Akron Zips Football Program Ineligible for Postseason

The Akron Zips football team will not qualify for the upcoming postseason, primarily because of unsatisfactory academic performances. Their multi-year academic progress score is 914, which falls short of the required 930 for postseason eligibility as per NCAA guidelines.

This news has caused disappointment among the Akron community, especially since they won’t be able to participate in any bowl games, even though they might have been in contention.

The Zips haven’t seen a bowl game since 2017—a year that also marked the last time they secured more than four wins in a season. It’s been a tough stretch for the team, as their recent records reflect struggles: they finished 4-8 in 2024, and in the past few seasons, they haven’t improved from their previous records. They went 0-12 in 2019, managed just one win in 2020, and had three consecutive seasons with 2-10 records from 2021 to 2023.

Interestingly, the last Division I FBS team that faced postseason ineligibility due to APR issues was Idaho back in 2014. It’s worth noting that since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the NCAA has refrained from imposing APR penalties, but they have voted to reinstate these regulations.

As for the Zips, their last bowl game victory dates back to 2015, when they triumphed in the Idaho Potato Bowl against Utah, winning 23-21. Since then, the hope for better outcomes has been pretty elusive.