Putting Up Numbers· college football

Mississippi State’s points allowed with Isaac Smith and without Isaac Smith

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Mississippi State was 1.3 points under with Isaac Smith and 5.6 points over without Isaac Smith over its last 25 games, 19 games against 5. The plain averages are 28.0 and 35.4, a difference of 7.4. All 3 games while ranked were with Isaac Smith. All 4 games after a bye were with Isaac Smith.

Isaac Smith, defender: 19 of those 25 games.

points allowed a game over expected

A −7.0 difference in points allowed over expected with Isaac Smith vs without Isaac Smith is about what you’d expect.

A −7.4 difference in points allowed with Isaac Smith vs without Isaac Smith is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Isaac Smithwithout Isaac Smith
Mississippi State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Isaac Smith or without Isaac Smith
SideDateGameResultpoints allowedExpected
Nov 2, 2024vsUMassW2024.7
Nov 9, 2024@TennesseeL3338.9
Nov 23, 2024vsMissouriL3930.7
Nov 29, 2024@Ole MissL2642.7
Aug 30, 2025@Southern MissW1726.7
Sep 6, 2025vsArizona StateW2028.0
Sep 13, 2025vsAlcorn StateW0—
Sep 20, 2025vsNorthern IllinoisW1017.8
Sep 27, 2025vsTennesseeL4136.9
Oct 4, 2025@Texas A&ML3140.4
Oct 18, 2025@FloridaL2329.3
Oct 25, 2025vsTexasL4530.6
Nov 1, 2025@ArkansasW3538.1
Nov 8, 2025vsGeorgiaL4133.3
Nov 15, 2025@MissouriL4929.5
Nov 28, 2025vsOle MissL3839.5
Jan 2, 2026vsWake Forest (neutral)L4325.9
Sep 5, 2026vsLouisiana MonroeW1311.5
Sep 12, 2026@MinnesotaW1325.0
Sep 19, 2026@South CarolinaW3435.9
Sep 26, 2026vsMissouriW2426.7
Oct 3, 2026vsAlabamaL5629.8
Oct 17, 2026@LSUL3138.5
Oct 24, 2026vsOklahomaL2322.2
Oct 31, 2026@TexasL3130.8

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 1.9 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.
  • Alcorn State 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 20 of these 25 games; in the other 5 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.