So I take it you have nothing to say OSU has rebuffed Akron many times?
So tell Akron to go get Pitt, West Virginia (Huggins ties doesn't help?), Villanova, Memphis, Rutgers, any of the teams in the area around us. I get why Butler, Dayton etc. may not want to come because that is a serious threat. MSU is not scared to play Akron. Even if they did lose, it doesn't hurt them like losing to Penn State hurts them. So that is not a real concern.
When you play in a conference that is as bad as the MAC is, you have to do something to schedule tough teams out side of a pre-season tournament. I loved the Creighton game. But we can't have Creighton, then play Oakland, Coastal Carolina, ArkPB, etc..
Miami used to load their schedules with tough teams and come ready to play ball for the MACC without a scary schedule because they wanted to be tourney ready.
This whole 20 games win streak is meaningless with the crap of schedules they roll out. And it is also why nobody cares to follow them or go to the games.
Ohio had over 12k people for the Akron game, Akron can barely sell out the Kent game in a 5k seat arena. Another reason why the board probably won't let them get a new arena without a ton more fundraising.
I am 110% sure this is true. I'm not going to say my connection, but it's not some team manager or ticket person. Believe what you want to believe.
As for Miami, they played some big names, but did it really produce results in the MAC Tournament as you said it did? Here's their last five seasons with Strength of Schedule ranking. For comparison sake, Akron is currently ranked 136 in SOS.
2012 - 9-21, Lost 1st MAC Tournament game to Toledo (SOS 139) - Played at #14 Xavier, #2 Ohio State,
2011 - 16-17, Lost 1st MAC Tournament game to Akron (SOS 130) - Played at #1 Kansas, #3 Kansas, #3 Ohio State
2010 - 14-18, Defeated Buffalo then lost in MAC Tournament to Ohio (SOS 116) - Played at #5 Kentucky, #19 Cincinnati
2009 - 17-13, Lost 1st MAC Tournament game to Akron (SOS 114) - Played at #4 UCLA, #6 Pittsburgh, #20 Xavier
2008 - 17-16, Defeated Ohio then lost in MAC Tournament to Kent State (SOS 72) - Played at #10 Louisville, #3 Kansas
To review, they're 2-5 in the MAC Tournament over the past five years. The last year they did well?
2007 - 18-15, Won MAC Tournament (SOS 92) - Played at #22 Kentucky
(Side note: Miami went 0-13 against these ranked teams)
Now look at Akron's last six years:
2012 - 22-12, Lost MAC Championship (SOS 88)
2011 - 23-13, Won MAC Championship (SOS 151)
2010 - 24-11, Lost MAC Championship in OT (SOS 141)
2009 - 23-13, Won MAC Championship (SOS 151)
2008 - 24-11, Lost MAC Championship (SOS 104)
2007 - 26-7, Lost MAC Championship (SOS 146)
Of course the first thing pointed out will be that they've missed opportunities in big games, which is valid. They had chances to win 3 of the 4 MAC Championship losses at the end of the game and didn't. But to argue that Miami has been more tournament-ready because of their scheduling is simply laughable. In fact, the two years Akron won the MAC Tournament were their weakest two schedules.
Akron's stance has and continues to be that they will do a 1-for-1, 2-for-1 or 3-for-1, but they want at least one home game. Fact is that no major team wants any part of Akron, Ohio, or Kent State (the MAC's premier programs) on the road, so they won't go for it. Many of these teams don't even want to play these three in general...seriously, look at past schedules and see how few "big-name" opponents these three programs have been able to schedule.
As for attendance, you are again wrong. The Kent State game was sold out over a week ago, and sells out every time. The OU game was also sold out. A new arena or a major renovation of James A Rhodes Arena will absolutely take place in the near future.