GoMiddle Picks MTSU/TSU

Middle Tennessee State fought till the bitter end against the Michigan Wolverines in week one.

The Blue Raiders easily beat the spread, surprising many folks in college football circles.

This week, the Blue Raiders turn their attention to the Tennessee State Tigers, a team they will take on inside Floyd Stadium.

Middle Tennessee State will host the Tennessee Tigers Saturday night, and many are expecting an easy win. In fact, if you look on ESPN.com, they are currently giving MT a 97 percent chance to win the contest.

Just because ESPN gives MT a 97 percent chance to win, that doesn't mean or guarantee that MT will run away with this one. Tennessee State is capable of putting a scare into the Blue Raiders. The Tigers have transfers from power five programs from different conferences.

As I am typing this, MTSU is favored by 25.5. This seems just a tad high In my eyes.

One thing for sure, though, is that Tennessee State is not Michigan. For instance, signal caller Asher O'Hara will probably be under duress less this Saturday. O'Hara had some success against the Wolverines, so it's not too farfetched to think he could post some gaudy statistics against Tennessee State.

I do not think that Tennessee State will simply roll over and be intimidated by the Blue Raiders.

Look for them to put up a good fight, but ultimately, I think MT will wear them down with their speed and physicality.

In the end, MTSU will have too much firepower and juice for Tennessee State. On the attendance front, I expect a decent crowd of over 20,000 people.

Middle Tennessee hung tough with the seventh-ranked Wolverines; however, they fell at "The Big House" by 19.

The Blue Raiders enters this week's matchup having won five straight and seven out of the last eight games against Football Championship Subdivision opponents.

Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Asher O'Hara proved to Blue Raider Nation why he is the right man for the job this season after recording 217 yards, two touchdowns and one interception on 22-of-32 through the air along with 32 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.

I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this season after what I saw against the Wolverines last Saturday O'Hara will have his way with the Tigers all game long.

In the end, the Blue Raiders will roll past the Tigers and push their winning streak to six.

So, I had this one penciled in as a loss when the schedule first came out.

Then Tennesse State's starting QB got into major legal trouble and then Middle Tennessee didn't play terribly against Michigan.

All of that almost got me to flip, and I think this game is going to be low scoring. TSU's defense isn't as bad on paper as it has looked in real life recently.

The Blue Raiders' defense definitely impressed Week 1. Although MTSU is favored at -26.5 points, I'm not buying that there's that big of a gap here. I definitely want TSU's points and I'm going to say the Tigers edges it 21-20. I don't feel good about it, but I'm sticking to my guns for better or worse

After losing the season opener at Michigan, the Blue Raiders return to Floyd Stadium to play Tennessee State. It’s a matchup between two old Ohio Valley Conference rivals twenty years in the making.

It’s a game the Blue Raiders should win.

Don’t get me wrong - Tennessee State is a good team with some Division I transfers on their roster, but I think the Blue Raiders depth will be be a factor in the on Saturday.

Quarterback Asher O’Hara was quietly impressive in his first start in the post-Brent Stockstill era, but he will need more from the offensive line and run game if the Blue Raiders are going to defeat the Tigers.

Scot Shaffer’s defense was also solid and I expect they’ll put together an even better performance this weekend.

In the end, the Blue Raiders win this game by a score of 31-17.