Welcome to this week’s episode of Hot Takedown, our podcast where the hot sports takes of the week meet the numbers that prove them right or tear them down. On this week’s show (Nov. 11, 2015), we take a look at the latest college football rankings and FiveThirtyEight’s brand-new prediction model. We also talk about the Gold Glove awards and how analytics have improved the way they’re given out. Plus, two-time Women’s World Cup champion Julie Foudy discusses the possible health risks of playing on artificial turf. And a significant digit on the number of Hoosiers named after a certain Colts quarterback.
Stream the episode by clicking the play button, or subscribe using one of the podcast clients we’ve linked to above. Video and links to what we discussed are below.
Iowa and the problem with college football rankings
- Andrew Flowers writes about the weirdness of college football conferences.
- Neil Paine and Carl Bialik on why Gold Gloves are finally going to the best fielders.
- Julie Foudy examines the danger of using crumb rubber on synthetic turf fields in this E:60 segment.
- Significant Digit: 125. That is the number of extra Peytons born in Indiana every year between 1998 and 2011, relative to the four years before 1998.
If you’re a fan of our podcasts, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts and leave a rating/review. That helps spread the word to other listeners. And get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments. Tell us what you think, send us hot takes to discuss and tell us why we’re wrong.