College football, 2026 season
Data-driven picks for every FBS game + interactive charts you can customize to support any narrative (except Big 12 supremacy).
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Everything on this site starts with someone else's data, and we credit all of it. The projections, picks, rankings and tiers are our own math on top.
| Source | What we use | How often |
|---|---|---|
| CollegeFootballData.com, via the public cfbfastR files | Schedules, final scores, pregame Elo, play-by-play and box score stats, rosters | Usually posted Sunday or Monday morning after games |
| DraftKings lines (via The Odds API and CollegeFootballData.com) | The line and total on each game, and where each opened | Every morning, and before kickoffs Thursday to Saturday |
| Team logos and colors (ESPN's, via CollegeFootballData.com) | The logos on charts, game cards and team pages. They belong to the schools and are used only to identify the teams. | Preseason |
| SP+ by Bill Connelly (CFB Update) | Overall, offense, defense and special teams ratings | Weekly |
| PRIME (primecfb.com) | Net, offense, defense and special teams ratings, strength of schedule, strength of record | Weekly |
| AP Top 25 (via NCAA.com) | Rankings and points, including others receiving votes | Sunday afternoons |
| AFCA Coaches Poll (via Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, SI) | Rankings and points, including others receiving votes | Sundays |
| 247Sports | Team talent composite, star counts, 2026 transfer portal rankings | Preseason |
| The NIL Standard | Estimated NIL roster values | Preseason |
| us-atlas (U.S. Census Bureau boundaries) | State shapes for the map | Once |
Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of the 138 FBS teams.
About
Every stat and term on the site, explained like you're five. Or like you're a grown adult who never asked what EPA means and is now too embarrassed to.
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What the numbers on team pages, charts and head to head mean.
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About
Last updated October 26, 2026.
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Big Al's CFB Lab publishes college football statistics, projections and opinions. Everything here is for information and entertainment. Projections and picks are estimates from public data and can be wrong, sometimes badly.
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Last updated October 26, 2026.
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Projected scores come from SP+ offense, defense and special teams, plus 2.5 points for the home team. Cards also show DraftKings' line and total as facts: we pick winners, not bets. Open Details for the full read, or Head to head for every stat.
Final scores against what we said before kickoff. Big Al's pick is the team at least two of SP+, PRIME and Elo favored, unless he made the call himself on a toss-up or one of the week's biggest games. Ranked means in that week's AP poll. Open a game for the full preview as it stood going into the week.
Straight-up picks: did the pick win? Big Al's pick is the team at least two of SP+, PRIME and Elo favor. Big Al and SP+ picks start in Week 8; Elo picks go back to Week 1.
Each column is that week's ranking. Arrows compare the latest poll to the week before. NR means not ranked.
Rankings come from cfbtrack.com. Week 1 is the preseason poll; each later week is the poll released before that week's games.
SP+ vs. payroll is the average, across a conference's teams with an NIL valuation (positive means its teams play better than their payrolls predict). Blue-chip ratio is the share of all its rostered players who were 4- or 5-star recruits.
Ranks are national, out of 138 FBS teams. A top-10 team also counts toward the top 25 and top 40, and everyone outside the last cutoff counts as weak. Open a conference to see its teams.
Seeds 1–4 get first-round byes. Seeds 5–8 host the first round.
The columns on the right show where each team would be seeded under the other ratings. A dash means out.
How we picked it
Three ratings look at a team in three different ways. The numbers' pick is the team at least two of them favor. On the toss-ups and the biggest games, Big Al makes the call himself and says why.
Where the game is won
Each row puts one team's unit against the unit it faces, by national rank out of all FBS teams. An edge is a gap of 25 spots or more.
Injuries and availability
Statuses come from the conference availability reports and team news, as of the date shown. "Hasn't played" means a regular (the main passer, a quarter of the carries or 15% of the catches) with no pass, carry or catch in his team's last two games, from the play-by-play. That can be an injury, a benching or a suspension. Linemen and defenders don't show up in that check.
The teams in charts
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Ratings: SP+ via CFB Update; PRIME via primecfb.com. Box and play stats computed from CollegeFootballData.com play data (via the public cfbfastR files), FBS games only for scoring. Rushing yards here exclude sacks, so they run higher than official totals. Ranks are out of 138 FBS teams.
Week 9, Fri, Oct 30, 7:00 PM ET, Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Big Al's pick: Tulane, 82% to win.
| Kickoff | Fri, Oct 30, 7:00 PM ET |
|---|---|
| TV | ESPN2 |
| Where | Jerry Richardson Stadium |
| Weather | 68°, clear, wind 3 mph |
| Line | Tulane −10, total 47.5 |
| Line movement | Opened Tulane −13.5; moved 3.5 points toward Charlotte. Total opened 45.5, up 2. |
| Series | Tulane leads 2–0 |
| Last meeting | Tulane 27–0 in 2025 |
| Margin | Win chance | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP+ | Tulane by 14.7 | 85% | 52 |
| PRIME | Tulane by 6.0 | 67% | |
| Elo | Tulane | 91% | |
| The line | Tulane −10, opened −13.5 | 47.5, opened 45.5 |
Margins include home field. SP+ is Bill Connelly's rating; Sources has PRIME and Elo. Line and total from DraftKings, as of Wed, Oct 28, 2:21 PM ET.
Big Al's pick: Tulane. 81% to win
All three ratings favor Tulane, by 6.0 to 14.7 points, and it isn't close. Tulane's best matchup is its offense, 44th in yards per play, against Charlotte's defense at 132nd. Charlotte doesn't have a unit with a clear edge over the one it faces.
| SP+ offense | SP+ defense | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 19.4 (110th) | 28.1 (83rd) |
| Charlotte | 15.5 (128th) | 40.7 (138th) |
| SUPLEX | SUPLEX allowed | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 43.4% (132nd) | 53.9% (66th) |
| Charlotte | 49.8% (111th) | 64.2% (132nd) |
| Success rate | Explosive play rate | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 35.3% (131st) | 12.0% (75th) |
| Charlotte | 36.4% (129th) | 12.1% (70th) |
| Success rate allowed | Explosive plays allowed | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 41.0% (63rd) | 11.9% (85th) |
| Charlotte | 51.3% (136th) | 15.0% (127th) |
| Yards per carry | Yards per attempt | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 5.81 (30th) | 7.87 (61st) |
| Charlotte | 4.89 (88th) | 6.92 (96th) |
| 3rd down conversion | 3rd downs allowed | |
|---|---|---|
| Tulane | 42.5% (56th) | 45.1% (115th) |
| Charlotte | 31.1% (126th) | 47.6% (128th) |
Each chart puts all 138 FBS teams on two stats; Tulane and Charlotte are lit. Dashed lines are the FBS averages, and up and right is better. Ranks in parentheses. Games through Oct 24, 2026.
| Player | Passing success rate (per dropback) | Passing yards |
|---|---|---|
| Kadin Semonza, Tulane | 32.6% (160th) | 814 (120th) |
| Cole Gonzales, Charlotte | 38.6% (132nd) | 878 (118th) |
| Player | Yards per carry | Rushing success rate |
|---|---|---|
| Johnnie Daniels, Tulane | 6.0 (72nd) | 32.3% (325th) |
| Khamani Alexander, Charlotte | 4.3 (260th) | 36.4% (285th) |
| Player | Explosive catches (16+ yards) | Receiving yards |
|---|---|---|
| Destyn Hill, Tulane | 6 (245th) | 343 (146th) |
| Anthony Brown, Tulane | 6 (244th) | 228 (309th) |
| Derrick Eley, Charlotte | 10 (77th) | 436 (73rd) |
| Jaden Barnes, Charlotte | 10 (78th) | 411 (92nd) |
| Player | Sacks | INTs | Fumble recoveries | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Adams, Tulane | 0 | 2 | 1 | 227th |
| Collin Gill, Charlotte | 2 | 1 | 0 | 129th |
| Anthony Rogers, Tulane | 0 | 2 | 0 | 537th |
| Ed Smith IV, Tulane | 2 | 0 | 0 | 538th |
| D.J. Burgess, Charlotte | 2 | 0 | 0 | 301st |
| Jaylon Johnson, Charlotte | 1 | 0 | 1 | 302nd |
The scatter charts show the top 40 FBS players at the position by both stats combined, plus the players lit here. Dashed lines are the averages; up and right is better. Ranks are among every FBS player at the position with enough snaps. Takeaways are interceptions plus fumble recoveries. Games through Oct 24, 2026.
On a neutral field, SP+ has Tulane 17.2 points better (101st to 136th). PRIME also has Tulane ahead, by 8.5. Elo, which only sees results, also has Tulane ahead (67th to 134th).
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| SP+ overall | -8.2 (101st) | -25.4 (136th) |
| SP+ offense | 19.4 (110th) | 15.5 (128th) |
| SP+ defense | 28.1 (83rd) | 40.7 (138th) |
| SP+ special teams | 0.6 (2nd) | -0.2 (92nd) |
| PRIME net | -8.4 (100th) | -16.9 (132nd) |
| PRIME offense | -9.28 (129th) | -9.38 (131st) |
| PRIME defense | 0.62 (61st) | -6.67 (121st) |
| PRIME SOS | -1.6 (64th) | -1.5 (61st) |
| PRIME SOR | -0.8 (93rd) | -2.8 (129th) |
| Elo | 1493 (67th) | 1026 (134th) |
Opponent-adjusted power ratings. These drive the projection.
Tulane's offense ranks 107th in adjusted EPA per play, and the Charlotte defense it faces ranks 99th in EPA per play allowed. Charlotte's offense ranks 133rd against Tulane's 55th-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge. The biggest edge on the board is Tulane's big plays: 2nd in adjusted explosiveness, against Charlotte's 111th-ranked defense. That's a mismatch. Adjust for opponents and Charlotte's defense climbs from 124th to 99th in EPA per play allowed: it has done its work against good offenses.
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play (adjusted) | +0.05 (107th) | −0.02 (133rd) |
| EPA per pass (adjusted) | +0.13 (112th) | +0.13 (106th) |
| EPA per rush (adjusted) | +0.05 (83rd) | −0.05 (134th) |
| Success rate (adjusted) | 32.7% (137th) | 34.8% (133rd) |
| Success rate, standard downs (adjusted) | 40.7% (137th) | 42.6% (130th) |
| Success rate, passing downs (adjusted) | 26.3% (129th) | 27.1% (126th) |
| Explosiveness (adjusted) | 1.01 (2nd) | 0.89 (132nd) |
| Line yards per carry (adjusted) | 2.71 (129th) | 2.60 (136th) |
| Open-field yards per carry (adjusted) | 1.57 (3rd) | 1.16 (58th) |
| EPA per play allowed (adjusted) | +0.08 (55th) | +0.14 (99th) |
| EPA per pass allowed (adjusted) | +0.17 (54th) | +0.26 (108th) |
| EPA per rush allowed (adjusted) | +0.05 (57th) | +0.09 (93rd) |
| Success rate allowed (adjusted) | 41.9% (73rd) | 45.6% (113th) |
| Explosiveness allowed (adjusted) | 0.95 (91st) | 0.96 (111th) |
| Line yards allowed per carry (adjusted) | 3.07 (106th) | 3.01 (83rd) |
| Open-field yards allowed per carry (adjusted) | 1.11 (64th) | 1.17 (83rd) |
The same efficiency numbers, adjusted for the offenses and defenses each team has faced (CollegeFootballData.com). A good number against a soft schedule shrinks; one against a hard schedule grows.
Tulane is better running (68th in EPA per rush) than throwing (100th). Charlotte's run defense ranks 112th, so that's an edge. Charlotte is better throwing (106th in EPA per pass) than running (130th). Tulane's pass defense ranks 56th, so the defense has the better of it. On third down, Tulane has the edge: its offense ranks 22nd in EPA per third-down play, and the defense it faces ranks 63rd.
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | +0.08 (96th) | −0.04 (128th) |
| EPA per pass | +0.11 (100th) | +0.10 (106th) |
| EPA per rush | +0.10 (68th) | −0.11 (130th) |
| EPA per 3rd-down play | +0.65 (22nd) | +0.21 (123rd) |
| EPA per play allowed | +0.10 (73rd) | +0.24 (124th) |
| EPA per pass allowed | +0.13 (56th) | +0.41 (130th) |
| EPA per rush allowed | +0.10 (89th) | +0.16 (112th) |
| EPA per 3rd-down play allowed | +0.66 (129th) | +0.38 (63rd) |
Expected points added per play, from CollegeFootballData.com. EPA measures how much each play changes the points a team can expect from the drive. Zero is break-even; +0.20 is very good. Not adjusted for opponents.
Tulane is outscored by 4.3 a game, and Charlotte is outscored by 21.5. Tulane's offense ranks 118th in scoring, and the Charlotte defense it faces ranks 137th in points allowed. Charlotte's offense ranks 128th against Tulane's 73rd-ranked defense. Neither side of the ball has a clear edge.
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| Points scored | 20.3 (118th) | 19.1 (128th) |
| Points allowed | 24.6 (73rd) | 40.6 (137th) |
Per game, FBS opponents only.
Tulane's best matchup is third downs: its offense ranks 56th in 3rd down conversion rate, and Charlotte's defense ranks 128th in 3rd down conversions allowed. That's a mismatch. Charlotte has no clear edge here. Its best is yards per carry, 88th, against a defense ranked 103rd in yards per carry allowed.
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| Pass yards / game | 194.4 (104th) | 214.4 (86th) |
| Rush yards / game | 159.4 (80th) | 127.1 (118th) |
| Yards per play | 6.48 (44th) | 5.80 (95th) |
| Yards per carry | 5.81 (30th) | 4.89 (88th) |
| Yards per attempt | 7.87 (61st) | 6.92 (96th) |
| Completion % | 62.4% (74th) | 60.8% (83rd) |
| Success rate | 35.3% (131st) | 36.4% (129th) |
| Explosive play rate | 12.0% (75th) | 12.1% (70th) |
| 3rd down conversion | 42.5% (56th) | 31.1% (126th) |
| Sack rate (taken) | 8.9% (119th) | 5.7% (73rd) |
| INT rate (thrown) | 2.9% (94th) | 4.2% (129th) |
| SUPLEX | 43.4% (132nd) | 49.8% (111th) |
Per game and per play, from play-by-play.
Tulane's defense is best placed to keep offenses behind schedule: it ranks 63rd in success rate allowed, and Charlotte's offense is bottom-20 in success rate (129th). That's a mismatch. Charlotte's defense is best placed to get home: it ranks 92nd in sack rate, and Tulane's offense is bottom-20 at avoiding sacks (119th).
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| Pass yards allowed / game | 204.3 (55th) | 293.4 (136th) |
| Rush yards allowed / game | 223.7 (134th) | 198.6 (122nd) |
| Yards per play allowed | 5.85 (78th) | 7.27 (132nd) |
| Yards per carry allowed | 5.40 (103rd) | 5.37 (101st) |
| Yards per attempt allowed | 6.81 (55th) | 10.07 (136th) |
| Success rate allowed | 41.0% (63rd) | 51.3% (136th) |
| Explosive plays allowed | 11.9% (85th) | 15.0% (127th) |
| 3rd downs allowed | 45.1% (115th) | 47.6% (128th) |
| Sack rate (generated) | 5.4% (84th) | 5.1% (92nd) |
| INT rate (generated) | 2.4% (71st) | 1.0% (128th) |
| SUPLEX allowed | 53.9% (66th) | 64.2% (132nd) |
What opponents managed against them.
Tulane is −0.1 in turnover margin a game and Charlotte is −1.7. At about five points a turnover, that's roughly a 8-point edge for Tulane. Turnover margin rarely holds from one month to the next, so don't count on it. Fumble recoveries are mostly luck, and Tulane's takeaways lean on them (0.7 of 1.4 a game).
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| Interceptions thrown / game | 0.71 (59th) | 1.29 (127th) |
| Fumbles lost / game | 0.86 (116th) | 1.00 (127th) |
| Giveaways / game | 1.57 (107th) | 2.29 (133rd) |
| Interceptions / game | 0.71 (64th) | 0.29 (119th) |
| Fumbles recovered / game | 0.71 (22nd) | 0.29 (94th) |
| Takeaways / game | 1.43 (39th) | 0.57 (126th) |
| Turnover margin / game | -0.1 (76th) | -1.7 (134th) |
Per game, from play-by-play.
Tulane has the more talented roster (70th in the 247Sports talent composite; Charlotte is 104th). Tulane also plays further above its talent: −8.4 points of SP+ beyond what its roster predicts, to Charlotte's −20.0.
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| Talent composite | 665.1 (70th) | 576.8 (104th) |
| Blue-chip ratio | 7.5% (82nd) | 3.1% (108th) |
| Players on roster | 117 (29th) | 110 (75th) |
| Rated by 247Sports | 80 (60th) | 65 (114th) |
| 5-star players | 0 (37th) | 0 (37th) |
| 4-star players | 6 (73rd) | 2 (106th) |
| 3-star players | 73 (18th) | 60 (74th) |
| Below 3-star | 1 (86th) | 3 (53rd) |
| 2026 transfers in | 21 (67th) | 21 (67th) |
| Transfer share | 26.3% (84th) | 32.3% (56th) |
| SP+ vs. talent | -8.4 (118th) | -20.0 (137th) |
| Returning production | 21.0% (99th) | 40.9% (65th) |
| Returning passing production | 0.0% (109th) | 113.0% (4th) |
| Returning rushing production | 59.5% (59th) | 26.8% (85th) |
| Returning receiving production | 28.3% (85th) | 15.8% (110th) |
| 2026 recruiting class (national rank) | 64 (64th) | 103 (103rd) |
| Recruiting rank, last four classes | 68.0 (70th) | 112.5 (116th) |
247Sports team talent composite and 2026 transfer portal class. Star counts cover only the players 247Sports rates, not walk-ons, so they add up to less than the full roster. Ranks are out of all 138 FBS teams.
Tulane is −0.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (−1.3). Charlotte is −2.5 wins against a .500 team; the biggest piece is coaching (−1.9).
| Tulane | Charlotte | |
|---|---|---|
| BAWA (total) | -0.5 (89th) | -2.5 (129th) |
| Schedule BAWA | +0.1 (87th) | +0.3 (78th) |
| Roster BAWA | -0.0 (68th) | -0.6 (111th) |
| Coach BAWA | -1.3 (119th) | -1.9 (134th) |
| Luck BAWA | +0.7 (26th) | -0.2 (83rd) |
Big Al Wins Added: where the wins came from. Every team starts as a .500 team. Then each win (or loss) goes to the schedule, the roster, the coaching or luck, and the four add up to the real record. Wins above or below a .500 team.
Big Al picks Tulane, 81% to win. All three ratings favor the same team. Tulane's best matchup is its offense, 44th in yards per play, against Charlotte's defense at 132nd.
Fri, Oct 30, 7:00 PM ET at Jerry Richardson Stadium, on ESPN2.
DraftKings has Tulane −10, total 47.5. Big Al picks winners, not bets.
Tulane leads 2–0. Last meeting: Tulane won 27–0 in 2025.
Tulane's is Kadin Semonza (814 passing yards this season); Charlotte's is Cole Gonzales (878 passing yards this season).
Tulane: Kadin Semonza (QB) hasn't played since Week 6. Charlotte: Cole Gonzales (QB) hasn't played since Week 5.
Numbers through the games of Oct 24, 2026. SP+ as of Oct 27, 2026. Updated every week.
Tulane and Charlotte: team pages with every stat and national rank. Compare any two teams.