← Matchups

Chicago State

· 1-2 · power -12.5 · #323
Our numberTAR -26.0 no book has priced this game

Tarleton State

· 3-0 · power +10.1 · #82
Our side
MoneylineTAR to win ours 95%
Projected score 18–44 CHIC – TAR
2026-10-03 · 7:00 PM Tarleton Memorial Stadium · Stephenville, TX 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
Tarleton State Texans Balanced · 53% run Ball-control

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all D1 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
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
Tarleton State Texans
RB Tylan Hines 575 rush yds · 4 TD · 6 rec #3 RB
WR Marquis Willis 19 rec · 320 yds · 3 TD #11 WR
DB Fredd Adams 21 tkl · 5 PD #25 DB
P Charlie Mullen 7 punts · 44.7 yd avg #4 P

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
Chicago State Cougars -12.5 -4.2 -8.3 #323
Tarleton State Texans +10.1 +7.9 +2.2 #82

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

Where the number comes from
Chicago State offense vs Tarleton State defense-6.4 pts
Tarleton State offense vs Chicago State defense+16.2 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness-0.2 pts
Power projection before adjustment+26.2
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 873 mi
Rest · context onlyHome team on 7 more days rest

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.