Mid-American · #124 of 138

Bowling Green

Implied Strength-17.4vs. FBS average · ±3.7
Record0–2through completed games
Bowl Eligibility17%reach six wins
Strength of Schedule124thof 138 FBS teams

Schedule lens

What matters next

The headline numbers are above. Here is where the season starts to take shape.

Team identity

Where the strength lives

Low returning production

Defense projects as the stronger unit by 5.7 rating points.

Offense#133
-11.5vs. FBS average
-11.5
2025 PPA/play0.03 #129 FBSSuccess rate35.9% #127 FBS
Defense#109
-5.8vs. FBS average
-5.8
2025 PPA/play allowed0.15 #62 FBSSuccess rate allowed40.5% #55 FBS

2025 PPA (predicted points added per play) and success rate. How this split works →

Season outlook · 50,000 simulations

How Bowling Green's 2026 could unfold

The current projection is 4–8 (4.1 expected wins), with a <0.01% chance to reach the playoff. The distribution below shows how often each regular-season win total appeared across the schedule-aware simulations.

Range of outcomes

Projected win distribution

50,000 simulated seasons
Most common and median 4 winsCentral 80% 2–6 winsBowl eligible 16.8%Winless 0.5%
4%11%21%26%21%11%4%1%Market 5.0<2234567>7
Simulated (schedule-aware)Central 80% rangeMarket win total

Postseason path

2026 playoff outlook

50,000 simulations
<0.01%Make the 12-team field

Still outside the median outcome across the schedule-aware simulations.

How the field is reached<0.01% total
Auto-bid<0.01%
At-large<0.01%
Outside field>99.9%
Conference title2.2%

What could move the outlook

Biggest questions

Unresolved does not mean negative. A point estimate appears only when the historical evidence supports one.

Returning production

A large share of last season's production must be replaced

<0.01% of prior-year PPA returns, placing Bowling Green in the bottom quarter of the current FBS field.

This information already contributes to the team baseline; historical testing has not supported an additional generic continuity adjustment.
Projection contextRoster, continuity, and market inputsView details

The market win total, returning production, coaching continuity, transfer talent, and recent NFL production help explain the evidence surrounding this projection.

Returning Production-6.2%share of prior-year PPA returning for 2026
2026 Transfer Class114thof 138 FBS teams by combined portal talent
Recent NFL Draft Production125thof 138 FBS teams by NFL talent produced
Market win total5.0Consensus preseason line
Final · Sep 5Suggested side covered
Tarleton StateFCS
OV Win58%20
Spread:Tarleton State -2.5vs.BGSU -2
Tarleton State at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium
Final · Sep 12
Spread:NEB -26.5vs.NEB -29.5
Bowling Green at Nebraska · Lincoln, NE · Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, NE)
11:00 AM · Sep 19
Spread:ISU -22vs.ISU -23.5
Bowling Green at Iowa State · Ames, IA · Jack Trice Stadium
5:00 PM · Sep 26
Spread:USF -13.5vs.
South Florida at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium
12:00 AM · Oct 3
Spread:M-OH -10vs.
Bowling Green at Miami (OH) · Oxford, OH · Yager Stadium
12:00 AM · Oct 10
Spread:BGSU -4.5vs.
Sacramento State at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium
12:00 AM · Oct 17
Spread:BGSU -6.5vs.
Ball State at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium
12:00 AM · Oct 24
Spread:BUF -2vs.
Bowling Green at Buffalo · Amherst, NY · UB Stadium
12:00 PM · Oct 31
Spread:WMU -13.5vs.
Bowling Green at Western Michigan · Kalamazoo, MI · Waldo Stadium
7:00 PM · Nov 10
Spread:BGSU -7.5vs.
Kent State at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium
7:30 PM · Nov 20
Spread:TOL -12.5vs.
Bowling Green at Toledo · Toledo, OH · Glass Bowl
12:00 PM · Nov 28
Spread:BGSU -10vs.
Massachusetts at Bowling Green · Bowling Green, OH · Doyt L. Perry Stadium

Pregame evidence · 2022–25

Bowling Green through the lens

The OV Line is the aggregate-rating baseline. The market gap shows where the game-level consensus differed, while identified Factors show how much of that difference our research may explain. ATS records are descriptive context—not a claim that OV should outperform the market.

Market ATS45%5–6 against consensus
Average line gap2.5 pts82% inside 3 points · 9 of 11
Factor coverage45%5 of 11 games
Factor signals50% aligned3 of 6 individual observations · 0 neutral
Historical sample11 gamesmarket-covered games from 2022–25

Explanatory history

Factors present in Bowling Green games

FactorGamesAverage estimateAligned with marketResearch status
Rest Differential40.9 pts toward opponents50%2 of 4 directional casesSupported
Lopsided Game-Flow Uncertainty23.3 pts toward Bowling Green50%1 of 2 directional casesSupported · wider uncertainty
Underlying recordInspect all 11 historical gamesView games
SeasonGameOV baselineMarketMarket gapIdentified adjustmentRemaining gapResultMarket ATSFactors
2025 · W14at MassachusettsAwayBowling Green -13Bowling Green -140.9 pts toward Bowling GreenNone identified0.9 pts toward Bowling GreenW 45–14WNone identified
2025 · W13vs. AkronHomeBowling Green -8Bowling Green -2.55.5 pts toward opponents0.5 pts toward Bowling Green6.0 pts toward opponentsL 16–19LRest Differential
2025 · W11at Eastern MichiganAwayBowling Green 0Bowling Green +33.0 pts toward opponents1.1 pts toward opponents2.0 pts toward opponentsL 21–27LRest Differential
2025 · W9at Kent StateAwayBowling Green -10Bowling Green -7.52.4 pts toward opponentsNone identified2.4 pts toward opponentsL 21–24LNone identified
2025 · W8vs. Central MichiganHomeBowling Green -5.5Bowling Green -32.6 pts toward opponents1.7 pts toward opponents0.9 pts toward opponentsL 6–27LRest Differential
2025 · W7vs. ToledoHomeBowling Green +11Bowling Green +10.50.7 pts toward Bowling GreenNone identified0.7 pts toward Bowling GreenW 28–23WNone identified
2025 · W5at OhioAwayBowling Green +10.5Bowling Green +7.53.0 pts toward Bowling GreenNone identified3.0 pts toward Bowling GreenL 20–35LNone identified
2025 · W4at LouisvilleAwayBowling Green +28Bowling Green +26.51.7 pts toward Bowling Green2.6 pts toward Bowling Green0.8 pts toward opponentsL 17–40WLopsided Game-Flow UncertaintyRest Differential
2025 · W3vs. LibertyHomeBowling Green +3Bowling Green +62.8 pts toward opponentsNone identified2.8 pts toward opponentsW 23–13WNone identified
2025 · W2at CincinnatiAwayBowling Green +20.5Bowling Green +221.6 pts toward opponentsNone identified1.6 pts toward opponentsL 20–34WNone identified
2025 · W1vs. LafayetteHomeBowling Green -24Bowling Green -21.52.9 pts toward opponents2.9 pts toward Bowling Green5.8 pts toward opponentsW 26–7LLopsided Game-Flow Uncertainty

Sample: 11 market-covered games from 2022–25. Identified adjustments are rough sums of the Factors shown and are not a replacement betting line. Remaining gap is market consensus minus the OV baseline and identified adjustments. A push means the team’s scoring margin exactly matched the market line.