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The Football Analytics Show by The Power Rank and Ed Feng

The Football Analytics Show uses data and analytics to make predictions on games and break down match ups. The show covers both college football and the NFL.
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The Football Analytics Show by The Power Rank and Ed Feng
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Now displaying: 2019
Dec 20, 2019

Should you fade teams with interim coaches? Host Ed Feng looks at the data on bowl games with one interim coach.

Dec 19, 2019

Michigan plays Alabama in the Citrus Bowl.  Host Ed Feng digs into the story behind these two teams this season and gives a prediction for the game.

Dec 18, 2019

You know to use data and analytics to predict bowl games.  But what about another resource, one that doesn't involve data from the current season?  Host Ed Feng tells you about a resource and what it says about Washington State vs Air Force.

Dec 17, 2019

To win your bowl pool, follow a two step process.  Host Ed Feng first discusses which type of bowl pool to enter.  Then he describes how to use a favorites versus contrarian strategy based on pool size.

Dec 11, 2019

Chris Andrews, director of the South Point sports book in Las Vegas, joins me to discuss his book Then One Day... and football numbers. He discusses his general approach to bookmaking, and how he deals with sharp bettors. He gives a great example of setting the line with Ohio State vs Clemson in the college football playoff. Chris talks about whether "momentum" is useful in either college football or the NFL. Finally, he tells a few of the stories that make his book such a great read.

Dec 4, 2019

Rob Pizzola, a professional sports bettor, joins me for a wide ranging conversation on the NFL. He talks about his team and played based models for the NFL. Then Rob discusses how he deals with fast rising teams like Baltimore. Finally, he gives some contrarian opinions on NFL QBs and takes a broad look at the sports betting landscape.

Nov 26, 2019

Host Ed Feng breaks down Ohio State at Michigan, Wisconsin at Minnesota and Alabama at Auburn. He ends by discussing two books and a YouTube channel that have captivated him lately.

Nov 20, 2019

Michael Salfino, whose work can be found on FiveThirtyEight, The Athletic and the Wall Street Journal, joins me to discuss the NFL. He tells us how initiated the Massey-Peabody football rankings. Then he explains the strategy for stopping Lamar Jackson that a team has yet to use in 2019. Finally, we discuss a key statistic for evaluating NFL teams and how this impacts his Super Bowl contenders.

Nov 13, 2019

Host Ed Feng discuss his results for the chance that each team makes the college football playoff. He looks deeper at Clemson, the Pac-12 contenders Utah and Oregon, and Minnesota.

Nov 6, 2019

Dr. Ben Baldwin, writer for The Athletic that covers the Seattle Seahawks, joins me to discuss NFL football analytics. He tells us why he goes by "new-age analytical" on Twitter. Then he explains his work on whether running the ball sets up play action, and how this has impacted Seattle's play calling in 2019. He then breaks down the Monday night game with Seattle at San Francisco. We end with a discussion on Aaron Rodgers, the Rams and the Big Data Bowl.

Oct 30, 2019

Kevin Cole, a data scientist at Pro Football Focus, joins me to talk football analytics. He describes his latest work in using Bayesian methods and player grades to evaluate NFL QBs. This allows him to assign a probability that Mitch Trubisky is better than Pat Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, no matter how small. We also discuss why QBs should not always minimize their interception rate. Finally, Kevin gives his thoughts on San Francisco, Green Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore.

Oct 23, 2019

Edward Egros, a professor SMU that works at the forefront of journalism and sports analytics, joins me to talk football. He explains his college football model and the impact of recruiting. Then we discuss SMU, Texas, Alabama and the Dallas Cowboys. Finally, he tells us about his sports analytics class, how to get NFL play by play data, and Florence Nightingale.

Oct 17, 2019

Whale Capper is an earthquake engineer who uses this technical expertise to predict the NFL. He tells us how he introduces variance into his model, and how this informs his betting. We talk about science vs art in his model, and how this pertains to the Miami Dolphins. He also tells us the team that he didn't like this preseason, and why he has changed his mind. We end with a great food discussion.

Oct 9, 2019

After six weeks of the season, we are starting to see early returns on college football teams. Which teams are living up to the preseason hype? Host Ed Feng looks at 3 teams: 1. the top 10 team that is no longer getting carried by its defense, 2. the team I had overrated this preseason that is looking good, but not in the way I expected, 3. the team in which everyone is talking about the QB, but that might not be its biggest problem.

Oct 2, 2019

Seth Walder of ESPN joins the show to discuss their excellent work on football analytics. He tells us how the Football Power Index (FPI) works for both college football and the NFL. In addition, he offers a college football and NFL team that FPI really likes. Then we get into ESPN's work with NFL Next Gen Stats which tracks the motion of all players. Seth tells us about pass rush win rate and the player on Tampa Bay tearing it up this season.

Sep 25, 2019

Rufus Peabody, a professional sports bettor, joins me to discuss how he uses analytics to make better bets. He talks about his Massey Peabody model for making college football and NFL predictions. We talk about teams like Wisconsin and Michigan in college football that have moved rapidly from their preseason projections. We also discuss Miami in the NFL, a most difficult team to quantify. Finally, Rufus talks about the data that goes into NFL player model.

Sep 18, 2019

Preston Johnson, a professional sports bettor and ESPN personality, joins me to talk college football and the NFL. He tells us about the two sets of numbers he uses in his football handicapping. This informs his positions on Michigan, Syracuse and SMU in college football and Denver and Green Bay in the NFL. Preston also talks about profitable versus unprofitable teasers in the NFL.

Sep 11, 2019

Dr. Eric Eager is a data scientist at Pro Football Focus pushing the frontiers of football analytics. He tells us whether pass rush or coverage matters more on pass defense. When the defense rushes the passer, Dr. Eager explains whether the offensive line or quarterback plays a bigger role in reducing that pressure. Then he explains the new player based model he uses to predict both college football and NFL games. Finally, we talk about the 2019 NFL season and the team that might become Jacksonville 3.0.

Sep 5, 2019

Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders joins me for a wide ranging discussion on the NFL. He tells us about the most important frontiers in football analytics, which leads to a discussion of which defensive stats are least stable from year to year. Then we get into an overrated team, or Jacksonville 2.0. Finally, he tells us about an NFC North team that might surprise you.

Aug 30, 2019

The preseason is the time for high expectations in college football. However, not all teams live up to the hype. Using analytics and context, host Ed Feng identifies 3 overrated college football teams for 2019.

Aug 29, 2019

Host Ed Feng goes through 5 games based on predictions he usually saves for paying members of The Power Rank, his site for more accurate football predictions. These predictions allow him to dig deeper into the Clemson Tigers, the Wisconsin Badgers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Aug 28, 2019

Colts QB Andrew Luck shocked the football world by retiring this weekend. To determine the effect of his absence on Indianapolis, host Ed Feng uses his NFL preseason rankings based on market win totals.

Aug 27, 2019

While Oklahoma and Texas dominate the headlines, Iowa State might be the most intriguing team in the Big 12. Host Ed Feng breaks down QB Brock Purdy and the pass defense by using a little known fact about the official statistics. He ends by ranking the top 3 Big 12 teams by The Power Rank preseason model.

Aug 26, 2019

Seattle had a solid 10-6 season in 2018 and made the playoffs. However, the Seahawks have a serious problem. Host Ed Feng looks at their offense based on research on how running the ball sets up play action.

Aug 23, 2019

It's hard enough to win a division title in college football. It gets even harder when your team has the most difficult schedule. Based on division win probabilities, host Ed Feng identifies 3 college football teams getting screwed by the injustice of schedule.

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