Wk 7 · 2026
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Sam Houston Bearkats — Wed, Oct 14
Wed, Oct 14 ·
Elliott T. Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, TX
· ESPN
CUSA · 2-4
at
8:00pET
WKU -1.5 · total 51.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential SHSU by 3.1
CUSA · 1-4
What is at stake
A CUSA game — it counts in the standings that decide that league's championship game. Run the race.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
Western KY form
W 34-13vs MOSTL 13-34at NMSUW 52-7vs MERCL 0-38at IUL 20-70at UGA
2026 season
Sam Houston form
L 3-35at LIBL 14-49at TTUW 59-0vs NICHL 17-23vs TLSAL 21-24at TROY
2026 season
Western KY this season
Straight up2-4 · 33% (6 games)
Against the spread3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Over / under3-3 · 50% (6 games)
Sam Houston this season
Straight up1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Against the spread3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Over / under2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 6
| Opponent | Western KY | Sam Houston |
|---|---|---|
| New Mexico St CUSA | at L 13-34 preview | vs Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Missouri St CUSA | vs W 34-13 preview | at Wk 9 · scheduled preview |
| MTSU CUSA | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 12 · scheduled preview |
| Jax State CUSA | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview | at Wk 10 · scheduled preview |
| Liberty CUSA | at Wk 12 · scheduled preview | at L 3-35 preview |
| Kennesaw St CUSA | vs Wk 13 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Western KY leads 3–0 · Western KY has won the last 3
3 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
13.0 points toward Western KY
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2025-08-23 | Sam Houston 24 — 41 Western KY | at WKU | Western KY |
| 2024 | 2024-10-16 | Western KY 31 — 14 Sam Houston | at SHSU | Western KY |
| 2023 | 2023-11-18 | Sam Houston 23 — 28 Western KY | at WKU | Western KY |
Western KY leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Rodney Tisdale Jr. QB #16 | 79/118, 852 YDS, 4 TD, 2 INT |
| Brock Glenn QB #11 | 53/98, 536 YDS, 4 TD, 2 INT | |
| Rushing | Ajay Allen RB #3 | 72 CAR, 321 YDS, 4 TD |
| Brock Glenn QB #11 | 52 CAR, 268 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Le'Kamren Meadows RB #22 | 25 CAR, 133 YDS | |
| Receiving | Jonathan Stafford Jr. WR #80 | 36 REC, 332 YDS, 1 TD |
| Cameron Flowers WR #4 | 14 REC, 153 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Quincy Burroughs WR #12 | 9 REC, 138 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Lofton Howard TE #19 | 15 REC, 131 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Jaylen Lewis DB #7 | 53 |
| Justin Brown DB #6 | 33 | |
| Westen Ard LB #32 | 31 | |
| Sacks | Latrevion Thompson DE #13 | 1 |
| Mackavelli Malotumau DT #0 | 1 | |
| Zsacari Minnis DE #17 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Jaylen Wester LB #21 | 1 |
| Justin Brown DB #6 | 1 | |
| Tony Newsome Jr. DB #2 | 1 |
Sam Houston leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Landyn Locke QB #8 | 116/175, 1306 YDS, 11 TD, 3 INT |
| Brett Holloway QB #9 | 3/5, 64 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | Alton McCaskill RB #22 | 50 CAR, 201 YDS, 1 TD |
| Landan Brown RB #10 | 25 CAR, 105 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jerrian Parker Jr. RB #6 | 12 CAR, 68 YDS | |
| Receiving | Grady O'Neill WR #7 | 25 REC, 255 YDS, 2 TD |
| Chris Reed WR #2 | 14 REC, 238 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Tim Burns Jr. WR #3 | 9 REC, 205 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Kyan Berry-Johnson WR #5 | 13 REC, 165 YDS, 1 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Dean Ford LB #21 | 26 |
| Caesar Magee CB #7 | 24 | |
| Brody Henderson DE #3 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Elijah Groves LB #12 | 2.5 |
| Zion Taylor DE #28 | 1 | |
| Justin Terrell DT #98 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Tyler Bailey S #8 | 1 |
| Cameron Franklin S #15 | 1 | |
| Railyn Adams S #13 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.