A year ago Akron turned this one into a laugher by the second quarter. UMass gets a Tuesday-night shot at revenge, but the Zips are still the ones with a working offense.
Bush’s Picks
AKRMASS
AKRMASS
OverUnder
Best BetAkron
Akron enters with real returning production and a coaching staff that already has this program above .500 form, while UMass is still searching for answers at quarterback after last year's starter transferred out. Until the Minutemen prove they can move the ball against MAC competition, backing the more established program on the road is the safer read.
Akron
+5-7 record last year beats UMass's 0-12
+8 players on preseason All-MAC teams
+Blew out UMass 44-10 in last meeting
−Finished under .500 in 2025 overall
−Tuesday road trip is an awkward scheduling spot
Massachusetts
+New OC Max Warner brings MAC-tested track record
+30 newcomers added, revamped skill positions
+Playing at home in front of their own crowd
−0-12 last season, 16-game losing streak
−Lost starting QB Hairston to transfer
−Got outgained 467-169 in last year's meeting with Akron
This is a MACtion special: a Tuesday night trip to Amherst that closes out the midweek slate for both programs. Akron comes in as the more established outfit under Joe Moorhead, while UMass is still trying to find its footing under second-year coach Joe Harasymiak after a season that couldn't have gone much worse.
The last meeting between these two wasn't close. Ben Finley threw two first-quarter touchdowns and Jordan Gant ran for 153 yards and 2 scores as Akron rolled to a 44-10 win in Amherst, piling up 467 yards of offense to UMass's 169. UMass has since lost its starting quarterback from that game, AJ Hairston, who transferred out after the season, leaving the Minutemen to rebuild the position from scratch.
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AKR Akron
MASS Massachusetts
UMass isn't standing pat, though. New offensive coordinator Max Warner arrives with a track record built at Toledo and Bowling Green, and the program brought in 30 newcomers plus a retooled quarterback room to try to end a 16-game losing streak that dates back to 2024. Akron, meanwhile, returns 8 players named to preseason All-MAC teams and has the deeper, more proven roster on paper.
