This week's picks

Marshall vs. Old Dominion Prediction and Pick, Week 9 2026

College Football Charts
Data updatedOct 31, 2026
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Picks two teams at random. Any FBS team can come up.

How we picked it

How we picked it

Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor.

Where the game is won

Where the game is won

Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.

Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.

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Marshall at Old Dominion

Week 9, Sat, Oct 31, 1:00 PM ET, S.B. Ballard Stadium.

The numbers say: Marshall, 55% to win.

The game

KickoffSat, Oct 31, 1:00 PM ET
TVESPN+
WhereS.B. Ballard Stadium
Weather59°, cloudy, wind 11 mph
LineMarshall −3, total 45.5
Line movementOpened Marshall −2.5; moved 0.5 points toward Marshall. Total opened 46.5, down 1.
SeriesMarshall leads 10–1
Last meetingMarshall 48–24 in 2025

The ratings and the line

MarginWin chanceTotal
SP+Marshall by 1.554%46
PRIMEMarshall by 3.760%
EloMarshall68%
The lineMarshall −3, opened −2.545.5, opened 46.5

Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Fri, Oct 30, 7:43 PM ET.

Who wins, Marshall or Old Dominion?

The numbers say: Marshall. 61% chance to win

Which matchups decide Marshall vs. Old Dominion?

All three ratings favor Marshall, by 1.5 to 3.7 points. Old Dominion's way back in is its run defense, 23rd in EPA per rush allowed, against Marshall's run game at 96th.

Marshall with the ball

Old Dominion with the ball

Who's out for Marshall and Old Dominion?

Marshall

Old Dominion

How Marshall and Old Dominion compare, in charts

Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Marshall and Old Dominion are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How Marshall's and Old Dominion's players compare

The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.

How do SP+, PRIME and Elo rate Marshall and Old Dominion?

On a neutral field, SP+ has Marshall 4.0 points better (111th to 124th). PRIME also has Marshall ahead, by 6.2. Elo, which only sees results, also has Marshall ahead (99th to 125th).

MarshallOld Dominion
SP+ overall-10.7 (111th)-14.7 (124th)
SP+ offense23.7 (92nd)13.4 (135th)
SP+ defense34.4 (125th)27.5 (79th)
SP+ special teams-0.1 (80th)-0.6 (131st)
PRIME net-12.2 (118th)-18.4 (132nd)
PRIME offense-6.49 (113th)-15.20 (137th)
PRIME defense-5.07 (107th)-1.13 (81st)
PRIME SOS-8.0 (123rd)-2.9 (73rd)
PRIME SOR-0.8 (94th)-2.5 (124th)
Elo1355 (99th)1171 (125th)

Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.

Who's better once you adjust for the schedule?

Marshall's offense ranks 90th in adjusted EPA per play, and the Old Dominion defense it faces ranks 32nd in EPA per play allowed. Old Dominion's offense ranks 138th against Marshall's 118th-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge. The biggest edge on the board is Old Dominion's backs in the open field: 88th in adjusted open-field yards per carry, against Marshall's 117th-ranked defense. Adjust for opponents and Marshall's offense falls from 63rd to 90th in EPA per play: a lot of that came against soft defenses.

MarshallOld Dominion
EPA per play (adjusted)+0.07 (90th)−0.10 (138th)
EPA per pass (adjusted)+0.17 (82nd)+0.02 (138th)
EPA per rush (adjusted)+0.04 (96th)−0.08 (138th)
Success rate (adjusted)41.4% (72nd)31.1% (138th)
Success rate, standard downs (adjusted)47.8% (47th)36.5% (138th)
Success rate, passing downs (adjusted)30.4% (69th)28.2% (114th)
Explosiveness (adjusted)0.92 (107th)0.92 (102nd)
Line yards per carry (adjusted)2.92 (85th)2.31 (138th)
Open-field yards per carry (adjusted)1.08 (87th)1.07 (88th)
EPA per play allowed (adjusted)+0.18 (118th)+0.05 (32nd)
EPA per pass allowed (adjusted)+0.27 (115th)+0.17 (60th)
EPA per rush allowed (adjusted)+0.12 (114th)+0.01 (23rd)
Success rate allowed (adjusted)45.2% (109th)39.7% (36th)
Explosiveness allowed (adjusted)0.92 (44th)0.89 (9th)
Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted)3.10 (114th)2.87 (42nd)
Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted)1.33 (117th)0.87 (7th)

The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.

Who's more efficient, Marshall or Old Dominion?

Marshall is about as good throwing (64th in EPA per pass) as running (74th). Old Dominion is about as good throwing (137th in EPA per pass) as running (134th). On third down, Marshall has the edge: its offense ranks 18th in EPA per third-down play, and the defense it faces ranks 82nd.

MarshallOld Dominion
EPA per play+0.15 (63rd)−0.15 (138th)
EPA per pass+0.23 (64th)−0.13 (137th)
EPA per rush+0.09 (74th)−0.15 (134th)
EPA per 3rd-down play+0.66 (18th)+0.26 (113th)
EPA per play allowed+0.25 (129th)+0.03 (36th)
EPA per pass allowed+0.44 (134th)+0.20 (80th)
EPA per rush allowed+0.14 (104th)−0.09 (13th)
EPA per 3rd-down play allowed+0.63 (127th)+0.43 (82nd)

Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.

Who scores more, Marshall or Old Dominion?

Marshall is outscored by 9.0 a game, and Old Dominion is outscored by 11.3. Marshall's offense ranks 109th in scoring, and the Old Dominion defense it faces ranks 97th in points allowed. Old Dominion's offense ranks 133rd against Marshall's 118th-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge.

MarshallOld Dominion
Points scored21.7 (109th)15.5 (133rd)
Points allowed30.7 (118th)26.8 (97th)

Per game, FBS opponents only.

Which offense has the edge?

Old Dominion has no clear edge here. Its best is 3rd down conversion rate, 95th, against a defense ranked 104th in 3rd down conversions allowed.

MarshallOld Dominion
Pass yards / game— ()152.9 (127th)
Rush yards / game— ()127.0 (119th)
Yards per play— ()5.07 (129th)
Yards per carry— ()4.16 (124th)
Yards per attempt— ()7.55 (73rd)
Completion %— ()64.8% (61st)
Success rate— ()33.5% (134th)
Explosive play rate— ()9.3% (124th)
3rd down conversion— ()36.4% (95th)
Sack rate (taken)— ()18.2% (133rd)
INT rate (thrown)— ()3.7% (118th)
SUPLEX— ()44.4% (131st)

Per game and per play, from play-by-play.

Which defense has the edge?

Marshall's defense is best placed to pick off passes: it ranks 81st in interception rate, and Old Dominion's offense is bottom-20 at avoiding interceptions (118th).

MarshallOld Dominion
Pass yards allowed / game243.7 (112th)217.8 (84th)
Rush yards allowed / game190.0 (115th)145.4 (63rd)
Yards per play allowed7.08 (129th)5.09 (21st)
Yards per carry allowed5.78 (122nd)4.41 (43rd)
Yards per attempt allowed8.84 (117th)5.99 (23rd)
Success rate allowed46.4% (115th)36.3% (21st)
Explosive plays allowed13.5% (109th)9.8% (31st)
3rd downs allowed43.7% (104th)34.4% (38th)
Sack rate (generated)3.0% (130th)5.2% (91st)
INT rate (generated)2.1% (81st)1.7% (99th)
SUPLEX allowed57.9% (98th)48.6% (32nd)

What opponents managed against them.

Who wins up front?

Marshall has the better number in 7 of 12. The biggest gap is line yards per carry, where Marshall ranks 34th and Old Dominion 138th.

MarshallOld Dominion
Big Uglies: offensive line47.5 (91st)10.2 (138th)
Big Uglies: defensive front42.7 (116th)54.2 (35th)
Line yards per carry3.24 (34th)1.87 (138th)
Line yards allowed per carry3.14 (107th)2.74 (47th)
Second-level yards per carry1.24 (24th)0.98 (104th)
Open-field yards per carry1.24 (65th)1.05 (86th)
Stuff rate (runs stopped at or behind the line)18.0% (75th)32.3% (138th)
Stuff rate (defense)16.7% (95th)20.6% (44th)
Power success (short yardage)70.6% (81st)44.4% (138th)
Power success allowed69.6% (63rd)63.0% (27th)
Front-seven havoc allowed10.9% (112th)20.0% (138th)
Front-seven havoc8.4% (98th)12.5% (15th)

The lines. Big Uglies is our rating for each offensive line and each defensive front: adjusted line yards (30%), stuff rate (20%), power success (15%), sack rate (20%) and front-seven havoc (15%), against every FBS team. 50 is average, and every 10 points is a standard deviation. Line stats from CollegeFootballData.com, garbage time out.

Who wins the turnover battle?

MarshallOld Dominion
Interceptions thrown / game— ()0.75 (75th)
Fumbles lost / game— ()1.25 (133rd)
Giveaways / game— ()2.00 (128th)
Interceptions / game0.57 (85th)0.63 (78th)
Fumbles recovered / game0.00 (131st)0.88 (9th)
Takeaways / game0.57 (126th)1.50 (37th)
Turnover margin / game— ()-0.5 (103rd)

Per game, from play-by-play.

Which team has more talent?

Marshall has the more talented roster (97th in the 247Sports talent composite; Old Dominion is 122nd). Marshall also plays further above its talent: −6.4 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to Old Dominion's −7.3.

MarshallOld Dominion
Talent composite594.7 (97th)544.3 (122nd)
Blue-chip ratio6.2% (89th)0.0% (126th)
Players on roster105 (106th)103 (119th)
Rated by 247Sports65 (114th)67 (106th)
5-star players0 (37th)0 (37th)
4-star players4 (88th)0 (126th)
3-star players60 (74th)62 (64th)
Below 3-star1 (86th)5 (29th)
2026 transfers in28 (41st)16 (111th)
Transfer share43.1% (28th)23.9% (93rd)
SP+ vs. talent-6.4 (107th)-7.3 (113th)
Returning production98.8% (2nd)9.2% (120th)
Returning passing production100.2% (10th)-1.9% (123rd)
Returning rushing production210.4% (4th)9.8% (104th)
Returning receiving production91.4% (6th)18.0% (107th)
2026 recruiting class (national rank)123 (123rd)96 (96th)
Recruiting rank, last four classes117.8 (123rd)111.2 (114th)

247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.

Where did each team's wins come from?

Marshall is +0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is schedule (+1.3). Old Dominion is −2.0 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is roster (−1.2).

MarshallOld Dominion
RECEIPTS (total)+0.5 (57th)-2.0 (125th)
Schedule RECEIPTS+1.3 (27th)+0.7 (56th)
Roster RECEIPTS-0.2 (82nd)-1.2 (130th)
Coach RECEIPTS-1.1 (114th)-1.2 (117th)
Luck RECEIPTS+0.5 (39th)-0.3 (86th)

Where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.

Marshall at Old Dominion: questions people ask

Marshall vs. Old Dominion prediction: who will win?

The numbers pick Marshall, 61% chance to win. All three ratings favor the same team.

Where can I watch Marshall vs. Old Dominion, and what time is it?

Sat, Oct 31, 1:00 PM ET at S.B. Ballard Stadium. It's on ESPN+.

What's the projected score of Marshall vs. Old Dominion?

SP+ projects Marshall 24–23. That's from this season's SP+ offense, defense and special teams ratings, with home field worth 2.5 points.

What's the line for Marshall at Old Dominion?

DraftKings has Marshall −3, total 45.5. The numbers pick winners, not bets.

What's the Marshall vs. Old Dominion series history?

Marshall leads 10–1. Last meeting: Marshall won 48–24 in 2025.

Who are the players to watch in Marshall vs. Old Dominion?

Marshall: Zion Turner (555 passing yards), Judah Price (237 rushing yards) and Adrian Norton (171 receiving yards). Old Dominion: Quinn Henicle (650 passing yards), Devin Roche (387 rushing yards) and TJ Johnson (265 receiving yards). Season totals through Oct 24, 2026.

Who are the quarterbacks in Marshall at Old Dominion?

Marshall's is Zion Turner (555 passing yards this season); Old Dominion's is Quinn Henicle (650 passing yards this season).

More on this game

Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.

Marshall and Old Dominion: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.