The Kansas Jayhawks are wrapping up their 2026 non-conference slate against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. Who are a great opportunity for the Jayhawks to wipe themselves clear of what could very easily be a challenging past few weeks.
The Jayhawks would have dealt with LIU, No. 25 Missouri and Arizona State, along with a bye week prior to this matchup; even an uber-positive Kansas fan would struggle to claim a 3-0 record by this point. Most are hoping for a 2-1, but could be expecting a 1-2 stretch.
For Middle Tennessee, they will have played Murray State, Marshall, Nevada and Jacksonville State, with their bye coming the week after they visit the Booth.
The two teams have yet to meet once, despite Middle Tennessee joining the FBS in 1999.
The Blue Raiders are entering a big year under the current regime
Derek Mason joined MTSU after a four-year hiatus that took place following his seven years in the SEC with Vanderbilt. With the Commodores, Mason totaled a 27-55 record, which included two bowl games. However, after Vandy finished the 2020 season with a 0-8 record, the two split. Mason then spent two seasons with Auburn and Oklahoma State as a defensive coordinator, along with time as an analyst on the SEC Network, before getting the Middle Tennessee gig.
Since joining, Mason has had to endure back-to-back 3-9 seasons with zero wins coming against power-conference football in three separate attempts.
There are several connections that link the two schools
According to depth chart projection website Ourlads, leading the Raiders is set to be redshirt sophomore quarterback Roman Gagliano.
Gagliano is a sneaky good quarterback who totaled 1,005 passing yards last season in just five starts last season. Gagliano tallied 7 passing touchdowns and 0 interceptions while completing 57.8% completion rate. Gagliano’s 86.9 PFF Grade led MTSU last season. Gagliano was recently a counselor at the 2026 Manning Passing Academy.
Starting beside Gagliano at running back is set to be Antonio Martin. Last season, Martin rushed for 129 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 carries at Kansas State, only appearing in five games, one of which was the Sunflower Showdown, where he marked one carry for two yards.
Of course, on the KU side, transfer wideout Nahzae Cox hails from Middle Tennessee. Last season, Cox went for 473 yards across 40 receptions; Cox found the end zone 5 times, including 4 touchdowns in his first four games. Cox ranked third in team yards last season behind Cam’ron Lacy (549) and Myles Butler (518).
While MTSU will probably be able to hang in the game for the first quarter, this should be a comfortable KU victory, simply because it has to be. The Jayhawks have one goal: postseason football. In order to ensure that, they must win games like this before a tricky Big 12 schedule gets underway. Kickoff for the game is set for October 3rd, however, since it is still a while out, no time has been publicly announced.
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