to have to play #12 Toledo on a neurtal floor on Tuesday night. The one thing I do like about keeping those games in Cleveland on Tuesday is the increased exposure for the league, and especially for Akron. Those games are much more publicized by the NE Ohio media than they would be if they were at campus sites. And I really do think Joe NE Ohio College Basketball Fan will probably go to a tournament game at the Q before he'd go to an opening round game at the JAR or in Can't.

Other than the fact that they are in a large city, I can't see the financial benefit of the Big 10 adding Buffalo.

Pretty interesting. Thanks for the link.Even with my basketball background, I can't see a lot of good with this. It's open to interpretation, which essentially means that anyone could call it differently at any moment. There's WAY too much room for variances. I can only see one positive, and that's that they are trying to eliminate guys sliding into the paint at the last moment to draw a charging foul. Ok, I get it, and it "sounds" like it makes sense. But, the high degree of interpretation won't help anyone.

Zipsrifle...I'd say you're almost right. In the MAC, a coach wins and he moves on, or he loses and he may or may not be gone, depending on the circumstances of his contract, and how much more money they'd owe him, and how much the school is willing to eat. I love athletic defenses, but I must admit that our small linebackers are a concern to me as well.I usually don't care much for prognosticators, especially in the MAC where any number of teams can rise to the top on any given year. But I at least appreciate that they learned some things about the team when doing their analysis.

It sure is an interesting thing to think about. Personally, even if he had gone to Akron to play football, and even if he would have indeed been an NFL-caliber TE/Receiver, I'm not thinking that one player at that position could have made Akron a top-20 team.However, I think it would have been very possible for him to have impacted Akron basketball enough to make us a top-20 team.

Marshall's AD was just run out of town, and they're looking for a new one now. I would imagine firing Snyder and bringing in a new head coach will be very near the top of the new AD's to-do list.Other than winning the MAC championship game, my facorite Zips moment of the recent past was that miracle finish to beat Marshall in the Bowl. Probably Charlie Frye's greatest moment as a Zip, I think. And seeing the replay on ESPN all day the next day was sweet!I think the only moment that tops this for me, in terms of Rubber Bowl game, was when Alcorn drilled the 57 yard field goal to beat Toledo in 1992 in our first game as a MAC member. It was an Acme/Zip game, packed house, and everyone ran out on the field afterwards. A great night. And that was also the year we posted our best-ever D-1A record of 7-3-1. I agree with those who miss Marshall. They were always the team that everyone was aiming to knock off. We don't have anyone like that right now.

I do expect student attendance to increase with the on-campus stadium. In fact, I think it will be noticably higher for those first couple of games. Beyond that, I'm sure the numbers will drop as the weather gets colder...just like it will for the general public. I'm hoping that at least 5,000 do indeed make it to those first few games. And I'd probably be pleased to see half of them still coming for the November games.

Of course, the idea that NE Ohio is starving for a winner can't be more true. But, I'll reiterate what I say on here all the time....The Browns, Cavs, and Indians compete for NATIONAL championships. The Zips compete for conference championships in a low to mid level D-1 league, depending on the sport. I would find it an incredible reach to think that the fans of these teams will someday decide to start ditching their season tickets and start driving to Akron to see MAC-Level football as their primary source of sports entertainment.

A really glaring example of this was 2 years ago in the national championship game between Florida and OSWho.The DLs from Florida were running right past the Suckeye O-Linemen all night long.

The tough thing for me is deciding what to make of the way we floundered after the Buffalo loss, which essentially was the MAC East title game. Did we just lose some of our desire after that loss? Or, were those games an indication that we really hadn't improved as much as many of us had thought?I'm going to hang my hat on the hopes that the way we performed against teams like Syracuse, Army, Cincinnati, BG (a team that blew us out in 07), Can't, Toledo, and Buffalo demonstrates that we took a step forward last year. And with Buffalo's personnel loses, the coaching changes in our division, and a senior 3-year starting quarterback at the helm.....I think this a very winnable year for us in the East. However, I still think we have a lot of work to do to catch up with the West.I'm really concerned about that stretch of road trips @ Buffalo @Syracuse @NIU in consecutive weeks. That will be a real test.

As I've said all along, I'm just glad I will always be there several hours early.We'll see how this all shakes out. I think anyone can say now that long walks and riding shuttles from downtown shouldn't be a big deal, and that they "do it at the big schools".....but.....there will be problems, and I'm sure some of those problems will put a damper on the whole experience for some people, and they may not come back. Of course, it's not what you want to happen while we are trying so hard to create a great experience for some first time fans who you hope will come back again and again. Of all the things that we lacked at the Rubber Bowl, I'm sure many people got spoiled by the convenience of parking your car quickly in a wide open field, and having a 5 minute walk to the entrance. How those people will react to a little inconvenience is anyone's guess. Let's just hope this whole thing comes together, and things run as efficiently as possible.

I don't agree with you. I agree with you.Sounds like the typical sour grape, jealous, hate OSU stuff that gets so old on this board. Too bad it has come to that...again.Come on. I even know die-hard Buckeye fans who readily admit that the yahoos from the sticks of Southern Ohio who invade Cowlumbus every weekend create a lot of problems, add fuel to the flames, and are flat-out rude to visiting fans. I've heard too many accounts of incidents to even start to mention them here. But as one example...remember....they had to tear-gas all of those idiots a few years ago to get them off the field after a Michigan game.

I have never attended Hineygate AFTER a game...always before. And, very little of what you described has ever been my experience before the game.Before or after is irrelevant. It is a mob of people with loud music and big cups of beer. And that's fine...Rockin' on the River has used that same combination to draw mobs to Cuyahoga Falls for 20+ years. It works. But there are drawbacks too. As long as the yahoos who come to the UA for no other reason than to get plastered @ "Old Milwaukee-gate" don't affect me, I'm cool with them.I'd prefer Schaefer-gate or Weidemann-gate....It'll make me feel young again. I'll be honest. As a partier myself, I walked by the often-talked-about Hiney-gate while attending the OSWho/Akron football game two years ago. I took a look around, and really didn't see any reason to go in. It looked to me like it was just beer and music...the same thing that was going everywhere else. Plus, our group of Zips fans had already taken enough verbal jabs from the Suckeye fans on the walk towards the stadium already, and I wasn't really in the mood for more of the same from a bunch of drunk southern Ohio morons.

Good find. I had always hoped and expected that he was good enough to continue his career at some level...even if it wasn't the NFL.

If you read my earlier post, I like to talk a lot about my history with the program, and how difficult it is for a school like Akron to build some additional attendance (I won't repeat the factors working against...many of us know what they are). Just look at the other MAC schools, we all battle serious challenges...even if we're winning games (i.e. Central and Western). But...a complete game-day atmosphere, coupled with the new stadium, does indeed give us a one-time opportunity to bring in some new attendees. And the campus location gives us some advantages that the Rubber Bowl did not, such as restaurants and bars nearby. Even if these folks don't become die-hard Zips fans like the rest of us, they might enjoy the experience enough to join us again from time to time. xu...I have a couple of questions...1) Where in the world is Coleman Commons? I've haven't been a student now in well over 2 decades, so please educate me.2) Did you just say that those Hiney Gate parites at OSWho are no longer?Two other comments...1) Don't expect Spicer to get closed on game day. I see too many problems with doing that, considering all of the road closures around the campus in the last couple of decades, and the limited options....including Spicer being a direct route to several parking areas. 2) Yes...the intersection at Brown and Exchange will be CRAZY on game days.

It would be too much taking into account how much billboard advertising returns.Here is a better idea. Take half the money they spend on billboards and flush it down the toilet. Take the other half and spend it on scholarships for students. No matter what, half of the money will be spent wisely in lieu of ALL the money being flushed down the toilet on billboards.While I love the idea of the scholarship, I don't think a $450 scholarship will build the brand awareness that the football team desperately needs at this time. It pains me that we finally have a brand to market, and let an economically sound opportunity slip away. I know you like to see cash in the drawer at the end of the day from your marketing, but building a brand is not about that, you have to see the forest through the trees when measuring brand awareness.What else is there for marketing other than cash in the in drawer at the end of the day? Marketing results are ultimately measured in money. It is a business and they have to function on money...not wishes. Reminds me about an old saying about wishes, "Make a wish or $#!+ in your hat. See which one fills up first." Billboards have not and will not work. Can't State wishes that billboard on Rt8 would work. You are wishing that a billboard somewhere in Akron will work at raising brand awareness (see below for MAC brand awareness). Is the fact that UofA has a football team a secret? I doubt that.MAC schools individually have brand awareness and the league has a brand awareness. The exposure on ESPN, early season beat downs by BCS schools and disgraceful performances in bowls the past couple of years have given them increased brand awareness...although not a brand awareness they would like to have. Here is the MAC brand: a third tier D-1A conference (Dollar General). Sane people are not willing to pay to see third tier conferences play (we on this board are all actually a bunch of idiots for paying to go see it). Change that with a billboard.?.I have had Wake Forest season tickets the past two years. They play in the ACC (second tier conference) and they have a 32,000 seat stadium (around the size of UofA's and some ACC teams play in 80,000+ seat stadiums). They have been historical losers (remind anyone of a team we all love?). The past three seasons they have had winning records, an ACC championship, a couple of first team All-Americans getting drafted in the first round, three straight bowl appearances (the last two they won) with a BCS bowl appearance. Their games are NOT sold out when my wife and I go. They play Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, Vandy, Maryland, Clemson, Virginia, VA Tech, Miami, etc. Does everyone in NC know they have a football team and a good one? Of course. Will a billboard increase brand awareness? Barely.The point is this. I spent years in the forest believing there was some magical marketing "trick" that could get people to come to games. The new stadium is the "trick". MAC schools are playing "trick or treat" with their advertising and only marketing the "trick" end of it because there is rarely a treat when you get to a game. The people of NE Ohio are not stupid and they know a crappy product when they see it. Most have a good understanding of football with the exception of Browns fans. The problem the MAC has now is they are selling a crappy product and people know that; meaning the brand awareness is there. Never assume your customers are stupid. Fans have had too much TV exposure with the MAC to continue to fool people. MAC schools can't run adds saying, "Don't believe your own eyes. Listen to what I say. Our product is great."Since we should not spend all of our time complaining, I will offer solutions. The MAC and MAC schools don't need more brand exposure, they need less if they are planning on tricking people to come to games. ESPN games with empty stadiums are not helping the brand. Getting killed by BCS schools is not helping the brand. Getting killed in bowl games by CUSA teams is not helping the brand name. Some say adding more bad teams to an already bad conference will somehow make it a better brand (the logic behind this is almost insane...... 13 bad teams + 2 horrible teams = good football ). The MAC either needs to take the step of moving to I-AA to save itself, or the following:1. Ditch the ESPN week night games.2. Only one BCS pay day per year.3. Stop adding teams and actually reduce the number of teams to 10 with nine conference games per year.4. Ditch the MAC Championship played in front of 50,000 empty seats at Ford Field.Wait...there is a very true point within this.Forget this notion that throwing up a billboard with our schedule on it will suddenly get people excited about going to Akron football games. As someone who has worked in sales for the past couple of decades, I can tell you that we DO have brand awareness, and people know we have a football team. The problem is...we simply don't compete at a level that interests enough of them. That's the challenge. It's not the fact that we're not making them aware of our game schedule.

God help us... I have to laugh at that too.I'll say it again, after being around this football program for 30 years...It's simple.....Something BIG has to happen on the field. If not, we're trying to sell the general public on coming to games against MAC teams, which means nothing to most people.......and I still doubt if most of the casual area college football fans even know that we even play D-1A (I even personally know people who I have had to educate). Our recent bowl appearance is a plus. So is our recent wins over NC State and Syracuse. But in order for the Akron public to become REGULAR Akron football fans, even bigger things need to happen. Especially with the Suckeyes playing for national championships right down the road.

Why K.e.n.t. advertises their football program on billboards in Akron is beyond me. I don't like seeing their ugly yellow color all over Akron billboards either. But if billboards is how they want to TRY to market their football program, what other choice do they really have to get a high amount of exposure except in Akron? My guess would be that they have just as many alums living in the Akron area as we do.

GP...some good points.Posting schedules is not the problem. The problem is that people are NOT interested in going. For the most part, I believe that the general public knows Akron has a football team, and that they play several home games each year (although I still doubt whether many of them know we play D-1A). The fanfare surrounding the new stadium will generate new interest from the general public, at least initially. And any other festivities that create a great experience for people and their families will hopefully sustain some of that interest. What I want to see??Forget about the first couple of home games...everyone will want to be there, and it's going to be awesome. But, I want to see 20k show up for that November home game in cold weather against lowly EMU. That will show me that we truly have some new potential fans in the mix, and not just new stadium curiosity seekers. But down the road, we're still going to need some wins against big programs, and some attention on a national level, if are going to sustain their interest...long term.

I have no idea how you'd work around an Exchange St. closure. During the Aeros games when they shut down Main St., there's still plenty of north/south routes to travel through downtown without any problem. I like the idea of Spicer St. parties, but that might even be impossible with that much traffic coming into campus. Why couldn't they do what they've done for spring games?....use the dead-end old Brown street that runs between the stadium and the track for festivities? I'm hoping there won't be too many logistical problems those first few games, where you might tick some people off who will never come back. I foresee a lot more issues than we had empying all of the cars straight into a huge grass field. I'm just glad that I will be there several hours early.

Without repeating most of what I've said before about this topic, I'll just say this...I'd like to say that news like this would make me take notice, and get me excited about the possibility that we could have an opening to move up to a major conference. I really wish I could hang my hat on some things that are impressive enough to make a major conference consider our admission. We aren't in that position. We have a long way to go.

I totally agree. Players are usually more interested in who is the Head Coach and the overall University. Assistants come and go and you don't see players attempting to transfer. With the success of KD, I believe we still have a shot at getting Payne. In my experiences, this is why I have emphasized previously that I will always be shocked if I see a situation where a potential recruit makes an asst. coach the make-or-break factor in a decision to attend a particular school.