College Football Predictions – Akron Zips 2020 College Football Preview
August 2020
October 2020 – Schedule notes updated.
2019 Recap
Record – 0-12
ATS – 1-11
Yikes.
We knew it was going to be a long year, but it uglier than most could have imagined. They failed to win a game. There was a stretch of four conference games in which they scored a TOTAL of nine points. They lost the season finale by a score of 52-3. A bright spot? They almost SHOCKED the WORLD late in the campaign when they took the future MAC champs to the WIRE in a 20-17 loss.
Akron is on a 17-game losing streak. Can we expect any improvement this year?
2020 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
East Division – TBD
MAC – TBD
Akron Zips 2020 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Zips were a GREASE FIRE on offense LY and finished the year dead last in the FBS in rushing offense (48 YPG) (!) and total offense (243 YPG). They had a little bit of success in the THROW GAME and QB Kato Nelson is one of five returning starters in 2020. Nelson has tossed 34 TDs in three seasons (16 INTs) and has done a pretty good job considering the lack of talent that has been assembled around him during his time at Akron. The Zips didn’t have a single player register more than 200 rushing yards (!) LY and only tallied TWO rushing TDs as a team. It’s truly hard to know what to expect from the men in the RB room. That’s particularly true when you consider that the offensive line still figures to be a major problem area and recall that the Zips allowed an FBS-worst 58 sacks a season ago. Akron’s top-four WRs return to the mix including #1 Nate Stewart (529, 14.3, 3 TD) so it’s not unreasonable to expect some improvement in the passing attack.
This is probably still the worst offense in the conference but don’t expect them to be historically bad like they were in 2019.
DEFENSE
It wasn’t a total disaster last year and the Zips finished up ranked #11 in the MAC in scoring defense (36.3 PPG) and a respectable #6 in total defense. They didn’t create much havoc and only bagged 5 INTs and recorded the fewest forced turnovers in the MAC (11, tied with Bowling Green). Six starters return to the stop unit but they will certainly miss tackling machine John Lako who led the team in tackles during his final campaign. The DL has a lot of upperclassmen to rely upon and that includes a pair of returning starters. The best player on defense is likely LB Bubba Arslanian (#2 tackles LY) and he’ll lead the linebacking corps. Three starters return to the secondary and they’ll look to provide more resistance against the pass this season. Last year the Zips didn’t allow a ton of yardage but were #11 in the MAC in pass efficiency D (66%, 23-5 TD to INT). Having a pair of starting CBs back in the mix can’t hurt. It goes without saying that they’ll have to figure out a way to get more pressure on the QB, and be more disruptive overall.
SPECIAL TEAMS
There’s continuity in the kicking game with the return of FG kicker Cory Smigel (5/6 FG LY) and punter Jonah Wieland. KR Michael Mathison is one of the most dangerous return men in the MAC.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The Zips have a tough opener and crossover game with Western Michigan to kick things off. Overall, their three-game road slate is tough (at Ohio, at Kent, at Buffalo).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Nothing spooky noted.
Season Win Total
TBD
MEGALOCKS says:
TBD
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The Zips have one player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he was a good one. DE Jason Taylor terrorized QBs for a long time in the NFL and is #7 on the all-time sack list (139.5).
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
There is still a lot of work to do in terms of building this program into something capable of competing in the MAC. We definitely see the possibility for a few wins on the schedule as they play a small handful of fellow bottom-feeders. Look for them to show a bit of improvement while still finishing at the bottom of the division.
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