The Akron Zips will host the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday as they still seek to notch their first FBS victory of 2026. As for the Bobcats, they are riding a five-game winning streak and sit atop the MAC standings with four weeks left in the regular season. Both teams are coming off a bye.
Ohio is a 13.5-point road favorite on Tuesday with -550 moneyline odds, while Akron has +410 moneyline odds. The game total for the conference showdown is set at 51.5 points. Here is a preview of the Week 10 contest featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
Akron Zips vs. Ohio Bobcats Preview
Akron
In between a pair of blowout road losses to Wake Forest and Minnesota, the Zips recorded a 45-10 win over Robert Morris. They proceeded to lose their nonconference finale to UNLV and are still winless in MAC play. But while their road losses to Central Michigan, Miami (OH) and Kent State came by 24, 20 and 15 points, they only lost by two when Eastern Michigan visited Akron.
Akron lost starting quarterback Cibastian Broughton to a knee injury back in September. He was completing 80.3% of his passes with four touchdowns, no interceptions and a 148.7 passer rating, plus 5.7 yards per rush attempt. Broughton’s replacement, Brayden Roggow, is completing just 58.9% of his attempts with a 121.0 passer rating. And while he is up to seven touchdowns through the air and one more on the ground, Roggow leads the MAC with nine interceptions.
Marcel Williams leads the Zips with 34 catches, 375 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Elijah Alexander is right there with three scores of his own, while wideouts Kyan Mason and Miles Burris are options 2A and 2B in the passing game with 46 receptions and 575 yards between them. Running back Jordan Gant has 139 receiving yards of his own to go along with his 618 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Then there is wide receiver Brandon Hills, who leads the MAC in kick return yards, while linebacker Donelius Johnson is tied for third in the conference with 71 tackles.
The Zips rank No. 127 in FBS in scoring offense and No. 128 in FBS in scoring defense, giving them the seventh-worst point differential in the nation. They also commit the sixth-most turnovers per game and rank among the bottom quartile in the country with just 1.0 turnover forced a night. In the opponent-adjusted SP+ efficiency metric, Akron ranks No. 132 on offense, No. 135 on defense and No. 135 on special teams, slotting it in at No. 134 out of 138 overall.
Ohio
After losing 49-21 at Nebraska to open the year, the Bobcats snuck by Jacksonville State and then lost to South Alabama by five. The ensuing 35-7 win over Stonehill set the stage for a five-game winning streak, including a three-point road win over Kent State, a 17-point victory against Central Michigan and a 48-7 beatdown of Sacramento State. Ohio needed a last-minute kickoff return touchdown from Darren James-Hamilton to beat Eastern Michigan 24-20 in Athens, though.
The Bobcats lost starting quarterback Nick Poulos to a concussion in Week 2, but he has since worked his way back and taken the job back from the platoon of Matt Vezza and Levi Davis. Poulos actually has the lowest completion percentage of the trio at 59.2%, but he leads the way with six touchdowns, zero interceptions and 13.5 yards per completion. That all factors into his 146.3 passer rating, on top of his 203 yards and two touchdowns as a runner. Victor Rosa and Duncan Brune split lead back duties with 364 and 352 yards, respectively, and eight combined touchdowns. Change-of-pace back Irving Brown doesn’t have as consistent of a workload, but his 9.5 yards per carry demonstrate his big-play ability.
Wide receiver Dom Dorwart is also a home-run threat with his 19.8 yards per reception and four touchdowns. Riley Neer is the true top target, though, with more than twice as many catches as Dorwart. He has turned his 37 grabs into 497 yards and five scores. On the other side of the ball, linebacker Michael Molnar ranks top-five in the conference in total tackles and leads the MAC with 12.5 tackles for loss. His 5.0 sacks, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one interception make him one of the most dangerous all-around defensive players in the MAC – if not the country.
On the national level, Ohio ranks No. 51 in scoring defense and No. 59 in scoring offense. Analytically, the Bobcats’ offense lags a little behind by ranking No. 92 in the SP+. They own the No. 61 special teams and No. 62 offense, which is good for No. 79 overall. They are also one of just 32 teams that forces fewer than one turnover per game, leading to a turnover margin that ranks outside the top 100.
Akron vs. Ohio Pick, Best Bet
With Poulos at quarterback, the Bobcats offense should take much better care of the ball. He had a fumble that led to a scoop-and-score last time out, but the Zips have the worst pass rush in the country. Poulos should be able to bide his time, read running lanes and hit deep shots like he did throughout most of October.
Akron has lost by at least two touchdowns in six of its seven games against FBS opponents this season. And while they managed to keep things close in their last home game, the Zips did lose by 28 at home to a UNLV team that is one spot below Ohio in the SP+. The Bobcats’ road resume is all over the place – they only beat Kent State by three but beat a similarly awful Sacramento State squad by 41 – but I still like them to win by multiple scores on Tuesday night.
