← Matchups

Norfolk State

· 1-2 · power -9.5 · #291
Our numberCHIC -0.4 no book has priced this game

Chicago State

· 1-2 · power -12.5 · #323
Our side
MoneylineCHIC to win ours 51%
Projected score 30–30 NORF – CHIC
2026-09-26 · kickoff TBD SeatGeek Stadium · Bridgeview, IL 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
Norfolk State Spartans Balanced · 48% run Ball-control

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
Norfolk State Spartans
DB Josiah Davis 6 tkl · 2 INT #61 DB
DB Jordan Saunders 20 tkl · 1 INT #121 DB
LB Brendan Thompson 23 tkl · 2.0 TFL #141 LB
DL Eugene Allen IV 7 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.5 TFL #330 DL
Chicago State Cougars
DL Jayden Earley 12 tkl · 1.5 TFL #6 DL
DL Lesroy Tittle 4 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #7 DL
DL Tehron Spencer 14 tkl · 2.0 TFL #38 DL
DL Armani Itote 11 tkl · 2.0 TFL #108 DL

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
Norfolk State Spartans -9.5 -3.3 -6.2 #291
Chicago State Cougars -12.5 -4.2 -8.3 #323

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

Where the number comes from
Norfolk State offense vs Chicago State defense+5.0 pts
Chicago State offense vs Norfolk State defense+2.0 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness+0.6 pts
Power projection before adjustment-0.2
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 704 mi

The projection carries an efficiency adjustment — a residual from season-to-date EPA, success rate and explosiveness, which earned its place by walk-forward test (margin error 12.90 → 12.72 across seven held-out seasons).

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.