Matchup analysis
Before kickoff our model projected Pittsburgh 45.6, Bucknell 3.9 at Acrisure Stadium in Week 4. That is a heavy edge: Pittsburgh wins about 100% of the time by our estimate, with a projected margin of 41.6 points and 49.5 combined points. Tags: favorite holds, blowout brewing.
Bucknell is 1-3, scoring 12.8 and allowing 18.8 points per game (-6 per game). Pittsburgh is 3-0, scoring 32.7 and allowing 11.3 points per game (+21.4 per game).
Bucknell plays in the FCS, so this is a cross-division game. Our ratings put FCS teams on the FBS scale through a measured gap from every FBS-vs-FCS result, which is why Pittsburgh's projected edge is large even if the records look similar. Cross-division projections are a little less precise than FBS-vs-FBS ones.
College football is noisy: even a well-rated projection misses the final margin by about 14 points on average. Based on how real results have scattered around our numbers, the final margin should land somewhere between Pittsburgh by 19 and Pittsburgh by 64 about 80% of the time.
Pittsburgh gets about 2.1 points for playing at home. Even on a neutral field the ratings would still favour Pittsburgh by about 39.5. The game is on ACCNX.
Result: Bucknell 0, Pittsburgh 59. The model had the right winner; the margin was off by 17.4 points and the total by 9.5.
Market lines
Market lines · Source: The Odds API, ESPN, Action Network · Updated Oct 29, 9:25 AM UTC. Shown for information; not an input to our projections.
| Provider | Spread (open → now) | Total (open → now) | Moneyline (Bucknell / Pittsburgh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Pittsburgh -53.5 → Pittsburgh -54.5 | 62.25 → 63.75 | — / — |
| DraftKings | Pittsburgh -53.5 → Pittsburgh -54.5 | 61.5 → 63.5 | — / — |
| Bovada | Pittsburgh -53.5 → Pittsburgh -54.5 | 63 → 64 | — / — |
This game's lines: CollegeFootballData.com · read Oct 22, 6:37 PM UTC.
| Projection | Margin | Total | Pittsburgh win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our model | Pittsburgh -41.5 | 49.5 | 100% |
| Market consensus | Pittsburgh -54.5 | 63.8 | 100% |
| Blended projection | Pittsburgh -52.5 | 62.7 | 100% |
Blended projection = 0.16 x our margin + 0.84 x the market margin, weights fitted on past seasons (see methodology).
Model vs market
- Pittsburgh win probability
- model 100% · market (no-vig) —
- Margin
- model Pittsburgh -41.6 · market Pittsburgh -54.5 · difference -12.9 pts (Pittsburgh view)
- Total
- model 49.5 · market 63.75 · difference -14.2
Model margin is 12.9 pts more toward Bucknell than the market.
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Original projection vs new formula
| Projection | Score | Win prob | Margin miss | Total miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original projection | Bucknell 3.9, Pittsburgh 45.6 | Pittsburgh 100%right winner | 17.4 | 9.5 |
| New formula | Bucknell 2.8, Pittsburgh 46.2 | Pittsburgh 100%right winner | 15.6 | 10.0 |
Final: Bucknell 0, Pittsburgh 59. Original = the number we posted before kickoff. New formula (2026-10-21 matchup terms) = the current model re-run with only the games played before this one.
Bucknell vs Pittsburgh: stat comparison
Season to date before kickoff: these numbers are frozen at kickoff and do not include this game or anything after it.
| Stat | Bucknell | Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 12.8 | 32.7#63 |
| Points allowed per game | 18.8 | 11.3#15 |
| Yards per play | 4.15 | 6.48#62 |
| Yards per play allowed | 5.56 | 4.84#38 |
| Rushing yards per game | 74.3 | 179.3#66 |
| Net passing yards per game | 167.8 | 265.7#42 |
| Rushing yards allowed per game | 144.0 | 90.3#13 |
| Net passing yards allowed per game | 207.8 | 198.7#69 |
| Turnovers per game | 0.25 | 0.33#25 |
| Takeaways per game | 0.50 | 1.00#54 |
| Sacks per game | 0.75 | 2.00#58 |
| Sacks allowed per game | 2.00 | 1.33#62 |
| Stat | Bucknell | Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | -0.08 | +0.11#66 |
| EPA per play allowed | +0.02 | -0.00#56 |
| Success rate | 35.0% | 43.7%#70 |
| Success rate allowed | 40.6% | 32.7%#11 |
| Explosive play rate | 8.8% | 13.1%#69 |
| Explosive plays allowed | 13.4% | 10.1%#41 |
| Havoc rate | 12.0% | 16.4%#29 |
| Havoc allowed | 15.0% | 13.1%#72 |
| Points per scoring opportunity | 3.90 | 4.17#78 |
| Points per opportunity allowed | 3.12 | 2.55#4 |
| Average starting field position | opp 0 | own 31#64 |
| Opponents' starting field position | opp 0 | own 24#13 |
| Offensive plays per game (pace) | 58.3 | 68.7#45 |
| Stat | Bucknell | Pittsburgh |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing EPA per play | -0.15 | -0.01#104 |
| Passing EPA per play | -0.04 | +0.23#44 |
| Rushing EPA allowed | -0.03 | -0.08#29 |
| Passing EPA allowed | +0.09 | +0.05#79 |
| Rushing success rate | 29.9% | 45.7%#66 |
| Passing success rate | 33.1% | 41.6%#88 |
| Run stuff rate | 21.0% | 20.0%#109 |
| Passing-down success rate | 24.0% | 34.5%#48 |
| Passing-down success allowed | 27.8% | 24.2%#31 |
| Third-down conversion rate | 23.6% | 43.6%#65 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 38.3% | 31.7%#35 |
| Red-zone touchdown rate | 59.9% | 50.0%#120 |
| Red-zone TD rate allowed | 52.3% | 50.0%#38 |
# = rank among 138 FBS teams. Efficiency numbers exclude garbage time. Per-play numbers of teams with a weak schedule are pulled toward their opponent-adjusted values (fully at one standard deviation below an average schedule). Source: play-by-play (cfbfastR / sportsdataverse), aggregated by us.
More: Bucknell schedule · Pittsburgh schedule · all Week 4 projections
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