← Matchups

UT Permian Basin

· 0-1 · power -5.6 · #251
Our numberUT R -11.7 no book has priced this game

UT Rio Grande Valley

· 1-2 (0-1) · power +3.0 · #138
Final UT P 0 · UT R 44 ML W our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineUT R to win logged ours 74%

Our number: UT R by 4.9 — UT R to win.

Projected score 22–34 UT P – UT R
2026-08-29 · 8:00 PM Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium · Edinburg, TX Early season

The books

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

First recorded meeting between these programs
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros Balanced · 52% run Ball-control

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all D1 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
UT Permian Basin Falcons
DL Nicholas Butler 11 tkl #314 DL
DL Jaden Welch 2 tkl #605 DL
DL Elijah Robinson 5 tkl #606 DL
DL Kendrick Jones 7 tkl #765 DL
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros
WR Kyran Lee 18 rec · 301 yds · 2 TD #27 WR
DB Alijah Prosser 14 tkl · 5 PD #68 DB
LB Spencer Rich 27 tkl · 1.0 TFL #72 LB
K Brysen Gardner 6 FG · 9 XP · 27 pts #16 K

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
UT Permian Basin Falcons -5.6 -4.2 -1.4 #251
UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros +3.0 +2.4 +0.7 #138

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

Where the number comes from
UT Permian Basin offense vs UT Rio Grande Valley defense-4.9 pts
UT Rio Grande Valley offense vs UT Permian Basin defense+3.7 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 462 mi
Altitude · context only854 m lower than the visitor's home elevation

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

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.