Akron football is ineligible for postseason play because of its low Academic Progress Rate score
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Akron's football team will be ineligible for postseason play this season because of its multiyear Academic Progress Rate score.
The NCAA this week updated its national APR database with the latest scores of member institutions. Akron had a score of 914, below the 930 minimum for postseason eligibility.
Akron's athletic department has not commented on its APR penalty and did not return immediately messages left by The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Akron, which plays in the Mid-American Conference, has not been to a bowl game since 2017, which also was the last time the Zips won more than four games in a season.
But Akron's 4-8 record in 2024 under third-year coach Joe Moorhead was its best since posting the same mark in 2018. In between, the Zips won no more than two games in a season and went winless (0-12) in 2019.
The last Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football team to be barred from postseason play because of APR scores was Idaho in the 2014 season.
The NCAA temporarily suspended some APR penalties, including postseason bans, because of the COVID-19 pandemic that began disrupting college athletics in the spring of 2020.
However, the NCAA's Committee on Academics voted to restore such penalties beginning with four-year scores released during the 2024-25 academic year.
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
College football expert Joel Klatt releases his preseason top 25 rankings
Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt released his preseason top 25 rankings, this time around four weeks before the 2025 season starts. He had a few different opinions from his spring rankings in May, but once again, he left the Georgia Bulldogs outside of his top five, ranking them No. 7. "This is an interesting team that's tough to project, but I'm giving coach Kirby Smart the benefit of the doubt," Klatt said on the Bulldogs. Kirby Smart could be considered the best returning coach in the league, but Smart's going to lead a team with a ton of turnover this year. There are four new starters on the offensive line and at least two new starting receivers. On the defense, Georgia lost over 75% of its sack production from last year. "Gunner Stockton is a question mark at quarterback," Klatt continued. "But Smart's teams have proven that they don't need an elite signal-caller to succeed. His teams just win, and there's never a shortage of talent there. The Bulldogs also got better at wide receiver, addressing that issue by adding Zachariah Branch and Noah Thomas after leading the country in drops last year." Georgia was in a similar situation in 2017. Jacob Eason, who was 2016's starting quarterback, suffered a knee injury against Appalachian State. He was replaced by true freshman starter Jake Fromm for the rest of the year, and Georgia made it to the national championship in 2017. As for their receiving room, Kirby Smart will look to fix the drop issues from last year. He believed it was just a matter of confidence and preparation that led to Georgia leading the nation in drops in 2024. "Georgia also gets most of its big games at home — where it never loses, as it hasn't fallen at home since 2019. Georgia is a team that I think should play for an SEC championship." Georgia's daunting schedule from 2024 flips in 2025. They play Ole Miss, Texas, and Alabama at home, and Sanford Stadium is one of the most raucous college football environments in the nation. From a broader prospective, Klatt put one SEC team (Texas), three Big Ten teams (Oregon, Penn State, Ohio State), one ACC team (Clemson) and Notre Dame above Georgia. He believes that Notre Dame, along with the rest of the schools, are at least a tier above Georgia football coming into this year. Here is Joel Klatt's preseason top 25 25. Utah 24. Oklahoma 23. Baylor 22. Iowa 21. Ole Miss 20. Iowa State 19. Texas Tech 18. Arizona State 17. Indiana 16. Texas A&M 15. Kansas State 14. Florida 13. Illinois 12. Miami 11. South Carolina 10. Michigan Wolverines 2024 record: 8-5 Projected Starting Quarterback: Bryce Underwood Wolverines Wire 9. Alabama Crimson Tide 2024 Record: 9-4 Projected Starting Quarterback: Ty Simpson Crimson Tide Wire No. 8: LSU Tigers 2024 Record: 9-4 Projected Starting Quarterback: Garrett Nussmeier LSU Tigers Wire No. 7: Georgia Bulldogs 2024 Record: 11-3 Projected Starting Quarterback: Gunner Stockton No. 6: Notre Dame 2024 Record: 14-2 Projected Starting Quarterback: C.J. Carr Fighting Irish Wire No. 5: Oregon Ducks 2024 Record: 13-1 Projected Starting Quarterback: Dante Moore Ducks Wire No. 4: Clemson Tigers 2024 Record: 10-4 Projected Starting Quarterback: Cade Klubnik Clemson Tigers Wire No. 3: Ohio State 2024 Season: 14-2 Projected Starting Quarterback: Julian Sayin Buckeyes Wire No. 2: Texas Longhorns 2024 Record: 13-3 Projected Starting Quarterback: Arch Manning Longhorns Wire No. 1: Penn State Nittany Lions 2024 Record: 13-3 Projected Starting Quarterback: Drew Allar Nittany Lions Wire This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Georgia left out Joel Klatt's preseason top-5 rankings
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Rampage' Jackson reacts to Elijah Smith recreating iconic slam KO at UFC on ESPN 72
Quinton Jackson was, like many, in awe of Elijah Smith's incredible slam knockout at UFC on ESPN 72. Smith (9-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC)) delivered arguably the greatest slam finish in UFC history Saturday when he attempted to put Toshiomi Kazama (11-4 MMA, 1-3 UFC) through the mat in the opening round of their bantamweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The way Smith hoisted Kazama out of a triangle choke position and into the air, put his arm across the face then slammed him into the mat before landing a couple vicious and unnecessary shots looked eerily similar to a famous finish from former UFC light heavyweight champion "Rampage" Jackson. Jackson produced arguably the most famous slam finish in MMA history under the now-defunct PRIDE FC banner in June 2004. A nearly identical sequence occurred in his "Critical Countdown 2004" matchup with Ricardo Arona in a highlight that has been played endlessly since. Many have tried to mimic "Rampage" throughout the years, but nothing has came as close as what Smith pulled off, and the man himself could only give praise to what the 22-year-old prospect pulled off (via Instagram): The respect between Jackson and Smith was mutual in the aftermath of his knockout win. Smith said he watched the Arona win many times over the years, and tipped his cap to the UFC legend after the viral result. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 'Rampage' Jackson reacts to UFCs Elijah Smith recreating epic slam KO
Yahoo
9 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rockets at Thunder: In national spotlight, can Houston finally end its opening night skid?
With Kevin Durant in a starring role, the good news for the 2025-26 Houston Rockets is that they will clearly be back in the national spotlight. The bad news is that many of those national television appearances will be difficult games to win, since they come against other members of the NBA's perceived top tier of teams. Taking opening night, for example. The Rockets (52-30 last season) will play at Oklahoma City (68-14) on the night the Thunder receive their 2024-25 championship rings, and the defending champions are already favored by 6.5 points over the Rockets (per Matt Moore, @HPBasketball and The Action Network). Over the past seven years, Houston is 0-7 in its regular-season openers. Then again, perhaps there's a good omen here. The last regular-season opener that the Rockets won was on October 17, 2017, in a nationally televised showcase versus the Warriors. That happened to be Golden State's ring night, and it was the first regular-season game with Tilman Fertitta as owner (photo gallery). In that 2017 opener, Durant played for Houston's rival, and he actually had a game-winning shot overturned via a replay review for being released slightly after the final buzzer. Houston went on to post an NBA-leading 65-17 record during that 2017-18 regular season, and it remains easily the best mark in franchise history. Now, in a full circle moment, it's Durant who will lead the Rockets on ring night. And he'll be doing so at Oklahoma City, where he played eight elite seasons as a perennial superstar earlier in his career. In what will be the first NBA on NBC telecast in over 23 years, there will be no shortage of storylines. More: NBA schedule leaks: Rockets featured on 2025 opening night, Christmas Day This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets at Thunder: Can Houston finally shake its opening night skid?
