Our side
MoneylineWCU to win
ours 66%
Projected score
26–33
UTC – WCU
2026-10-24 · 2:30 PM
E.J. Whitmire Stadium · Cullowhee, NC
Conference game
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Chattanooga lead
20–10
· 30 meetings since 1973
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
edge Chattanooga Mocs
92 ranks
Chattanooga Mocs #127 rush offense
Western Carolina Catamounts #219 run defense
Pass game
even
18 ranks apart
Chattanooga Mocs #223 pass offense
Western Carolina Catamounts #205 pass defense
Run game
even
16 ranks apart
Western Carolina Catamounts #162 rush offense
Chattanooga Mocs #146 run defense
Pass game
edge Western Carolina Catamounts
191 ranks
Western Carolina Catamounts #24 pass offense
Chattanooga Mocs #215 pass defense
Chattanooga Mocs
Run-heavy · 60% run
Ball-control
Dual-threat QB · 43 rush ypg
Western Carolina Catamounts
Balanced · 46% run
Avg pace
Dual-threat QB · 36 rush ypg
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
Chattanooga Mocs
DB
Keyshawn Jackson
18 tkl · 5 PD
#69 DB
RB
Kevin Lalin
290 rush yds · 2 TD · 5 rec
#51 RB
LB
Zion Rutledge
24 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 1.0 TFL
#115 LB
DB
Kam Baah-Slay
12 tkl · 2 PD
#230 DB
Western Carolina Catamounts
DB
Andre Jackson Jr.
18 tkl · 4 PD
#80 DB
DL
Caleb Turner-Allen
8 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL
#144 DL
TE
Bode Burns
10 rec · 99 yds · 1 TD
#40 TE
LB
Joshua Collins
19 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL
#121 LB
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
Chattanooga offense vs Western Carolina defense+0.5 pts
Western Carolina offense vs Chattanooga defense+5.6 pts
Efficiency adjustment · EPA, success rate, explosiveness-1.1 pts
Power projection before adjustment+8.0
Altitude · context only454 m higher than the visitor's home elevation
The projection carries an efficiency adjustment —
a residual from season-to-date EPA, success rate and explosiveness, which earned its place by
walk-forward test (margin error 12.90 → 12.72 across seven held-out seasons).
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.