The Marshall Thundering Herd take on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro, TN. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Marshall is favored by -2.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -135. The total is set at 47.5 points.
Here’s my Marshall vs. Middle Tennessee predictions and college football picks for Saturday, September 20, 2025.
Marshall vs Middle Tennessee Prediction
- Marshall vs. Middle Tennessee Pick: Marshall Team Total Under 24.5
My Middle Tennessee vs. Marshall best bet is on the Thundering Herd's team total under. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Marshall vs Middle Tennessee Odds
| Marshall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 47.5 -115o / -110u | -135 |
| Middle Tennessee Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 47.5 -115o / -110u | +115 |
- Marshall vs Middle Tennessee point spread: Marshall -2.5
- Marshall vs Middle Tennessee over/under: 47.5 points
- Marshall vs Middle Tennessee moneyline: Marshall -135, Middle Tennessee +115
Marshall vs Middle Tennessee Preview
Marshall Thundering Herd Betting Preview: Defense Coming Off Strong Outing
Marshall comes in off a convincing win over FCS opponent Eastern Kentucky last week. The Thundering Herd are working through roster turnover, injury attrition and a new coaching staff, but they found some confidence against a struggling Colonels offense.
The offense grinded this one out on the ground, as the Thundering Herd ran for 263 yards on 57 attempts while only throwing 14 passes.
Carlos Del Rio-Wilson looked poised in the pocket and made strong throws in limited attempts.
However, there was minimal explosives in the run game, as the longest rush was just 20 yards.
Defensively, Marshall had its strongest performance of the season, as the Herd held Eastern Kentucky to just 102 total yards and less than 2.0 yards per play. Marshall has played well on third down this season, allowing just 32% of conversions against it.
The Herd been creative with their looks to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, registering 11 sacks in the last two weeks.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Betting Preview: Momentum After Win Over Nevada
Middle Tennessee comes into this one fresh off of stealing a victory from the jaws of defeat last week at Nevada. The Blue Raiders struggled offensively and were plagued by turnovers and poorly timed penalties, which stalled otherwise promising drives.
However, down 13-0 with six minutes left, Middle Tennessee was able to put it together and score twice to register its first win of the season.
Offensively, the ground game continues to disappoint for the Blue Raiders, as they averaged just 3.5 yards per carry against Nevada, with nearly half of their rushing yards coming on one play. There was a lack of explosiveness as the offensive line continues to come together.
The pass game, led by Nicholas Vattiato, who completed 27-of-44 passes for 247 yards, was more efficient than we had seen in prior weeks.
Defensively, the stop unit did a nice job containing the Nevada receivers and limiting explosive pass plays. Both quarterbacks used — Chubba Purdy and AJ Bianco — struggled to gain any rhythm.
Nevada was able to move it on the ground, as the Middle Tennessee defensive front has really struggled with penetration, forcing the coverage unit to step up and help support against the run.
Middle Tennessee doesn’t have a ton to draw from here, but the momentum of the victory against Nevada and the possibility of its season being saved should help it at home this week.
Marshall vs Middle Tennessee Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm taking Marshall’s team total under 24.5, which is available at -120 at DraftKings.
Marshall is still a mess offensively, and this group has very little explosive pop. The passing game is only producing 109 yards per game, and the Herd are running the ball 67% of the time.
Marshall has three explosive rushes this season on 121 attempts and its leading rusher is quarterback Zion Turner, who's splitting reps.
Marshall ranks 135th nationally in offensive success rate and 113th nationally in offensive EPA per play. The Herd don't accumulate successful plays in standard downs and as a result, they've been in unfavorable third down situations frequently this season, where they're converting just 26%.
Marshall is bottom-10 in the FBS in pass play success rate and standard down explosiveness. Plus, less than half of its red zone trips have ended with touchdowns.
Defensively, Middle Tennessee has shown some fight in its last two games after getting blasted at home against Austin Peay in the season opener.
The Blue Raiders registered eight tackles for loss and three sacks against Nevada last week, and the lone touchdown drive for the Wolf Pack was a one-play drive set up by a short field.
I think Middle Tennessee has better coverage players in the secondary than Marshall has at receiver, and the Blue Raiders will be able to sneak an extra defender into the box to help with run support.
Middle Tennessee has done well this year moving the football offensively, but its drives consistently stall due to negative plays or penalties. The inefficient play has led to lower-scoring offensive outputs, and there's very little reason to suspect that Middle Tennessee wants to get into a score fest here.
I expect a limited pace and low risk decision making by the offensive staff. I don't expect Middle Tennessee to roll the dice at midfield on fourth-and-short, for example.
I can't trust Marshall to suddenly solve its offensive woes. There's limited direction from this unit, it's unsettled at quarterback and the run game has very little pop. Middle Tennessee can do enough here to keep this game close and low scoring, possibly nabbing another victory in the process.
Pick: Marshall Team Total Under 24.5
