Data-Driven NFL Playoffs and College Football’s Shifting Power

Knowledge at Wharton

  • Jan 12, 2026
  • 1:08:34
  • Full Episode

ABOUT THE EPISODE ESPN national football analyst Seth Walder, and Steven Godfrey, college football writer for Yahoo Sports and The Washington Post and co-host of the College Football Enquirer podcast, join Cade and Shane to examine the NFL playoff landscape through advanced metrics and unpack the College Football Playoff’s surprises, transfer portal strategy, and evolving SEC–Big Ten balance of power.

ABOUT THE PODCAST Sports is a game of numbers. Wharton experts Eric Bradlow, Shane Jensen, Cade Massey, and Adi Wyner team up to tackle the world of sports, from current events to longstanding issues such as: What sports streaks are the most impressive? How do you rank the best players? Can athletes be compared across sports? Moneyball Highlights explains how decision-makers in the game can avoid the common mistakes and embrace the data. Episodes are recorded at the Wharton School.

#sportsanalytics #collegefootballplayoff #secfootball #footballstats ----- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is committed to sharing its intellectual capital through Knowledge at Wharton, the school’s online business analysis journal.

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Brief Summary

Seth Walder and Stephen Godfrey discuss NFL playoffs and college football dynamics, focusing on unpredictability and the impact of the transfer portal.

Key points

  • NFL Playoff Bracket Set. Discussion on the filled NFL playoff bracket and its implications.
  • Seattle's Surprising Performance. Seth Walder highlights Seattle as the most surprising team this season.
  • Dynamic Blitz Predictions. Adrenaline uses real-time data to predict blitz probabilities in NFL games.
  • Decision Analysts on Broadcasts. Seth Walder discusses the role of decision analysts during NFL broadcasts.
  • Ole Miss's Surprising Success. Ole Miss reaches the Final Four amidst chaos and uncertainty in college football.
  • Lane's Essence. Lane is like a reality star, always stirring up drama.

Tension

45/ 100Some tension

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