Wk 5 · 2026
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Kansas Jayhawks — Sat, Oct 3
Sat, Oct 3 ·
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, KS
· ESPNU FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
12:00pET
KU -21.5 · total 50.5 DraftKings opened -21 · 0.5 toward KU
Ratings differential KU by 26.4
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
MTSU form
L 0-55at KUL 13-23at JXSTW 27-20vs NEVL 26-28at MRSHW 38-14vs MUR
2026 season
Kansas form
L 24-41at UTAHW 55-0vs MTSUL 17-24vs ASUL 21-38vs MIZW 51-6vs LIU
2026 season
MTSU this season
Straight up2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Kansas this season
Straight up2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 0
These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Kansas leads 1–0 · Kansas won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
55.0 points toward Kansas
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-10-03 | MTSU 0 — 55 Kansas | at KU | Kansas |
MTSU leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Roman Gagliano QB #16 | 88/156, 913 YDS, 8 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Antonio Martin RB #8 | 72 CAR, 385 YDS, 1 TD |
| Terrence Brown RB #9 | 18 CAR, 114 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Roman Gagliano QB #16 | 20 CAR, 69 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Cam'ron Lacy WR #3 | 31 REC, 335 YDS, 4 TD |
| Markus Allen WR #1 | 8 REC, 140 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Neo Clifton WR #85 | 9 REC, 102 YDS, 1 TD | |
| AJ Jones WR #6 | 8 REC, 88 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Korey Smith LB #26 | 47 |
| Jackson Lowe CB #2 | 31 | |
| Kalen Woods S #0 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Jackson Lowe CB #2 | 1 |
| La'Garrius Sims LB #42 | 0.5 | |
| Zeion Simpson-Smith DT #95 | 0.5 | |
| Interceptions | Kalen Woods S #0 | 1 |
| James Johnson S #11 | 1 | |
| Jason Hardy CB #21 | 1 |
Kansas leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Isaiah Marshall QB #8 | 57/104, 810 YDS, 6 TD, 3 INT |
| Cole Ballard QB #15 | 5/7, 96 YDS | |
| Rushing | Dylan Edwards RB #1 | 50 CAR, 296 YDS, 3 TD |
| Isaiah Marshall QB #8 | 51 CAR, 234 YDS | |
| Yasin Willis RB #6 | 27 CAR, 125 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Nik McMillan WR #5 | 14 REC, 256 YDS, 2 TD |
| Nahzae Cox WR #0 | 6 REC, 167 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Bryson Hayes WR #12 | 5 REC, 106 YDS | |
| Tate Nagy WR #11 | 6 REC, 101 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Trey Lathan LB #4 | 22 |
| Corey Gordon S #3 | 16 | |
| Leroy Harris III DE #33 | 16 | |
| Sacks | Bam Crouch LB #7 | 1 |
| Dakyus Brinkley DE #9 | 1 | |
| Trey Lathan LB #4 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.