Putting Up Numbers· college football

Texas A&M’s third-down conversion rate with Carsyn Baker and without Carsyn Baker

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Texas A&M was 1.9 percentage points over with Carsyn Baker and 4.4 percentage points under without Carsyn Baker over its last 25 games, 5 games against 2. The plain averages are 45.7% and 32.1%, a difference of 13.7%. All 5 home games were with Carsyn Baker. All 3 night games were with Carsyn Baker. All 5 unranked opponents were with Carsyn Baker.

Carsyn Baker, running back: 155 rushing yards, 38 carries and 1 reception in 6 of those 25 games.

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

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

A +6.3% difference in third-down conversion rate over expected with Carsyn Baker vs without Carsyn Baker is about what you’d expect.

A +13.7% difference in third-down conversion rate with Carsyn Baker vs without Carsyn Baker is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Carsyn Bakerwithout Carsyn Baker
Texas A&M’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Carsyn Baker or without Carsyn Baker
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 16, 2024vsNew Mexico StateW61.5%48.1%
Nov 23, 2024@AuburnL52.6%41.8%
Nov 30, 2024vsTexasL36.4%38.9%
Dec 27, 2024vsUSC (neutral)L46.7%36.9%
Aug 30, 2025vsUTSAW27.3%41.6%
Sep 6, 2025vsUtah StateW38.5%42.5%
Sep 13, 2025@Notre DameW36.4%36.2%
Sep 27, 2025vsAuburnW21.4%39.6%
Oct 4, 2025vsMississippi StateW46.7%42.6%
Oct 11, 2025vsFloridaW52.9%43.1%
Oct 18, 2025@ArkansasW45.5%44.7%
Oct 25, 2025@LSUW70.0%34.5%
Nov 8, 2025@MissouriW50.0%36.1%
Nov 15, 2025vsSouth CarolinaW18.2%43.8%
Nov 22, 2025vsSamfordW46.7%—
Nov 28, 2025@TexasL28.6%37.4%
Dec 20, 2025vsMiami (FL)L44.4%33.7%
Sep 5, 2026vsMissouri StateW50.0%44.1%
Sep 12, 2026vsArizona StateW25.0%39.4%
Sep 19, 2026vsKentuckyL52.9%40.7%
Sep 26, 2026@LSUL26.7%36.3%
Oct 3, 2026vsArkansasW56.3%41.1%
Oct 10, 2026@MissouriL27.8%39.1%
Oct 17, 2026vsThe CitadelW63.6%—
Oct 24, 2026@AlabamaL36.4%33.9%

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 1.4% 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 40% 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.
  • The Citadel 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 2 of these 8 games; in the other 6 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 17 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Carsyn Baker nor without Carsyn Baker: Carsyn Baker had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.