MTSU Football began its season on Saturday against Murray State at Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, and the meeting carried more than the usual opener feeling. This is a rivalry that goes back to 1925, and the Blue Raiders enter the game with the edge in the series and the home record.
The teams have now met 71 times, with MTSU leading 38-30-3. They played every year from 1952 to 1998 as members of the Ohio Valley Conference, and while the matchup has changed since MTSU moved to the FBS in 1999, it still brings a familiar kind of history to the first game of the year.
A series with real history behind it
There is a clear sense of continuity here. MTSU beat Murray State in 2000 after moving to the FBS level, and did so again in 2023. The Blue Raiders have also been especially strong at home against the Racers, with the last home loss coming in 1997.
That matters because this was not just another non-conference opener. MTSU had mostly played Murray State as an FCS opponent since the move to the FBS, so this game offered a reminder of the long-running place the Racers have held in the program’s schedule.
Why the opener still matters
MTSU entered the 2026 season with its 112th year of Blue Raider football and its 28th FBS season, which gives the opener extra weight. Season openers are always about rhythm and standards, but a game like this also asks whether the program can handle expectation the way a veteran side should.
Ross Jenkins is one figure on the MTSU staff with a direct link to Murray State. The MTSU TE coach had coached wide receivers at Murray State in 2012 and mentored Walter Powell, adding another layer of familiarity to a fixture already shaped by decades of overlap.
For MTSU, the task was simple enough on paper: start clean, protect home turf and treat a historic rivalry with the respect it deserves. The wider picture is just as clear. A season opener may only be one game, but against Murray State it also reflects where the Blue Raiders stand in a series that has been part of their football identity for nearly a century.
