← Matchups

North Alabama

· 1-2 · power -7.9 · #274
Our numberUNA -3.7 no book has priced this game

Eastern Kentucky

· 1-2 · power -12.3 · #321
Our side
MoneylineUNA to win ours 41%
Projected score 28–24 UNA – EKU
2026-10-03 · 6:00 PM Roy Kidd Stadium · Richmond, KY Conference game Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Eastern Kentucky lead 3–1 · 4 meetings since 2022
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge North Alabama Lions 57 ranks
North Alabama Lions #125 rush offense Eastern Kentucky Colonels #182 run defense
Pass game edge Eastern Kentucky Colonels 156 ranks
North Alabama Lions #210 pass offense Eastern Kentucky Colonels #54 pass defense
Run game even 3 ranks apart
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #192 rush offense North Alabama Lions #195 run defense
Pass game even 7 ranks apart
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #253 pass offense North Alabama Lions #260 pass defense
North Alabama Lions Run-heavy · 63% run Avg pace Dual-threat QB · 52 rush ypg Eastern Kentucky Colonels Run-heavy · 64% run Ball-control

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
North Alabama Lions
DB Tae Martin 23 tkl · 4 PD #11 DB
DL Avery Howard 17 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 5.0 TFL #20 DL
WR Xavier Johnson 19 rec · 386 yds · 2 TD #14 WR
DL Cayden Adkins 11 tkl · 3.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #29 DL
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
LB Cam Jessee 23 tkl · 0.5 sacks · 2.5 TFL #42 LB
DB Derek Taylor 24 tkl #137 DB
RB Brady Hensley 225 rush yds · 2 TD · 3 rec #62 RB
DB Jeffrey Kinley 19 tkl · 1 PD #266 DB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
North Alabama Lions -7.9 -4.2 -3.7 #274
Eastern Kentucky Colonels -12.3 -9.4 -2.9 #321

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
North Alabama offense vs Eastern Kentucky defense-1.4 pts
Eastern Kentucky offense vs North Alabama defense-5.8 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness-1.9 pts
Power projection before adjustment-1.8
Rest · context onlyHome team on 7 more days rest

The projection carries an efficiency adjustment — a residual from season-to-date EPA, success rate and explosiveness, which earned its place by walk-forward test (margin error 12.90 → 12.72 across seven held-out seasons).

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.