Putting Up Numbers· college football

San Diego State’s points with Lucky Sutton and without Lucky Sutton

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, San Diego State was 0.3 points under with Lucky Sutton and 1.6 points under without Lucky Sutton over its last 25 games, 18 games against 5. The plain averages are 27.2 and 19.6, a difference of 7.5. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Lucky Sutton. Both games after a bye were with Lucky Sutton.

Lucky Sutton, running back: 1,787 rushing yards, 358 carries and 6 receptions in 20 of those 25 games.

points a game over expected

A +1.4 difference in points over expected with Lucky Sutton vs without Lucky Sutton is about what you’d expect.

A +7.5 difference in points with Lucky Sutton vs without Lucky Sutton is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Lucky Suttonwithout Lucky Sutton
San Diego State’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Lucky Sutton or without Lucky Sutton
SideDateGameResultpointsExpected
Nov 16, 2024@UNLVL2012.6
Nov 23, 2024@Utah StateL2030.0
Nov 30, 2024vsAir ForceL2019.3
Aug 28, 2025vsSStony BrookW42—
Sep 6, 2025@Washington StateL1317.7
Sep 20, 2025vsCaliforniaW3426.7
Sep 27, 2025@Northern IllinoisW629.5
Oct 3, 2025vsColorado StateW4528.0
Oct 11, 2025@NevadaW4423.6
Oct 25, 2025@Fresno StateW2320.5
Nov 1, 2025vsWyomingW2423.1
Nov 8, 2025@HawaiiL628.4
Nov 15, 2025vsBoise StateW1724.0
Nov 22, 2025vsSan Jose StateW2534.9
Nov 28, 2025@New MexicoL1721.7
Dec 27, 2025vsNorth Texas (neutral)L4725.9
Sep 5, 2026vsPPortland StateW53—
Sep 12, 2026@UCLAL1012.9
Sep 19, 2026vsJames MadisonL1325.4
Sep 26, 2026@ToledoL1629.7
Oct 3, 2026vsTexas StateW3126.4
Oct 10, 2026@Oregon StateL1422.4
Oct 17, 2026vsFresno StateW2620.1
Oct 24, 2026@Colorado StateL4931.6
Oct 31, 2026vsWashington StateW2624.6

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, plus 1.5 in 2024, plus 1.5 in 2025, plus 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.
  • Stony Brook, Portland State have no other game in the table, so those games have no expected number and sit out the second figure.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists for 15 of these 25 games; in the other 10 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.