The Akron Zips and Ohio State Buckeyes open their 2024 NCAA football seasons Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS/Paramount+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Akron vs. Ohio State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Akron enters this season looking to take a small step forward after a 2-10 campaign which included a 3-point win over FCS Morgan State, and a 4-point win over rival Kent State, a 1-win team. Other than that, the Zips campaign in 2023 was an unmitigated disaster.
The Zips appeared to show some promise in a 29-27 4OT loss at Indiana Sept. 23, 2023, a rare cover. But it ended up going 2-4-2 against the spread (ATS) in the final 8 games, scoring 14 or fewer points in 6 of those outings, all against unranked MAC teams.
The Buckeyes lost for a 3rd straight time to rival Michigan last season, keeping Ohio State out of the Big Ten Championship game and CFP. As such, coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes faithful opened the purse strings significantly.