Akron followers have not been in a position to get pleasure from a bowl sport that includes their group since 2017, when Terry Bowden led this system to the postseason. Sadly for Zips followers, the FBS’ fourth-longest bowl drought will proceed till at the very least 2026.
The Zips have been handed a postseason ban for the 2025 season after posting a failing Tutorial Progress Price rating for 2023-24. Akron soccer posted a 914 multi-year APR rating, beneath the 930 threshold required to stay eligible for postseason competitors. The APR measurement is constructed to calculate how successfully universities maintain their athletes on monitor to remain eligible and graduate academically.
Akron was handed follow reductions in the course of the 2024 season as an preliminary punishment for poor APR, however failing to achieve the mark in consecutive seasons led to the postseason ban. The Zips posted only a 920 APR for the 2023-24 faculty 12 months.
The NCAA suspended APR eligibility necessities for a interval following the pandemic on account of cheap interruptions to universities and athletics. Nonetheless, they had been introduced again final 12 months. Faculties are judged for his or her athletes’ efficiency over a four-year timespan.
“Some groups encounter difficulties with attaining a 930 on account of numerous challenges on campus, however we’ve got assets and packages in place to supply tutorial help,” then-chair Robert Davies stated when measurements had been reintroduced in 2023.
Akron was certainly one of solely three soccer packages to hit a multi-year APR fee low sufficient to overlook the postseaso throughout all of Division I. Mississippi Valley State and UAPB within the FCS ranks may also be ineligible for postseason play. Florida A&M, Missouri State, Murray State and Utah Tech all acquired follow time reductions for low APR charges.
In keeping with Reddit CFB, there have solely been 4 FBS groups to fail wanting APR eligibility requirements prior to now decade. LSU and New Mexico State each fell beneath the 930 mark in the course of the pandemic pause. Idaho was the final program to obtain a postseason ban, they usually later opted to reclassify to the FCS degree.
Akron has gone 8-28 in three seasons underneath coach Joe Moorhead and has not recorded greater than 4 wins since 2017. This system solely has three bowl appearances in program historical past, two of which got here underneath Bowden.
