The 2026 college football season is off to the races with a full slate of games in Week 1. Helping kick off the action on Thursday, the Merrimack Warriors will take on the Delaware Blue Hens.
Looking at the odds, Delaware enters as monstrous 28.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Merrimack is +3500 underdogs, with the game total set at 55.5 points.
This article will preview both teams and provide a pick for the Week 1 matchup.
Merrimack vs. Delaware Preview
Merrimack Preview
Merrimack is coming off a 4-8 record last season, taking a step back from back-to-back 5-6 efforts over the previous two years. They are not shying away from the bright lights with a difficult scheduled this season with head coach Mike Gennetti entering his third season in charge. The Warriors kicked off their season last week with a 34-7 loss to Rhode Island. An early fumble by Merrimack allowed Rhode Island to take a 7-0 lead. The Warriors tied this matchup 7-7, but things fell apart from here as URI scored 27 unanswered points. Merrimack out-gained Rhode Island 355-297, but their four turnovers and pair of missed field goals limited their scoring outlook and largely cost them the game.
AJ Hairston Jr. is the expected starting quarterback, and completed 12 of his 23 pass attempts for 145 yards with a fumble and an interception. He is expected to maintain the starting role, but backup quarterback Cole Meehan saw some significant time and completed 12 of his 17 pass attempts for 116 yards and an interception. The game script forced Merrimack to play more of a pass-oriented attack, but they struggled to run the ball even before the game got out of reach, with just 94 total rushing yards and 2.8 yards per carry in the loss.
Defensively, Merrimack is led by Bryce Ricks, Dwayne Green Jr., and Logan Graham in the trenches. They will be joined by linebackers Micah Green, Markeith Hogan, and Will Claude, along with Danny Simmons, Kamden Wyatt, and Bertin Placide in the secondary. Last year Merrimack averaged 20.5 points per game on 343.9 yards per game, while allowing 24.4 points per game and only 202.8 passing yards per game. While their raw record was not encouraging, the Warriors lost respectably 21-17 to Kent State and battled Conference USA champion Kennesaw State to a 27-13 loss.
Delaware Preview
Delaware made the leap to FBS last season and had some relative success. They finished with a 7-6 overall record, including going 4-4 in Conference USA play. The Blue Hens scored 29.0 points per game, which ranked 56th in the nation, largely driven by a pass-oriented attack that tallied 292.5 yards per game through the air. Delaware’s defense was much more problematic, as they allowed 31.0 points per game and gave up 405.3 total yards of offense.
Ryan Carty is entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Blue Hens with a 33-17 career record. Nick Minicucci returns as the starting quarterback, after an impressive season in which he posted a 62.9% completion percentage and led the CUSA with 3,683 passing yards along with 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also added 235 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, leading the team in rushing scores and largely serving as the goal line back. Jo Silver returns at running back after a team-leading 652 rushing yards and five touchdowns last year, and top wide receiver Sean Wilson is also back with the team. Delaware also made some upgrades at the offensive line, and while there is some youth across the line, the talent is superior compared to last year.
Defensively is where the program needs to take some significant steps forward if they are to reach their desired level of success. They attacked the transfer portal to add to the secondary, headlined by Michigan State transfer George Mullins. On paper, the pass rush still feels like it needs some work, and they allowed teams to convert 18 of their 26 fourth down attempts against them. Some of Delaware’s problems were also self-inflicted, as they lost more fumbles than any other team in the conference last year.
Merrimack vs. Delaware Pick
Delaware should feel extremely encouraged by their first season in the FBS and are hoping this will be used as a launching point for this season. They also went 5-1 at home last year, and will have a raucous crowd expecting plenty of scoring in this season opener behind them. Returning 12 starters is a massive advantage in today’s college football landscape, especially at key positions such as quarterback. If the Blue Hens can have a somewhat passable defensive effort, they can make some real noise in the Conference USA this season.
The most fascinating matchup in this game will be between Delaware’s passing attack and a strong secondary for Merrimack. The Warriors have done a nice job limiting opposing team’s attack through the air last season, and they held Rhode Island to just 128 passing yards in their season opener. Even still, the sloppiness with their turnovers and lack of cohesive offense is too much to overlook in this matchup. Delaware will provide a more dynamic offensive attack than what Rhode Island offered, and the Rams were still able to put 34 points on the board. This is a higher caliber of talent and production than they are accustomed to.
Expect Merrimack to attempt to set the tone by running the ball early and prevent this game from being a shootout. But they have struggled to produce points regularly against tougher competition, and this will be problematic in this game. Even with secondary being a strong suit for the Warriors, Delaware put up 35+ points in four games last year and as many as 61 in a matchup. This includes stiffer competition than Merrimack will offer.
While there should be some fair optimism of this game remaining tight early on as Delaware’s offense settles in, expect the gap in talent between these two teams to be evident. This will be a statement game for the Blue Hens against an opponent that will not be able to keep pace as a scorer. Count on Delaware breaking the game open and putting up points in a hurry to produce a blowout and cover the 28.5-point spread in front of their home crowd.
