2026 Schedule

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

 

I think we need to rethink the winner. I say we have a celebrity winner & a fan winner and they each get 1 whole drive. 

[zippy5]

let's just do this for a whole season and then we can probably fund an ACC level roster the following year

[Let'sGoZips94]

 

[Let'sGoZips94]

6 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

let's just do this for a whole season and then we can probably fund an ACC level roster the following year

 

Speaking of ACC, imagine how much run this will get in the ACC Network coverage of our week 1 game at Wake. 

 

Better yet, imagine the momentum the program will be carrying if we're competitive with Wake. 

[AkronAlumnus]

It's refreshing to see some renewed energy back around UA football!! The guys are working hard and they certainly deserve it. Looking forward to my first trip to Winston-Salem on 8/3

[kreed5120]

8 minutes ago, zippy5 said:

let's just do this for a whole season and then we can probably fund an ACC level roster the following year

 

Even a mid-tier ACC program like Wake Forrest is spending ~$20 million on their football roster. If we sold out every ticket to every game maybe we could compete with a Toledo in roster spend. We're not touching the ACC.

[zippy5]

9 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Even a mid-tier ACC program like Wake Forrest is spending ~$20 million on their football roster. If we sold out every ticket to every game maybe we could compete with a Toledo in roster spend. We're not touching the ACC.

Was joke

[ZippyDoo]

this thing has got so big. I was on the drive home from work and the local sports radio station.( not the Akron market).  was even talking about this how genius of an idea it is and how they are even going to watch the game now to see how it all turns out they spent about 15 minutes talking about it, which is incredible.  

[Let'sGoZips94]

33 minutes ago, ZippyDoo said:

this thing has got so big. I was on the drive home from work and the local sports radio station.( not the Akron market).  was even talking about this how genius of an idea it is and how they are even going to watch the game now to see how it all turns out they spent about 15 minutes talking about it, which is incredible.  

 

Would love to see the viewership numbers on ESPN+ for that first drive. 

[ZippyDoo]

Now honestly when, in any of your lifetimes, has Akron Zips been referred to as "America's Team' ??????

 

 

[ZippyDoo]

Kreed is on to it. Now is the time to push the jersey sponsorship. That is a goldmine just sitting there waiting to be had with all this publicity !

 

Strike while the iron is hot !!!

[exit322]

9 minutes ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Would love to see the viewership numbers on ESPN+ for that first drive. 

I would love to see them put it on ESPNU or something that's an actual TV channel.  It's unlikely, but no longer an impossibility...

[LZIp]

 

[clarkwgriswold]

20 hours ago, Dr Z said:

I like the idea. I would also extend it, whereas you continue until you have to punt. Why stop progress?

For fun (ChatGPT) 

If your goal is to maximize the chance that all three plays "work," the safest approach is to script high-percentage plays that fit Joe Moorhead's offensive philosophy rather than trying to hit a home run.

Joe Moorhead's offense is a spread system built around:
Getting the ball out of the quarterback's hands quickly.
Making linebackers hesitate with RPOs (run-pass options).
Inside and outside zone running.
Occasional shot plays after establishing the run.
Heavy use of motion to identify coverage.
Even when Akron hasn't had elite talent, Moorhead has generally leaned on efficient first-down plays rather than gambling early.

What Robert Morris figures to do
Robert Morris is an FCS opponent that lost much of its production from a three-win 2025 team. Most preseason projections expect Akron to have a significant talent advantage. 

Against an FBS favorite on the road, I'd expect Robert Morris to:

Play a two-high shell early.
Keep safeties deep to avoid giving up explosive plays.
Make Akron drive the field.
Load the box only after Akron proves it can run.
That means you should take the easy yards they're likely to concede.

Play 1
11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR)
Inside Zone Read
Goal: 5-7 yards.

Don't get cute.

Your offensive line is fresh, and Moorhead likes establishing the run. Even if the QB hands it off every time, you're forcing the defensive front to play honest.

If the defensive end crashes, the QB keeps it.

Success rate: Very high.
 

Play 2
Same formation.
RPO Slant/Stick
If linebackers step toward the run:

Throw the quick slant.
If they stay back:
Hand it to Gant.
The defense has now seen the same formation twice but has to defend two completely different plays.
This is one of the highest-EPA concepts in modern college football because it punishes whichever choice the defense makes.

Success rate: Extremely high.
 

Play 3
Play-action Bootleg
Flood concept.
Receivers:

Deep corner
Crossing route
Flat route
After two run looks, linebackers should flow downhill.
The QB rolls out with:

Flat
Crossing route
Corner
If nothing opens, he can run for 5-8 yards.
This is safer than a deep bomb while still creating an explosive-play opportunity.

Why not call a deep pass?
Everyone wants the crowd to erupt on Play 1.
The problem is that first-play bombs have relatively low completion percentages, even against weaker teams.

If your objective is "three successful plays," success rate beats excitement.

If I were literally trying to win this contest
I'd hand Coach Moorhead this script:
Inside Zone Read
RPO Slant/Inside Zone
Play-Action Boot Flood
Those three plays complement each other perfectly:
Play 1 establishes the run.
Play 2 punishes overreaction.
Play 3 capitalizes on defenders cheating toward the line of scrimmage.
It's a sequence that fits Akron's offensive identity and is designed to keep the offense "on schedule" while still giving the third play a chance to produce a chunk gain.


First drive of 2025 for comparison

I see that even ChatGPT doesn't anticipate a first down for the Zips.  LOL 

[Dr Z]

13 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I see that even ChatGPT doesn't anticipate a first down for the Zips.  LOL 

One of the sources ChatGPT used for this was ZipsNation. No joke, serious.

[kreed5120]

1 hour ago, LZIp said:

 

 

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

 

It's nice to see the premium tickets are moving as well and it's not just simply people buying 1 $75 lotto ticket. Those premium seats add up quickly financially and those are the people who will actually likely attend. Not to mention if you have money to buy a suite you're probably a business owner or someone high enough up in your company that you can have some influence to attract some sponsorships. Even if its just signage in the stadium.

[LZIp]

12 minutes ago, kreed5120 said:

 

Good stuff, thanks for sharing.

 

It's nice to see the premium tickets are moving as well and it's not just simply people buying 1 $75 lotto ticket. Those premium seats add up quickly financially and those are the people who will actually likely attend. Not to mention if you have money to buy a suite you're probably a business owner or someone high enough up in your company that you can have some influence to attract some sponsorships. Even if its just signage in the stadium.

Yep. while the promotion itself is obviously gaining a lot of attention, what I mostly care about is how it ultimately benefits the school/program. If what’s reported in that link is accurate, I would say this is a pretty awesome outcome.

[csims0917]

It's also really cool they have a plan for the unused tickets. (Briefly mentioned in the screenshot). Hope they'll give them out to kid teams or have a program to give them away

[LZIp]

 

[Ham]

Pretty soon, Sports Center will want be there for this.  What else are they going to talk about on opening weekend?  I can at least see a live interview in front of the Heisman statue.

[kreed5120]

https://frontofficesports.com/viral-akron-football-promo-attracts-celebrity-season-ticket-buyers/

 

At Akron’s football home opener against Robert Morris, one Zips season-ticker holder will get to draw up the team’s opening drive. That’s due to an unconventional promotion by the school: Purchase season tickets to enter a random drawing to script the first offensive play on Sept. 12.

The stunt has gone viral, with the initial X/Twitter post of the Zips’ offer garnering more than 16 million views in the first 24 hours. But beyond its social media splash, the promotion has become a major ticket-sale success story for Akron football. 

Since the announcement on Aug 4, the school has sold out suite inventory for the first time in program history, and surged past annual ticket sales goals with weeks to go before kickoff, according to Akron’s senior deputy AD and COO Matt Pottorff.  

“We’ve had an awesome, awesome 24 hours, but we’re just getting started,” he told Front Office Sports. “It’s going to be like a tsunami.”

The promotion was the brainchild of Pottorff and Akron AD Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich, who thought it up “at 10 p.m. and 30,000 feet in the air” while on a flight home from the school’s appearance in the 2026 men’s NCAA basketball tournament. (No. 12 Akron lost in the first round to 5-seed Texas Tech.)

“We were just going through the craziest ideas we could think of to sell football tickets,” Pottorff said. “This was the one where we thought, ‘If we do this right, it could really move the needle and be a huge hit.’” 

The announcement, which also elicited nearly 2,000 quote-tweets, was the most-viewed X post by any college football team this summer, according to digital analytics firm Zoomph. It also immediately caught the attention of popular sports personalities.

Barstool Sports’s Dan “Big Cat” Katz told FOS in an email that he purchased eight Zips season tickets for $600. Radio host Bobby Bones and basketball analyst Dan Dakich have bought in as well, according to the school. 

Katz said he hopes to actually attend at least one game if his schedule permits, adding that there is “nothing better than weekday MACtion at the end of the season.” (Asked whether he’d reveal his offensive strategy if chosen, Katz declined. “No chance I give you the secrets to my playbook,” he said. “Nice try.”)

Akron has leaned into the high-roller attention, sharing notable season-ticket purchasers across its football social media channels to attract even more eyeballs—and potential buyers. Athletic department leaders are scheduled to appear on The Pat McAfee Show and ESPN Radio on Thursday as momentum builds. 

Pottorff emphasized to FOS that the winner will be selected at random despite the slew of well-known contestants, but entries are weighted by the number of season tickets purchased. This means, he said, “if somebody wants to buy 10,000 season tickets, they’ve got an incredibly good chance of winning.” Akron’s InfoCision Stadium seats 30,000. 

General admission packages start at $75, while premium inventory goes for as high as $15,000 for (the now sold-out) suites. Club and loge level seats are “almost gone” as of Wednesday night, too.  

A winner will be chosen on Aug. 19. Whoever it ends up being will enjoy lots of perks beyond playcalling.

“First, we’re going to call that person NFL Draft–style and let them know that they got selected. Then we’ll find a time for them to come to campus, where they’ll meet with [head football] coach Joe Moorhead,” Pottorff said. “He’ll run them through what plays we would normally call in the opening drive, and then figure out what they want to do with it.”

On game day, the winner will also take part in a press conference, get mic’d up with a headset, have play sheets, and land in the coaches box. After their moment on the call, Pottorff said they’ll be escorted up to a suite with their guests for the second half to “really soak in the experience.” 

The program knows some people will buy a season ticket only to enter and ultimately resell them, which they’re O.K. with. Pottorff says the Zips will “work through that process” and ensure all tickets “go to good use.”

Katz, meanwhile, is genuinely looking forward—and hopes to win. “It’s great for College Football,” the host of Pardon My Take said, “and who knows, Akron might accidentally find the next great offensive mind (hopefully me).”

[kreed5120]

I shared a more in detail article that I copied and pasted. It was behind a paywall, but I worked some magic to get around it. I shared it for those that might not know how. Something worth calling out apparently Akron staff plans to be on The Pat McAfee Show and ESPN Radio today. Also, Big Cat plans to attend an Akron game. Barstool will probably try to make a spectacle out of a random mid-week matchup if it happens.

[Dr Z]

Same article by Ellyn Briggs, no paywall.

[MangoZip]

I still find this hard to believe. I get people buying one $75 season ticket to try to win but I just can’t understand why anyone would purchase a suite based on this promotion.