Oxford, Ohio, the "Cradle of Coaches," hosts a MAC matchup at 3:30 on ESPN+. Miami (OH) (3-3, 1-1) welcomes Akron (1-5, 0-2), and the RedHawks want to stay in the league race.
Miami insider Cordelia Van Doren ambushes co-hosts with coaching-tree trivia. She's delighted by David McComb's big-play arm, which has produced 1,121 yards on just 65 completions, and last week's 20-19 win at UMass. Akron insider Hollister "Zip" Grubbs measures football in tire tread. He says the Zips are close: they lost 25-23 to Eastern Michigan last week, with Brayden Roggow at quarterback and Jordan Gant running hard.
Akron's quarterback picture is worth watching. Cibastian Broughton is questionable after missing three games with a knee injury, while Roggow has started each of those games. ESPN ranks the RedHawk offense well ahead of Akron's defense, and McComb's deep shots to Maleek Huggins could open things up. Mild weather means both teams should be able to play their style.
Our call: Miami (OH) 31, Akron 19.