Putting Up Numbers· college football

Alabama’s points allowed with Kevin Riley and without Kevin Riley

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Alabama was 3.5 points under with Kevin Riley and 2.1 points over without Kevin Riley over its last 25 games, 15 games against 9. The plain averages are 17.6 and 23.3, a difference of 5.8. Both games after a bye were with Kevin Riley.

Kevin Riley, running back: 279 rushing yards, 74 carries and 21 receptions in 15 of those 25 games.

points allowed a game over expected

A −5.6 difference in points allowed over expected with Kevin Riley vs without Kevin Riley is a bit unusual: shuffle which games were with Kevin Riley and it comes up 16 times in 100.

A −5.8 difference in points allowed with Kevin Riley vs without Kevin Riley is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Kevin Rileywithout Kevin Riley
Alabama’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Kevin Riley or without Kevin Riley
SideDateGameResultpoints allowedExpected
Nov 30, 2024vsAuburnW1417.4
Dec 31, 2024vsMichigan (neutral)L1918.6
Aug 30, 2025@Florida StateL3123.3
Sep 6, 2025vsLouisiana MonroeW06.3
Sep 13, 2025vsWisconsinW1411.7
Sep 27, 2025@GeorgiaW2127.2
Oct 4, 2025vsVanderbiltW1432.1
Oct 11, 2025@MissouriW2421.5
Oct 18, 2025vsTennesseeW2028.2
Oct 25, 2025@South CarolinaW2218.6
Nov 8, 2025vsLSUW916.1
Nov 15, 2025vsOklahomaL2319.3
Nov 22, 2025vsEEastern IllinoisW0—
Nov 29, 2025@AuburnW2019.4
Dec 6, 2025vsGeorgia (neutral)L2824.9
Dec 19, 2025@OklahomaW2422.0
Jan 1, 2026vsIndiana (neutral)L3834.5
Sep 5, 2026vsEast CarolinaW1010.9
Sep 12, 2026@KentuckyW1728.1
Sep 19, 2026vsFlorida StateW3617.9
Sep 26, 2026vsSouth CarolinaW1829.6
Oct 3, 2026@Mississippi StateW2325.5
Oct 10, 2026vsGeorgiaL2028.2
Oct 17, 2026@TennesseeL2623.1
Oct 24, 2026vsTexas A&MW2019.7

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every game of its season between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, minus 1.5 in 2024, minus 1.5 in 2025, minus 1.8 in 2026 for the home team (the edge the fit finds once strength is in), nothing at a neutral site.
  • Each expected number is then fit to the season’s games: a game bears out about 75% in 2024, 78% in 2025, 66% in 2026 of the difference the model predicts.
  • The shuffle keeps the season’s shape: the games are cut in two where one date leaves the least variance, each game is read against its stretch, and the sides are shuffled only inside each stretch.
  • Eastern Illinois has no other game in the table, so that game has no expected number and sits out the second figure.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists for 23 of these 25 games; in the other 2 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.