College Football

Methodology

Each competition has its own independent model, weights, parameters, versions and performance history. Nothing is shared or copied between College Football and the NFL.

Active model version: 1.3.0 published — engine revision gda-engine-1. Predictions are enabled.

Rating construction

A team's base GDA Rating is a weighted combination of category grades. Weights must total exactly 100%.

College Football model category weights
CategoryWeight
coaching7.0%
secondary10.0%
linebackers7.0%
quarterback15.0%
receiver te8.0%
recent form4.0%
running back5.0%
injury health3.0%
special teams4.0%
defensive line10.0%
offensive line10.0%
talent recruiting10.0%
returning production7.0%

Weight total: 100.00% — valid.

From rating to model line

Predicted home margin = points-per-rating-unit × (home GDA Rating − away GDA Rating) + home-field points + home adjustment − away adjustment. Home-field points are excluded at neutral sites. A positive number favours the home team.

  • Points per rating unit: 1.0301846185
  • Home-field points: 2.5
  • Residual cap: 28
  • Learning gain: 0.25
  • Maximum single move: 4
  • Update cadence: weekly

Updates, freezing and honesty rules

  • Predictions are frozen at kickoff along with the market line used, so published history can never be quietly rewritten.
  • Rating changes are capped, and the winner's gain equals the loser's loss so the league stays balanced.
  • Market lines are stored with their source and capture time. Where no line exists, the model edge is reported as unavailable rather than assumed.
  • When a required input is missing, GameDay Advantage states exactly what is missing instead of estimating a number.