Akron Zips 2023 Future Odds
Defense Must Improve if Akron is Factor in Mid-American Conference

Ex-Florida Running Back Lingard Poised for Instant Impact at Akron
Just 13 Football Bowl Subdivision teams allowed more points per game than Akron’s total of 33.5 per game. It was still an improvement from the 39.5 points allowed in 2021 so keep that in mind when it comes to the Akron Zips future odds.
Leading tackler Bubba Arslanian is gone after making 129 tackles. The fact that the next three top tacklers were all defensive backs speaks volumes about the issues with the defense in 2022. Nate Thompson, Darrian Lewis, and KJ Martin do return. The hope is that the front seven makes more plays and their tackles are cut back a bit.
Akron was picked to finish fifth out of six teams in the MAC’s East Division preseason poll.
Akron only brought in four transfers, but all of them come from Power-5 conference programs. Illinois linebacker Shammond Cooper, Florida running back Lorenzo Lingard, South Carolina defensive back Joey Hunter, and Virginia Tech quarterback Tahj Bullock. Linebacker Jeslord Boateng, who had 117 tackles in the last three seasons, is now at Louisiana Tech.
When looking at the NCAA football standings, Akron finished last in the MAC East division with a 1-7 record and finished with a 2-10 overall record.
A quick look back at the NCAA odds, Akron covered five of the last six games in 2022 with four of the six games going over the total.
Akron’s Offense Could be Explosive
Plenty of eyes will be on a defense that struggled to defend the run and the pass a season ago. However, the best way to help the defense is for the offense to show signs of improvement.
D.J. Irons completed 67% of his passes for 2605 yards in 2022. He does need to do better than 10 touchdown passes in 379 attempts. The best college football bets could have Irons going over the total of 10 touchdowns.
Receiver Alex Adams came in from Louisiana State in 2022 and made an immediate impact with 855 yards on 63 catches to go with nine touchdowns. Don’t be surprised to see those numbers increase in 2023. Daniel George is another receiver to watch after he had 67 receptions. Their return is impacting the Akron Zips future odds.
This was a pass-first offense in 2022. Will the addition of Lingard change that? He had only 26 carries over the last three seasons at Florida after beginning his career at Miami (Fla.). Nate Williams could be one of the top linemen in the MAC. The line needs to cut down on the sacks and tackles for loss allowed. Only Colorado State allowed more sacks in 2022 than the 56 given up by Akron last season. The Zips finished tied for 125th out of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in tackles for loss allowed. That can’t continue to be the case for Akron to add more wins to its total.
There was some progress on defense, but there is still plenty of work yet to be done as the Zips allowed 16 plays from scrimmage of at least 40 yards and seven plays of 50 yards.
The additions of Cooper and Hunter should help. Cooper had just nine tackles in his time at Illinois and look for more from him in 2023.
National Championship Odds: Longest of Long Shots
When it comes to the NCAA football odds, Akron is in with more than 50 other teams with +100000 odds to win the national title. A goal would be to double last year’s totals of two overall wins and one MAC victory. Perhaps if everything falls into place, there could be a chance to earn a bowl bid. When looking at the Akron Zips future odds, there is still work to do.
Conference Odds: Zips Hope to Be in Running
Five of the seven conference losses were one-score affairs so perhaps Akron is not that far away. The Ohio game was the only conference game when Akron was overmatched.
Head coach Joe Moorhead is a highly respected coach who found under-the-radar players when he was at Fordham and his time as an offensive coordinator at Penn State should enable him to bring in recruits.
Regular Season Wins: Reach to Double Their Pleasure?
After winning two games in 2022, Akron is priced at -125 to go over four wins and -105 to finish under.
It won’t take long to see if a four or five-win season is realistic after the first two games against Temple and a Football Championship Subdivision Morgan State. Akron is listed as a 10.5-point underdog against Temple in the season opener.
The Kentucky game in mid-September might not be pretty, but it could help prepare the Zips for conference play. There is also a matchup with Indiana out of the Big Ten in September.
To Make the Playoffs: Hoping to Go Bowling
Akron hasn’t played in a bowl game since 2017 so Moorhead has some work to do. If Akron can turn some of those one-score losses into wins, perhaps the Zips will be in contention to become bowl eligible late in the season.
For NCAAF betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
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