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Uhhh, congrats?

Through 11 games of the 2019 season, Akron had posted 11 losses, with all but a couple of the games not all that close. In Week 2, they lost to UAB 31-20; in late September, 1-11 UMass got past them 37-29; last week, they somehow came within three points of beating MAC East champion Miami (OH). In the other eight games, the Zips had lost by a combined score of 295-57 (36.9-7.1).

Tuesday night, in what was mercifully the Zips’ season finale, it was much the same as it’s been most of the rest of the season as Ohio jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead in cruising to a 52-3 road woodshedding. The final score doesn’t actually do the domination justice as the Bobcats outgained the winless Zips 603-74. The Zips ran for 41 yards on 25 carries and posted a 10.3 passer rating for the game (4-27, 33 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions).

At 0-12, this marks the worst record in Akron’s history at the FBS/Div. 1-A level, surpassing one-win seasons the program put up on four different occasions (1994, 2010, 2011, 2012).

Akron is also the first winless FBS team since UTEP posted the same 0-12 in 2017. Since 2003, that duo is two of the 15 schools at this level of football that has posted an 0-12 record (unless otherwise indicated) over the course of an entire season:

2003 — SMU (WAC) (0-11)

2004 — UCF (MAC) (0-11)

2005 — New Mexico State (WAC)

2005 — Temple (Independent) (0-11)

2006 — Duke (ACC)

2006 — Florida International (Sun Belt)

2008 — Washington (Pac-12)

2009 — Eastern Michigan (MAC)

2009 — Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

2012 — Southern Miss (Conference USA)

2013 — Miami (OH) (MAC)

2015 — Kansas (Big 12)

2015 — UCF (AAC)

2017 — UTEP (Conference USA)

2019 — Akron 0-12 (MAC)

For Ohio, it was the Bobcats’ sixth win of the season, pushing the Fighting Soliches into bowl eligibility. Ohio is now bowl-eligible under Frank Solich for the 11th straight year and 13th time in 15 seasons.

Earlier this month, Solich became the winningest coach in MAC history. Solich and the university are in the midst of negotiating a new contract, with the head coach’s current deal expiring in January.