The Akron Zips (7-5) left the Glass Bowl on October 21 with a horrendous taste in their mouths. A team coming off a statement road win at Western Michigan appeared to be on the upswing, but reality settled in against the Toledo Rockets (10-2). Toledo handed the Zips a 48-21 loss, setting Terry Bowden's team back to 4-4, a .500 record.
For a team that dropped four-straight to end 2017 after bolting out to a 5-3 record, 4-4 didn't look too promising. But Akron completed the regular season at full throttle, claiming three of its final four contests, including a landmark upset win over Ohio on November 14.