← Matchups

Sam Houston

CUSA · 0-2 · power -5.4 · #248
Our numberTROY -9.7 no book has priced this game

Troy

SBC · 2-0 · power +2.5 · #146
Final SHSU 21 · TROY 24 ML W Spread W Total L our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineTROY to win logged ours 71%

Our number: TROY by 18.0 — TROY to win.

TROY team totalTROY under 34.5 logged ours 30.7

Our number: TROY 33.4, from our margin and total split into two scores.

Projected score 21–31 SHSU – TROY
2026-09-05 · 7:00 PM Veterans Memorial Stadium (AL) · Troy, AL Early season

The books 5 account books · tap any price — the ticket builds at that book

Book SHSU spreadTROY spread OverUnder SHSU winTROY win SHSU TT overSHSU TT under TROY TT overTROY TT under
DraftKings
FanDuel
BetMGM
ESPN Bet
Caesars

The gold price is the best available on that side; a gold marks the side our number implies — a read, not a pick. TT is a team total — that team’s own points, not the game’s; columns are empty where no book hangs one. Send to book opens whichever book you tapped, not the one we would have picked. Prices are the books’ own.

Public vs booksbets vs money · Action Network captured in-game spread SHSU 69% bets · 71% money total Under 86% bets · 83% money ML TROY 99% bets · 97% money
First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 43 ranks apart
Sam Houston Bearkats #152 rush offense Troy Trojans #109 run defense
Pass game edge Troy Trojans 195 ranks
Sam Houston Bearkats #259 pass offense Troy Trojans #64 pass defense
Run game even 19 ranks apart
Troy Trojans #226 rush offense Sam Houston Bearkats #207 run defense
Pass game edge Troy Trojans 53 ranks
Troy Trojans #187 pass offense Sam Houston Bearkats #240 pass defense
Sam Houston Bearkats Balanced · 50% run Ball-control Dual-threat QB · 39 rush ypg Troy Trojans Balanced · 54% run Avg pace
Phil Longo · 2-10 Gerad Parker · 12-20 · defense-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
Sam Houston Bearkats
DL Brody Henderson 11 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL #94 DL
WR Chris Reed 7 rec · 145 yds · 2 TD #94 WR
WR Grady O'Neill 12 rec · 148 yds · 1 TD #103 WR
DB Ishmel Atkins 7 tkl · 4 PD #254 DB
Troy Trojans
DL Keno Jones 13 tkl · 1.5 sacks · 4.5 TFL #22 DL
DB Donnie Smith 9 tkl · 1 PD #63 DB
WR TK Keyes 7 rec · 167 yds · 2 TD #109 WR
RB Jaheim Merriweather 149 rush yds · 3 TD · 1 rec #79 RB

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
Sam Houston BearkatsCUSA -5.4 -4.3 -1.1 #248
Troy TrojansSBC +2.5 -1.3 +3.8 #146

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

Where the number comes from
Sam Houston offense vs Troy defense-8.1 pts
Troy offense vs Sam Houston defense-0.2 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 571 mi

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.