Opponent research for college football staffs

Opponent intelligence you can verify.

A weekly brief on your next opponent’s offense, defense and special teams. Every finding carries its count, its source and the exact question to take into the film room.

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Drawn from 13,425 real drives of the 2026 season, weeks 1–9: where they started, how far they went and how they ended.

  • Touchdown
  • Field goal try
  • Punt
  • Turnover or downs

Every snap of the season, counted.

Plays
110,694
Drives
14,565
Games
622

Our 2026 database of games involving FBS teams, weeks 1–9. Every opponent is measured against the whole season, not a highlight reel.

How a brief is built

The engine shows its work.

Every brief runs the same checks, in the same order, before a coach ever sees it. Sample sizes are tested, outliers and penalties are separated, and every claim is labelled by how sure we are.

If a number can’t pass, it doesn’t make page one.

brief build · EXAMPLE DATA

  1. $ brief --opponent "Example Team" --through week-9
  2. › season database loaded110,694 plays · 622 games
  3. › opponent snaps isolated1,412 plays · 9 games
  4. › offense · 3rd-and-1–2 run 14 of 17, 7 gamesPASS n≥15
  5. › defense · red-zone TD allowed 5 of 9, 6 gamesLOW-SAMPLE
  6. › special · KR start 22.0 vs touchback 25MODEL −0.15 pts
  7. › 2 returns with a penalty on the playlisted apart
  8. › film checklist11 questions · 46 plays
  9. › language check0 unlabelled claims
  10. ✓ coordinator summary ready page 1 of 14

The model

What field position is worth.

Every special-teams and fourth-down finding is priced in points by a drive-value model fitted on 12,660 drives from this season. A return to the 22 instead of a touchback at the 25 is no longer a feeling. It is a number.

MODEL_INFERRED Labelled as an estimate wherever it is used.

Drive-value model, 2026 season Expected net points of a drive by starting field position, fitted on 12,660 drives. About 1.9 points from your own 25, 3.2 from midfield and 4.0 from the opponent 20. 0 1 2 3 4 5 Own 10 Own 25 50 Opp 25 Opp 10 Expected net points per drive 1.9 Own 25 3.2 Midfield 4.0 Opp 20
Expected net points of a drive by where it starts. Dots are season averages in 5-yard bands, sized by number of drives. Line is the fitted model.
EXAMPLE DATA 1st & 10 9 of 16 2nd & short 11 of 14 2nd & long 6 of 19 3rd & short 14 of 17 3rd & long 3 of 22
Runs by down and distance, made-up team.
EXAMPLE DATA Red-zone trips against them 5 of 9ended in a touchdown, 6 games LOW-SAMPLE
Red-zone trips against a made-up team.
EXAMPLE DATA 0 10 20 30 40 50 Touchback: 25 Avg start: 22.0 24 returns8 games. Starting yard line, own side
Kickoff return starts against a made-up team.

What’s in the brief

Three phases. One standard.

Every finding comes with its plays.

Your quality-control staff can pull the clips in minutes and confirm what the numbers say.

On the coordinator’s desk before game week.

Page one is the summary: the findings worth your time, each with its count and evidence label. The pages behind it break down every phase and list every play.

Read the full sample page

Coordinator summary Example Team · Wk 1–9

EXAMPLE DATA. Made-up team, for illustration only.

Offense

Third-and-short is a run down.

Ran on 14 of 17 third downs needing 1–2 yards, 7 games.

PBP_OBSERVED
Defense

Red-zone trips against them end in touchdowns.

Touchdown allowed on 5 of 9 trips inside the 20, 6 games.

PBP_OBSERVEDLOW-SAMPLE
Special teams

Returning their kickoffs costs field position.

Average start at the 22.0 on 24 returns, 8 games. A touchback is the 25.

PBP_OBSERVEDMODEL_INFERRED

The rules we keep

A staff acts only on research it trusts. These hold every week, for every opponent.

  • Counts before percentages

    A rate needs at least 15 plays across at least 3 games. Anything smaller is shown as raw counts with a visible flag.

  • One long play is not a tendency

    When a single play drives an average, we show the number without it, or drop the claim.

  • The film room stays yours

    Formation, personnel, coverage and technique are confirmed on film, never guessed from a box score. Every finding lists its plays.

  • Permitted sources only

    Every number traces back to a source whose terms allow our use, recorded in the appendix.

Built for the staffs who prepare on short weeks.

Drew MacKool

Founder

About the founder

Know what’s real before Saturday.

Name your next opponent and the questions your staff is asking. We’ll show you what the evidence supports.

Request a briefing