UTSA at Illinois Week 1 College Football Matchup UTSA at Illinois Matchup - Week 1
Sat, Sep 4 2021 · Week 1 · 🏟 Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL · Turf · 60,670 cap
UTSA✈ 938 miSame TZ
Away
37 30
Final
Home
📊 Punt & Rally Projection
UTSA
25
Illinois
26
P&R Line Illinois -0.5
P&R Total O/U 52
Confidence 90 High
Vegas Illinois -4.5 · O/U 52.0
Matchup Prediction
Toss-up — no clear edge
Neither metric shows a meaningful pre-game edge in this matchup.
Momentum Control
58.4%
Lean
Game Control
50.6%
Toss-up
Vegas Spread
Illinois -4.5
O/U 52.0
teamrankings
Advanced Stats
All 4 factors agree → UTSA · 83.1% ATS historically when all four align
↓ See full breakdown
UTSA 2021 Schedule
UTSA's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 9/4UTSA at Illinois+4.5W37–3052.0W37–30OY
Sat 9/11UTSA vs Lamar-38.0W54–065.0W54–0UY
Sat 9/18UTSA vs Middle Tennessee-11.5W27–1360.0W27–13UY
Sat 9/25UTSA at Memphis+3.0W31–2866.5W31–28UY
Sat 10/2UTSA vs UNLV-21.5W24–1755.5W24–17UN
Sat 10/9UTSA at Western Kentucky+3.5W52–4671.0W52–46OY
Sat 10/16UTSA vs Rice-17.0W45–053.0W45–0UY
Sat 10/23UTSA at Louisiana Tech-5.5W45–1659.5W45–16OY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/6UTSA at UTEP-12.0W44–2353.5W44–23OY
Sat 11/13UTSA vs Southern Miss-32.5W27–1754.0W27–17UN
Sat 11/20UTSA vs UAB-3.5W34–3154.0W34–31ON
Sat 11/27UTSA at North Texas-8.5L23–4560.0L23–45ON
Fri 12/3UTSA vs Western Kentucky+3.0W49–4174.5W49–41OY
Tue 12/21UTSA vs San Diego State+3.0L24–3848.0L24–38ON
Illinois 2021 Schedule
Illinois's 2021 Schedule
DateMatchupSpreadTotalResultO/UCover
Sat 8/28Illinois vs Nebraska+6.5W30–2252.0W30–22UY
Sat 9/4Illinois vs UTSA-4.5L30–3752.0L30–37ON
Sat 9/11Illinois at Virginia+10.5L14–4257.0L14–42UN
Fri 9/17Illinois vs Maryland+7.0L17–2061.5L17–20UY
Sat 9/25Illinois at Purdue+10.5L9–1353.5L9–13UY
Sat 10/2Illinois vs Charlotte-10.0W24–1454.0W24–14UN
Sat 10/9Illinois vs Wisconsin+12.5L0–2442.0L0–24UN
— Bye Week —
Sat 10/23Illinois at Penn State+24.5W20–1846.0W20–18UY
Sat 10/30Illinois vs Rutgers+1.5L14–2041.5L14–20UN
Sat 11/6Illinois at Minnesota+14.5W14–644.5W14–6UY
— Bye Week —
Sat 11/20Illinois at Iowa+12.0L23–3337.5L23–33OY
Sat 11/27Illinois vs Northwestern-7.0W47–1445.0W47–14OY
Advanced Stats
Advanced Analytics Matchup
Matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense) · 2021 season
UTSA PPA Edge
Agreement Signals — When All Metrics Agree
Elite · 83.1% ATS
PPA + PPO + SR + Havoc
All 4 Agree
→ UTSA
Elite · 82.4% ATS
PPA + PPO + Havoc
3 Agree
→ UTSA
Elite · 73.9% ATS
PPA + Success Rate
Both Agree
→ UTSA
Individual Factors — Ranked by Predictive Strength
PPA Overall
Points added per play · Elite predictor
UTSA
+0.452
Illinois
+0.345
UTSA Edge
PPA Passing
Pass efficiency edge · Strong predictor
UTSA
+0.661
Illinois
+0.472
UTSA Edge
Havoc Total
Def. disruption rate · Strong predictor
UTSA
0.183
Illinois
0.153
TFLs, sacks, PBUs, forced fumbles — higher is better
UTSA Edge
Points Per Opp
Drive-finishing edge · Strong predictor
UTSA
+7.711
Illinois
+7.062
UTSA Edge
Success Rate
Play consistency edge · Solid predictor
UTSA
+0.889
Illinois
+0.825
UTSA Edge
Field Position
Avg start (lower=better) · Solid predictor
UTSA
69.5
Illinois
72.0
Avg yards from own endzone to average start — lower is better · longer bar = better field position
UTSA Edge
Advanced stats sourced from CFBD · 2021 season · Edges are matchup-adjusted (offense vs opponent defense)
Power Ratings
Team Power Ratings
Overall · Offense · Defense ratings · Updated as season progresses
Illinois Rated Higher
Overall Power Rating
UTSA
0.7
Illinois
8.0
Offense Rating
UTSA
16.4
Illinois
18.9
Defense Rating (lower = better defense)
UTSA
15.7
Illinois
10.9
Power ratings updated throughout the season as results accumulate
Momentum Control (CSS)
Consecutive Scoring Sequences Who builds scoring momentum? UTSA Edge
Avg sequences created per game
UTSA #32
0.00
Illinois #100
1.00
Avg sequences allowed per game (lower is better)
UTSA #24
0.00
Illinois #16
1.00
UTSA +0.00
CSS Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 58.4% of games historically
Based on 1 game this season
Game Control (GC)
Win Probability Dominance Who controls games start to finish? UTSA Edge
Avg GC score per game (offense)
UTSA #1
0.0
Illinois #1
54.9
Avg GC score allowed per game (lower is better)
UTSA #21
0.0
Illinois #97
28.8
UTSA +0.0
GC Edge (season-to-date)
Teams with this edge win 50.6% of games historically
Based on 1 game this season
Spread Context
ATS Historical Context
Based on 2021–2025 backtest · FBS vs FBS · Regular season

Both metrics agree on Illinois, but the GC edge is small. When metrics agree but GC is near-neutral, the agreed-upon team has covered only 46.7% of the time historically (n=224) — potentially a fade signal.

ATS data is informational only. Past cover rates do not guarantee future results.

Coaching Matchup
UTSA
Jeff Traylor #1
10–5 (67%) · Yr 2 at school
OC Barry Lunney Jr. Yr 1 #1
DC Jess Loepp / Rod Wright Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
Illinois
Bret Bielema #1
1–3 (25%) · Yr 1 at school
OC Tony Petersen Yr 1 #1
DC Ryan Walters Yr 1 #1
Staff Rating
0.00 #1
About these metrics
Advanced Stats shows matchup-adjusted factor edges (offense vs opponent defense). Combination signals — when PPA, PPO, Success Rate, and Havoc all point the same direction — have historically predicted the SU winner in 95–97% of games and the ATS winner in 82–83% of games (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS, regular season).
Impact: Advanced Stats are the best performance based metric used to predict the outcome of games.

Momentum Control (CSS) measures consecutive scoring sequences — when a team scores, holds the opponent scoreless, then scores again. Teams entering a game with a CSS edge of +1.0 or more have won 71–78% of games historically (2021–2025, FBS vs FBS).
Impact: CSS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Game Control (GC) measures win probability dominance — how thoroughly a team controlled the game from start to finish. Teams with a GC edge of +12 or more have won 67–76% of games historically. When both metrics agree, combined confidence is higher. When they split, treat as a lean at best.
Impact: GS is not a predictive ATS advantage, data shows this is already considered when lines are set.

Power Ratings are a custom-built composite of a Teams Talent, Experience & Production, Coaching & Performance Metrics. These are updated constantly with roster changes, performance once the games start for the 2026 season, injuries the team is dealing with and scheduling situations.
Impact: There are a wide range of power ratings available, we think ours is the best, you can decide for yourself