Thundering Herd · Sun Belt
Head coach Tony Gibson Year 2 with Marshall
Year-2 HCs (2015-2024) averaged +0.09 W vs. preseason expectation
No remaining game changes Marshall's playoff odds. Make playoff 0%
Full 2026 slate. Tap a row for the matchup breakdown.
| Week | Opponent | Result or win prob.Result or win probability |
|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 Sep 5 | at Penn State Big Ten | Loss, 0-45 Final |
| Wk 2 Sep 12 | vs Middle Tennessee Conference USA | Win, 28-26 Final |
| Wk 3 Sep 19 | at Missouri State Conference USA | Win, 30-24 Final |
| Wk 4 Sep 26 | vs Gardner-Webb Non-FBS | Win, 36-35 Final |
| Wk 5 Oct 3 | at James Madison Sun Belt | Loss, 17-45 Final |
| Wk 6 Oct 10 | vs Coastal Carolina Sun Belt | Loss, 21-27 Final |
| Wk 7 | Bye | |
| Wk 8 Oct 20 | vs South Alabama Sun Belt | Win, 20-13 Final |
| Wk 9 Oct 31 | at Old Dominion Sun Belt | Win, 36-23 Final |
| Wk 10 Nov 7 | at Georgia Southern Sun Belt | |
| Wk 11 Nov 14 | vs App State Sun Belt | |
| Wk 12 Nov 21 | vs Georgia State Sun Belt | |
| Wk 13 Nov 28 | at UL Monroe Sun Belt | |
More coming. Per-team pages get the full treatment in Phase 3: current rating, season projection histogram, schedule with win probabilities, and live overlays on Pylon stream days. For now, this page exists so stories and news have a permanent home as content rolls in.
GIE projects a 0.2 rating drop and a 0.7pp shift in playoff probability if Marshall loses its QB1 for an extended stretch. (n=1 historical samples; pooled across recent seasons.)
79 score
Share of last season's production each unit returns. Higher means more continuity: 70%+ is healthy, 45–70% a normal rebuild, under 45% a major turnover.
−1.1 rating
23 proven transfers in, carrying the production below from their prior school.
| Player | From | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Owen SweeneyWR From VMI | VMI | 66 |
| Charles McCartherensDB From Buffalo | Buffalo | 37 |
| TJ LesterRB From West Georgia | West Georgia | 32 |
| Chris CulliverWR From North Carolina | North Carolina | 18 |
| Khalil WilkinsQB From West Virginia | West Virginia | 18 |
| Christian HamiltonWR From West Virginia | West Virginia | 5 |
Impact scores offensive skill additions (QB/RB/WR/TE) — prior-season production normalized within position (100 ≈ a 90th-percentile producer at that spot) and discounted for non-FBS competition, so a top back counts alongside a top quarterback. Defensive and O-line additions count as transfers but aren't box-score measurable, so they carry no impact score. The rating figure is this class's portal contribution vs. the FBS average, capped at ±2.5.
Percentile is across all FBS teams with play-by-play data for the season. "Late & close" is yards per play in Q4+ with a one-score margin — a proxy for clutch offensive performance.
