Our side
MoneylineDRKE to win
ours 43%
Projected score
31–28
DRKE – VAL
2026-10-10 · 2:00 PM
Brown Field · Valparaiso, IN
Conference game
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Drake lead
20–2
· 22 meetings since 2005
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge Drake Bulldogs
87 ranks
Drake Bulldogs #100 rush offense
Valparaiso Beacons #187 run defense
Pass game
edge Drake Bulldogs
140 ranks
Drake Bulldogs #89 pass offense
Valparaiso Beacons #229 pass defense
Run game
edge Drake Bulldogs
153 ranks
Valparaiso Beacons #252 rush offense
Drake Bulldogs #99 run defense
Pass game
edge Drake Bulldogs
50 ranks
Valparaiso Beacons #197 pass offense
Drake Bulldogs #147 pass defense
Drake Bulldogs
Run-heavy · 69% run
Ball-control
Dual-threat QB · 34 rush ypg
Valparaiso Beacons
Run-heavy · 58% 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
Drake Bulldogs
LB
J.R. Flood
35 tkl · 0.5 TFL
#37 LB
DL
Tyson Shivers
10 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL
#77 DL
WR
Willis Nofsinger
18 rec · 285 yds · 1 TD
#53 WR
WR
Hank Foley
14 rec · 215 yds · 1 TD
#120 WR
Valparaiso Beacons
LB
Max Samuel
9 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 2.5 TFL
#125 LB
DB
O.C. Nurse
9 tkl · 1 PD
#696 DB
WR
Chris Gundy
5 rec · 107 yds
#454 WR
DL
Gabriel Batres
4 tkl · 1.0 TFL
#900 DL
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
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Drake offense vs Valparaiso defense+5.0 pts
Valparaiso offense vs Drake defense-0.5 pts
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.