Let’s give Derek Mason some credit. The MTSU head coach was on one of the hottest seats in the Group of 6 coming into the campaign, and his prospects for surviving the season looked bleak, as his Blue Raiders were projected as one of the worst teams in the entire country before Week 1.
But things have gone better than expected for Mason, who has never had a winning season as a head coach in nine tries, in 2026.
The Blue Raiders are just two wins shy of bowl eligibility, and they have an outside shot at getting to the Conference USA Championship.
Middle Tennessee has a loss to Jacksonville State on its ledger, but the Gamecocks have a couple of tricky road games (including Wednesday’s trip to Las Cruces) left on their schedule, and they’ve really ridden their luck this season, winning their past two contests by a combined four points.
Middle Tennessee still has a trip to Liberty to deal with, but the rest of their schedule is quite manageable, and there’s a good chance that 5-2 would be enough to send the Blue Raiders to the title game.
To make any of this matter, they need to take care of business as 2.5-point favorites over Kennesaw State on Wednesday.
Kennesaw State vs. Middle Tennessee State prediction
The Owls have really had a tough go of it after they won the CUSA Championship in an absolute stunner in 2025. Kennesaw State has found out the hard way that enjoying a shockingly good season is a double-edged sword in the modern era of college football.
Bigger programs raided the Owls’ roster this offseason, leaving head coach Jerry Mack to rebuild the program … again.
The results have been understandably poor. Kennesaw State has yet to beat an FBS team this season.
And they’re getting Middle Tennessee at the worst possible time.
Not only have the Blue Raiders saved their season (and their head coach) with two wins on the spin, but they’re starting to show signs of improvement.
Quarterback Roman Gagliano has proven himself to be an impactful game manager, and the Blue Raiders are running a scheme that plays into that strength. Gagliano rarely turns the ball over, and the offensive line has done a tremendous job of protecting him, ranking 22nd overall in sack percentage.
Get the lowdown on the Best USA Sports Betting Sites and Apps
This pragmatic approach has allowed the run game to drive the bus. Middle Tennessee State ranks 48th overall in yards per rush attempt and just racked up 248 yards on the ground against FIU last week.
After a couple of dismal seasons, it looks like Middle Tennessee State has finally found the right mix under Mason, and the Blue Raiders are rapidly improving. DraftKings has them at 30/1 to win Conference USA ahead of Wednesday’s tilt with Kennesaw State, but that number will not be around much longer if results break Middle Tennessee State’s way on Wednesday.
The Plays: Middle Tennessee State (-2.5) | MTSU to win CUSA (30/1, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: nypost.com
