Back in 1999, MAC Commissioner Rick Chryst approached ESPN with a brilliant idea. He offered to move several conference games to the middle of the week, giving the “Worldwide Leader” a few extra nights to show college football, while allowing his mid-major schools the chance to play in a standalone spot on national TV, something they would not have dreamed of before the advent of “MACtion.”
One of the unintended consequences of Chryst’s stroke of genius was that it introduced a wide audience to a whole new genre of football. There is hardly a purer way to enjoy the sport than watching two bad teams battle under the lights at a mostly empty stadium in the Rust Belt on a cold night in the middle of the week.
We should hit all of those notes on Tuesday when Akron (1-7, 0-4) hosts Ohio (6-2, 4-0).
It’s a shame that the Zips have fallen off the boil in 2026. After going 6-30 between 2021 and 2023, Joe Moorhead led Akron to a four-win campaign in 2024, and five wins in 2025. It looked like the Zips were building towards their first winning season since 2015, but instead things have taken a nosedive in the “Rubber Capital of the World.”
Not only is Akron 0-7 against FBS opponents this season, but the Zips have lost by at least 15 points in six of their seven defeats.
Ohio, meanwhile, is the class of the MAC and has one of the best statistical profiles in the entire Group of 6. The Bobcats rank 79th overall in SP+ (in between Purdue and UNLV), and are balanced on both sides of the ball.
Ohio’s running game is particularly efficient, rushing for 4.7 yards per carry, which is good enough for 36th in FBS.
Those numbers should only improve against Akron’s run defense, which ranks 136th in yards allowed per rush.
MACtion tends to get funky, but this looks like a rout.
The Play: Ohio -12.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
