This Saturday at 1:30 the MTSU Blue Raiders will square off with NMSU, inside Floyd Stadium. MT is 3-7 overall and 2-4 in league play, while NMSU is 2-8 overall and have a record of 1-5 in CUSA play.
Here are the staff standings when it comes to picking MTSU games.
Shayne Pickering: 9-1 on the season
Rickey Fuquay: 9-1 on the season
Connor Nute: 9-1 on the season
Conner Smith: 9-1 on the season
Jake Bolden: 8-2 on the season
Matt Dossett: 8-2 on the season
Everhette Glenn: 7-3 on the season
Now is the time for the picks for this week's game.
Connor Nute: Basketball Analyst: 9-1 on the season
One last time in Floyd Stadium for the Blue Raiders this season! It’s a very winnable game as well, as they welcome New Mexico State to the ‘Boro. In order for MTSU to pull out the win, the connection between Nick Vattiato and Omari Kelly has to be there. I’d expect a big game from Kelly against a pretty average Aggie secondary. Overall, I think the Blue Raiders send the home crowd back happy to close out the home campaign in the 2024 season in a close one.
Prediction:
MTSU 24
NMSU 18
Conner Smith: Football and Baseball Writer. 9-1 on the season
This Saturday’s CUSA matchup is between two bottom feeders in the conference, but there’s still a lot to play for. For MTSU, it’s Senior Day and they want to build momentum for the 2025 season.The Blue Raiders will be challenged by New Mexico State and their rushing attack that averages 4.5 YPC. MT hasn’t been able to stop the run at all this year but could they find a way to do it against the Aggies?On the flip side, Middle has shown flashes of being a potent offense and they will face the worst defense in CUSA that gives up nearly 40 PPG.This could be a high-scoring affair between two teams with solid offenses and bad defenses. However, with it being Senior Day I think the Blue Raiders will have enough bulletin board material to get it done and improve to 4-7.
Prediction:
MTSU 31
NMSU 27
Everhette Glenn: Recruiting analyst. 7-3 on the season
MTSU has had a rough year transitioning to Coach Derek Mason’s style of play. They will have another shot to get a win in front of the MTSU faithful when NMSU comes to town. Both are capable of winning the game but I will go with the home team in what looks to be a toss up game.
Prediction:
MTSU 28
NMSU 24
Rickey Fuquay: Analyst. 9-1 on the season
Liberty outscored Middle Tennessee 30 to 0 heading into the fourth quarter en route to a 37-17 win over the Blue Raiders a couple of Saturdays ago at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium.The Blue Raiders continue Conference USA play this Saturday against New Mexico State as part of Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. and will air nationally on ESPN+.The big question is which one of these teams wants it more. New Mexico State ranks second to last in total yards (295.3) per game on offense while MT ranks second to last in total yards (454.5) allowed on defense. The Angie's also rank dead last in total yards per game allowed on defense (461.7).25 Seniors will be honored prior to kickoff and I expect Redshirt Junior Quarterback Nicholas Vattiato to send them out with a bang.
Prediction:
MTSU 17
NMSU 14
Matt Dossett: Publisher of GoMiddle. 8-2 on the season
So it has been discussed and harped on inside the message boards, but MTSU will not be putting on their bowling shoes this season. At this juncture I think the team is playing for pride, not to mention that for the seniors, this is the last game inside Floyd Stadium. That does mean something in my opinion.
This game is not exactly the clash of the titans, but on paper, I do think this is a close game. When you look at the stats and the box score, you see that NMSU has struggled in the QB department. Santino Marucci has thrown for 519 yards and three touchdowns to five picks. The Aggies will lean on their duo of running backs: Seth McGowan and Mike Washington.
MTSU is a three point favorite, and I have no qualms with the spread. I think MT covers, barely.
Prediction
MTSU 21
NMSU 17
Shayne Pickering: 9-1. Head of Football and Football Recruiting
New Mexico State wants to run the ball so that will be the primary thing for the defense to stop as they try to get a clean sweep of the bottom three teams in the conference. New Mexico State also has given up the most points among Conference USA teams this season, so this is a game where you hope this offense is able to punch it in for a couple of touchdowns.I fully expect for NMSU to use their run game to make this game go by quickly and drain clock but that might not be the worst thing for this MTSU offense.
Prediction:
MTSU 24
NMSU 16
Jake Bolden: Head of Blue Raider Pod. 8-2 on the season
A strong opportunity for Mason to match the win total from last season this Saturday. New Mexico State is second to MTSU in terms of amount of transfers this season with over 30! NMSU is the worst scoring defense in the conference, they’re the second worst scoring offense in the conference. The Aggies run the ball well behind former 4-star Seth McGowan. If they can limit the run and force the worst passing offense to do just that, MTSU should have a win.
Prediction:
MTSU 27
NMSU 13
