Strangers in the Field: Part X

Hard to believe I have been making the pilgrimage to Vegas for ten years. Read on for my investment portfolio. 

College Football Plays

Over/Under Win Totals

I made 49 college football win total plays (four more than last year). They are listed below, broken down by conference. 

AAC Plays

East Carolina under 6.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.65)

The Pirates won four of their final five regular season games after firing Mike Houston in 2024. The wins were good, but the competition was not great. I think the Pirates come back to earth, especially with two power conference teams (BYU and NC State) on the non-conference schedule. 

Florida Atlantic over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $50)

I like hire of Zach Kittley as head coach and I expect this offense to do enough to get the Owls close to a bowl game. 

Navy under 8.5 wins ($25 to collect $50)

The Midshipmen were good last season, but their turnover margin (+10) spells regression. Eight wins is still a good season for a service academy. 

Rice over 3.5 wins ($400 to collect $650)

This, along with Virginia Tech, is my biggest win total play. People are sleeping on Rice, but I expect the hire of Scott Abell and the implementation of the triple to provide immediate dividends. 

Tulane under 8.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.65)

The non-con is tougher that it initially appears with three power conference teams (Duke, Northwestern, and Ole Miss). The Green Wave may be favored in two of those games, but 0-3 or 1-2 is entirely possible. 

ACC Plays

California over 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $52.50)

I'll make the contrarian play here. There is not a guaranteed win on the schedule outside of Texas Southern, but I think the market is too low on a Cal team that lost five games by a touchdown or less last season.  

Clemson under 10.5 wins ($50 to collect $83.35)

I found a stray ten and a half and had to play it (rest of market is at nine and a half). Georgia Tech, Louisville, LSU, North Carolina, SMU, and South Carolina are all potentially losable games. This is not the late 2010s Clemson team. 

Miami under 9.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.15)

Miami beat me last year when I had under nine and a half. I'm back for more punishment. The Hurricanes gain Carson Beck, but lose the number one pick in the NFL Draft who papered over a lot of their problems last season. 

NC State over 6.5 ($25 to collect $53.75)

After disappointing with a 6-7 mark, I think NC State is back in the eight or nine win range. The only surefire loss on the schedule is a road trip to Notre Dame. 

Virginia Tech over 6.5 wins ($400 to collect $860)

For some reason all the gambling podcasts I listen to are down on the Hokies. I look at their 2024 season and see a team that led at halftime in seven of their eight ACC games (four times by double digits). If the Hokies can close games out, they could be headed to the ACC Championship Game. 

Big 10 Plays

Illinois under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $62.50)

Not buying the preseason hype. This team was extremely fortunate to win ten games last season. I wish this total had been eight and a half, but I had to play it out of principle. 

Maryland over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $48.80)

I hated the Mike Locksley hire at first, but maturity involves admitting when you were wrong. Prior to lats season, Maryland had played in three consecutive bowl games. With a schedule devoid of Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State, I think they come close to bowl eligibility. 

Michigan under 8.5 wins ($50 to collect $122.50)

The Wolverines won eight games last season, but could easily have finished 6-6 or 5-7. The pulled two massive upsets in their final two games (Ohio State and the bowl against Alabama), but also won tight games against Michigan State, Minnesota, and Southern Cal. Not only are there challenging road games on the slate (Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Southern Cal), but the home schedule has some land mines as well (Ohio State, Washington, and Wisconsin). 

Northwestern over 3.5 wins ($50 to collect $80.30)

There are two guaranteed wins on the slate (Louisiana-Monroe and Western Illinois). I think the Wildcats are good enough to find two more. 

Oregon under 10.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.65)

Road trips to Iowa, Penn State, and Washington, as well as home titles with Indiana, Southern Cal, and Wisconsin make me think the Ducks lose at least twice in 2025. 

Penn State under 10.5 wins ($25 to collect $43.50)

The Nittany Lions are likely your preseason number one team. However, back to back road trips to Iowa and Ohio State could ruin push them under this number. 

Wisconsin over 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $56.25)

The schedule is brutal, but I think the Badgers pull off an upset or two to get to a bowl game. 

Big 12 Plays

Arizona State under 8.5 wins ($25 to collect $45)

The Sun Devils were legitimately good last season, but I still expect regression. The Big 12 is too deep to have a team win back to back titles. 

Oklahoma State over 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $60)

Does Mike Gundy have one more good ride in him? The Cowboys were the second best team in the Big 12 heading into last season based on the preseason consensus. They did not win a single conference game. I think they bounce back and get to a bowl. 

Texas Tech under 8.5 wins ($25 to collect $52.50)

I have two theories with the new world of college football (NIL and the transfer portal). Full on transplants are very likely to succeed (see Western Kentucky in 2021 and Indiana and Vanderbilt in 2024 as prominent examples), but buying a nearly full roster does not work as well. Football requires too much continuity and free agency is not a way to build a winner. It can augment a team, but rosters have to be built from the high school ranks. We'll see if the Red Raiders refute my theory, but they have not finished with more than eight regular season victories since 2008. 

UCF over 5.5 wins ($50 to collect $90)

The Knights were much better than their 4-8 record last season. Hopefully they can at least get to a bowl.

Conference USA Plays

Delaware over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $42.25)

Welcome to FBS Blue Hens! Delaware has a solid history as an FCS program and I expect them to immediately be competitive in Conference USA. 

FIU over 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $50)

I love the coaching hire and the Panthers were better than their record in 2024. 

Jacksonville State under 6.5 wins ($25 to collect $36.90)

Its a story as old as time. Mid to low level college football team peaks. Coach uses that peak to angle for a better job. Mid to low level team declines. The Gamecocks can get to a bowl and still cash this under bet. 

Middle Tennessee State over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.65)

I though Derek Mason would have the Blue Raiders competitive in his first season. Never wrong. Just early. 

Missouri State under 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $45.85)

Missouri State does not have the FCS history of Delaware and I think they will struggle in their maiden voyage. 

Sam Houston State under 4.5 wins ($200 to collect $410)

KC Keeler is a great football coach. Unfortunately for the Bearkats, he is now the head coach at Temple. 

Independent Plays

Connecticut under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $42.85)

The Huskies won eight regular season games last year. That was their most regular season victories since winning the Big East in 2010. So how can we expect them to equal that win total, especially with three power conference teams on the schedule (Boston College, Duke, and Syracuse)? A bowl should be the goal, not eight wins. 

MAC Plays

Ball State over 3.5 wins ($50 to collect $90)

I like the coaching hire and I think the Cardinals can be a mid-level MAC team in Mike Uremovich's first season. 

Buffalo under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $52.50)

I think the Buffalo hype train might be picking up a little too much steam. The Bulls closed the regular season on a four game winning streak (the bowl made five), but they laid some eggs against the better teams on the schedule. Let's not pencil them into the MAC Championship Game yet. 

Eastern Michigan over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $46.75)

Chris Creighton has been at Easter Michigan for eleven seasons. He has guided the Eagles to at least five regular season wins in the past eight non-Covid years. Its a testament to what he has built that last season's 5-7 record is seen as a disappointment. 

Kent State over 1.5 wins ($100 to collect $164.50)

I love to dumpster dive and there is not a more distressed asset than Kent State. The Golden Flashes have not beaten an FBS team since the 2022 regular season finale. If they beat Merrimack in the opener, they need to find one MAC win to make this a winner. But if they lose to the Warriors...

Kent State over 2 wins ($25 to collect $51.25)

Once again, I'm taking a flyer on Kent State. They fired their coach in the spring and they can't possibly be worse than they were under his 'tutelage'. 

Mountain West Plays

Air Force over 5.5 wins ($50 to collect $78.55)

The Falcons closed last year strong (four consecutive wins after a 1-7 start) and I think they bounce back after a rare losing season under Troy Calhoun.

Boise State under 9.5 wins ($25 to collect $67.50)

In the ten non-Covid years since Chris Petersen left Boise, the Broncos have lost at least three regular season games six times. The Broncos were the first Group of Five team to make the expanded College Football Playoff, but I think there are a few losses on this schedule starting with the opener at South Florida. 

Fresno State over 6.5 wins ($25 to collect $41.65)

I like the hire of Matt Entz (former North Dakota State coach) and after their Week Zero tilt with Kansas, the Bulldogs may only be an underdog in one other game (Boise State). 

New Mexico over 3.5 wins ($25 to collect $53.75)

I like the hire of Jason Eck from Idaho and while the Lobos lose a lot from last year's surprise 5-7 team, they have more several winnable games on the slate (Idaho State, New Mexico State, Nevada, and Utah State). 

San Diego State over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $42.25 wins)

Sean Lewis brought Kent State to respectability in his second season and I expect no less at a program with infinitely more resources. 

UNLV under 8.5 wins ($25 to collect $45.85)

Take a look at UNLV's football history. The past two seasons stick out like a sore thumb. I don't think the Rebels sink to a losing record, but they are probably back to being a mid-level Mountain West team. 

SEC Plays

Florida under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $44.25)

The Gators won seven regular season games in 2024 despite a brutal schedule. The schedule is just as arduous in 2025 and they won't be sneaking up on anyone. 

Kentucky over 4.5 wins ($25 to collect $47.75)

I'll take a chance on Mark Stoops righting the ship. The Wildcats don't even have to get to bowl eligibility to cash this ticket. Of course, it could be dead in the water if they lose the opener to Toledo. 

Missouri under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $38.90)

The Tigers were much worse than their record last season. I think regression comes for them hard in 2025. 

South Carolina under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $42.25)

The Gamecocks had five players drafted from last year's defense. Even if LaNorris Sellers continues to improve, I think this team declines. 

Sun Belt Plays

Appalachian State under 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $58.75)

I hate the head coaching hire. If the Mountaineers lose their opener to Charlotte, it could be one and done for Dowell Loggains. 

Arkansas State under 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $39.70)

The Red Wolves were an incredible 7-1 in one-score games last season. Regression is coming. 

Georgia Southern under 7.5 wins ($50 to collect $82.25)

Trust Clay Helton with more than modest expectations at your own peril. 

Georgia State under 3.5 wins ($25 to collect $45)

I'm starting to regret this bet a bit, but the Panthers will be behind the eight ball after a likely 1-3 non-conference slate. 

Louisiana-Lafayette under 7.5 wins ($25 to collect $48.80)

Before dropping the Sun Belt Championship Game and their bowl, 2024 was a special season for the Ragin' Cajuns. I expect a drop off, especially with South Alabama, Southern Miss, and Texas State (and maybe even Troy) providing stiff competition in the West Division. 

Marshall under 5.5 wins ($25 to collect $37.50)

Most of their team left to join head coach Charles Huff at Southern Miss. This is a rebuilding year in Huntington. 

College Football Futures

Auburn to win the SEC ($10 to collect $260)

Auburn historically underachieved relative to their YPP and 1HPD last season. With some better luck, I think they have the upside to potentially get to the SEC Championship Game. 

Iowa to make the College Football Playoff ($10 to collect $80)

The Hawkeyes are always strong defensively and with the addition of South Dakota State transfer Mark Gronowski at quarterback, the offense has potential to make things interesting in the Big 10. 

Utah to win the Big 12 ($10 to collect $57.50)

The Utes should bounce back in their second season in the Big 12 and in a wide open league, they have a good a shot as anyone to capture the conference crown. 

UTSA to make the College Football Playoff ($10 to collect $230)

At least one Group of Five team has to make the College Football Playoff. If the Roadrunners can win the AAC and hang tough with Texas A&M in the opener, they should be in the conversation. 

Washington to make the College Football Playoff ($10 to collect $100)

Quarterback Demond Williams only saw significant action in their final two games (both losses by the way), but he has the potential upside to make the Huskies Big 10 contenders. 

College Football Parlay ($10 to collect $94.90 - all must hit)

August 28

NC State moneyline over East Carolina

I think the Wolfpack get revenge for last season's bowl loss to the Pirates. 

August 28

UCF moneyline over Jacksonville State

The Gamecocks should be outclassed against the Knights in Scott Frost's return to Orlando.

August 29

Colorado +4 Georgia Tech

The Buffaloes are tough at home and Georgia Tech might be getting a little too much offseason love for a team coming off back to back 7-6 campaigns. 

August 30

Northwestern +6.5 Tulane

I would not be surprised if the Wildcats won outright. 

August 30 

Rice +14 Louisiana-Lafayette

Rice is one of my biggest over plays this season, so naturally I think they can keep this game close. 

MLB Futures

Tampa Bay Rays to win American League ($10 to collect $190)

In late June, the Rays were 47-36. They are 9-23 since and more importantly, 6-12 since I made this bet. I can probably throw this one in the trash. 

Thanks for reading my annual Vegas trip summary. The season gets underway in sixteen days with Week Zero. There won't be enough games for spread picks that weekend, but I'll be back with weekly picks shortly after that Saturday appetizer. 

First Half Point Differential: The 2024 Power Four

Two weeks ago, we looked at first half point differential in the Group of Five to try and identify some teams that might surprise and or disappoint us this season. This week, we do the same with the Power Four.

Atlantic Coast Conference

The 2024 ACC standings. 

1HPD in ACC play (title game excluded).

The first and third ranked teams in 1HPD met in the ACC Championship Game, with the third ranked team pulling off a small upset. More on the team that finished second in IHPD later. 

Big 10

The 2024 Big 10 standings.

1HPD in Big 10 play (title game excluded). 

The first and fourth ranked teams in 1HPD met in the Big 10 Championship Game with the top ranked team holding on to win. However, the top four teams in 1HPD were all selected for the expanded College Football Playoff with the third ranked team winning it all. At the bottom of the 1HPD standings, Purdue made their nine Big 10 opponents look like Oregon, posting a horrid -152 1HPD and getting Ryan Walters fired in the process. 

Big 12

The 2024 Big 12 standings.

1HPD in Big 12 play (title game excluded). 

Arizona State finished first in 1HPD and won the Big 12 Championship Game in their first season in the conference. However, their opponent in the title game (Iowa State) finished a distant eleventh in 1HPD. At the other end of the Territorial Cup, Arizona brought up the rear in 1HPD. 

SEC

The 2024 SEC standings. 

1HPD in SEC play.

Texas finished first in the SEC in 1HPD in their first season in the conference, but lost the SEC Championship Game to Georgia. The other SEC newcomer from the Big 12 did not fare as well. Oklahoma finished ahead of only winless Mississippi State in 1HPD. 

In the YPP and APR offseason recaps, I sort the teams in each conference by how much they over or under-performed relative to their expected record. Since all the Power Four conferences are grouped together in this post, I am only going to list those that significantly over or under-performed (a difference of at least .200). We'll start with the overachievers.

Missouri finished 5-3 in SEC play, but the Tigers trailed at the half in five of their conference games and entered halftime tied in two others. Iowa State won seven Big 12 games and thanks to tiebreakers, qualified for the Big 12 Championship Game. While the Cyclones only trailed at the half in two of their nine conference games, most of their games were still in doubt during the intermission. They led at the half in six conference games, but five of those leads were by five points or fewer. Miami nearly played in the ACC Championship Game before ironically blowing a second half lead to Syracuse. Turnabout was fair play, as the Hurricanes trailed at the half in four of their eight ACC games, including twice by double digits. Georgia won their second SEC title in three years, but trailed at the half in four of their eight SEC games. 

And now the underachievers. 

Virginia Tech finished second in the ACC in 1HPD, leading at the half in an astounding seven of their eight conference games! Kentucky won just a single SEC game, but the Wildcats were competitive at the half in a majority of their games. They led at the half in three conference games, were tied in another, and trailed by a touchdown or less in two more. Wisconsin won just a third of their Big 10 games, but led at the half in two thirds of their conference games, including four times by double digits. Utah failed to live up to their preseason expectations in 2024, but the Utes led at the half in three Big 12 games, were tied in another, and trailed by a touchdown or less in three more. Auburn mastered giving games away in 2024. The Tigers were ahead or tied at the half in five of their eight SEC games. In Mack Brown's final season in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels finished with a losing ACC record despite leading at the half in four of their eight conference games. They led by double digits in three of those games, and were tied or within a touchdown at the half in three more. Now another septuagenarian will attempt to bring the Tar Heels to the forefront of college football. Finally, Nebraska finished 3-6 in Big 10 play, but led by double digits at halftime in three of their conference games, led by a touchdown in another, and were tied in two others. 

Thanks once again for your continued patronage. I'll be back in a few weeks with a Vegas betting recap and then it will almost be time for the season to start. 

First Half Point Differential: The 2024 Group of Five

After a bit of a hiatus, we return to our review of the 2024 college football season.This week, we will look at how each Group of Five conference played out in terms of First Half Point Differential (1HPD). As I have mentioned before, 1HPD is a very advanced stat. It tells us how many points a team either outscored or was outscored by their opponents in the first half of games. If you need additional background on this statistic, I invite you to look up each word individually. Why do we look at this stat? Its far from a perfect measure, but it can sometimes point us toward teams that are due for improvement or regression the next season.  In theory, teams that pull off a lot of second half comebacks might not be as fortunate the next season and teams that lead at the half, but can't quite close the deal might be better than their actual record. It helps guide some of my over/under win total bets, but your mileage may vary.

American Athletic Conference

The 2024 AAC standings. 

1HPD in AAC play (title game excluded). 

The top two teams in 1HPD met in the AAC Championship Game with the top team winning in somewhat dominant fashion. At the other end of the AAC, Tulsa was dead last by a significant margin. Their 1HPD was more than twice as bad as the second worst team (Temple).

Conference USA

The 2024 Conference USA standings.

1HPD in Conference USA play (title game excluded).

The top two teams in 1HPD also met in the Conference USA Championship Game. While the top two teams were close in 1HPD, their matchup in the title game was not. Western Kentucky opened the scoring with a field goal, but Jacksonville State outscored the Hilltoppers 52-9 the rest of the way. 

Mid-American

The 2024 MAC standings. 

1HPD in MAC play (title game excluded).

The top two teams in 1HPD met in the MAC Championship Game (sensing a theme here?). Much like Conference USA, while the top two teams were close in 1HPD, the title game was not. Miami kicked a field goal to go up 3-0, but Ohio scored the final 38 points of the game to win their first ever MAC Championship Game and first MAC title since 1968. At the bottom of the MAC standings, Kent State's 1HPD was more than twice as bad as the second worst team (Eastern Michigan). 

Mountain West

The 2024 Mountain West standings. 

1HPD in Mountain West play (title game excluded). 

Like the previous three Group of Five conferences, the top two teams in 1HPD met in the Mountain West Championship Game. And once again, despite the relative tightness of the top two teams in 1HPD, the title game was not especially close. 

Sun Belt

The 2024 Sun Belt standings. 

1HPD in Sun Belt play (title game excluded). 

The Sun Belt was the streak breaker in 2024. The top two teams did not meet in the Sun Belt Championship Game. However, the teams ranked second and third in 1HPD did face off in the title game. Like the other Group of Five title games, this one was also a dud, at least from a competitive standpoint. I suppose if you were a Marshall fan, you were not overly concerned about the competitiveness. 

In the YPP and APR offseason recaps, I sort the teams in each conference by how much they over or under-performed relative to their expected record. Since all the Group of Five conferences are grouped together in this post, I am only going to list those that significantly over or under-performed (a difference of at least .200). We'll start with the overachievers.

Tulsa technically overachieved since a team with their 1HPD (trailed on average by 23 points per game at the half) usually finishes winless in conference play. In Tulsa's lone league win, they overcame a 28-point halftime deficit against UTSA. Boise State never trailed at the half in Mountain West play, but they were tied in three games, and held a lead of less than a touchdown in another. Colorado State rode an easy conference schedule to a 6-1 record and nearly qualified for the Mountain West Championship Game. However, the Rams trailed at the half in two of their seven conference games and were tied in another. Louisiana-Lafayette only trailed at the half in one of their Sun Belt games, but they were down by three touchdowns which significantly suppressed their overall numbers. Finally, East Carolina finished with a winning record in AAC play despite trailing at the half in four of their eight conference games, including three times by double digits. 

And now the underachievers. 

Tom Herman lost his job at Florida Atlantic because the Owls could not close the deal. They won just a single game in AAC play despite leading at the half in four games and trailing by more than a touchdown at halftime just once. Nevada was not a good team in 2024, but their profile did not befit a team that finished winless in conference play. The Wolfpack were tied or leading at the half in three of their seven conference games. UTSA finished with a .500 record in AAC play despite leading at the half in five of their eight conference games. Their under-performance is mostly explained by their shocking loss to Tulsa I mentioned above. Four seasons after winning the MAC in the Covid-impacted 2020 season, Mike Neu lost his job at his alma mater thanks to the Cardinals struggles in the second half. Ball State led at the half in three of their five conference games and trailed by double digits in just one. Finally, Georgia State only led at the half in one of the conference games, but they were tied in two others and trailed by a touchdown or less in two more. The Panthers probably should have won at least one additional conference game in Dell McGee's first season in Atlanta. 

Thanks for reading. We'll be back in two weeks with a look at first half point differential in the Power Four. 

2024 Adjusted Pythagorean Record: Sun Belt

Last week we looked at how Sun Belt teams fared in terms of yards per play. This week, we turn our attention to how the season played out in terms of the Adjusted Pythagorean Record, or APR. For an in-depth look at APR, click here. If you didn’t feel like clicking, here is the Reader’s Digest version. APR looks at how well a team scores and prevents touchdowns. Non-offensive touchdowns, field goals, extra points, and safeties are excluded. The ratio of offensive touchdowns to touchdowns allowed is converted into a winning percentage. Pretty simple actually.

Once again, here are the 2024 Sun Belt standings.

And here are the APR standings with conference rank in offensive touchdowns, touchdowns allowed, and APR in parentheses. This includes conference games only with the championship game excluded.

Finally, Sun Belt teams are sorted by the difference between their actual number of wins and their expected number of wins according to APR.

Arkansas State and Marshall were the only Sun Belt teams that saw their actual record differ significantly (difference of a game and a half or more) from their APR. The Red Wolves and Thundering Herd significantly exceeded their APR and they also exceeded their expected record based on Yards Per Play. We went over some reasons for that last week, so no need to rehash it here. 

Conference Championship Game, No Bowl

Marshall pulled off a rare feat in 2024. The Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt, but did not play in a bowl game. There were of course, some extenuating circumstances that precipitated their absence from bowl season. Their head coach took another job in what seemed like mere seconds after the Sun Belt Championship Game. His departure led to a staggering number of players entering the transfer portal. And their bowl opponent happened to be a very good triple option team. Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl and became just the twelfth team team to participate in their conference title game and not participate in bowl season. The Herd and the other eleven are listed below. 

Marshall is even more rarified air as they join UAB in the pandemic impacted 2020 season as the only other conference championship game victor to sit out bowl season. The Blazers had been set to play South Carolina in the Gasparilla Bowl, but the Gamecocks withdrew due to an uptick in Covid-19 cases within the program and the game was canceled. 

You may notice that five teams in the preceding table have asterisks by their name. The reason? Those teams all faced Marshall in their respective conference title games. The Thundering Herd kept four consecutive MAC teams from appearing in a bowl by beating them in the conference title game. This was in an era when mid-major conferences only had one or two bowl tie-ins. They were also defeated by the aforementioned UAB Blazers in the 2020 Conference USA Championship Game. 

That will close out our 2024 YPP and APR recaps. Thanks for reading. I hope you learned a little something and were at least marginally entertained in the past four and a half months. If you are curious, the rest of our summer schedule is as follows. I'll be taking the month of June off, but will return the first Thursday in July with a breakdown of First Half Point Differential in the Group of Five. Two weeks later, we'll look at the same stat in the Power Four. Two or three weeks after that, I'll recap my annual Vegas trip, and then we should be within shouting distance of the regular season. During the season, every Thursday, I'll post my seven favorite picks against the spread. And before you know it, another year will have come and gone. Thanks as always for reading. I appreciate the handful of folks who keep returning year after year. See you in July!

2024 Yards Per Play: Sun Belt

I know its hard to believe, but our time reviewing the 2024 season is nearly at an end. The final conference for us to look at is the Sun Belt. 

Here are the 2024 Sun Belt standings.

So we know what each team achieved, but how did they perform? To answer that, here are the Yards Per Play (YPP), Yards Per Play Allowed (YPA) and Net Yards Per Play (Net) numbers for each Sun Belt team. This includes conference play only, with the championship game not included. The teams are sorted by division by Net YPP with conference rank in parentheses.

College football teams play either eight or nine conference games. Consequently, their record in such a small sample may not be indicative of their quality of play. A few fortuitous bounces here or there can be the difference between another ho-hum campaign or a special season. Randomness and other factors outside of our perception play a role in determining the standings. It would be fantastic if college football teams played 100 or even 1000 games. Then we could have a better idea about which teams were really the best. Alas, players would miss too much class time, their bodies would be battered beyond recognition, and I would never leave the couch. As it is, we have to make do with the handful of games teams do play. In those games, we can learn a lot from a team’s YPP. Since 2005, I have collected YPP data for every conference. I use conference games only because teams play such divergent non-conference schedules and the teams within a conference tend to be of similar quality. By running a regression analysis between a team’s Net YPP (the difference between their Yards Per Play and Yards Per Play Allowed) and their conference winning percentage, we can see if Net YPP is a decent predictor of a team’s record. Spoiler alert. It is. For the statistically inclined, the correlation coefficient between a team’s Net YPP in conference play and their conference record is around .66. Since Net YPP is a solid predictor of a team’s conference record, we can use it to identify which teams had a significant disparity between their conference record as predicted by Net YPP and their actual conference record. I used a difference of .200 between predicted and actual winning percentage as the threshold for ‘significant’. Why .200? It is a little arbitrary, but .200 corresponds to a difference of 1.6 games over an eight game conference schedule and 1.8 games over a nine game one. Over or under-performing by more than a game and a half in a small sample seems significant to me. In the 2024 season, which teams in the Sun Belt met this threshold? Here are Sun Belt teams sorted by performance over what would be expected from their Net YPP numbers.

A quartet of teams in the Sun Belt saw their actual record differ significantly from their expected record based on Yards per Play. The trio of Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, and Marshall significantly exceeded their expected record while Georgia State underachieved. Arkansas State (4-1), Georgia Southern (2-1), and Marshall (3-1) all performed well in close conference games. All three were also on the positive side of fourth down variance. Arkansas State converted twelve of their fifteen fourth down attempts in league play. Georgia Southern (six of nine) and Marshall (six of ten) were good, but not quite as charmed as the Red Wolves on their fourth down conversions. Georgia Southern also stopped eight of their opponents' eleven fourth down attempts in Sun Belt play, generating an additional eight hidden turnovers. Meanwhile, Georgia State finished 1-3 in one-score conference games, had a negative in-conference turnover margin (-3), and converted just five of their eighteen fourth down attempts in Sun Belt action. Those fourth down failures represent thirteen hidden turnovers not accounted for in their already poor turnover margin. 

Dominated By Conference Opponents Part Deux

In last week's post on the SEC, we examined Mississippi State's horrendous conference season in 2024. The Bulldogs dropped all of their SEC games with each loss coming by double digits. I mentioned the Bulldogs were not the only FBS team to go winless in conference play in 2024 with each of their losses coming by double digits. Another team in the same state, Southern Miss, also managed that ignominious feat. The Golden Eagles were even worse relative to their competition than the Bulldogs. Southern Miss lost their eight Sun Belt games by more than 25 points per game. They lost to Louisiana-Lafayette in their conference opener by ten points and that represented their high water mark in league play. Southern Miss became the tenth non-power (non-BCS/Group of Five) team to finish winless in conference play with all of their losses coming by double digits in the BCS/CFP era (since 1998). The other nine teams are listed below along with their performance in the follow up season. 

The nine non-power teams improved more in the aggregate than their power conference brethren we examined last week (.257 conference winning percentage in the follow up season compared to .200 for power conference teams). This makes sense. Power conferences tend to have more strict tiers of power, while non-powers are more fluid in their hierarchy. 

You may have noticed a few asterisks in the previous table. That was intentional. Unlike Mississippi State, who retained their coach despite their poor conference performance, Southern Miss will have a new head coach in 2025. Will Hall was fired midway through the 2024 season after a 1-6 start. Reed Stringer was the interim coach and I suppose received a nice paycheck for his 'performance'. The Golden Eagles pulled off a coup by getting Charles Huff (not to be confused with Charlie Hough) from conference rival Marshall to be their new coach. Huff has been moderately successful in his four seasons as a head coach, even guiding the Thundering Herd to the Sun Belt title last season. The good news for Huff is that the previous teams to swap out coaches after a crash and burn conference season all improved by multiple games in the following season. 

It might be the equivalent of a dead cat bounce, but I expect at least modest improvement in Hattiesburg in 2025. The Golden Eagles may not qualify for a bowl, but I expect two or three Sun Belt wins after their harrowing conference performance last season.

2024 Adjusted Pythagorean Record: SEC

Last week we looked at how SEC teams fared in terms of yards per play. This week, we turn our attention to how the season played out in terms of the Adjusted Pythagorean Record, or APR. For an in-depth look at APR, click here. If you didn’t feel like clicking, here is the Reader’s Digest version. APR looks at how well a team scores and prevents touchdowns. Non-offensive touchdowns, field goals, extra points, and safeties are excluded. The ratio of offensive touchdowns to touchdowns allowed is converted into a winning percentage. Pretty simple actually.

Once again, here are the 2024 SEC standings.

And here are the APR standings with conference rank in offensive touchdowns, touchdowns allowed, and APR in parentheses. This includes conference games only with the championship game excluded.

Finally, SEC teams are sorted by the difference between their actual number of wins and their expected number of wins according to APR.

I use a game and a half as a somewhat arbitrary standard to determine whether a team significantly over or underachieved relative to their APR. By that standard, Missouri significantly exceeded their APR while Mississippi State underachieved. Missouri also overachieved relative to their expected record based on Yards Per Play and we went over some reasons for that last week. Mississippi State cannot blame a poor record in close games for their underachievement (as we'll discuss in a moment). They did have a poor in-conference turnover margin (-6) and were unable to get teams off the field on fourth down. Conference opponents only had eleven fourth down attempts against the Bulldogs, but they converted on nine of them. 

Dominated by Conference Opponents

There was some bad football played in the Magnolia State in 2024. Two teams, Mississippi State, and Southern Miss finished winless in conference play with each of their losses coming by double digits, joining a rather ignominious club. We'll discuss the Bulldogs this week and transition to the Golden Eagles next week when we look at the Sun Belt. 

In one of last year's SEC recaps, we touched on teams that went winless in conference play while losing all their games by double digits. The Bulldogs are the tenth power conference team in the BCS/CFP era to 'accomplish' the feat. The Bulldogs finished 0-8, with their average margin of defeat coming by 17.75 points, and their closest loss was by ten points. Feel free to read last year's post to see how they compare to the other nine teams. I, of course, am more concerned about how they will perform in 2025. The table below lists the previous nine teams and how they fared in the season following their noncompetitive conference season. 

In the aggregate, the teams improved although they still tended to be quite bad, winning just a fifth of their conference games in the follow up season. Seven of the nine teams improved and four of nine improved by at least two wins. 

You may have noticed a few asterisks in the previous table. Teams with one asterisk had the same coach in both seasons and teams with two asterisks had the same coach in both seasons with both seasons representing the first two seasons the coach was with the team. Both of those situations apply to Mississippi State. 2024 marked Jeff Lebby's first season as head coach in Starkville and barring some Hugh Freeze levels of indiscretion this summer, he should be the head coach of the Bulldogs in 2025. For teams that held onto their coach after a bad season, the results are similar to the aggregate results for all teams.

Seven teams kept their coach despite seeing their team finish winless in conference play with each loss coming by double digits. Five of the seven teams improved though they were still quite bad in the aggregate. 

The bad news for Mississippi State is that the two teams that finished winless in conference play with all their losses coming by double digits under first year head coaches did not show much improvement at all in their second year. 

The sample size is quite small (Kevin Steele at Baylor in 1999 and Ron Zook at Illinois in 2005), but those two teams improved by just a single win the following season. Baylor went winless again at the turn of the millennium and Illinois managed just a single conference win in 2006. Mississippi State plays in the arguably the nation's toughest conference, so the deck is stacked against them when it comes to improving in 2025. 

2024 Yards Per Play: SEC

The penultimate stop on our sojourn through the nine FBS conferences takes us south, home to the SEC. 

Here are the 2024 SEC standings.

So we know what each team achieved, but how did they perform? To answer that, here are the Yards Per Play (YPP), Yards Per Play Allowed (YPA) and Net Yards Per Play (Net) numbers for each SEC team. This includes conference play only, with the championship game not included. The teams are sorted by Net YPP with conference rank in parentheses.

College football teams play either eight or nine conference games. Consequently, their record in such a small sample may not be indicative of their quality of play. A few fortuitous bounces here or there can be the difference between another ho-hum campaign or a special season. Randomness and other factors outside of our perception play a role in determining the standings. It would be fantastic if college football teams played 100 or even 1000 games. Then we could have a better idea about which teams were really the best. Alas, players would miss too much class time, their bodies would be battered beyond recognition, and I would never leave the couch. As it is, we have to make do with the handful of games teams do play. In those games, we can learn a lot from a team’s YPP. Since 2005, I have collected YPP data for every conference. I use conference games only because teams play such divergent non-conference schedules and the teams within a conference tend to be of similar quality. By running a regression analysis between a team’s Net YPP (the difference between their Yards Per Play and Yards Per Play Allowed) and their conference winning percentage, we can see if Net YPP is a decent predictor of a team’s record. Spoiler alert. It is. For the statistically inclined, the correlation coefficient between a team’s Net YPP in conference play and their conference record is around .66. Since Net YPP is a solid predictor of a team’s conference record, we can use it to identify which teams had a significant disparity between their conference record as predicted by Net YPP and their actual conference record. I used a difference of .200 between predicted and actual winning percentage as the threshold for ‘significant’. Why .200? It is a little arbitrary, but .200 corresponds to a difference of 1.6 games over an eight game conference schedule and 1.8 games over a nine game one. Over or under-performing by more than a game and a half in a small sample seems significant to me. In the 2024 season, which teams in the SEC met this threshold? Here are SEC teams sorted by performance over what would be expected from their Net YPP numbers.

Two Tigers, Missouri and Auburn, saw their actual records differ significantly from their expected records based on Yards Per Play. Missouri exceeded their expected record thanks to a 4-1 record in one-score conference games. Missouri was absolutely destroyed in their other two league losses, falling to Texas A&M and Alabama by a combined 65 points while being outgained by more than four yards per play! For Auburn, their underachievement was a combination of several factors. The Tigers from The Plains were 1-2 in one-score conference games, had a slightly negative in-conference turnover margin (-1), and struggled in the kicking game (made eight of seventeen field goal attempts in SEC play). However, their biggest issues was scoring in the red zone. Auburn made 24 red zone trips in their eight SEC games, and scored just eight touchdowns on those trips!

Outliers

Without my cajoling, you probably noticed there seemed to be a large disconnect between the Net YPP numbers and conference record for both Auburn and Missouri. Auburn's Net YPP was greater than 1.00, yet they finished with a losing record. Meanwhile, Missouri's Net YPP was less than -1.00, yet they finished with a winning conference record. Both occurrences are quite rare. Auburn is one of thirteen power conference (BCS/Power 5/4) teams to finish with a .500 or worse conference record despite outgaining their league opponents by at least one yard per play since 2005. Meanwhile, Missouri is one of eleven power conference teams to finish with a .500 or better conference record despite being outgained by their league opponents by at least one yard per play since 2005. Let's look at the company these two teams are keeping, starting with Auburn. 

Outside of the pandemic shortened 2020 season, Auburn is one of only five power conference teams to outgain their league opponents by at least one yard per play and finish with a losing conference record. 

And now the teams Missouri most closely resembles. 

The Tigers, along with their former Big 12 conference rival Kansas State (Wildcats did it twice), are the only power conference teams to be outgained by their league opponents by at least one yard per play and finish with a winning conference record. 

Can we learn anything from those other outliers regarding what potentially awaits Auburn and Missouri in 2025? And can we use it make actionable wagers? The table below reveals what happened to the power conference teams that were .500 or worse despite outgaining their conference opponents by at least one yard per play.

In the aggregate, those previous eleven teams improved, though not by as much as I would have expected. Their winning percentage improve by about .081, or a little more than half a win in an eight or nine game conference schedule. Less than half (five of eleven) saw their conference record improve the next season, while three stayed the same, and an additional three actually declined. The three that declined were coached by Ron Zook, Houston Nutt, and Mike Locksley respectively, so you may draw some additional conclusions there. That being said, using history as a guide, improvement is definitely not guaranteed. 

Now let's look at the teams in a similar situation to Missouri. 

Once again, in the aggregate, the previous ten teams declined. On average, they declined by about .150, or more than a full win. In several cases, those .500 records built on poor per play numbers were portents of looming disaster. Three teams, Auburn, Stanford, and Vanderbilt declined by at least three games the following season. A select few teams did manage to improve, although in total, seventy percent of the teams saw a decline in their conference winning percentage the following season. 

So we can reasonably expect modest improvement (though not guaranteed) at Auburn in 2025 and at least modest decline at Missouri. Unfortunately, those expectations are right in line with the market. FanDuel currently has over/under win totals for power conference teams and both Auburn and Missouri have their total set at 7.5. At 6.5 for Auburn, I would happily take the over and at 8.5 for Missouri, I would happily take the under. Since the market seems to be pretty sharp on the win totals, I would instead consider taking a flyer on an Auburn SEC title at 30-1 odds and look for alternative win totals on Missouri (6.5 or 5.5) and take the under at better odds. Modest improvement and modest decline is the most likely result for Auburn and Missouri, but since there was such dissonance between their performance and actual records last season, I think getting longer odds on massive improvement or massive decline is the better betting option in 2025.