[comp.ai.neural-nets] FOOTBALL NEURAL NET - RESULTS OF WEEK 15

mathis@boulder.Colorado.EDU (Don Mathis) (12/19/89)

         RESULTS OF THE FOOTBALL NEURAL NET:     WEEK 15


*****************************************************************************
* The football neural net ranks football teams based on the following system:
*
* Goals:
*   1.  If teams A and B play head-to-head, then the winner should be 
*       ranked higher.
*   2.  If teams A and B don't play head-to-head, but both play team C, 
*       then whoever beats team C by more points should be ranked higher.
*
* System:
*   1.  Assign to each team a numerical "quality value".
*   2.  IF TEAMS A AND B PLAY HEAD-TO HEAD, THEN THE WINNER'S QUALITY VALUE
*       SHOULD EXCEED THE LOSER'S BY AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO THE POINT DIFFERENCE
*       IN THE GAME.
*   3.  Find a quality value for each team that satisfies the above 
*       requirement as closely as possible.
*
* Notes: 
*   1.  This system achieves the two goals as well as mathematically possible.
*   2.  By "as well as mathematically possible", I mean that the system finds
*       a least-squares solution to the linear system defined by the equation
*       described in System.2.
*
******************************************************************************

     |------------------|                           |------------------|
     | Week 14 Rankings |                           | Week 15 Rankings |
     |------------------|                           |------------------|

                   Quality    W/L                               Quality    W/L
Rank     Team       Value    Record          Rank     Team       Value    Record
----     ----      --------  ------          ----     ----      ------    ------
#1    Denver         9.1     10-4            #1    Denver         10.5    11-4
#2    San Francisco  8.5     12-2            #2    San Francisco  9.1     13-2
#3    N.Y.Giants     5.4     10-4            #3    Cincinnati     8.2      8-7
#4    Philadelphia   5.4     10-4            #4    Cleveland      5.3     8-6-1
#5    Cincinnati     5.2      7-7            #5    N.Y.Giants     5.1     11-4
#6    Cleveland      4.6     7-6-1           #6    L.A.Rams       4.4     10-5
#7    Minnesota      4.1      9-5            #7    Philadelphia   4.2     10-5
#8    L.A.Raiders    3.9      8-6            #8    Minnesota      3.7      9-6
#9    Washington     3.4      8-6            #9    Buffalo        3.1      8-7
#10   L.A.Rams       3.3      9-5            #10   L.A.Raiders    3.0      8-7
#11   Kansas City    3.3     7-6-1           #11   Kansas City    2.8     7-7-1
#12   Buffalo        3.2      8-6            #12   Washington     2.1      9-6
#13   Chicago        1.9      6-8            #13   New Orleans    2.0      8-7
#14   New Orleans    0.9      7-7            #14   Indianapolis   1.5      8-7
#15   Houston        0.6      9-5            #15   Chicago        0.9      6-9
#16   Indianapolis   -0.3     7-7            #16   Seattle        -1.0     7-8
#17   San Diego      -1.5     4-10           #17   San Diego      -1.1     5-10
#18   Seattle        -1.8     6-8            #18   Green Bay      -1.2     9-6
#19   Green Bay      -2.2     8-6            #19   Houston        -2.4     9-6
#20   Miami          -3.1     8-6            #20   Detroit        -2.9     6-9
#21   Tampa Bay      -3.1     5-9            #21   Pittsburgh     -3.7     8-7
#22   Detroit        -4.5     5-9            #22   Miami          -4.7     8-7
#23   Pittsburgh     -4.7     7-7            #23   Tampa Bay      -4.8     5-10
#24   Phoenix        -5.6     5-9            #24   Phoenix        -7.2     5-10
#25   New England    -6.2     5-9            #25   New England    -7.4     5-10
#26   N.Y.Jets       -8.0     4-10           #26   N.Y.Jets       -8.7     4-11
#27   Atlanta        -10.8    3-11           #27   Atlanta        -9.7     3-12
#28   Dallas         -10.9    1-13           #28   Dallas         -11.2    1-14

GO BRONCOS!
Or as Dan Reeves would say:  "Gew Broncews!"

HOW THE NET DID THIS WEEK:

			ATS = "Against the spread"
			PTW = "Picked the winner?"
_______________________________________________________________________________
        | Vegas   | Net's    | Net's| Game  |ATS| Net's | Vegas | Net  | Vegas|
Game    | Spread  | Spread   | Bet  | Score |W/L| Error | Error | PTW? | PTW? |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buf/SF  | SF   7  | SF   5.3 | Buf  | SF 11 | L |  5.7  |  4.0  |  W   |  W   |
Cin/Hou | Cin 3.5 | Cin  4.5 | Cin  | Cin54 | W | 49.5  | 50.5  |  W   |  W   |
Cle/Min | Min  1  | Cle  0.5 | Cle  | Cle 6 | W |  5.5  |  7.0  |  W   |  L   |
Den/Pho | Den  7  | Den 14.8 | Den  | Den37 | W | 22.1  | 30.0  |  W   |  W   |
Ind/Mia |  Even   | Ind  2.8 | Ind  | Ind29 | W | 26.2  | 29.0  |  W   |  -   |
KC/SD   | KC   8  | KC   4.8 | SD   | SD  7 | W | 11.8  | 15.0  |  L   |  L   |
Rai/Sea |  Even   | Rai  5.8 | Rai  | Sea 6 | L | 11.8  |  6.0  |  L   |  -   |
NE/Pit  | Pit  3  | Pit  1.5 | NE   | Pit18 | L | 16.5  | 15.0  |  W   |  W   |
Jet/Ram | Ram 11  | Ram 11.4 | Ram  | Ram24 | W | 12.6  | 13.0  |  W   |  W   |
Atl/Was | Was 6.5 | Was 14.2 | Was  | Was 1 | L | 13.2  |  5.5  |  W   |  W   |
Chi/GB  | Chi 1.5 | Chi  4.1 | Chi  | GB 12 | L | 16.1  | 10.5  |  L   |  L   |
Dal/Gia | Gia 12  | Gia 16.3 | Gia  | Gia15 | W |  1.3  |  3.0  |  W   |  W   |
Det/TB  | Det  3  | TB   1.4 | TB   | Det26 | L | 27.4  | 23.0  |  L   |  W   |
NO/Phi  | Phi  1  | Phi  4.4 | Phi  | NO 10 | L | 14.4  | 11.0  |  L   |  L   |

W/L against the spread:  7-7
Pure W/L for the net:    9-5
Pure W/L for Vegas:      8-4-2

Net's avg error:  16.7 points per game
Vegas avg error:  15.9 points per game


PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 16:

Buffalo       vs. N.Y.Jets          =>     Buffalo       by   11.7
Cincinnati    vs. Minnesota         =>     Cincinnati    by   4.5
Cleveland     vs. Houston           =>     Cleveland     by   7.7
Denver        vs. San Diego         =>     Denver        by   11.6
Indianapolis  vs. New Orleans       =>     New Orleans   by   0.5
Kansas City   vs. Miami             =>     Kansas City   by   7.5
L.A.Raiders   vs. N.Y.Giants        =>     N.Y.Giants    by   2.1
New England   vs. L.A.Rams          =>     L.A.Rams      by   11.8
Pittsburgh    vs. Tampa Bay         =>     Pittsburgh    by   1.1
Seattle       vs. Washington        =>     Washington    by   3.1
Atlanta       vs. Detroit           =>     Detroit       by   6.8
Chicago       vs. San Francisco     =>     San Francisco by   8.2
Dallas        vs. Green Bay         =>     Green Bay     by   10.0
Philadelphia  vs. Phoenix           =>     Philadelphia  by   11.4

Highest quality game:  Cincinnati vs. Minnesota.  
Total quality = 11.8

Lowest quality game:  Atlanta vs. Detroit.  
Total quality = -12.6

Most evenly matched game:  Indianapolis vs. New Orleans.
 Difference in quality = 0.5

Most lopsided game:  New England vs. L.A.Rams.
 Difference in quality = 11.8