luckadjusted
CFB Week 4 · 2026

College football · Week 11 2026 · Wednesday, November 11

Buffalo vs Ball State prediction and pick

Our Buffalo Bulls at Ball State Cardinals pick: Ball State by 3.4, 58% to win. The forecast rates every team against the opponents it has played, this season and last, and adds home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 7 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±17.0, so about 50% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

Buffalo at Ball State

Wed, Nov 11, time to be announced · Scheumann Stadium

Ball State by 3.4 · 58% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
Buffalo win42.0%
Ball State win58.0%
Middle 50%: Buffalo by 7 to Ball State by 1550%
Middle 90%: Buffalo by 24 to Ball State by 3190%
Middle 95%: Buffalo by 30 to Ball State by 3795%
Exactly Ball State by 36.6%
Exactly Buffalo by 36.1%
Exactly Ball State by 75.2%
Exactly Buffalo by 74.4%
Exactly Ball State by 143.4%
P50
Half of games like this end between Buffalo by 7 and Ball State by 15.
P90
9 in 10 between Buffalo by 24 and Ball State by 31.
P95
19 in 20 between Buffalo by 30 and Ball State by 37.
Where the forecast comes from
Home fieldBall State+3.1
This season, against its opponentsBall State+0.5
Last seasonBuffalo+0.2

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
Buffalo 2–2 1.2 +0.5
Ball State 1–3 1.1 0.0

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

Buffalo vs Ball State: questions and answers

Who will win Buffalo vs Ball State?

Our forecast picks Ball State, with 58% to win; Buffalo win 42% of the time.

What’s the spread for Buffalo vs Ball State?

Our spread: Ball State −3.4. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is Buffalo vs Ball State?

Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (kickoff time to be announced), at Scheumann Stadium.