UTSA vs. UAB Prediction, Odds & Pick
Prediction, odds and the model's read
Our model's read
Scouting report
2026 projection · last season, roster and staff
Where UTSA gets at UAB: 21st at turning trips inside the 40 into points, against a unit 135th at holding teams to field goals. Where UAB gets at UTSA: 7th at hitting chunk plays, against a unit 126th at keeping everything in front of them. UTSA is also 18th at staying on schedule through the air, against a unit 131st.
How
UTSAattacks
UAB
- 1
Finish drives in the red zone
turning trips inside the 40 into points · projected
UTSA#21 of 138UAB#135 of 138 - 2
Stay on schedule through the air
staying on schedule through the air · projected
UTSA#18 of 138UAB#131 of 138 - 3
Win first and second down
first and second down · projected
UTSA#28 of 138UAB#136 of 138
HowUABattacksUTSA
- 1
Take shots
hitting chunk plays · projected
UAB#7 of 138UTSA#126 of 138
The two teams
UTSA
UTSA throws it: Jeff Traylor's offenses have been pass-leaning across 6 seasons. The strengths are offensive, led by 18th at staying on schedule through the air. The way in is 126th at keeping everything in front of them.
On fourth down he goes for it more often than his peers do from the same spots (+3.6%). Against what the expected-points model recommends he is −15.6% — the profession as a whole is negative on this.
UTSA has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Offensestaying on schedule through the air#18projected
- Offenseturning trips inside the 40 into points#21projected
- Offensesurviving second and twelve#24projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensehitting chunk plays#126projected
UAB
UAB is in year 1 under Alex Mortensen. The strengths are offensive, led by 7th at hitting chunk plays. The way in is 136th on early downs defensively, and they are 135th at holding teams to field goals.
UAB has played 2 games against an average slate, adjusted for here. That football carries about 0% of what is below; the rest is still the preseason projection.
Projected strengths
- Offensehitting chunk plays#7projected
Projected soft spots
- Defensefirst and second down#136projected
- Defenseturning trips inside the 40 into points#135projected
- Defensethe push the line gets#135projected
Ranks are national. Nothing here is last season's number — carrying one forward is measurably worse than saying nothing — and in-season figures are adjusted for who was actually played. This describes the matchup; it is not a prediction and not a pick.
Head coaches only — there is no free feed for coordinators, so on a program where the head coach does not call the offense this describes the staff he hired. Play-calling identity is a style, not a grade: throwing more than the situations warrant is not better than throwing less than they warrant.
Model prediction
how the number is builtOur model simulates the game drive by drive from each side's opponent-adjusted efficiency (UAB Elo 1403, UTSA Elo 1525 for reference), with home-field advantage. That projects UAB +2.9 (43% to win), essentially in line with the market.
Why that percentage is worth reading: across 604 graded in-season games, the calls this model put near 58% came in at 58.2%. The full calibration table is published, bin by bin. Early in the season the cold-start path runs instead and calibrates less well (Brier 0.2028 against 0.1889).
Model as of Sep 1 · through week 1 · drive simulation
Where the game is won
2026 national rank · right is better
offensethe defense it faces
Moving the ball
UTSA32nd94thUABUAB106th97thUTSAThrough the air
UTSA43rd11thUABUAB115th87thUTSAOn the ground
UTSA44th113thUABUAB26th133rdUTSAStaying on the field
UTSA129th54thUABUAB12th115thUTSATaking care of it
UTSA1st109thUABUAB74th9thUTSA
Each bar runs from last in the country on the left to 1st on the right. The filled span is the gap between the offense and the defense it faces.
Season form — 2026
nationally rankedThe matchup, in context
series history + adjusted profilesThe series is level at 4–4 · UTSA has won 3 straight · 50% have been one-possession games
| UTSA | UAB | |
|---|---|---|
| +4.6 (#53) | CORE overall | -5.0 (#92) |
| +3 / -1 | offense / defense | +0 / +5 |
| 2.82 | points / drive | 2.63 |
| 2.46 | allowed / drive | 3.00 |
| 36% | three-and-outs | 6% |
| +7 | pass over expected | -17 |
Bold is the side ahead. CORE strips the situation from every play and solves the schedule out across the league, so these compare two teams that never met.
Key matchups
The analyst read: each team's offense splits crossed against the opponent's defense, with the edges called out.
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FAQ
Who will win UTSA vs. UAB?
Gridpex's model favors UTSA with a 57% win probability.
What's the predicted spread for UTSA vs. UAB?
The model projects UTSA by 2.9.
What time is UTSA vs. UAB and what channel is it on?
Time TBD, at Protective Stadium.
Where this number comes from. Every projection on this page is produced by the same model, run before kickoff on opponent-adjusted efficiency, power ratings and situational data — walk-forward validated on eleven seasons and never adjusted after the fact. How the model works →