Marshall vs. Old Dominion Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 projection · last season, roster and staff
Where Old Dominion gets at Marshall: 79th at hitting chunk plays, against a unit 134th at keeping everything in front of them. Marshall projects no clear way in against Old Dominion. Old Dominion is also 32nd at keeping a clean pocket, against a unit 65th.
How
ODUattacks
MRSH
- 1
Take shots
hitting chunk plays · projected
ODU#79 of 138MRSH#134 of 138 - 2
Expect a clean pocket
sacks and tackles for loss · projected
ODU#32 of 138MRSH#65 of 138
The two teams
Marshall
Marshall is in year 2 under Tony Gibson. The strengths are on both sides of the ball, led by 16th at staying on schedule through the air. The way in is 134th at keeping everything in front of them.
Marshall has played 1 game against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Offensestaying on schedule through the air#16projected
- Offensefirst and second down#23projected
- Defensemoving the ball on the ground#26projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensehitting chunk plays#134projected
Old Dominion
Old Dominion is in year 7 under Ricky Rahne, whose offenses have been balanced. The strengths are defensive, led by 3rd at keeping everything in front of them.
On fourth down he goes for it about as often as his peers do from the same spots (−2.3%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −31.7% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
Old Dominion has not played an FBS opponent yet, so this is the projection: last season regressed toward the mean, plus returning production, recruiting, talent and whether the staff is the same one.
Projected strengths
- Defensehitting chunk plays#3projected
- Defensestaying on schedule through the air#22projected
- Defensesurviving second and twelve#22projected
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (ODU Elo 1288, MRSH Elo 1387 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects ODU +3.7 (40% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
MRSH134th40thODUODU76th111thMRSHThrough the air
MRSH125th74thODUODU120th128thMRSHOn the ground
MRSH131st62ndODUODU78th90thMRSHStaying on the field
MRSH132nd83rdODUODU70th86thMRSHTaking care of it
MRSH75th9thODUODU124th108thMRSH
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profilesMarshall leads 10–1 · Marshall has won 8 straight · 27% have been one-possession games
| MRSH | ODU | |
|---|---|---|
| -10.2 (#110) | CORE overall | +4.3 (#55) |
| -2 / +8 | offense / defense | -2 / -6 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win Marshall vs. Old Dominion?
Gridpex's model favors Marshall with a 60% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for Marshall vs. Old Dominion?
The model projects Marshall by 3.7.
What time is Marshall vs. Old Dominion and what channel is it on?
Time TBD, at S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →