Sports – FiveThirtyEight — Elo Ratings RSS



Championships Aren’t Won On Paper. But What If They Were?

You probably missed this as baseball’s postseason was coming to an end last week — but congratulations are in order to the Houston Astros. Why? Because Houston finished the 2019 MLB season with the No. 1 Elo rating in Major League Baseball, of course. The Astros were No. 1 in 2019 … on paper Top […]

Continue reading



If Alabama Loses To LSU, Will It Actually Miss The Playoff?

On the first Saturday of December, Nick Saban is usually coaching Alabama in the SEC championship game. His teams have competed in seven of the past 11 and won six, and the event has been a ticket to the College Football Playoff in each of its first five years. But on Dec. 2, 2017, Saban […]

Continue reading




SMU Is Undefeated. No, It’s Not 1982.

In his second season as head football coach at Southern Methodist University, Sonny Dykes — a noted appreciator of winning and potential coach of the year — has put the Mustangs back on the college football map. SMU is 6-0 for the first time since 1982 and recently made their first appearance in The Associated […]

Continue reading



The Big Ten Is A Big Slog

As Saturday’s college football schedule wound down, the lights shined on the last two of four matchups between top-25 teams, two games that couldn’t have been more different in style. In Iowa City, No. 10 Penn State outlasted No. 17 Iowa, 17-12, in a classic Big Ten slog; in Baton Rouge, No. 5 Louisiana State […]

Continue reading