This Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State prediction covers a Conference USA game the betting market has not settled on. Both teams arrive 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the league, and both have lost two in a row. Delaware opened as a 2.5-point road favorite on Sunday afternoon. By Tuesday morning the spread sat at 1, and the total had slipped from 48 to 47.5. That is meaningful movement for a game between two teams with nearly identical résumés. The quarterback situation in Newark is part of the story. Below is the market, the matchup and the two bets that come out of it.
Last Updated: October 13, 2026
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State — Game Info
| Where | Floyd Stadium, Murfreesboro, Tennessee |
| When | October 13 – 7:00 PM ET |
| TV | CBS Sports Network |
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State Betting Preview
The two résumés are close to interchangeable. Delaware handled Merrimack 42-7, lost 35-26 at Vanderbilt, edged Coastal Carolina 22-14, was beaten 42-3 at Virginia and fell 30-14 at home to Liberty. Middle Tennessee State beat Murray State 38-14, lost 28-26 at Marshall, held off Nevada 27-20, lost 23-13 at Jacksonville State and was shut out 55-0 at Kansas on October 3. Each team won its first two home games. Each then ran into better competition and stopped scoring.
Delaware’s defense is the one genuinely good unit on the field. Delaware ranks fifth nationally in sacks per game at 3.5, with 16 on the season. Middle Tennessee State has two sacks all year. That matters because the home offense has been the weaker of the two. Middle Tennessee State averages 284.3 yards per game, 127th nationally, and 5.5 yards per pass attempt, 132nd. Roman Gagliano has started every game and thrown every Middle Tennessee State pass this season, completing 56.4% for 913 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception.
Delaware has its own problems moving the ball. It is last in Conference USA in rushing at 98.8 yards per game. Its yards per play drops from 6.0 at home to 3.7 on the road. Middle Tennessee State counters with the better ball security, sitting 13th nationally in turnover margin at plus one per game. Antonio Martin Jr. ranks third in the league in rushing at 77.0 yards per game, and Cam’ron Lacy leads Conference USA in catches per game at 6.2. For what it is worth in a series this thin, Delaware leads the all-time series 3-0 and won 31-28 in Newark last October.
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware | -1.0 (-105) | -115 | O 47.5 (-115) |
| Middle Tennessee State | +1.0 (-115) | -105 | U 47.5 (-105) |
Odds accurate as of October 13, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest College Football Odds – Futures – Props
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Delaware | 49% | 51% | Middle Tennessee State |
See the latest College Football Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State Prediction — A Point and a Half Vanished From This Spread in Two Days
Start with what the market did. The spread opened Delaware -2.5 on Sunday and now sits at 1. The moneyline on Delaware went from -135 to -115 over the same window. Spread tickets, meanwhile, are split almost evenly at 51% on Middle Tennessee State and 49% on Delaware. So the number drifted in the same direction as a bare public majority. That is ordinary movement rather than a sharp footprint, and it carries limited signal on its own. The quieter development is the total, which came down from 48 to 47.5. One further note on pricing: Middle Tennessee State is -105 on the moneyline and -115 with the point, while Delaware is -115 on the moneyline and -105 laying it. In each case only a one-point Delaware win separates the two markets.
The matchup argues for a low-scoring night. Both offenses rank in the bottom 10 nationally at converting third downs. Delaware sits 128th at 25.9% and Middle Tennessee State 131st at 24.5%. Drives that stall on third down become punts, and Middle Tennessee State has the best punter in the league in Ashton Logan at 49.6 yards. Pace reinforces it. The home team runs only 60.5 plays per game, 126th nationally. Delaware’s road offense has managed 3.7 yards per play. Both teams have also gone under in four of their five games this season.
The honest counterargument is that those under records were built against much bigger numbers. Delaware’s totals have averaged 54.3 and Middle Tennessee State’s 52.7, and the market has already cut this one several points below both. Measured against 47.5, the raw results are a coin flip. Delaware’s games have produced 47.0 combined points on average and Middle Tennessee State’s 48.8. There is a defensive hole to worry about too. Middle Tennessee State allows 6.7 yards per play, 127th nationally, and ranks 120th in red-zone defense. However, the third-down and pace numbers are the more repeatable inputs here, and the edge is modest rather than large.
The Pick: Under 47.5 (-105)
Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State Prediction — The Quarterback Delaware Will Not Name
Nick Minicucci led Conference USA in passing last season. He hurt his knee in the second quarter at Virginia on September 26 and did not play against Liberty. Head coach Ryan Carty has called him week to week and has not named a starter for Tuesday. EJ Archield Jr. started the Liberty game and went 10-of-19 for 137 yards. Braden Streeter and freshman Tyler Bell both relieved him and both threw touchdown passes. Six different Delaware players have attempted a pass this season. That uncertainty is the single biggest reason this line moved.
Even so, the efficiency numbers still separate these teams by more than a point. ESPN’s Football Power Index rates Delaware 112th and Middle Tennessee State 131st, a gap of nearly seven points before home field is applied. Delaware allows 5.7 yards per play against the home team’s 6.7. The pass-rush gap is 16 sacks to two. Middle Tennessee State was also beaten 55-0 at Kansas 10 days ago and is 3-5 in games played on Tuesdays since 1999. A market that has moved several points past both major efficiency models is worth a second look.
The case on the other side is real. Middle Tennessee State has been a different team at Floyd Stadium, with a plus-seven scoring margin at home against minus 22.3 on the road, and opponents averaging 4.7 yards per play there against 7.3 away. In contrast, that is a two-game home sample and one of those games came against an FCS opponent. Delaware’s road split rests on trips to Vanderbilt and Virginia, neither of which resembles this opponent. The genuine risk is simpler. An unnamed quarterback making a road start on a Tuesday can produce a bad night, and this read depends on Delaware getting functional play at the position.
The Pick: Delaware -1 (-105)
Our Final Word on Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State
These two plays are not fully independent, and it is worth being clear about that. Both rest on the same unresolved input, which is who plays quarterback for Delaware. They lean on it in opposite directions. A replacement quarterback who struggles helps the total and hurts the side. A clean game from whoever starts does the reverse. That is closer to a hedge than a double-down, but neither bet is insulated from the news.
The under at 47.5 (-105) is the stronger of the two, because two offenses converting barely a quarter of their third downs are unlikely to combine for 48 points at this pace. Delaware at -1 (-105) is the lighter play, supported by a seven-point edge in ESPN’s efficiency ratings that a market moving on quarterback news has pushed well past.
NCAAF Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State FAQ: October 13, 2026
What time does the Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State game start?
Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, which is 6:00 p.m. local time in Murfreesboro. Conference USA schedules its October league games on weeknights, so this is a standard Tuesday slot rather than a one-off scheduling quirk.
What channel is the Delaware vs. Middle Tennessee State game on?
The game is on CBS Sports Network. Both schools list that network on their official 2026 schedules. Conference USA’s television agreement sends a package of midweek conference games to CBS Sports Network each October, and this one falls inside that package.
Where are Delaware and Middle Tennessee State playing?
The game is at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the home field of Middle Tennessee State. The stadium seats 27,303. Delaware has played there only once before, in 1978, so this is unfamiliar ground for the visiting side.
What conference are Delaware and Middle Tennessee State in?
Both teams play in Conference USA, and each is 0-1 in league play. Delaware’s conference loss came at home against Liberty on October 2. Middle Tennessee State’s came on the road at Jacksonville State. Neither team has a league win yet in 2026.
Who won the last meeting between Delaware and Middle Tennessee State?
Delaware won 31-28 at home in Newark on October 22, 2025, which was also a midweek conference game. Delaware leads the all-time series 3-0, with the earlier meetings coming in 1977 and 1978. Middle Tennessee State has never beaten Delaware.
What is each team’s record this season?
Both teams are 2-3 overall and 0-1 in Conference USA. Delaware beat Merrimack and Coastal Carolina. Middle Tennessee State beat Murray State and Nevada. Each carries a two-game losing streak into Tuesday, and neither has won since September 19.