The Akron Zips have added five Power conference opponents to their future football schedules, FBSchedules.com has learned. Copies of contracts for each game were obtained from the University of Akron via a state open records request.
Akron is set to visit Arizona State for the first time ever on August 28, 2027, with the matchup taking place at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. Per the terms of the agreement, the Sun Devils will provide the Zips a $1.15 million guarantee for the contest.
With Arizona State now added, Akron’s 2027 slate is complete. The Zips also have non-conference games at Rutgers (Sept. 4) and UNLV (Sept. 11) before returning home to host Maine on Sept. 25 (rescheduled from Sept. 18).
Arizona State already has three non‑conference games on its 2027 slate, meaning one will need to be rescheduled or canceled. The Sun Devils are set to host Cal Poly on Sept. 4 and Texas A&M on Sept. 11, and to visit UNLV on Sept. 18 — with the trip to Las Vegas the most likely candidate to be moved.
Akron will travel to face the Vanderbilt Commodores of the SEC for the first time on September 23, 2028, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. Per the contract, the Zips will receive a $1 million guarantee for the matchup.
The addition of Vanderbilt completes Akron’s non‑conference slate for 2028. The Zips are scheduled to host Lafayette on Sept. 2, with road trips to Wyoming on Sept. 9 and West Virginia on Sept. 16.
Vanderbilt’s 2028 schedule is now tentatively complete with Akron added to the slate. The Commodores are slated to host Tennessee State on Sept. 2 and Virginia on Sept. 16. A planned trip to Raleigh to face NC State — the second game in a series that begins in Nashville this season — appears to be off.
In another first‑time matchup, Akron will visit the SEC’s Georgia Bulldogs on Aug. 25, 2029, at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga. According to the game agreement, Georgia will pay the Zips a $1.5 million guarantee for the contest.
Georgia’s addition completes Akron’s non‑conference slate in 2029, which also features home games against Mercyhurst on Sept. 8 and James Madison on Sept. 15, followed by a road trip to Wisconsin on Sept. 22.
The addition of Akron gives Georgia its third and final non‑conference opponent for 2029, though the slate could still change. The Bulldogs are scheduled to visit Clemson on Sept. 15 and Georgia Tech on Nov. 24 that season.
Akron will remain in‑state for its seventh all‑time matchup with the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 7, 2030, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The approximately 232‑mile trip will earn the Zips a $1.15 million guarantee, according to a copy of the game contract.
Cincinnati joins road games against West Virginia on Sept. 14 and James Madison on Sept. 21 (rescheduled from Sept. 14; previously Sept. 7), leaving the Zips with one remaining non‑conference opening in 2030.
The addition of Akron tentatively completes Cincinnati’s 2030 non‑league schedule. The Bearcats are slated to open the season at home against Murray State on Aug. 31 and will host Michigan State two weeks later on Sept. 14.
Already scheduled to visit Rutgers in 2027, Akron has added another future matchup with the Scarlet Knights — this one set for Sept. 13, 2031, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. Per the game contract, the Zips will receive a $1.5 million guarantee for the 2031 contest.
Rutgers becomes the first confirmed non‑conference opponent on Akron’s 2031 slate. For the Scarlet Knights, Akron joins a home game against Temple on Sept. 6.
Football Schedules
“Akron will remain in‑state for its seventh all‑time matchup with the Cincinnati Bearcats on Sept. 7, 2030”
Come back to this comment when that series is cancelled
It’s not a series, it’s a buy game at Cincinnati.