← Matchups

Merrimack

· 1-2 · power -14.3 · #337
Our numberTAR -28.5 no book has priced this game

Tarleton State

· 3-0 · power +10.1 · #82
Our side
MoneylineTAR to win ours 94%
Projected score 12–41 MRMK – TAR
2026-09-19 · 7:00 PM Tarleton Memorial Stadium · Stephenville, TX Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game even 11 ranks apart
Merrimack Warriors #99 rush offense Tarleton State Texans #88 run defense
Pass game edge Tarleton State Texans 209 ranks
Merrimack Warriors #233 pass offense Tarleton State Texans #24 pass defense
Run game edge Tarleton State Texans 85 ranks
Tarleton State Texans #64 rush offense Merrimack Warriors #149 run defense
Pass game edge Tarleton State Texans 172 ranks
Tarleton State Texans #11 pass offense Merrimack Warriors #183 pass defense
Merrimack Warriors Run-heavy · 62% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 71 rush ypg Tarleton State Texans Balanced · 53% run Ball-control

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Merrimack Warriors
DB Danny Simms 22 tkl · 1 PD · 1 INT #27 DB
DB Bertin Placide 7 tkl · 3 PD · 1 INT #218 DB
DL Dwayne Green Jr 9 tkl · 1.5 TFL #317 DL
DB Juice Ricks 4 tkl · 1 INT #303 DB
Tarleton State Texans
RB Tylan Hines 575 rush yds · 4 TD · 6 rec #3 RB
WR Marquis Willis 19 rec · 320 yds · 3 TD #11 WR
DB Fredd Adams 21 tkl · 5 PD #25 DB
P Charlie Mullen 7 punts · 44.7 yd avg #4 P

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Merrimack Warriors -14.3 -12.6 -1.8 #337
Tarleton State Texans +10.1 +7.9 +2.2 #82

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Merrimack offense vs Tarleton State defense-14.8 pts
Tarleton State offense vs Merrimack defense+9.7 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness+0.4 pts
Power projection before adjustment+28.1
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 1,643 mi
Altitude · context only334 m higher than the visitor's home elevation

The projection carries an efficiency adjustment — a residual from season-to-date EPA, success rate and explosiveness, which earned its place by walk-forward test (margin error 12.90 → 12.72 across seven held-out seasons).

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.