2025 Akron Football Predictions: Zips Ranked 133rd in RJ Young's Ultimate 136
This isn't your average college football ranking.
My Ultimate 136 is a set of rankings that is fluid, but it's my job to look ahead and make a claim for all FBS teams based on what I know and why I know it. Here are the three pressing questions I started by asking when putting together this list:
- Who do I think is good?
- Why do I think they're good?
- What are the chances they will finish above or below my expectations?
Here is a look at where Akron lands in my Ultimate 136.
Akron ranking: 133
Last year’s ranking: 132
Top player: TE Jake Newell: Recorded 35 receptions for 254 yards and two touchdowns last season; spent true freshman season at Arizona State before transferring to Akron in 2023.
RJ's take: Joe Moorhead’s program demands nuance. It's easy to say the Zips finished 4-8 and weren't very good in 2024, but that ignores the 7-47 record Akron held prior to Moorhead’s in December 2021. It would also ignore seven players on last year's team who are playing power-conference football this year.
Quarterback Ben Finley makes the Zips a team with a chance to show growth, but growth here is getting to just six regular-season wins and then celebrating like you won the national title.
[Check out RJ Young's Ultimate 136 College Football Rankings here]
Akron Win Total Odds: Over 4.5 (+136) Under 4.5 (-168)
Have an issue with my rankings? Think your alma mater is too low, or your school's rival is too high? Get at me on X, @RJ_Young, and I'll select my favorite tweets and respond to them in a future article.
RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him at @RJ_Young.