First of all JT has not 'gotten' a game for us since 1999, so people should get over the "superman complex". He is the president now ...not the AD. Strollo is much more of an AD than JT ever was. Furthermore, Akron & Kent would jump at a game with YSU in a heartbeat, so it is not much more than a desperation move on our behalf. Not some heavily-negotiated coup. We let the MAC and Akron dictate the terms.
I could care less about what happened in the past, we have played Akron in most every other sport for years now. It does not change the fact that we let a school and a conference walk on us years ago and did nothing about it. We should have petitioned the NCAA many years ago to send a request to the MAC to drop the policy to not allow conference schools to play at lower-division schools. At the very least, allow exceptions for historically significant schools, schools within a certain mileage of each other, or within the same state.
So again, YSU will struggle with Akron (because of proximity and history); where NDSU, JMU, SDSU and other would barely break a sweat. This is a no-win game for us:
-If we lose, we will be written off at the beginning of the year (just like the Butler loss doomed us this past season).
-If it is a close win, YSU is "not looking to be very good this year".
-If we win big it is an expectation, because of Akron's terribly-low ranking and standing as an FBS team.
In short, a no-win situation and a game that NEVER should have been scheduled. BTW Chief, real fans do not have to be deaf, dumb and blind. GO ...Butler and Akron are both "bottom-feeders". So in that regard, they are exactly the same.