4 Out Of 5 Stat Nerds Agree: You Can Take Your Ballot And Shove It Up Your Butkus

by Akula Wolf on Dec 9, 2010 2:42 PM EST

Nate Irving is going to be honored by the College Football Performance Awards during the basketball game on Saturday. Unlike most awards, this one is based entirely on quantitative analysis. Science!

The CFPA awards recipients exclusively using objective scientific rankings based upon meta-algorithms derived from differential equations, statistics, and probability.

Based on an extensive review of data, the CFPA determined that Irving was responsible for more overall success in 2010 than any other linebacker in Division I FBS football.

I'm not really sure what they mean by "responsible for more overall success," and their website doesn't offer a whole lot of insight. I guess their methodology is top secret. (Not top secret: they boast "the world's largest crystal football trophy." Check out that differential equation, ladies.) Which is just as well because the math would probably fly right over my head. Here's what they do say:

The Offensive & Defensive Awards systems annually recognize FBS & FCS performers based upon the extent to which individual players increase the overall effectiveness of their teams. A performer x is an Offensive or Defensive Awards recipient if and only if x contributes the most to team success of any performer in Division I FBS college football, when controlling for strength of schedule.

Sounds like a wins above replacement type deal.

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I think the formula they use is

to take the derivative of linebacker and set it equal to 0. Maximum linebacker = Nate Irving

by PACKHOOLIGAN on Dec 9, 2010 3:21 PM EST reply actions

crickets

I meant to say: “NERD!!!”

by PACKHOOLIGAN on Dec 10, 2010 11:27 AM EST up reply actions

it's not you, it's my liberal arts education

Backing The Pack

by Akula Wolf on Dec 10, 2010 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

Funny

This is what happens when players are honored for actual accomplishments on the field.

The selection of Bruce Carter over Nate Irving illustrates two things: (1) The selection of the five finalists was obviously pre-ordained from before the season even started, and (2) The Butkus Award has ZERO credibility.

They wanted to be able to have a winner that went on to become a high NFL draft pick and a big success in the NFL. Due to Nate’s size, they probably don’t see him being either. That’s the only reason I can see for them selecting Bruce Carter.

But that makes it obvious that this award, again, has nothing to do with their accomplishments on the field.

That’s sad, too. Because it should be one of those things players can shoot for and achieve. But Nate had no chance from before the first game kicked off.

by bradleyb123 on Dec 10, 2010 3:40 PM EST reply actions

Post season awards are crap...

and have been since Troy Freaking Edwards of La tech beat out Torry Holt for the Biletnikoff award for top receiver in 1998. That was the greatest joke award of all time, except for Eli Manning getting a trip to the Heisman ceremony over Philip Rivers. All these awards seem to be are popularity contests given out to the “who’s who” of football royalty.

by Core on Dec 10, 2010 4:50 PM EST reply actions

The amusing thing about '98

…is that small school kids are almost never in the mix for these honors. They have to have preposterously good years to get a shot, and that’s rare. (At least it seems that way.) So of course that happened during Torry’s senior year. NC State shit.

Backing The Pack

by Akula Wolf on Dec 10, 2010 7:33 PM EST up reply actions