Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (1-0) vs. Marshall Thundering Herd (0-1)
September 12, 2026 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Marshall Thundering Herd -14; Over/Under: 57.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and the Marshall Thundering Herd meet Saturday in college football action from Joan C Edwards Stadium in Huntington. Here’s a Marshall vs Middle Tennessee prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Marshall vs Middle Tennessee pick.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Preview
The Raiders didn’t have the greatest campaign in 2025. Middle Tennessee ended up going just 3-9 overall with a 2-6 run in Conference USA games. That effort would put the Blue Raiders ahead of only Sam Houston and UTEP in the conference standings. Middle Tennessee did finish off the year with consecutive wins over Sam Houston and New Mexico State though.
In their first matchup of the season versus Murray State, the Raiders scored a couple of times in the opening quarter during a 38-14 win. QB Roman Gagliano was 20-of-26 for 200 yards and two scores while Antonio Martin had 15 carries for 103 yards. Cam’ron Lacy had eight catches for 118 yards and a TD.
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview
Over on the Marshall side, they didn’t have a spectacular season in 2025 either. The Herd managed to go 5-7 overall with a 3-5 stretch in the Sun Belt. In the conference standings Marshall landed ahead of Appalachian State and Georgia State in the East Division. The season ended on a rough 1-4 run with a lone win over only Georgia State in that time.
Matched up against Penn State over the weekend the Herd gave up points in every quarter (including double-digits in two of them) on the way to an ugly shutout blowout 45-0. QB Carlos Del Rio-Wilson was 17-of-25 for 102 yards and also led the rush with 30 yards on 13 carries. Toby Payne had eight catches for 55 yards.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders @ Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Trends: Week 2
Marshall Thundering Herd Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Toby Payne ranks T1st in the Sun Belt Conference for receptions (8) this season.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Player Prop Facts
- Antonio Martin Jr. has recorded 100+ rushing yards in two consecutive games – equal-longest streak in the FBS, heading into Week 2.
Matchup/League Facts
- Marshall has lost the third quarter in each of its last four games – equal-longest active streak in the FBS.
- Marshall ranks T133rd among FBS teams for points per game this season (0.0).
- Middle Tennessee ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q1 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Middle Tennessee ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
Marshall vs Middle Tennessee Prediction
I’ll stay with Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders did a good job versus Murray State last weekend with 396 total yards (196 rushing), 8.3 yards per play, 20 first downs and no turnovers. The defense gave up just 145 passing yards (290 total) and 3-of-10 on third downs. There are a few things to clean up though, specifically the 10 penalties for 81 yards.
As for Marshall, they were obviously outmatched versus Penn State in a tough road game last weekend and only gained 147 yards (44 rushing) with 2.7 yards per play, 11 first downs and 1-of-12 on third-down tries. The Herd gave up 487 yards on defense alongside 25 first downs. This weekend’s matchup will give us a better idea of Marshall’s potential for the season, so it’ll be an interesting one to watch.
