With academics raised, Akron football team bowl eligible again

The University of Akron football team will be eligible for postseason play in the 2026 season, they announced Wednesday (March 4).

The NCAA eliminated the school’s postseason ban effective immediately and also lifted practice restrictions.

The Zips lost that privilege after their Academic Progress Rate had them ranked last in the NCAA which cost them practice time. The APR score was 914, significantly below the minimum of 930.

For the 2024-25 season that number rose to 962, the school’s single highest score since 2003.

“We are very proud of our academic progress and excited about the opportunity to compete in the postseason this fall,” UA head coach Joe Moorhead said in a statement.

The Zips under Moorhead have been close to bowl eligibility, especially last season, since his arrival. Last season they earned a 5-7 record. Three schools with that record made a bowl game for the 2025 season. The team has improved in each of the past the past three seasons under Moorhead.

When did Akron football last play in a bowl game?

Akron last played in a bowl game in 2017 when the Zips lost to Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Zips finished that season 7-7.

The team’s last appearance in a bowl was 2015 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The Zips beat Utah State in that game to finish the season 8-5.

George M. Thomas covers a myriad of things including sports and pop culture, but mostly sports, he thinks, for the Beacon Journal.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron football team bowl eligible in 2026