Springfield's six-game streak over MIT looms over the projection

Springfield has owned this series for nearly a decade, leading 7-2 in nine meetings since 2017 and winning the last six outright. MIT has not beaten the Pride since November 2021, and even the Engineers' hot start this year could not break the pattern, their six-game winning streak snapped by a 13-19 loss to Springfield the last time these two lined up.

That history lines up with where Versus has both programs now. MIT arrives at 2-0 with a solid all-around profile, graded B overall with a B+ in power and offense and a B in defense, ranked 74th in offense and 76th in defense among D3's 234 teams. The concern is schedule strength, where the Engineers rank 223rd in the division, a steep drop from everything else on their card.

Springfield, at 2-1, grades out considerably higher across the board, an A- overall with an A in power, offense and defense, and ranks 30th in offense and 33rd in defense in D3. The Pride also carry the highest Versus rating anywhere in the NEWMAC and have posted a winning record in nine straight seasons, part of a stretch in which they have lost just 7 of their last 40 games.

This is a NEWMAC game and counts in the conference standings. Versus projects Springfield to win 34-19, an 80 percent chance of victory and a projected margin of 15 points, numbers that track closely with everything the series has shown since 2017.