Will Ianello make it to his third season?

Football

It's been a difficult week for Rob Ianello. His mother passed away early Tuesday. The Zips coach is also the subject of a rumor on FootballScoop.com that the university will fire him after Friday's season finale.

Akron finishes its season with a tough matchup against Western Michigan, a team with six wins and an explosive passing offense. Junior quarterback Alex Carder (sixth in nation in passing yards) and senior receiver Jordan White (No. 1 in passes caught and receiving yards) are a tough matchup for even a good defense that is at full strength.

Add to this, the Zips might be playing without their defensive captain Brian Wagner, who has a knee injury.

Oddsmakers have put the line at WMU minus 27.5. The only way it's that close is if the weather plays a role. But it won't. Forecast is "Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 50s. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph."

The more interesting question is, will Ianello make it to his third season? The answer would appear obvious. Akron is not a team with a great winning tradition. Two years into a five-year contract is not enough time to implement a recruiting expert's greatest asset. Plus, no university without a history of high football revenue would want to eat a large chunk of the million dollars remaining on his contract.

But the fans might be enough to sway the decision makers. As of Wednesday morning, 93 comments were posted on ZipsNation.org in response to the FootballScoop rumor. Most fans are excited. But being in politics, I also know that silent majorities are not uncommon.

So let's find out...

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