Putting Up Numbers· college football

Virginia’s points of margin with Noah Vaughn and without Noah Vaughn

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Against what the season’s ratings expected, Virginia was 0.9 points over with Noah Vaughn and 2.1 points under without Noah Vaughn over its last 25 games, 12 games against 11. The plain averages are 7.8 and 2.5, a difference of 5.3. Both opponents outside the major colleges were with Noah Vaughn.

Noah Vaughn, running back: 375 rushing yards, 67 carries and 6 receptions in 12 of those 25 games.

points of margin a game over expected

A +3.0 difference in points of margin over expected with Noah Vaughn vs without Noah Vaughn is about what you’d expect.

A +5.3 difference in points of margin with Noah Vaughn vs without Noah Vaughn is about what you’d expect.

The games

with Noah Vaughnwithout Noah Vaughn
Virginia’s games, last 25 games, each marked with Noah Vaughn or without Noah Vaughn
SideDateGameResultpoints of marginExpected
Nov 23, 2024vsSMUL-26-10.7
Nov 30, 2024@Virginia TechL-20-12.3
Aug 30, 2025vsCoastal CarolinaW4126.7
Sep 6, 2025@NC StateL-40.7
Sep 13, 2025vsWilliam & MaryW39—
Sep 20, 2025vsStanfordW2813.7
Sep 26, 2025vsFlorida StateW81.8
Oct 4, 2025@LouisvilleW3-3.3
Oct 18, 2025vsWashington StateW29.0
Oct 25, 2025@North CarolinaW116.8
Nov 1, 2025@CaliforniaW1010.3
Nov 8, 2025vsWake ForestL-711.0
Nov 15, 2025@DukeW17-1.4
Nov 29, 2025vsVirginia TechW2014.5
Dec 6, 2025vsDuke (neutral)L-75.1
Dec 27, 2025vsMissouri (neutral)W6-2.5
Aug 29, 2026vsNC StateW260.5
Sep 11, 2026vsNNorfolk StateW56—
Sep 19, 2026vsWest Virginia (neutral)L-110.4
Sep 26, 2026vsDelawareW392.6
Oct 3, 2026@Florida StateL-31-3.5
Oct 10, 2026vsSyracuseW32.5
Oct 17, 2026@SMUL-10-7.7
Oct 23, 2026vsDukeL-3-5.8
Oct 31, 2026@Wake ForestL-44-14.2

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 3.0 in 2024, plus 3.1 in 2025, plus 3.7 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 85% in 2024, 87% in 2025, 79% 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.
  • William & Mary, Norfolk 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 17 of these 25 games; in the other 8 a player is counted as in them when the box score has a stat for him.