Tennessee Tech at The Citadel
Tennessee Tech (6‑1) travels to The Citadel (2‑5). No market line yet; the model gives Tennessee Tech a 93% shot.
How they got here
Last three games
Tennessee Tech · 6-1
Rated 115th in our preseason ratings, 121st now.
2-1 in its last three — but nothing on this résumé beats a top-40 team yet.
W 49-20 vs Eastern Kentucky #208 of 668
won by 29 as a 14.5-point favorite
L 20-44 @ Western Carolina #173 of 668
lost by 24 as a 13.5-point favorite
W 42-38 @ Wofford #205 of 668
won by 4 as a 14.5-point favorite
W 45-19 vs Samford #237 of 668
won by 26 as a 26.5-point favorite
W 24-9 @ Chattanooga #171 of 668
won by 15 as a 10.5-point favorite
W 38-14 vs Monmouth #168 of 668
won by 24 as an 8.5-point favorite
Last three games
The Citadel · 2-5
Rated 203rd in our preseason ratings, 228th now.
1-2 in its last three, including a 3-point win over South Carolina State as a 17.5-point underdog.
W 43-41 @ Charlotte #179 of 668
won by 2 as a 20.5-point underdog
What’s at stake
Tennessee Tech
- Tennessee Tech controls first place in Southern with 3 games left.
- Tennessee Tech is coming off a 29-point win.
The Citadel
- The Citadel is 4 games back in Southern with 4 left to make it up.
- The Citadel is still shaking off a 41-point loss.
The series
The Citadel leads the series 1-0
1 meeting since 1960 · The Citadel won the last meeting
- 1960 · neutral siteThe Citadel 27-0
Face-off
What each fanbase carries into this one.
Tennessee Tech
The chip · vs the national mediaThe Golden Eagles believe Tennessee Tech was invisible in the FCS until 2025 — and they're using the breakout season and AFCA Coach of the Year Bobby Wilder to prove the small program from Cookeville is done being overlooked.
What this game touches
Decades of FCS anonymity. Tennessee Tech was a solid but unremarkable FCS program for years, operating in the Ohio Valley Conference without major national recognition. The 2025 season (11-1, 15-game winning streak, 482 program points) changed that narrative entirely — but the fanbase remembers the years of obscurity and wonders if it will stick.
The Citadel
The chipThe Citadel plays in the shadow of Clemson, South Carolina, and other Power programs; regional and national media largely ignore FCS military colleges despite their unique institutional mission and cadet sacrifice. Fans believe their story deserves recognition beyond the FCS bubble.
What this game touches
Small FCS program, consistent tournament drought and regional obscurity. The Citadel has won only four Southern Conference championships (1961, 1992, 2015, 2016) and made five FCS playoff appearances (2-5 record) in a century of football. The 2025 season finished 4-8 overall and 3-5 in Southern Conference play, reflecting the ongoing challenge of competing in an FCS landscape where transfer portal access and recruiting rank matter more than ever, while operating as a military academy where cadets are enrolled for service, not recruited as prospects.
Home field
The Citadel has been 4.4 points worse at home than on the road since 2018 — worse at home, 0th percentile.
0% at home, 17% on the road against FBS opponents (0-1 home, 2-10 away).
Our model gives every stadium the same flat 2.3-point home edge (why); the books use about 3. Against the closing line this stadium reads -9.6 at home vs. away over 50 games — outside the ±7.8 noise, one of the few buildings where results say more.
The visitors travel about 393 miles to get here.
Week by week
The Citadel
- Wk 2Lvs Charleston Southern20-26
- Wk 4Lvs Chattanooga8-27
- Wk 5Wat South Carolina State34-31
- Wk 6Lvs East Tennessee State16-34
- Wk 7Lat Texas A&M0-41
Tennessee Tech
- Wk 2Wvs Samford45-19
- Wk 4Wat Wofford42-38
- Wk 5Lat Western Carolina20-44
- Wk 6Wvs Furman20-15
- Wk 7Wvs Eastern Kentucky49-20
Power rating by week
Tennessee Tech is rated 7.7 points ahead as of week 8. Our power rating by week; higher is better.
Conference standings
Place in the conference, then conference record.
- The Citadel10th0-3
- Tennessee Tech1st4-1