USA TODAY IMAGES Somewhere out there 10,000 virtual Jim Harbaughs are hoisting little digital Lombardi Trophies — tan khakis, black sweatshirts, red sharpies and all.
Recently, PredictionMachine.com’s “predictalator” (yes it’s actually called that, but keep reading) simulated the 2013 NFL season 50,000 times and the 49ers led the way, winning the Super Bowl 20.1 percent of the time.
The predictalator uses state-of-the-art technology that takes into account every team’s roster strength and matchups. The machine is powered by Paul Bessire, a statistician and veteran sports writer.
Here’s some of the raw data.
NFL POSTSEASON RESULTS (again, according to the predictalator):
AFC
Wild Card Round
#6 Pittsburgh 20 @ #3 Houston 23
#5 Baltimore 23 @ #4 Cincinnati 24
Divisional Round
#3 Houston 27 @ #2 New England 31
#4 Cincinnati 21 @ #1 Denver 26
AFC Championship
#2 New England 28 @ #1 Denver 30
NFC
Wild Card Round
#6 St. Louis 21 @ #3 New York Giants 23
#5 Seattle 27 @ #4 Atlanta 26
Divisional Round
#5 Seattle 23 @ #1 San Francisco 28
#3 New York Giants 24 @ #2 Green Bay 31
NFC Championship
#2 Green Bay 27 @ #1 San Francisco 32
Super Bowl
San Francisco 31 over Denver 27
NFC WEST RESULTS:
1. 49ers (11-5)
2. Seahawks (10-6)
3. Rams (9-7)
4. Cardinals (6-10)
AFC WEST RESULTS:
1. Broncos (11-5)
2. Chargers (8-8)
3. Chiefs (8-8)
4. Raiders (5-11)
The predictive software doesn’t like the Oakland Raiders’ chances this season. While this data is fun to look at, it’s probably not worth taking to the bank.
