Putting Up Numbers· college football

Boston College’s points with Nolan Ray and without Nolan Ray

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Boston College was 2.3 points over with Nolan Ray and 11.4 points under without Nolan Ray over its last 25 games, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 24.0 and 14.5, a difference of 9.5.

Nolan Ray, running back: 42 rushing yards, 7 carries and 1 reception in 4 of those 25 games.

2 games without Nolan Ray is still too small a sample for the statistics to say much, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

points a game over expected

A +13.6 difference in points over expected with Nolan Ray vs without Nolan Ray is about what you’d expect.

A +9.5 difference in points with Nolan Ray vs without Nolan Ray is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Nolan Raywithout Nolan Ray
Boston College’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Nolan Ray or without Nolan Ray
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Nov 9, 2024vsSyracuseW3729.6
Nov 16, 2024@SMUL2821.9
Nov 23, 2024vsNorth CarolinaW4130.9
Nov 30, 2024vsPittsburghW3429.1
Dec 28, 2024vsNebraska (neutral)L1521.3
Aug 30, 2025vsFordhamW66—
Sep 6, 2025@Michigan StateL4019.7
Sep 13, 2025@StanfordL2022.6
Sep 27, 2025vsCaliforniaL2428.4
Oct 4, 2025@PittsburghL723.3
Oct 11, 2025vsClemsonL1022.3
Oct 18, 2025vsUConnL2332.4
Oct 25, 2025@LouisvilleL2416.9
Nov 1, 2025vsNotre DameL1016.4
Nov 8, 2025vsSMUL1321.2
Nov 15, 2025vsGeorgia TechL3421.6
Nov 29, 2025@SyracuseW3424.8
Sep 5, 2026@CincinnatiL1524.8
Sep 11, 2026vsRutgersW2832.2
Sep 19, 2026vsMaineW22—
Sep 26, 2026vsVirginia TechL1426.9
Oct 3, 2026@SMUL1620.9
Oct 17, 2026vsPittsburghW2718.0
Oct 24, 2026@Georgia TechW4921.6
Oct 31, 2026@DukeL218.0

Method

Read against .

  • Expected is an offense and a defense a team, fit over every 2026 game between two teams in the table with the game being read left out, plus 1.9 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 66% 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.
  • Maine 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, which name every player who entered the game.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Nolan Ray nor without Nolan Ray: Nolan Ray had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.