Two teams built to contend for the Sun Belt East meet on Friday, October 30, and it's shaping up as the kind of game that decides who's still standing in December.
Bush’s Picks
MRSHODU
MRSHODU
OverUnder
Best BetOld Dominion
Old Dominion's defense is the most proven unit on either side of this matchup, and that's usually the safer bet to lean on in a game where one offense is still finding itself. Marshall has more continuity and a Preseason Offensive Player of the Year at quarterback, but the Monarchs' pass rush and Naotala's return give them the higher floor to win outright at home.
Marshall
+Del Rio-Wilson tabbed Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
+7 returning starters on each side of the ball
+Coach Gibson entering more stable year 2
−Finished 5-7, lost 4 of last 5 games in 2025
−Went just 3-5 in Sun Belt play last season
Old Dominion
+Defense allowed only 18.5 points per game last year
+Run defense ranked 2nd in Sun Belt
+Koa Naotala back after missing nearly all of 2025
−Lost OC and its top RB, top 4 WRs, top 2 TEs to portal
−No settled starting quarterback between Henicle and Potter
This is a rematch of programs trending in opposite directions from where they started 2026 media days. Marshall was picked to finish 3rd in the East, Old Dominion 2nd, and both preseason projections came with real question marks attached — Marshall trying to build on a rocky debut year for its coach, ODU trying to replace nearly its entire skill-position group off a Cure Bowl-winning team.
Marshall quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson enters as the league's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, and he's got more support around him than a year ago — Tony Gibson's roster returns 7 starters on offense and 7 on defense after last season's massive portal churn. That continuity matters after a 2025 that ended in disappointment: a 5-7 finish, a 3-5 mark in Sun Belt play, and a loss in 4 of the final 5 games.
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MRSH Marshall
ODU Old Dominion
Old Dominion's calling card is defense, and it's not close. The Monarchs allowed just 18.5 points a game a year ago, and DeAndre Lynch and Chris Forbes anchor a run defense that ranked 2nd in the Sun Belt. Linebacker Koa Naotala is also back after missing nearly all of 2025 to injury — a real boost for a unit that was already good without him.
Marshall Thundering Herd
Oct 20?vs South Alabama—
Oct 9?vs Coastal Carolina—
Oct 2?@ James Madison—
Sep 26?vs Gardner-Webb—
Sep 19?@ Missouri State—
Sep 12?vs Middle Tennessee—
Sep 5?@ Penn State—
Old Dominion Monarchs
Oct 15?vs Georgia Southern—
Oct 9?@ App State—
Oct 2?@ Georgia State—
Sep 25?vs James Madison—
Sep 19?vs East Carolina—
Sep 12?@ Virginia Tech—
Sep 5?vs Norfolk State—
Recent form.
Where ODU gets shaky is the other side of the ball. The Monarchs lost their offensive coordinator to Memphis after the bowl win, and the offense that's left behind is nearly unrecognizable — the top running back, the top 4 receivers and the top 2 tight ends from a year ago are all gone via the portal. Cure Bowl MVP Quinn Henicle is fighting for the starting job against Washington State transfer Jaxon Potter, and neither has settled the question yet.
Marshall Thundering Herd
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Old Dominion Monarchs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
That gap between a proven defense and an offense still figuring itself out is the whole story for Old Dominion heading into the fall. Marshall's path is simpler on paper — Del Rio-Wilson and a more experienced roster, with head coach Tony Gibson openly saying anything short of a Sun Belt title feels like a failure this time around. Whichever team's questions get answered first by late October could be the one walking away with the East.
