Week 14 of the college football mid-major betting report is here. This is the fourth year Doc's Sports has offered this report. The goal of this weekly article is to try to show bettors that specialization is a profitable betting strategy. It's a strategy many of the best bettors in the world use. There are 128 FBS level teams in college football, so specialization is particularly relevant in this sport.

I'm following the Akron Zips from the Mid-American Conference this season. Akron is a program that seems to be trending the right direction under Terry Bowden. I'll be following the team on Twitter, listening to their press conferences, and reading reports from Zips beat writers to try to find information that could help me become an expert on this team. At the end of each mid-major report I'll make a selection on that game. Doc's Sports Unit Betting System will be used for every pick. This will allow readers to follow along and track the results.

This week's game was originally scheduled to be played on Tuesday, but the game time was moved to Friday afternoon.

Through the first three years of doing this report, the record for the mid-major betting report selections is 18-12, and the overall profit is $1,590.

Last Game

Akron finally got back on track last week with a 30-6 win over the short-handed UMass Minutemen. UMass wasn't the same team without Blake Frohapfel leading the attack. It was freshman Austin Whipple who took the snaps for the Minutmen last week, and he threw three interceptions as the UMass offense struggled to get going all game long. Akron held the Minutemen to 2.2 yards per carry. It was against an opponent at less than full strength, but it was definitely Akron's best defensive performance in quite some time.

Offensively, Kyle Pohl had a really good night. Pohl completed 65 percent of his passes and threw for 277 yards. Even more importantly, Pohl threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. Akron did lose two fumbles in the game, but they won the turnover margin by two. All year long, the key to Akron either winning or losing has been the turnover margin. Early in the year, when they were playing good football they were winning the turnover battle. They finally got back to that last week after several weeks in a row of sloppy football. Zach D'Orazio had 10 catches and 121 yards as the offensive star of the win.

I had a slight lean toward UMass last game, but with the status of Frohnapfel unclear I decided to pass on making a selection. The year to date record stays the same.

Notes of Interest

-Akron closes out the season this weekend on the road against rival Kent State. The schools will be playing for the Wagon Wheel Trophy. Why are these two such big rivals? The Akron and Kent State campuses are only 11 miles apart. These two teams know each other better than any other team, and they always say familiarity breeds contempt.

-This week's game is the 57^th meeting between Akron and Kent State. The Zips lead the all-time series 31-23-2. Last year, Akron beat Kent State 16-7 to win the Wagon Wheel Trophy for the first time since 2009.

-Akron needs this win to become bowl eligible. If they do become bowl eligible, it would be the first time since 2005 that the Zips are eligible. Bowl announcements will be made on Sunday, Dec. 7 on ESPN.

-Bowden said this week, "We're keyed in on this football game. It's a chance to win six games. We haven't done that in a long time, and we sure want to get there."

-Both teams will be well rested, but Kent State has gone a particularly long time between games. They last played on Nov. 12.

Betting Trends

-Akron is 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games against a team with a losing record.

-The Zips are 0-4 ATS in their last four following a win.

-Kent State is 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.

-The 'under' is 23-7 in Akron's last 30 games overall.

-The under is 5-0-1 in Kent State's last six conference games.

-Akron is 6-2 ATS in their last eight games at Kent State.

Akron vs. Kent State College Football Odds

The Zips opened as a 4.5-point road favorite in this rivalry game. The line has since moved down to 3.5 points at some books and 3.0 points at other books. The posted total opened at 42 points and has edged down to 41.5 points.

Akron vs. Kent State College Football Picks

This Akron team has been incredibly difficult to get a read on all year long. Akron obviously needs this win badly, but Kent State would love nothing more than to ruin the Zips season with an upset win at home. Both of these offenses are really bad, but Akron has a slight edge defensively. Though the total is set awfully low, I'm going to make a 1-Unit play here on the under. I expect a sloppy game where both defenses fight hard and teams must settle for field goals.

Pick: #429 Akron/Kent State UNDER 41.5 for One Unit

Season Results: 3 Wins 7 Losses ($-1,070)

Read more articles by Aaron Smith