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The Akron Zips are looking to win just their second conference championship in school history and are sitting in good position in the MAC East. The Zips got their conference schedule off to a good start with a road win against Kent State and now have a home game against what might be the worst team in the conference, the Miami (OH) Redhawks. This game in Week 6 College Football MAC action is a must-win one for an Akron squad that wants to get to bowls in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
This contest in Week 6 of the college football season will go down Saturday, October 8, 2016 at 3 p.m. ET at Summa Field at InfoCision Stadium. This game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
Akron is sitting at 3-2 SU, but just 1-4 ATS. The one win for the Zips though was a good one as they reverse covered Marshall in Huntington as 17.5-point underdog. The Zips have stayed close to the number though and if you had teased them in every game this season, their record would be 4-1 with the extra 6 points.
The Redhawks are still looking to break through for a win this season, but it’s not all bad news for Miami. The Redhawks are 3-1 ATS as an underdog this season and have stayed within 10 points in 4 of their 5 losses.
Player to Watch
Miami is hopeful that QB Billy Bahl will be healthy enough to play in this one. The starter was hurt late in the first-half against Ohio last week and replaced by true freshman Noah Wezensky.
Bahl was looking like a quarterback that had started to turn the corner. After a dismal freshman campaign where he threw more interceptions than touchdowns and completed less than 45 percent of his passes, his accuracy has improved as a sophomore and he has looked much more mature in the pocket.
He also showed an ability to throw the deep ball that most quarterbacks in this conference just don’t have. Before getting knocked out of last week’s game, Bahl had registered a completion of 50 yards or more in every game so far this season and his yards per attempt average of 9.23 per pass is one of the best in the country. If he can’t go this week, that will be a huge loss for Miami (OH).
Key Stat
If Miami wants to pull off the upset, it will have to be able to move the chains. Luckily for the Redhawks, the Zips have been one of the worst teams in the country at getting off the field on third down.
Akron has allowed opponents to complete 46.25 percent of their third-down attempts this season and that has been a big reason why this team is allowing 37.6 PPG. The Zips also haven’t done very well keeping possessions alive on third-down, completing just 31.48 percent of third-down attempts.
Free ATS Pick
Special teams have not been a strength for Tommy Bowden’s teams at Akron and the team has yet to record a Top-80 finish during his time on campus. The Zips have fared a little better early on this season, but have a kicker that has been unreliable and that can bite them here.
Tom O’Leary hasn’t missed a field goal yet this season, but has already missed three extra points and it’s clear that Bowden doesn’t have much faith in his kicker. He went 0-2 for field goals in 2014 and if Miami can play bend, but don’t break defense it can limit Akron’s points.
The main factor in this game is whether or not Bahl is able to go. If he can play, Miami not only has a chance to cover, but pull off the upset and get its first win of the season. Without him though, it’s going to be a little tougher to get the win.
College Football Odds: Zips 27, Redhawks 23
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