Agreed.  I'd also like to see the "Champions Club" expanded (or at least more chair backs) on the tower side.  (Anyone know how ticket sales in that area went?)

With regards to expansion, I think it's absolutely necessary to begin looking at this now, not 3-5 years from now.  I think the momentum gained by OUr Athletics department definitely dictates that they get to work on this.  Certainly, we all have to acknowledge that there’s a funding challenge, but it's something that needs to be looked into, and soon.  I'd be surprised if these discussions haven't been had to some degree already.

Now, how to go about doing it to get it up to competitive standards.   There’s no reason that a capacity any higher than 30,000 to 32,000 is necessary.  More important is making it feel and look like a true D1 facility.  I think it's vital to keep the "classic" look, with brick exterior throughout the stadium.  I'm in agreement that something should be done to make the corners more incorporated, but more important to me is updating the facilities themselves, as others have said.  Bathrooms, and concessions are archaic, and that's where any upgrading needs to be focused.  If adding capacity is the goal, then completely tearing down the student side is the way to go.  Tear it down, and either have two "decks", or have one that's steeper and obviously larger than what we have now.  I believe that getting the restroom and concession facilities in place, along with updated scoreboards/sound system, and increased capacity have to be priorities over eliminating the corner sections that everyone seems to dislike so much.  It would seem to me that it shouldn’t be terribly difficult to find a way to the corner sections “blend” with the other two sideline sections so that it seem more seamless.   No matter what they elect to do, they have to get started on it soon.

I feel like I'm on the set of "Hostel" when I'm walking under the stands and into the bathrooms.

2nd level doesn't work--kinda far away and not in line with the main part of that side.

General parking and game programs are only $5 per.  NMSU, EMU and BG game tix as low as $15 (single game tix) and highest seat price we have is $40.  Raise those prices.

Student seating is only about 25% of Peden.  If non-students can sell out the other 18k tickets, it's time for expansion....after new bathrooms and tunnel concourse.

I guarantee home sellouts as long as we're undefeated.

Will there be a donation jar I can drop my change into Saturday?  Very excited to see the atmosphere on campus this Saturday.  Students alone should pack Peden.

good point about attendance bumps being temporary at best because of the look of stadium. Akron has the finest college football stadium in Ohio but they sure don't put many bodies in the seats. First game was the only one close to a sellout now they are lucky to have 10000 to a game, that only if an Ohio is playing that day. Of course maybe some people are still under the impression the zips still play in the rubber bowl. That would scare anyone away.

Couldn't tell you, but we will this Saturday.  If I'm on the outside looking in I'm risking getting arrested to hop the fence.

No way do we need to think expansion just yet. Ticket sales are way up, but there's still a long way to go before we consistently sell-out. I think there's some real power in having demand. If it becomes challenging to get a ticket, that's not such a bad thing.

Since Peden got to it's current version (I believe the mid-80's or so was when the infamous "corners" were added), we have NEVER turned a fan away. Pitt and UCONN were both huge crowds, but not true sell-outs. I've often wondered what the true "capacity" of Peden is with the hill...i.e. what is the maximum we can fit before we have to turn fans away. Maybe we'll find out this year!!

Nevertheless, serious renovations are needed. 1929 isn't getting any more recent. Restrooms, concessions, concourses, lighting...you name it, it needs replaced.

So to all those advocating for a stadium expansion when we don't even know how numbers will be this year (you can speculate all you want that they will be huge, but you will never know until the games), how do you expect us to pay for it all?  Already we're adding another building, our training facility, when we barely have the funds to fully staff and operate the rest of our buildings.  We're also about to start renovating the South Green dorms which I've seen ballpark estimates in the hundreds of millions.  We're already in a multi-million dollar hole with very little hope of getting out soon.  Students are having to pay out the ass as it is in the general fee to fund athletics (even those that don't attend have to pay), many of which wish they could use that 700 a quarter to pay for things such as food, tuition, or rent.  Unless we get a donation just for this, it shouldn't happen because those that pay just can't afford things like the general fee to go up anymore for the sake of athletics.

Monroe, I believe I recall about a decade or more ago that the university announced that the Convo had been paid for.  I believe it was part of a total debt restructuring that occurred at that time.  My memory is a little dim on this, but I think that's the essence of the matter.  The Convo had a very strange mix of funding.  A fairly significant portion of it was paid by the feds through a program that gave colleges money for building dorms.  That's why there are dorm rooms in the Convo.  The rest was financed through bonds.  $1 million was supposed to come from local business tycoon Fred Beasley, who at the zenith of his career owned 50 Ford dealerships throughout the nation (mainly Midwest).  At about the time he announced the donation, some members of his family had him declared "mentally incompetent" and the pledge was never fulfilled.  There were also, as I've heard "rumored on the streets," some other reasons that the gift never materialized.  This had to do with some "off mic" comments by an Ohio University official not complimentary to Beasley that got back to him.  It's never been clear to me whether Beasley himself reneged because of these remarks before the court judgement on his competency, or if this information got back to him and his family later. 

Can anyone tell me how much Infocision cost Akron?

I expected it to be way more, that encourages me about our chances to do something soon.  Still (obviously) will need huge donor push.