Week 11: Predictions

Believe it or not, only one upset this week: WAS over DAL, 76%, even with Tony Romeo back in the lineup. That's actually the biggest confidence for an upset this season, but I'd be a little cautious considering the recent personnel changes.

NYJ at NE -3.5, 43
NYJ: 22.10
NE: 24.59
Winner: NE, 58%
Spread: NYJ +3.5, 51%
O/U: OVER, 59%

BAL at NYG -6.5, 41.5
BAL: 19.17
NYG: 20.53
Winner: NYG, 54%
Spread: BAL +6.5, 66%
O/U: UNDER, 59%

CHI at GB -3.5, 43
CHI: 20.37
GB: 21.81
Winner: GB, 52%
Spread: CHI +3.5, 55%
O/U: UNDER, 53%

DEN at ATL -6.5, 51
DEN: 21.29
ATL: 26.10
Winner: ATL, 63%
Spread: DEN +6.5, 56%
O/U: UNDER, 65%

DET at CAR -14, 40
DET: 15.98
CAR: 26.87
Winner: CAR, 76%
Spread: DET +14, 65%
O/U: OVER, 56%

HOU at IND -9, 50.5
HOU: 21.08
IND: 24.30
Winner: IND, 62%
Spread: HOU +6, 64%
O/U: UNDER, 65%

MIN at TB -4, 38.5
MIN: 19.20
TB: 20.28
Winner: TB, 51%
Spread: MIN +4, 63%
O/U: OVER, 51%

NO -5.5 at KC, 49.5
NO: 24.99
KC: 22.22
Winner: NO, 63%
Spread: KC +5.5, 60%
O/U: UNDER, 61%

OAK at MIA -10.5, 38.5
OAK: 16.13
MIA: 25.05
Winner: MIA, 71%
Spread: OAK +10.5, 57%
O/U: OVER, 52%

PHI -9 at CIN, 41.5
PHI: 26.05
CIN: 15.76
Winner: PHI, 75% ***Seriously? A tie?
Spread: PHI -9, 52%
O/U: UNDER, 57%

ARI -3 at SEA, 47.5
ARI: 25.36
SEA: 21.40
Winner: ARI, 62%
Spread: ARI -3, 52%
O/U: UNDER, 53%

STL at SF -6.5, 44.5
STL: 18.71
SF: 19.43
Winner: SF, 54%
Spread: STL +6.5, 67%
O/U: UNDER, 70%

SD at PIT -5, 42.5
SD: 20.15
PIT: 21.15
Winner: PIT, 51%
Spread: SD +5, 62%
O/U: UNDER, 54%

TEN -3 at JAX, 39.5
TEN: 22.49
JAX: 19.69
Winner: TEN, 59%
Spread: JAX +3, 52%
O/U: OVER, 58%

DAL -1.5 at WAS, 43
DAL: 16.83
WAS: 25.59
Winner: WAS, 76%
Spread: WAS +1.5, 77%
O/U: UNDER, 53%

CLE at BUF -5, 42.5
CLE: 18.91
BUF: 26.61
Winner: BUF, 71%
Spread: BUF -5, 51%
O/U: OVER, 58%

Week 8: Results

This past week was an amazing week. Perhaps the best week yet. NFLSim knocked 'em out of the park, going 2 for 3 with underdogs (missed TB), 10-4 (71.4%) picking the winner, 8-4 (66.7%) against the spread, and 7-6 (53.8%) against the O/U. The spread and O/U combined for 15-10 (60%). Even BOA, which I've been tracking, but not posting, returned a solid 19%.

Straight	%	Wins	Games	Win %
	50-59	3	4	75.0%
	60-69	3	6	50.0%
	70-79	4	4	100.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	10	14	71.4%
Spread	%	Wins	Games	Win %
	50-59	4	7	57.1%
	60-69	4	4	100.0%
	70-79	0	1	0.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	8	12	66.7%
Total		Wins	Games	Win %
	50-59	6	11	54.5%
	60-69	0	1	0.0%
	70-79	1	1	100.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	7	13	53.8%

ARI at CAR -4, 43.5
Winner: CAR, 57%
Spread: ARI +4, 59%
O/U: OVER, 51%

ATL at PHI -9, 45
Winner: PHI, 75%
Spread: ATL +9, 51%
O/U: OVER, 58%

BUF -1.5 at MIA, 42
Winner: MIA, 54%
Spread: MIA +1.5, 54%
O/U: OVER, 60%

KC at NYJ -13.5, 39
Winner: NYJ, 72%
Spread: KC +13.5, 64%
O/U: OVER, 71%

OAK at BAL -7.5, 36
Winner: BAL, 65%
Spread: OAK +7.5, 59%
O/U: OVER, 55%

SD -3 at NO, 46
Winner: NO, 54%
Spread: NO +3, 64%
O/U: UNDER, 55%

STL at NE -7, 43.5
Winner: NE, 67%
Spread: STL +7, 59%
O/U: OVER, 56%

TB at DAL -1.5, 40.5
Winner: TB, 68%
Spread: TB +1.5, 70%
O/U: UNDER, 52%

WAS -7.5 at DET, 42
Winner: WAS, 69%
Spread: DET +7.5, 52%
O/U: OVER, 62%

CIN at HOU -9, 44.5
Winner: HOU, 78%
Spread: HOU -9, 56%
O/U: OVER, 57%

CLE at JAX -7, 42
Winner: JAX, 60%
Spread: CLE +7, 66%
O/U: UNDER, 52%

NYG at PIT -3, 42
Winner: PIT, 56%
Spread: NYG +3, 55%
O/U: OVER, 57%

SEA at SF -5, 41
Winner: SF, 60%
Spread: SEA +5, 56%
O/U: OVER, 52%

IND at TEN -4, 41
Winner: TEN, 79%
Spread: TEN -4, 69%
O/U: OVER, 51%

Week 7: Predictions

Here are the week 7 predictions. Upsets include: MIN, GB, OAK, DEN.
Something interesting, if Tony Romo played, the Cowboys would be a 66% favorite, averaging 26 pts. Without him, they're a 51% favorite, averaging 21 pts. If anyone is curious about any other stats, send me an email and I'll post them. NFLSim generates virtually every team stat available on the NFL website.

BAL at MIA -3, 36.5
Winner: MIA, 67%
Spread: MIA -3, 56%
O/U: OVER, 60%

DAL -7 at STL, 43.5
Winner: DAL, 51%
Spread: STL +7, 74%
O/U: UNDER, 52%

MIN at CHI -3, 38
Winner: MIN, 52%
Spread: MIN +3, 59%
O/U: OVER, 54%

NO at CAR -3, 44.5
Winner: CAR, 53%
Spread: NO +3, 59%
O/U: UNDER, 62%

PIT -9.5 at CIN, 35
Winner: PIT, 60%
Spread: CIN +9.5, 63%
O/U: OVER, 62%

SD at BUF EVEN, 44.5
Winner: BUF, 64%
Spread: EVEN
O/U: OVER, 55%

SF at NYG -10.5, 46
Winner: NYG, 67%
Spread: SF +10.5, 68%
O/U: UNDER, 53%

TEN -9 at KC, 35.5
Winner: TEN, 69%
Spread: KC +9, 61%
O/U: OVER, 66%

DET at HOU -9.5, 46.5
Winner: HOU, 82%
Spread: HOU -9.5, 59%
O/U: OVER, 58%

CLE at WAS -7, 42
Winner: WAS, 77%
Spread: WAS -7, 55%
O/U: OVER, 53%

IND -2 at GB, 47
Winner: GB, 60%
Spread: GB +2, 65%
O/U: UNDER, 53%

NYJ -3 at OAK, 41
Winner: OAK, 55%
Spread: OAK +3, 65%
O/U: OVER, 63%

SEA at TB -10.5, 38
Winner: TB, 69%
Spread: SEA +10.5, 59%
O/U: OVER, 63%

DEN at NE -3, 48
Winner: DEN, 53%
Spread: DEN +3, 63%
O/U: OVER, 53%

Week 6: Predictions

Better late than never.

Week 6 Upsets: BAL, ATL, MIA, OAK, GB. Last week, NFLSim went 3-2 with upsets, so let's see how it does this week.

BAL at IND -5, 39
Winner: BAL, 58%
Spread: BAL +5, 72%
O/U: OVER, 51%

CAR at TB -1, 36.5
Winner: TB, 58%
Spread: TB -1, 56%
O/U: OVER, 69%

CHI -3 at ATL, 43.5
Winner: ATL, 57%
Spread: ATL +3, 67%
O/U: OVER, 58%

CIN at NYJ -6, 44.5
Winner: NYJ, 65%
Spread: CIN +6, 51%
O/U: OVER, 56%

DET at MIN -14, 45.5
Winner: MIN, 79%
Spread: DET +14, 61%
O/U: OVER, 59%

MIA at HOU -3, 44.5
Winner: MIA, 51%
Spread: MIA +3, 66%
O/U: OVER, 70%

OAK at NO -7.5, 47
Winner: OAK, 55%
Spread: OAK +7.5, 80%
O/U: UNDER, 57%

STL at WAS -13.5, 44.5
Winner: WAS, 76%
Spread: STL +13.5, 63%
O/U: OVER, 54%

JAX at DEN -3.5, 48
Winner: DEN, 75%
Spread: DEN -3.5, 63%
O/U: OVER, 57%

DAL -6 at ARI, 50
Winner: DAL, 51%
Spread: ARI +6, 70%
O/U: UNDER, 54%

GB at SEA -3, 47
Winner: GB, 54%
Spread: GB +3, 60%
O/U: OVER, 57%

PHI -5 at SF, 43
Winner: PHI, 59%
Spread: SF +5, 52%
O/U: OVER, 58%

NE at SD -6, 45
Winner: SD, 60%
Spread: NE +6, 59%
O/U: OVER, 72%

NYG -8 at CLE, 43
Winner: NYG, 76%
Spread: NYG -8, 51%
O/U: OVER, 55%

Week 5: Results

I'm happy with this week's performance. Picked 9 out of 14, beat Accuscore's 8 of 14. Also, out of the 5 underdogs NFLSim picked to win, 3 of them won (ATL, 3.5 pt dog; PIT, 4; MIN, 3).

Tie is Blue

SEA at NYG -7, 43.5
Winner: NYG, 70%
Spread: SEA +7, 56%
O/U: UNDER, 55%

WAS at PHI -6, 42.5
Winner: PHI, 73%
Spread: PHI -6, 51%
O/U: UNDER, 56%

SD -6.5 at MIA, 44.5
Winner: SD, 54%
Spread: MIA +6.5, 67%
O/U: OVER, 72%

KC at CAR -9.5, 38.5
Winner: CAR, 61%
Spread: KC +9.5, 68%
O/U: UNDER, 54%

TEN -3 at BAL, 33
Winner: TEN, 51%
Spread: BAL +3, 62%
O/U: OVER, 55%

IND -3.5 at HOU, 47
Winner: HOU, 63%
Spread: HOU +3.5, 68%
O/U: OVER, 56%

CHI -3.5 at DET, 44.5
Winner: CHI, 73%
Spread: CHI -3.5, 64%
O/U: OVER, 57%

ATL at GB -3.5, 41
Winner: ATL, 67%
Spread: ATL +3.5, 74%
O/U: OVER, 64%

TB at DEN -3, 47.5
Winner: DEN, 55%
Spread: TB +3, 55%
O/U: OVER, 56%

CIN at DAL -17, 44
Winner: DAL, 73%
Spread: CIN +17, 72%
O/U: OVER, 51%

BUF at ARI EVEN, 44.5
Winner: BUF, 74%
Spread: ---
O/U: OVER, 51%

NE -3.5 at SF, 41
Winner: SF, 54%
Spread: SF +3.5, 67%
O/U: UNDER, 51%

PIT at JAX -4, 36
Winner: PIT, 61%
Spread: PIT +4, 72%
O/U: OVER, 62%

MIN at NO -3, 46.5
Winner: MIN, 52%
Spread: MIN +3, 60%
O/U: UNDER, 58%

Straight	%	Correct	Games	Win %
	50-59	3	5	60.0%
	60-69	3	4	75.0%
	70-79	3	5	60.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	9	14	64.3%
Spread	%	Correct	Games	Win %
	50-59	0	3	0.0%
	60-69	3	6	50.0%
	70-79	3	3	100.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	6	12	50.0%
Total		Correct	Games	Win %
	50-59	5	11	45.5%
	60-69	2	2	100.0%
	70-79	0	1	0.0%
	80-89	0	0	---
	90-100	0	0	---
	Total	7	14	50.0%

Week 5: Predictions

SEA at NYG -7
Winner: NYG, 70%
Spread: SEA +7, 56%
O/U: UNDER, 55%

WAS at PHI -6
Winner: PHI, 73%
Spread: PHI -6, 51%
O/U: UNDER, 56%

SD -6.5 at MIA
Winner: SD, 54%
Spread: MIA +6.5, 67%
O/U: OVER, 72%

KC at CAR -9.5
Winner: CAR, 61%
Spread: KC, 68%
O/U: UNDER, 54%

TEN -3 at BAL
Winner: TEN, 51%
Spread: BAL +3, 62%
O/U: OVER, 55%

IND -3.5 at HOU
Winner: HOU, 63%
Spread: HOU +3.5, 68%
O/U: OVER, 56%

CHI -3.5 at DET
Winner: CHI, 73%
Spread: CHI -3.5, 64%
O/U: OVER, 57%

ATL at GB -3.5
Winner: ATL, 67%
Spread: ATL +3.5, 74%
O/U: OVER, 64%

TB at DEN -3
Winner: DEN, 55%
Spread: TB +3, 55%
O/U: OVER, 56%

CIN at DAL -17
Winner: DAL, 73%
Spread: CIN +17, 72%
O/U: OVER, 51%

BUF at ARI EVEN
Winner: BUF, 74%
Spread: ---
O/U: OVER, 51%

NE -3.5 at SF
Winner: SF, 54%
Spread: SF +3.5, 67%
O/U: UNDER, 51%

PIT at JAX -4
Winner: PIT, 61%
Spread: PIT +4, 72%
O/U: OVER, 62%

MIN at NO -3
Winner: MIN, 52%
Spread: MIN+6, 60%
O/U: UNDER, 58%

Week 4: Predictions

Here are the week 4 predictions. I'm not putting out the spread picks because I don't think they're accurate enough. As soon as I see some good results, I'll put them out there. Same with the O/U picks.

Most Confident Pick: BUF over STL, 82%; followed by CIN over CLE, 78%
Upset Watch: SF over NO, 65%; ATL over CAR, 65%; BAL over PIT, 55%

MIN at TEN -3
Winner: TEN, 74%

DEN -9.5 at KC
Winner: DEN, 67%

SF at NO -6
Winner: SF, 65%

ARI at NYJ -1.5
Winner: NYJ, 54%

GB at TB -1
Winner: TB, 52%

ATL at CAR -7
Winner: ATL, 65%

HOU at JAX -7
Winner: JAX, 54%

CLE at CIN -3.5
Winner: CIN, 78%

SD -7.5 at OAK
Winner: SD, 52%

BUF -8 at STL
Winner: BUF, 82%

WAS at DAL -10.5
Winner: DAL, 60%

PHI -3 at CHI
Winner: PHI, 57%

BAL at PIT -5
Winner: BAL, 55%

Week 3: BOA

Originally, I decided to put up a simplified version of BOA's results. Bad idea. I'll need to mention a few things first. I chose to leave out bets against the spread and just include moneyline bets, for now. The fundamental reason BOA works is because of inefficiencies in Vegas' line making. After simulating last season, and after extensive backtesting, NFLSim showed a remarkable tendency to assign accurate probability values for games. BOA exploits this. The only way BOA can be successful is if it assigns the correct probabilites to games, enabling for an optimal allocation of funds to different bets with different payouts. The second important point is that every bet is a different amount, based on the difference in those probabilities. Again, I don't feel that the spread predictions have reached that point yet, though I am comfortable with just striaght picking.

At some point I'd like to write up a rigorous mathematical proof showing why this works, but I'll need to meet up with my statistics professor for that.

Before using this table, consider that the season is just beginning; this is only week 3, so the simulations aren't as accurate as they will be. I can't tell you not to bet, but just keep that in mind.

Since Baltimore's win % against Cleveland is so ridiculously high (97%), I decided to run BOA using a more conservative 80%. At 97%, BAL showed up in pretty much every bet. If BAL loses, lots of bets would lose. Better safe than sorry. If you can't tell by now, I like to err on the side of conservatism.

Once more, this is what each heading means:
~"BOA ODDS" are BOA's calculated probability that the particular bet will win.
~"VEGAS PAYOUT" is the payout for that bet according to Vegas, in decimal form.
~"% OF BANKROLL" is the amount bankroll that should be devoted to that bet.
~"POSSIBLE PAYOUT" is the amount won if the bet is won. (BANKROLL * % OF BANKROLL * VEGAS PAYOUT)

Here is the team key, each number corresponds to a particular bet. 1-ATL means that when you see the number 1, it means bet on ATL to win. If you see 5,7, it means parlay NE and TEN.

1-ATL, 2-BUF, 3-CHI, 4-MIN, 5-NE, 6-NYG, 7-TEN, 8-WAS, 9-SF, 10-SEA, 11-DEN, 12-PHI, 13-IND, 14-BAL, 15-DAL, 16-SD

BET	BOA ODDS	VEGAS PAYOUT	% of BANKROLL	PAYOUT
5	90.00%	1.11	7.21%	8.01
7	87.00%	1.43	6.94%	9.92
6	84.00%	1.11	6.20%	6.88
14	80.00%	1.77	6.12%	10.83
9	79.00%	1.50	5.79%	8.68
5,7	78.30%	1.59	5.76%	9.14
2	79.00%	1.19	5.46%	6.50
5,14	72.00%	1.96	5.14%	10.10
7,14	69.60%	2.53	5.13%	12.98
6,7	73.08%	1.59	5.00%	7.93
5,6	75.60%	1.23	4.97%	6.12
7,9	68.73%	2.15	4.82%	10.35
5,9	71.10%	1.67	4.79%	7.97
13	71.00%	1.43	4.52%	6.46
5,7,14	62.64%	2.81	4.50%	12.64
11	70.00%	1.40	4.48%	6.28
10	71.00%	1.20	4.39%	5.27
5,6,7	65.77%	1.76	4.39%	7.74
5,7,9	61.86%	2.38	4.38%	10.44

Alright, let's look at this. That table is based on a bankroll of $100. One of the other reasons BOA works is because it spreads risk over numerous bets in a way such that if one bet fails, other bets can still keep you afloat. If you don't feel like making 19 bets, my advice would be to scale the bets that you do make. If you only want to make the top 5 bets, for example, add the top 5 "% BANKROLLs" together. To find the new percentage to bet, divide that bet's "% BANKROLL" by the sum of the 5 "% BANKROLLs". So... 7.21+6.94+6.2+6.12+5.79 = 32.25. Bet 1 will be 7.21/32.25 = 22.36%. Bet 2 will be 6.94/32.35 = 21.51%, and so on. All 5 percentages should add up to 100%.

As you decrease the number of bets, you increase the amount of risk. For example, if you bet all 19 bets and and all teams win except 5-NE, which has a 90% confidence, you will lose 7.91% of your bankroll. If you decide to only bet the top 5 bets, you'll lose 22.36%. It's about all about your tolerance for risk, which is yours to figure out.

I hope this makes everyone happy. If not, send me some angry emails.

Week 2 Analysis

I'm not gonna lie, week 2 didn't go too well. Though that's not so surprising considering the nature of simulations - accuracy increases as the amount of data increases. Win = Green, Loss = Red, Push = Blue.

NYG -8.5 at STL
Winner: NYG, 76%
Spread: EVEN

IND -2 at MIN
Winner: MIN, 54%
Spread: MIN +2, 58%

NO -1 at WAS
Winner: NO, 61%
Spread: NO -1, 60%

CHI at CAR -3
Winner: CAR, 51%
Spread: CHI +3, 61%

BUF at JAX -5
Winner: BUF, 64%
Spread: BUF +5, 77%

TEN at CIN -1
Winner: TEN, 79%
Spread: TEN +1, 80%

GB -3.5 at DET
Winner: DET, 59%
Spread: DET +3.5, 64%

OAK at KC -3.5
Winner: KC, 81%
Spread: KC -3.5, 72%

SF at SEA -6.5
Winner: SF, 79%
Spread: SF +6.5, 89%

ATL at TB -7
Winner: ATL, 80%
Spread: ATL +7, 92%

SD -1 at DEN
Winner: DEN, 74%
Spread: DEN +1, 75%

BAL at HOU -4.5
Winner: BAL, 70%
Spread: BAL +4.5, 80%

NE at NYJ -1.5
Winner: NYJ, 53%
Spread: EVEN

MIA at ARI -6.5
Winner: ARI, 57%
Spread: MIA +6.5, 61%

PIT -6 at CLE
Winner: PIT, 91%
Spread: PIT -6, 79%

PHI at DAL -7
Winner: PHI, 65%
Spread: PHI +7, 84%

Straight	%	Wins	Games	Win %
	50-59	2	5	40.0%
	60-69	1	3	33.3%
	70-79	4	4	100.0%
	80-89	0	2	0.0%
	90-100	1	1	100.0%
	Total	8	15	53.3%
Spread	%	Wins	Games	Win %
	50-59	0	1	0.0%
	60-69	0	3	0.0%
	70-79	2	4	50.0%
	80-89	2	3	66.7%
	90-100	0	1	0.0%
	Total	4	12	33.3%

Week 3 Predictions

This is the first time NFLSim has predicted all of the favorites to win. Also, something unusual - all home teams are favorites except for DAL at GB. Anyone know when the last time all home teams were favorites? I sure don't.

KC at ATL -5.5
Winner: ATL, 64%
Spread: ATL -5.5, 52%

OAK at BUF -9.5
Winner: BUF, 79%
Spread: BUF -9.5, 55%

TB at CHI -3
Winner: CHI, 55%
Spread: EVEN

CAR at MIN -3
Winner: MIN, 63%
Spread: MIN -3, 54%

MIA at NE -12.5
Winner: NE, 90%
Spread: NE -12.5, 66%

CIN at NYG -13.5
Winner: NYG, 84%
Spread: NYG -13.5, 51%

HOU at TEN -5
Winner: TEN, 87%
Spread: TEN -5, 77%

ARI at WAS -3
Winner: WAS, 51%
Spread: ARI +3, 61%

DET at SF -4
Winner: SF, 79%
Spread: SF -4, 65%

STL at SEA -9.5
Winner: SEA, 71%
Spread: STL +9.5, 58%

NO at DEN -5.5
Winner: DEN, 70%
Spread: DEN -5.5, 57%

PIT at PHI -3.5
Winner: PHI, 62%
Spread: EVEN

JAX at IND -5
Winner: IND, 71%
Spread: IND -5, 55%

CLE at BAL -2.5
Winner: BAL, 97%
Spread: BAL -2.5, 96%

DAL -3 at GB
Winner: DAL, 54%
Spread: GB +3, 59%

NYJ at SD -9
Winner: SD, 53%
Spread: NYJ +9, 75%

Week 2 Predictions

I'm going to withhold the total predictions for this week, but I'll put up the winners and spreads. This week's predictions are going to sound ridiculous. I was actually thinking about waiting another week before putting them up, but I went back and looked at the simulation of last season's week 2 to see how they compared. In both weeks 2 there were many picks of huge underdogs, but that week actually turned out to be a very good one. I won't give out that week's exact numbers because I don't want heightened expectations. Remember, use these at your own risk. If you're in a suicide / survivor pool and you see that SF wins 79% when they're a 7 point dog, use some discretion. Bear in mind it's the beginning of the season, so the picks may not be as reliable because of a lack of data. That said, here we go...

If the confidence is 50%, I'll just write EVEN.

NYG -8.5 at STL
Winner: NYG, 76%
Spread: EVEN

IND -2 at MIN
Winner: MIN, 54%
Spread: MIN +2, 58%

NO -1 at WAS
Winner: NO, 61%
Spread: NO -1, 60%

CHI at CAR -3
Winner: CAR, 51%
Spread: CHI +3, 61%

BUF at JAX -5
Winner: BUF, 64%
Spread: BUF +5, 77%

TEN at CIN -1
Winner: TEN, 79%
Spread: TEN +1, 80%

GB -3.5 at DET
Winner: DET, 59%
Spread: DET +3.5, 64%

OAK at KC -3.5
Winner: KC, 81%
Spread: KC -3.5, 72%

SF at SEA -6.5
Winner: SF, 79%
Spread: SF +6.5, 89%

ATL at TB -7
Winner: ATL, 80%
Spread: ATL +7, 92%

SD -1 at DEN
Winner: DEN, 74%
Spread: DEN +1, 75%

BAL at HOU -4.5
Winner: BAL, 70%
Spread: BAL +4.5, 80%

NE at NYJ -1.5
Winner: NYJ, 53%
Spread: EVEN

MIA at ARI -6.5
Winner: ARI, 57%
Spread: MIA +6.5, 61%

PIT -6 at CLE
Winner: PIT, 91%
Spread: PIT -6, 79%

PHI at DAL -7
Winner: PHI, 65%
Spread: PHI +7, 84%

Prediction Primer

Before I start putting up the picks, I'll write a quick little blurb about what I'll be posting and how to interpret all of the info. A game's prediction will look like the following:

AWAY at HOME, TOTAL
Winner: PICK, %
Spread: PICK, %
Total: PICK, %

NYG -8.5 at STL, 41.5
Winner: NYG, 76%
Spread: NYG -8.5, 50%
Total: OVER, 66%

So that means: The Giants are an 8.5 pt favorite playing in St. Louis. The over/under line is 41.5. NYG wins outright in 76% of the simulations (380 of 500 simulations). NYG covers the 8.5 point spread in half the simulations. The total score exceeds 41.5 points in 66% of simulations. Simple enough, yes?

Last season, it turned out that the confidence when picking winners actually matched the real life probability of that team winning. (One of the first blog entries has more info on that.) If I simulated 100 different match-ups over the course of the season and they all had a confidence of 65%, in reality, 65 of those 100 picks would be correct. That's extremely useful for gambling purposes, so hopefully that correlation will continue, though there are no guarantees.

I'll also be posting weekly offensive, defensive, and overall power rankings and ratings based on my simulations.

I combined the Kelly criterion with some of my own calculations to determine the optimal bets based on the payout of the bet and the confidence of the pick. Check out en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_criterion for more info. I'll post the results of the calculations as betting suggestions.

I got a request to post some stats from the simulation, so I'll put those up as well.

Any questions/comments, feel free to shoot me an email.

Picks Start Week 2

One last reminder... picks start week 2. There aren't going to be any picks tomorrow. There may be an enlightening article in a few days. But no picks until next week, week 2. Keep checking back, though, some other cool stuff might pop up.

PLAYOFFS/SUPERBOWL w/ Spread and O/U

Playoff Rd 1	Win %
WAS
SEA	71%
JAX
PIT	66%
NYG
TB	68%
TEN
SD	59%

Wins: 2-2 50%


Spread and Over/Under were finally completed!
For spread and o/u, the percentage is the chance that the favorite team would cover the spread and that the total points would exceed the over. If the percentage for the spread is above 50%, if the favorite covers the spread, it's a win (green); if the favorite doesn't cover the spread, it's a loss (red). For a percentage below 50%, the favorite probably won't cover the spread. So if the favorite covers the spread, it's a loss; if the spread is not covered, it's a win.
To summarize: if the spread and over are above 50% (probably will happen) and the spread is covered and the points exceed the over, they are wins. If they are under 50% (cover and over probably won't happen) and the spread is not covered and the points fall below the over, they are wins. Visa versa for losses.

Example: SEA was projected to win 53%. They lost, so Win is red. The spread was predicted to be covered 27%. It was covered, against the probability, so it was a loss. The over was predicted 65%. Since the actual score went over the line, it was a win.

Playoff Rd 2	Win %	Cover Spread %	Over %
SEA	53%	27%	65%
GB
JAX
NE	63%	31%	53%
SD
IND	69%	46%	22%
NYG
DAL	72%	49%	45%

Wins: 1-3 25%
Spread: 3-1 75%
O/U: 3-1 75%

Playoff Rd 3	Win %	Cover Spread %	Over %
SD
NE	71%	33%	47%
NYG
GB	64%	41%	61%

Wins: 1-1 50%
Spread: 2-0 100%
O/U: 2-0 100%

Superbowl	Win %	Cover Spread %	Over %
NYG
NE	67%	56%	20%

Wins: 0-1 0%
Spread: 0-1 0%
O/U: 1-0 100%

WEEK 16

Week 16	Win %
PIT	57%
STL
DAL	63%
CAR
NYG	51%
BUF
GB	66%
CHI
CLE
CIN	59%
KC
DET	59%
HOU
IND	73%
PHI
NO	62%
OAK
JAX	60%
ATL
ARI	51%
TB	58%
SF
NYJ
TEN	60%
MIA
NE	71%
BAL
SEA	70%
WAS
MIN	72%
DEN
SD	55%

Total	% Range	Games	Wins	Win %
	50-59	7	6	85.7%
	60-69	5	3	60.0%
	70-79	4	3	75.0%
	80-89	0	0	0.0%
	90-100	0	0	0.0%
	Total	16	12	75.0%

WEEK 15

Week 15	Win %
DEN	54%
HOU
CIN
SF	54%
BUF	53%
CLE
TEN
KC	64%
GB	56%
STL
BAL
MIA	54%
NYJ
NE	71%
ARI
NO	77%
JAX
PIT	72%
ATL
TB	70%
SEA	55%
CAR
IND	62%
OAK
PHI
DAL	69%
DET
SD	58%
WAS
NYG	66%
CHI
MIN	69%

Total	% Range	Games	Wins	Win %
	50-59	7	4	57.1%
	60-69	5	2	40.0%
	70-79	4	3	75.0%
	80-89	0	0	0.0%
	90-100	0	0	0.0%
	Total	16	9	56.3%

WEEK 14

Week 14	Win %
CHI
WAS	60%
MIA
BUF	64%
STL	51%
CIN
DAL	64%
DET
OAK
GB	57%
SD	54%
TEN
NYG
PHI	57%
CAR
JAX	60%
TB	58%
HOU
MIN	66%
SF
ARI
SEA	82%
KC
DEN	62%
PIT
NE	54%
CLE
NYJ	63%
IND	61%
BAL
NO
ATL	58%

Total	% Range	Games	Wins	Win %
	50-59	7	3	42.9%
	60-69	8	7	87.5%
	70-79	0	0	0.0%
	80-89	1	1	100.0%
	90-100	0	0	0.0%
	Total	16	11	68.8%