College Football
#135

Ball State Cardinals

Mid-American · 2-5

Scheumann Stadium · 22,500 seats

Ball State Cardinals rank #135 among FBS teams in the Predictium ratings with an opponent-adjusted net rating of -0.082 points per play (Elo 1306), a 2-5 record in the Mid-American, and 46% of that rating still riding on preseason priors.

Ratings

Net rating
-0.082
#135 in FBS
Offense
-0.035
higher is better
Defense
+0.047
lower is better
SOS
+0.004
mean opp. rating
Elo
1306
Off EPA/play
-0.019
higher is better
Def EPA/play
+0.054
lower is better
Off success
-0.014
Def success
+0.014
Off explosive
-0.008
Def explosive
+0.011
Rush EPA
-0.059
offense
Pass EPA
+0.024
offense
Pts / drive
1.74
9.7 drives/gm
Pts / opportunity
2.35
inside opp 40

Offense and Defense are the net rating's own split (offense − defense reconciles to net rating exactly); everything else is opponent-adjusted, per play. Defensive numbers are from the defense's perspective: negative means opponents produced less than expected. SOS is the mean net rating of every opponent on the schedule.

What drives our rating

No black box: these are the actual model inputs behind Ball State's number, including exactly how much is still preseason prior versus observed play.

Preseason prior-0.091

Where our rating started before a snap was played

Prior season rating-0.114

Last season's final rating, for comparison

Offseason adjustment+0.022

This season's prior minus last season's final rating — our offseason risers/fallers number

Prior remaining46%

How much of today's rating still rides on that prior — fades as real games arrive

Returning production6%

Share of last season's production (PPA) back on the roster

Recruiting talent-0.80σ

Recruiting talent, standard deviations above the FBS average

Transfer portal+5.0 pts

Net production gained or lost through the transfer portal

Coaching changeNo

First-year head coach adds uncertainty and resets some priors

Rating trajectory

Weekly net rating across the season — starts at the preseason prior and moves as real games replace it.

0.00-0.09Wk 1Wk 8

Schedule & results

WkOpponentResultOur lineMarketATS
1@Ohio StateL 3–56———
2vsStony BrookW 41–17———
3@LibertyL 15–51———
4@Kent StateL 13–26———
5vsToledoL 24–39———
6@NorthwesternL 14–45———
7@Bowling GreenW 32–31———
8vsSacramento StateOct 24———
10@MassachusettsNov 4———
11vsBuffaloNov 11———
12@OhioNov 18———
13vsCentral MichiganNov 28———