Ball State Cardinals
Ratings & Unit Splits
Starting QB:
| Unit / Component | Detail | Rating | FBS Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Power | Offense + Defense + Special Teams | −20.0 | #128 |
| Offense | Passing + Rushing + Finishing | −8.7 | #121 |
| Passing Offense | Keldric Luster (−3.5 VOR) | −4.2 | #122 |
| Rushing Offense | Line yards & rushing EPA | −2.1 | #114 |
| Drive Finishing | Points per red-zone trip | −2.5 | #117 |
| Defense | Pass Def + Rush Def + Havoc | −11.4 | #135 |
| Pass Defense | Points prevented vs pass | −5.8 | #137 |
| Rush Defense | Points prevented vs rush | −3.7 | #126 |
| Defensive Havoc | Sacks, TFL & turnovers | −1.9 | #135 |
| Special Teams | Net kicking & return efficiency | +0.1 | #64 |
| Preseason Prior | Talent, returning PPA, portal & coach | −19.3 | #136 |
| In-Season Lift | Performance vs preseason expectation | −0.7 | #79 |
| Strength of Schedule | Full-season opponent difficulty | −10.6 | #106 |
2026 Schedule
| Wk | Opponent | Result / Spread | Score | Win Prob |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L (−53) | 3‑56 | Final | |
| 2 | vsStony Brook | W (+24) | 41‑17 | Final |
| 3 | L (−36) | 15‑51 | Final | |
| 4 | L (−13) | 13‑26 | Final | |
| 5 | vsToledo | L (−15) | 24‑39 | Final |
| 6 | L (−31) | 14‑45 | Final | |
| 7 | W (+1) | 32‑31 | Final | |
| 8 | W (+17) | 34‑17 | Final | |
| 10 | L (−1) | 30‑31 | Final | |
| 11 | vsBuffalo | BUF -1.9 | 26.5‑28.3 | 45.1% |
| 12 | @Ohio | OHIO -15.1 | 20.6‑35.8 | 16.9% |
| 13 | CMU -2.8 | 24.2‑27.1 | 42.6% |
Snapshot History (2025–2026)
| Snapshot | Rank | Record | Power | Off | Def | Prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Preseason | #130 | 0‑0 | −16.7 | −7.6 | −9.1 | −16.7 |
| 2025 Postseason | #135 | 4‑8 | −25.5 | −13.3 | −10.2 | −16.7 |
| 2026 Preseason | #136 | 0‑0 | −19.3 | −10.7 | −8.6 | −19.3 |
| 2026 Week 11 | #128 | 3‑6 | −20.0 | −8.7 | −11.4 | −19.3 |