Norfolk State's climb widens the gap on Robert Morris

Versus ranks Norfolk State No. 84 in FCS, 13 spots ahead of Robert Morris at No. 97, and the gap has been growing in real time. Norfolk State has improved its Versus power rating in each of the last four weeks and enters this non-conference game riding that momentum, while Robert Morris has watched its own power rating slip for three straight weeks.

The Spartans bring a B offensive grade and a B- defense into the game, having won three of their five outings this season by 21 points or more. That kind of separation shows up in the projection, which has Norfolk State favored by 7 points and given a 65 percent win probability in a game projected to finish 30-23.

Robert Morris still carries a case as the No. 3 team in the Northeast Conference, and its C defense has kept games competitive even as the offense has struggled to a D+ grade and a 100th ranked offense in FCS. Both teams sit near the bottom of their division in strength of schedule, at 112th for Norfolk State and 108th for Robert Morris, so neither has faced much resistance to build this record against. This is a non-conference matchup and will not affect either team's standing in its own league.