The University of Akron’s football program is poised for a modest but meaningful rise as the 2026 Mid‑American Conference season approaches.
Preseason rankings signal cautious optimism
Coaches placed the Zips at 10th out of 13 teams in the 2026 preseason poll, a single spot ahead of the tie for 11th they shared a year earlier. The team collected 52 points, up from 39 a season ago, reflecting a modest but tangible vote of confidence.
The Zips finished the 2025 campaign with a 5‑7 overall record and a 4‑4 mark inside the MAC, a marked improvement over the 4‑8 overall and 3‑5 conference slate they posted in 2024. That progression helped lift their preseason perception, even as the margin between the two seasons remains narrow.
Head coach Joe Moorhead, now in his second year at the helm, will open the new schedule on Thursday, September 3, when Akron travels to Winston‑Salem to face Wake Forest at 7 p.m. The non‑conference matchup offers an early test against a Power Five opponent.
The conference slate will officially begin on Saturday, August 29, 2026, and culminate with the MAC Championship Game at noon on Saturday, December 5, at Ford Field in Detroit. The venue, home of the Detroit Lions, will host the title contest for the second time in three years.
Reporter Nate Ulrich has been tracking the team’s development and notes that the Zips’ improved ranking reflects both the coaching staff’s strategic adjustments and the players’ willingness to embrace a more aggressive offensive scheme.
While the preseason poll does not guarantee final standings, the upward movement provides a psychological boost as the program looks to build on recent gains and contend for its first conference championship since the early 2000s.