Putting Up Numbers· college football

USC’s third-down conversion rate with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and since Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, USC was 7.5 percentage points over with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and 6.3 percentage points under since Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game over its last 25 games, 8 games against 1. The plain averages are 50.1% and 40.0%, a difference of 10.1%. All 3 away games were with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. All 4 night games were with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. All 7 unranked opponents were with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt.

Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, receiver: 443 receiving yards, 32 receptions and 4 receiving touchdowns in 8 of those 25 games.

One game since Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game is one game, not a sample, but maybe you can find something if you squint.

third-down conversion rate a game over expected

The games

with Kayden Dixon-Wyattsince Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game
USC’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt or since Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game
SideDateGameResult3rd downsExpected
Nov 23, 2024@UCLAW28.6%46.6%
Nov 30, 2024vsNotre DameL41.7%38.9%
Dec 27, 2024vsTexas A&M (neutral)W46.2%37.5%
Aug 30, 2025vsMissouri StateW85.7%47.1%
Sep 6, 2025vsGeorgia SouthernW55.6%56.7%
Sep 13, 2025@PurdueW30.8%48.0%
Sep 20, 2025vsMichigan StateW66.7%44.6%
Sep 27, 2025@IllinoisL57.1%48.0%
Oct 11, 2025vsMichiganW50.0%45.3%
Oct 18, 2025@Notre DameL42.9%41.8%
Nov 1, 2025@NebraskaW42.9%47.7%
Nov 7, 2025vsNorthwesternW54.5%48.1%
Nov 15, 2025vsIowaW50.0%41.5%
Nov 22, 2025@OregonL43.8%43.3%
Nov 29, 2025vsUCLAW66.7%51.6%
Dec 30, 2025vsTCU (neutral)L41.7%45.7%
Aug 29, 2026vsSan Jose StateW69.2%42.4%
Sep 4, 2026vsFresno StateW62.5%44.0%
Sep 12, 2026vsLouisianaW73.3%41.4%
Sep 19, 2026@RutgersW50.0%48.7%
Sep 26, 2026vsOregonL18.2%40.9%
Oct 3, 2026vsWashingtonW35.7%42.6%
Oct 10, 2026@Penn StateW45.5%36.3%
Oct 24, 2026@WisconsinL46.7%45.1%
Oct 31, 2026vsOhio StateW40.0%46.3%

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.
  • Who played is read from the schools’ box scores’ participation lists for 8 of these 9 games; in the other game a player is counted as in it when the box score has a stat for him.
  • 16 games in 2024 and 2025 are neither with Kayden Dixon-Wyatt nor since Kayden Dixon-Wyatt’s last game: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had no game for the team those seasons, and sit out.