Courtesy: Jeff Harwell-Zips Sports Photography

AKRON ­— With the release of today’s 2008 Mid-American Conference football schedule, the University of Akron Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades addressed several changes to the Zips’ non-conference opponents, namely opening 2008 at Wisconsin and its cancellation of the home-and-home series with Kentucky for 2008 and ‘09 seasons.

“Prior to my arrival in January of 2006, there were signed contracts with five non-conference opponents for the 2008 season,” Rhoades said. “Also, since the time of those contracts being signed, Temple was added to the Mid-American Conference as a football member, creating scheduling challenges for the league in 2007, for the 2008 season and the immediate future for both conference and non-conference opponents.

“Due to these circumstances, the University of Akron will not play at the University of Kentucky in the 2008 season, nor will the Wildcats come to Akron in 2009 to open the University’s new InfoCision Stadium. Although we worked very hard — in conjunction with the Mid-American Conference, to adhere to the signed contract from June of 2004, we regret that a solution to this matter could not be resolved. We offer our sincerest apologies to the University of Kentucky for any inconveniences and thank Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart for his cooperation.

“However, we are pleased to announce the Akron football team will open the 2008 season at the University of Wisconsin. Also, we are excited another team from a premier football conference will be in Akron to christen InfoCision Stadium, as fellow Big Ten member, Indiana University, will be the Zips’ first home game of the 2009 season. That contest is currently set for September 19, one week later than the previously announced date for the first game in InfoCision Stadium.”

Wisconsin is coming off a 9-4 season and played Tennessee in the 2008 Outback Bowl. The last time Akron faced Wisconsin was Sept. 6, 2003 in Madison when the 18th-ranked Badgers held off the Zips for a 48-31 victory. Indiana posted a 7-6 record in 2007, including a 41-24 win over Akron, and, as a program on the rise in the Big 10 Conference, played in its first bowl game, the 2007 Insight Bowl, since the 1993 season.

“Located in the footprint of the Big 10, we are excited to play these two programs, both of whom have great name recognition and excellent football programs,” Rhoades said. “Also, the opportunity to play at Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium will be an awesome experience for our student-athletes as University of Akron supporters can attest from their trip to Madison in 2003.

“The excitement currently surrounding the Indiana football program is evident by the large group of fans that made the long trip to Arizona for this season’s Insight Bowl. We feel the opening of our new stadium will attract a large crowd alone. However, the relatively short distance from Bloomington to Akron, as well as having IU alumni chapters in both Akron and Cleveland, will help ensure the already expected sell-out for the first game to be played at InfoCision Stadium will be a reality.”