Matchup analysis
Before kickoff our model projected Army 43.2, Bryant 4.8 at Michie Stadium in Week 1. That is a heavy edge: Army wins about 99% of the time by our estimate, with a projected margin of 38.4 points and 47.9 combined points. Tags: favorite holds, blowout brewing, leans low scoring.
Bryant is 1-0, scoring 24 and allowing 6 points per game (+18 per game). Army has not played a game yet this season, so its number leans on last year's results.
Bryant 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 Army'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 Army by 16 and Army by 61 about 80% of the time.
Army gets about 2.1 points for playing at home. Even on a neutral field the ratings would still favour Army by about 36.3. The game is on CBSSN.
Result: Bryant 3, Army 59. The model had the right winner; the margin was off by 17.6 points and the total by 14.1.
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 (Bryant / Army) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Army -36.75 → Army -37.25 | 50.5 → 51 | — / — |
| Bovada | Army -37 | 50.5 | — / — |
| DraftKings | Army -36.5 → Army -37.5 | 51.5 | — / — |
This game's lines: CollegeFootballData.com · read Oct 22, 6:37 PM UTC.
| Projection | Margin | Total | Army win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our model | Army -38.5 | 47.9 | 99% |
| Market consensus | Army -37.5 | 51.0 | 99% |
| Blended projection | Army -37.5 | 51.5 | 99% |
Blended projection = 0.16 x our margin + 0.84 x the market margin, weights fitted on past seasons (see methodology).
Model vs market
- Army win probability
- model 99% · market (no-vig) —
- Margin
- model Army -38.4 · market Army -37.25 · difference +1.1 pts (Army view)
- Total
- model 47.9 · market 51 · difference -3.1
Model margin is 1.1 pts more toward Army than the market.
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Original projection vs new formula
| Projection | Score | Win prob | Margin miss | Total miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original projection | Bryant 4.8, Army 43.2 | Army 99%right winner | 17.6 | 14.1 |
| New formula | Bryant 10.9, Army 39.8 | Army 95%right winner | 27.1 | 11.3 |
Final: Bryant 3, Army 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.
Bryant vs Army: stat comparison
2025 season numbers (this season's sample is still too small).
| Stat | Bryant | Army |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 22.5 | 23.8#94 |
| Points allowed per game | 30.3 | 21.6#39 |
| Yards per play | 5.35 | 5.11#124 |
| Yards per play allowed | 6.08 | 5.81#70 |
| Rushing yards per game | 128.8 | 252.5#4 |
| Net passing yards per game | 227.5 | 83.9#136 |
| Rushing yards allowed per game | 156.2 | 158.2#62 |
| Net passing yards allowed per game | 270.4 | 191.6#32 |
| Turnovers per game | 1.83 | 0.85#37 |
| Takeaways per game | 1.00 | 1.08#67 |
| Sacks per game | 1.75 | 1.08#130 |
| Sacks allowed per game | 1.25 | 0.38#1 |
| Stat | Bryant | Army |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | -0.10 | +0.04#57 |
| EPA per play allowed | +0.08 | +0.05#92 |
| Success rate | 37.2% | 41.7%#81 |
| Success rate allowed | 44.9% | 44.4%#105 |
| Explosive play rate | 9.0% | 7.7%#136 |
| Explosive plays allowed | 13.4% | 11.7%#52 |
| Havoc rate | 11.2% | 9.6%#129 |
| Havoc allowed | 12.8% | 7.8%#1 |
| Points per scoring opportunity | 2.51 | 4.03#66 |
| Points per opportunity allowed | 3.18 | 3.87#69 |
| Average starting field position | opp 15 | own 30#47 |
| Opponents' starting field position | opp 14 | own 31#94 |
| Offensive plays per game (pace) | 66.6 | 65.8#73 |
| Stat | Bryant | Army |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing EPA per play | -0.08 | +0.02#77 |
| Passing EPA per play | -0.14 | +0.17#20 |
| Rushing EPA allowed | -0.01 | +0.03#88 |
| Passing EPA allowed | +0.18 | +0.07#90 |
| Rushing success rate | 39.6% | 42.6%#80 |
| Passing success rate | 37.8% | 36.7%#112 |
| Run stuff rate | 18.1% | 12.8%#3 |
| Passing-down success rate | 25.4% | 28.9%#83 |
| Passing-down success allowed | 34.8% | 29.6%#73 |
| Third-down conversion rate | 35.8% | 43.4%#46 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 48.0% | 46.0%#122 |
| Red-zone touchdown rate | 27.9% | 65.8%#42 |
| Red-zone TD rate allowed | 47.5% | 60.0%#70 |
# = rank among 136 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: Bryant schedule · Army schedule · all Week 1 projections
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