← Matchups

Middle Tennessee

CUSA · 1-1 · power -2.2 · #203
Our numberKU -13.9 no book has priced this game

Kansas

B12 · 1-1 · power +9.5 · #89
Our side
MoneylineKU to win ours 80%
Projected score 19–33 MTSU – KU
2026-10-03 · kickoff TBD David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium · Lawrence, KS Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 20 ranks apart
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders #142 rush offense Kansas Jayhawks #122 run defense
Pass game edge Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 75 ranks
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders #158 pass offense Kansas Jayhawks #233 pass defense
Run game even 41 ranks apart
Kansas Jayhawks #38 rush offense Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders #79 run defense
Pass game edge Kansas Jayhawks 169 ranks
Kansas Jayhawks #78 pass offense Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders #247 pass defense
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Balanced · 42% run Avg pace Kansas Jayhawks Balanced · 54% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 34 rush ypg
Derek Mason · 30-64 Lance Leipold · 64-68 · offense-minded

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
WR Cam'ron Lacy 17 rec · 190 yds · 2 TD #37 WR
DB Kalen Woods 13 tkl · 1 PD #59 DB
DL Zeion Simpson-Smith 11 tkl · 1.0 TFL #286 DL
QB Roman Gagliano 443 pass yds · 4 TD · 1 INT #100 QB
Kansas Jayhawks
DL Leroy Harris III 8 tkl · 4.0 TFL #49 DL
WR Nik McMillan 8 rec · 182 yds · 2 TD #72 WR
DL David Santiago 9 tkl · 2.5 TFL #232 DL
QB Isaiah Marshall 414 pass yds · 4 TD · 2 INT #64 QB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Middle Tennessee Blue RaidersCUSA -2.2 -1.3 -0.9 #203
Kansas JayhawksB12 +9.5 +7.6 +1.9 #89

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Middle Tennessee offense vs Kansas defense-3.2 pts
Kansas offense vs Middle Tennessee defense+8.4 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 532 mi
Rest · context onlyHome team on 7 more days rest

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.