Matchup analysis
Before kickoff our model projected Lehigh 30.9, Cornell 19.4 at Schoellkopf Field in Week 7. That is a solid edge: Lehigh wins about 77% of the time by our estimate, with a projected margin of 11.5 points and 50.3 combined points.
Lehigh is 6-0, scoring 33.7 and allowing 11.8 points per game (+21.9 per game). Cornell is 2-2, scoring 27.3 and allowing 25 points per game (+2.3 per game).
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 Lehigh by 34 and Cornell by 11 about 80% of the time.
Cornell gets about 2.1 points for playing at home. Lehigh is still favoured on the road, so the ratings gap is bigger than the value of playing at home. The game is on ESPN+.
Result: Lehigh 38, Cornell 48. Cornell won, so this goes down as a miss for the model (margin off by 21.5 points).
Market lines
Market lines · Source: The Odds API, ESPN, Action Network · Updated Oct 29, 11:25 AM UTC. Shown for information; not an input to our projections.
| Provider | Spread (open → now) | Total (open → now) | Moneyline (Lehigh / Cornell) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consensus | Lehigh -11.5 | 46.5 | -435 / +317 |
| DraftKings | Lehigh -11.5 | 46.5 | -435 / +317 |
This game's lines: CollegeFootballData.com · read Oct 22, 6:37 PM UTC.
| Projection | Margin | Total | Cornell win |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our model | Lehigh -11.5 | 50.3 | 23% |
| Market consensus | Lehigh -11.5 | 46.5 | 23% |
| Blended projection | Lehigh -11.5 | 47.8 | 22% |
Blended projection = 0.16 x our margin + 0.84 x the market margin, weights fitted on past seasons (see methodology).
Model vs market
- Cornell win probability
- model 23% · market (no-vig) 23% · difference -0 pts
- Margin
- model Lehigh -11.5 · market Lehigh -11.5 · difference 0.0 pts (Cornell view)
- Total
- model 50.3 · market 46.5 · difference +3.8
Model and market margins agree within half a point.
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Original projection vs new formula
| Projection | Score | Win prob | Margin miss | Total miss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original projection | Lehigh 30.9, Cornell 19.4 | Lehigh 77%wrong winner | 21.5 | 35.7 |
| New formula | Lehigh 30.8, Cornell 19.9 | Lehigh 76%wrong winner | 20.9 | 35.3 |
Final: Lehigh 38, Cornell 48. 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.
Lehigh vs Cornell: stat comparison
2025 season numbers (this season's sample is still too small).
| Stat | Lehigh | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 31.8 | 21.0 |
| Points allowed per game | 13.9 | 26.0 |
| Yards per play | 6.78 | 5.43 |
| Yards per play allowed | 4.85 | 5.41 |
| Rushing yards per game | 222.7 | 158.8 |
| Net passing yards per game | 194.8 | 233.7 |
| Rushing yards allowed per game | 89.8 | 166.9 |
| Net passing yards allowed per game | 206.0 | 199.5 |
| Turnovers per game | 0.42 | 1.50 |
| Takeaways per game | 1.25 | 1.30 |
| Sacks per game | 3.42 | 1.30 |
| Sacks allowed per game | 0.67 | 1.60 |
| Stat | Lehigh | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | +0.10 | -0.07 |
| EPA per play allowed | -0.06 | -0.02 |
| Success rate | 45.6% | 44.0% |
| Success rate allowed | 38.0% | 40.7% |
| Explosive play rate | 16.0% | 10.9% |
| Explosive plays allowed | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| Havoc rate | 14.5% | 13.1% |
| Havoc allowed | 10.0% | 14.0% |
| Points per scoring opportunity | 3.66 | 0.00 |
| Points per opportunity allowed | 2.24 | 0.00 |
| Average starting field position | opp 0 | opp 0 |
| Opponents' starting field position | opp 0 | opp 0 |
| Offensive plays per game (pace) | 61.6 | 72.3 |
| Stat | Lehigh | Cornell |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing EPA per play | +0.09 | -0.03 |
| Passing EPA per play | +0.13 | -0.11 |
| Rushing EPA allowed | -0.09 | -0.02 |
| Passing EPA allowed | -0.04 | -0.04 |
| Rushing success rate | 48.4% | 48.8% |
| Passing success rate | 46.1% | 45.1% |
| Run stuff rate | 18.2% | 18.3% |
| Passing-down success rate | 33.6% | 30.9% |
| Passing-down success allowed | 27.9% | 26.6% |
| Third-down conversion rate | 46.0% | 39.9% |
| Third-down rate allowed | 35.3% | 43.0% |
| Red-zone touchdown rate | 57.6% | 0.0% |
| Red-zone TD rate allowed | 35.9% | 0.0% |
# = 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: Lehigh schedule · Cornell schedule · all Week 7 projections
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Projections are statistical estimates for entertainment and analysis only. They are not betting advice and nothing here guarantees any result.
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