Sunday, August 25, 2024

Week 0 Betting Summary



We were super excited here at the Aggregate to get our first official bets ever in for the start of the football season, but week 0 was a big disappointment here at the Aggregate. The Aggregate went 2-2 for the weekend and we lost 1 percent of our bankroll losing both bets we placed. 


The reason that the Aggregate failed this week was Florida State. The Seminoles deeply saddened us this week with a poor performance against Georgia Tech although Tech looked good especially that defense. The Aggregate uses three different off-season ratings or evaluation tools to try and give us a range of how good a team might be coming into the next season. That information told us that Florida State was a 100% lock in winning Saturday's first game, but clearly that was wrong. It will be back to the drawing board for our preseason evaluations although we're still reserving some judgement till after week one. In fairness we did warn that early season calculations are notoriously unreliable because of the lack of data about each team. This proved too true so we hope you didn't bet your bank roll on our week 0 picks.

We will say this despite going 2-2 we were pretty proud of our data about New Mexico. The Lobos didn't win their game against Montana State, but they came very close and our data indicated it would be a closer contest than people expected. The same thing happened with the Hawaii game although in that case the Aggregate picked the Rainbow Warriors to get the victory in both our score prediction and chance to win category. Unfortunately the data indicates not that Delaware State is improved, but more that Hawaii is not very good.

The other area the Aggregate struggled at this week was the SMU game. Like many experts we saw SMU as a heavy favorite against the Nevada Wolf Pack, but the Mustangs just barely pulled out a win.

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Official stats from the week:

The Aggregate:
Moneyline: 2-2 (2 bets, lost 1% of our bankroll for the season)
Against The Spread: 2-2
Over/Under: 2-2

Other Entities Moneyline:
Vegas Line: 3-1
ESPN FPI: 2-2
Sagarin: 3-1

Saturday, August 24, 2024

Week 0 Aggregate CFB Picks

 


College football is finally back and the Aggregate has predicted the first four games. Some special notes out here before you begin using the Aggregate predictor as a betting guide. 

One, the aggregate was effective last year and correctly selected almost 79% of winners during the regular season college football games. That sample size was about 170 games. This is likely too small a sample size to prove the aggregates ability. Personally I do believe in the data and am wagering this year based on that research, but you should know the wagers are very small. With the development of more automation in my process I should have a much larger sample size to work with after this season. However, whatever advice we may give is all at your own discretion. Your decisions are you own. I do promise to be honest about the Aggregates winning and losing and all of the data so that you can see what is working and what is not. 

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Two, the Aggregate was unable to accurately predict against the spread or over/under last year. Officially the Aggregate was 12 games under .500 against the spread and 3 games under against the over/under. Both of these percentages would only have lost money last year and I do not plan on betting any money on these categories although we will still list that information. I have made some small changes where those formulas are concerned including now factoring standard deviation to those calculations and am hopeful to get better results this season. I will continue to track how the formula does.

Three, the Aggregate betting system will work this way. Because of my extremely small bank roll I will be betting on approximately 14 games a week with the exception of Week 0 and 1 which will be a combined 14. For me these 14 games will be chosen by whichever teams have the best chance to win. The goal is to win as many as possible and if we are winning 79 percent than we will be making money. The actual percentage should be much higher as the 79 percent was based on all games even games where the favorite my only be favored by a percent or two. 

Four, other than the 14 moneyline bets I will place one bet per week on a parlay. Parlay's are notoriously tricky, but are very lucrative. This parlay will always just include moneyline bets as that's the category where the Aggregate has done so well in. The method behind picking those games will be simple. Any game where the Aggregate see's a 90% chance for a team to win or better will be included in the parlay for that week. The reason behind this is because last spring when the Aggregate broke down the NCAA basketball tournament it never failed to correctly predict a winner when the chance to win was 90% or higher. This is also a very small sample size and not one specifically from college football. I do not have the data for this for college football last year as I wasn't tracking it yet, but we'll have more data on this after this year. You should know that in the NCAA tournament only 9 games out of 65 met this criteria so the likelihood of many games with this are small. If for some reason there are not multiple games that meet this criteria than we will not place a parlay bet. 

Five, although we will be betting the same amount each week it would be smart to only bet small amounts early on. The reason for this is simple. At the beginning of the season we don't have very much data. The Aggregates preseason projections are based off of last year's teams rating, players lost and gained, and coaches lost and gained. This is our first year coming up with a preseason rating so it is very new and has no proven data. Because of this I weighed also Phil Steele's best power rating into the calculation so as to mitigate any outliers. As we gain more data about this I will move away from this. As we move further into the season though teams will show us who is best and who we can trust based on their results. This is the surest way to feel confident in betting with the Aggregate.

So now that you have been forewarned here is the Aggregate's Week 0 predictions:

 

Week Zero CFB Predictions
TeamsRecordScore PredictionChance to WinVegas LineO/UMoneyline
Saturday, August 24th
#10 Florida State0-038100.0%-10.555.5-$450.00
Georgia Tech0-0240.0%$360.00
Montana State0-04633.0%-13.554.5-$550.00
New Mexico0-04466.7%$425.00
SMU0-042100.0%-27.055.5-$3,500.00
Nevada0-0130.0%$1,500.00
Sunday, August 25th
Deleware State0-0210.00%N/A
Hawaii0-035100.00%-40.555.5N/A


















The aggregate really likes three games. Florida State over Georgia Tech, SMU over Nevada, and Hawaii over Delaware State. In each of these cases the Aggregate sees the favorite as having a 100% chance to win. It is very early so that data can be unreliable, but the Aggregate is using three different preseason evaluation tools to get those results. The Aggregate is betting on one of those games. It is just the Florida State game. That games odds are the best this week and we are anticipating about a 19% ROI. All of our data points to their victory.  The Aggregate would have bet the SMU game, but the ROI basically came out to 0% for the level of investment that we are inputting. We would also have bet on the Hawaii game, but there is no moneyline available for that game. The Aggregate did invest in a 2 pick parlay with Florida State and SMU moneyline picks. We are anticipating a 23%ROI for this bet. 

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The one game that the Aggregate did not touch is the Montana State, New Mexico game. There are many reasons for this. First, our point calculator, which is a mean based predictor, predicted that Montana State would win the game while our Chance to win calculator, which is a median based predictor, holds that New Mexico will win the game. Second, as we said before this data is pretty small and we are unsure of it's ability to accurately predict anything yet. A couple of our models really like New Mexico's coaching hires and that has given them an edge that they may not actually have especially considering it's their first game. Third, we do not have a good system yet for evaluating FCS schools. Although we have made strides to correct this we still are not able to track all FCS schools and their results and as a result their ratings are based off of an  amalgamation of indicators, but not their actual results or off season moves. 



Tuesday, August 20, 2024

Top 10 Most Overrated FBS Coaches

For the past month we’ve been working here at the Aggregate on a new formula to try and evaluate coaches and the job they do. One of the basic ways to do this is to look at a coaches winning percentage, but this statistic doesn’t take into account many factors including time and environment. As a result a traditional winning percentage favors coaches who came into very favorable situations. To try and eliminate this we came up with a formula that gives coaches credit incrementally for their wins and losses. The basic premise is this, the longer a coach has been at a university the more accountable he is for it's wins and losses. We call this the Adjusted winning percentage

Sometimes the difference between a coaches adjusted and traditional winning percentage is negligible, but sometimes it’s not. In the case where a coaches traditional winning percentage is much higher than his adjusted we consider that coach to be overrated. In that spirit here are the top 10 overrated coaches in the FBS according to this data.

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RankCoachTeamAdj W PctTra W PctDifferenceConference
1Jim MoraUConn47.3%54.5%-7.2%Ind
2Joe MoorheadAkron29.8%36.0%-6.2%MAC
3Clay HeltonGSU55.9%60.4%-4.5%Sunbelt
4Josh HeupelTennessee69.8%73.3%-3.5%SEC
5Pete LemboBuffalo49.7%53.2%-3.5%MAC
6Gus MalzahnUCF62.9%65.2%-2.3%B12
7Jake DickertWashington State46.3%48.4%-2.2%Pac12
8Eliah DrinkwitzMizzou62.4%64.5%-2.1%SEC
9Blake AndersonUtah State55.9%57.8%-1.9%MW
10Mike ElkoTexas A&M62.2%64.0%-1.8%SEC


Jim Mora, who is now at UConn, leads the way as the most overrated coach in the FBS. Mora’s traditional rate is over 50 % at 54.5%, but his adjusted rate is just 47.3%. Mora is basically the poster boy for winning with previous staff's players. Mora has coached both UCLA and now Uconn. His first three years at UCLA were his most successful. He's only in his third year at Uconn, but the pattern has repeated. Uconn went 6-7 his first year, only 3-9 last year. 

The most significant name on this list is that of Tennessee head coach, Josh Heupel. Heupel is the fourth most overrated coach in the FBS according to this data. His traditional win percentage is a 3.5% higher than his adjusted. It should be pointed out that his adjusted is still 69.8% good enough for 20th best in the country. The data is not telling us that Heupel is not a good coach just that he's not as good of coach as his traditional win percentage might tell you. If you just went by his traditional win percentage Heupel would be 12th in the country not 20th. It's also notable that in the top 10 are three coaches from the SEC. More than any other conference. 

Here is where every coach ranks in the FBS.

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RankCoachTeamAdj W PctTra W PctDifferenceConference
1Jim MoraUConn47.3%54.5%-7.2%Ind
2Joe MoorheadAkron29.8%36.0%-6.2%MAC
3Clay HeltonGSU55.9%60.4%-4.5%Sunbelt
4Josh HeupelTennessee69.8%73.3%-3.5%SEC
5Pete LemboBuffalo49.7%53.2%-3.5%MAC
6Gus MalzahnUCF62.9%65.2%-2.3%B12
7Jake DickertWashington State46.3%48.4%-2.2%Pac12
8Eliah DrinkwitzMizzou62.4%64.5%-2.1%SEC
9Blake AndersonUtah State55.9%57.8%-1.9%MW
10Mike ElkoTexas A&M62.2%64.0%-1.8%SEC
11Shawn ClarkApp State64.3%66.0%-1.7%Sunbelt
12Jeff TedfordFresno State60.0%61.7%-1.7%MW
13Jason CandleToledo63.3%65.0%-1.7%MAC
14Willie FritzHouston55.5%57.1%-1.6%B12
15Sonny CumbieLa Tech26.0%27.6%-1.6%CUSA
16Jeff BrohmLouisville59.8%61.3%-1.5%ACC
17Ricky RahneOld Dominion38.1%39.5%-1.4%Sunbelt
18Bill O'BrienBoston College61.1%62.5%-1.4%ACC
19Ryan DayOhio State86.2%87.5%-1.3%B10
20Joey McGuireTexas Tech56.4%57.7%-1.3%B12
21Tom HermanFAU64.6%65.9%-1.3%AAC
22Michael DesormeauxLouisiana46.8%48.1%-1.3%Sunbelt
23Ryan SilverfieldMemphis62.1%63.3%-1.2%AAC
24LIncoln RileyUSC79.3%80.4%-1.1%B10
25Jim McElwainC. Michigan55.5%56.6%-1.1%MAC
26Tyson HeltonW. Kentucky59.7%60.6%-0.9%CUSA
27Ken NiumataloloSan Jose State56.0%56.8%-0.8%MW
28Tony ElliottVirginia26.5%27.3%-0.8%ACC
29Troy CalhounAir Force60.9%61.3%-0.4%MW
30Pat NarduzziPittsburgh56.1%56.5%-0.4%ACC
31Justin WilcoxCalifornia45.3%45.6%-0.3%ACC
32Shane BeamerSouth Carolina52.4%52.6%-0.2%SEC
33Jon SumrallTulane85.0%85.2%-0.2%AAC
34Dave DoerenNC State62.6%62.7%-0.1%ACC
35Eric MorrisUNT41.7%41.7%0.0%AAC
36Brian NewberryNavy41.7%41.7%0.0%AAC
37Sherrone MooreMichigan100.0%100.0%0.0%B10
38Spencer DanielsonBoise State75.0%75.0%0.0%MW
39K.C. KeelerSam Houston25.0%25.0%0.0%CUSA
40Scotty WaldenUtep25.0%25.0%0.0%CUSA
41Biff PoggiCharlotte25.0%25.0%0.0%AAC
42Stan DraytonTemple25.0%25.0%0.0%AAC
43Troy TaylorStanford25.0%25.0%0.0%ACC
44Kenny DillinghamAZ St25.0%25.0%0.0%B12
45Gerad ParkerTroy0.0%0.0%0.0%Sunbelt
46Lance TaylorW. Michigan33.3%33.3%0.0%MAC
47Trent DilferUAB33.3%33.3%0.0%AAC
48Ryan WaltersPurdue33.3%33.3%0.0%B10
49Deion SandersColorado33.3%33.3%0.0%B12
50Kenni BurnsKent State8.3%8.3%0.0%MAC
51Tim BeckCoastal Carolina61.5%61.5%0.0%Sunbelt
52G.J. KinneTexas State61.5%61.5%0.0%Sunbelt
53David BraunNorthwestern61.5%61.5%0.0%B10
54Alex GoleshUSF53.8%53.8%0.0%AAC
55Bryant VincentULM53.8%53.8%0.0%Sunbelt
56Chris KliemanKansas State61.9%61.9%0.0%B12
57Thomas HammockNIU42.2%42.1%0.1%MAC
58Scott SatterfieldCincinnati60.6%60.5%0.1%B12
59Kyle WhittinghamUtah67.6%67.2%0.4%B12
60Derek MasonMTSU33.3%32.9%0.4%CUSA
61Charles HuffMarshall56.9%56.4%0.5%Sunbelt
62Brent KeyGT52.9%52.4%0.5%ACC
63Bret BielemaIllinois60.6%59.9%0.7%B10
64Matt CampbellIowa St59.1%58.3%0.8%B12
65Butch JonesArk St55.2%54.3%0.9%Sunbelt
66Mike HoustonEast Carolina42.3%41.4%0.9%AAC
67Hugh FreezeAuburn65.1%64.0%1.1%SEC
68Tony SanchezNMSU34.5%33.3%1.2%CUSA
69Scot LoefflerBowling Green37.8%36.4%1.4%MAC
70Kalani SitakeBYU61.2%59.8%1.4%B12
71Dan LanningOregon82.9%81.5%1.4%B10
72Neal BrownWVU61.2%59.5%1.7%B12
73Clark LeaVanderbilt26.7%25.0%1.7%SEC
74Mike GundyOk St69.5%67.8%1.7%B12
75Kalen DeboerAlabama82.2%80.4%1.8%SEC
76Barry OdomUNLV54.9%53.1%1.8%MW
77Brian KellyLSU74.7%72.9%1.8%SEC
78Jeff TraylorUTSA75.5%73.6%1.9%AAC
79Will HallSouthern Miss37.1%35.1%2.0%Sunbelt
80Major ApplewhiteS. Alabama59.7%57.7%2.0%Sunbelt
81Sam PittmanArkansas50.0%47.9%2.1%SEC
82Lane KiffinOle Miss68.3%66.2%2.1%SEC
83Bronco MendenhallNew Mexico64.7%62.5%2.2%MW
84Greg SchianoRutgers50.1%47.8%2.3%B10
85Kirk FerentzIowa64.5%62.2%2.3%B10
86Mike BloomgrenRice34.9%32.4%2.5%AAC
87Mike NorvellFlorida State70.1%67.6%2.5%ACC
88Timmy ChangHawai'i33.3%30.8%2.5%MW
89Steve SarkisianTexas61.7%59.2%2.5%SEC
90Dave ArandaBaylor50.6%47.9%2.7%B12
91Kirby SmartGeorgia88.2%85.5%2.7%SEC
92Mario CristobalMiami53.0%50.3%2.7%ACC
93Don BrownUMass19.4%16.7%2.7%Ind
94James FranklinPenn State70.3%67.5%2.8%B10
95Mike NeuBall State42.7%39.8%2.9%MAC
96Dabo SwinneyClemson82.8%79.8%3.0%ACC
97Marcus FreemanNotre Dame73.4%70.4%3.0%Ind
98Curt CignettiIndiana85.7%82.6%3.1%B10
99Rich RodriguezJacksonville St.62.5%59.3%3.2%CUSA
100Manny DiazDuke61.7%58.3%3.4%ACC
101Mark StoopsKentucky56.5%52.9%3.6%SEC
102Sonny DykesTCU59.1%55.3%3.8%B12
103Dave ClawsonWake Forest54.3%50.5%3.8%ACC
104Jeff MonkenArmy60.0%56.0%4.0%AAC
105Mack BrownUNC69.7%65.7%4.0%ACC
106Rhett LashleeSMU70.7%66.7%4.0%ACC
107Kevin WilsonTulsa39.3%35.3%4.0%AAC
108Billy NapierFlorida70.3%66.2%4.1%SEC
109Chris CreightonE. Michigan47.4%43.3%4.1%MAC
110Brent PryVa Tech45.9%41.7%4.2%ACC
111Jay NorvellColorado State54.1%49.4%4.7%MW
112Mike MacintyreFIU44.8%40.0%4.8%CUSA
113Sean LewisSan Diego State48.5%43.6%4.9%MW
114Brent VenablesOklahoma66.7%61.5%5.2%SEC
115Jonathan SmithMichigan State54.6%49.3%5.3%B10
116Jamey ChadwellLiberty75.0%69.3%5.7%CUSA
117Chuck MartinMiami (OH)53.5%47.5%6.0%MAC
118PJ FleckMinnesota64.9%58.8%6.1%B10
119Tim AlbinOhio65.2%59.0%6.2%MAC
120Jedd FischWashington50.0%43.6%6.4%B10
121Luke FickellWisconsin77.3%69.6%7.7%B10
122Brent BrennanArizona49.6%41.5%8.1%B12
123Mike LocksleyMaryland43.6%34.4%9.2%B10
124Matt RhuleNebraska61.7%51.0%10.7%B10
125Lance LeipoldKU63.2%50.0%13.2%B12















SEC End of Season Rankings

  The end of year rankings for the 2024 SEC season. The SEC had more parody than ever in the conference and without a dominant team at the t...