THE POWER RANK

Podcast: Michael Caley on soccer analytics

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Michael Caley, soccer analytics expert and co-host of the Double Pivot podcast, joins me for a wide ranging discussion. His writing has appeared on FiveThirtyEight, The Athletic, and The Correspondent.

Among other topics, we discuss:

  • The surprising Ph.D. that he earned before getting into soccer analytics (2:17)
  • Expected goals (xG) and future frontiers in soccer analytics (9:47)
  • The excruciating process that goes into calculating expected goals (18:55)
  • The Champions League prospects for Bayern Munich (20:20)
  • The best goal scorers in the game by xG (22:45)
  • How good is Liverpool? (25:39)
  • Is there any hope for USMNT? (27:29)

To listen here, click on the right pointing triangle:

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here.

The Football Analytics Show is also available on Spotify and Google Podcasts.

Podcast: What is the probability of football in 2020?

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With the ongoing pandemic, there is no certainty that college football and the NFL happen in the fall of 2020. Paul Schulz of the University of Michigan, a researcher in population dynamics, joins me to forecast the likelihood of the sport.

Among other topics, we discuss:

  • How COVID-19 is progressing in the United States (4:37)
  • The numbers Paul consults to track the disease (9:23)
  • How heterogeneity of the pandemic will affect football (15:37)
  • The probability of college football this fall (21:56)
  • The probability of the NFL this fall (29:43)

On the show, I discuss my video on exponential growth and my personal story with COVID-19. To check it out, click here.

To listen here, click on the right pointing triangle.

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here.

The Football Analytics Show is also available on Google Podcasts and Spotify.

Podcast: Evan Silva on predicting the 2020 NFL draft

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, I’m joined by Evan Silva of Establish the Run. Evan is an NFL expert who writes a detailed match up column each week during the season.

In addition, he creates accurate mock drafts according to the Huddle Report. Among other topics, we discuss:

  • Will New England address the QB position in the draft? (5:22)
  • What Evan thinks about Tampa Bay with Tom Brady, and what they might do in the draft (9:23)
  • Breaking down the 2020 quarterback class (14:07)
  • 2 surprise predictions for the 2020 NFL draft (21:27)
  • Evan’s thoughts on Astroball after the cheating revelations (29:13)

You can check out his most recent mock draft on Establish the Run here, but follow him on Twitter for updates leading up to the draft.

To listen here, click on the right pointing triangle.

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here.