Historical Playoff Data

[clenz]

About a year ago I gotc hallenged by ursus about what conferences get the most bids due to the discussion of number of Big Sky vs MVFC bids in 2013 - notice how I stopped bitching (for the most part) about that topic about last March? Being the stat nerd I am I decided to take that challenge about 50 steps further than anyone would ever need too. I decided to go year by year and chart every single bid and every single result. Starting out the project was daunting because I started with the basic idea of just Big Sky vs MVFC. Then I got curious about the other conferences. Then the conferences that no longer exist. Then I wanted to average it. Then I wanted to break it down by decade. At that point I asked myself "Why stop at decade? Let's go to playoff format.". Then it was"Why didn't think conference participate this year". Within days I was so deep into it I had no idea where to start or what to do. I hobbled together something resembling a stat sheet. I started running numbers to double check it and the thing was an unmitigated disaster in every way possible. I tried to fix one issue and that led to another. I obsessed over the stupid thing for a month non-stop. Finally for my sanity I let the dumb thing die after about a month.

Playoff time 2014 rolled around and I wanted to take a second look at it. That's when, as some of you'll remember, I posted the sheet here asking for help with what you could find wrong. Turns out throwing what I had out and asking a vague question led to a lot of vague replies that I found ridiculous and I completely scrapped the sheet all together

After about 3 weeks of going back and forth onwhat I wanted to do with it I said to myself "Self, I think start fixing it leading up to the title game. By the time I'm done the title game will beover and I can unveil it a week or two after the playoffs were over to still catch some of the hype and give a talking point until spring ball rolls around.So I started working on it Monday, January 5. Well I have issues with this type of thing. I started it and couldn't stop. I spent every free second at work and at home (including staying up way too late and avoiding actual work at work). I finished the sheet completely before the title game (due to 2 MVFC teams playing the game getting the playoff record and title added to the MVFC was easy), but waited to unveil it until after the title game. I took everything I wanted to do initially and made an outline of how to do it. I used about 17 different excel sheets to sort the same data different ways to copy it to the Google Doc Sheet. I went game by game through every single season to get team record and conference record for each year.

Long story slightly shortened - this sheet has everything you want to know about the playoffs (except box score related items)and should be a very nice compliment to the playoff records sheet that already exists in the historical information tab on this site when it is added to that tab here in the next couple days.

Let me know what you think.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tiryx4mVZ834TtLo0r-Uup-w6S5D9BCW6QISbKanrcg/edit?usp=sharing

[bluehenbillk]

Wow. Great work & you have WAAAYY too much time on your hands.

[Missingnumber7]

I think you are going to see it stay fairly balanced between the MVFC/CAA/Big Sky, and maybe a push by the southland to all be around the same number, unless we see a shift in conferences again.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

About a year ago I gotchallenged by ursus about what conferences get the most bids due to thediscussion of number of Big Sky vs MVFC bids in 2013 - notice how I stoppedbitching (for the most part) about that topic about last March. Being thestat nerd I am I decided to take that challenge about 50 steps further thananyone would ever need too. I decided to go year by year and chart every singlebid and every single result. Starting out the project was daunting because Istarted with the basic idea of just Big Sky vs MVFC. Then I got curious aboutthe other conferences. Then the conferences that no longer exist. Then I wantedto average it. Then I wanted to break it down by decade. At that point I askedmyself "Why stop at decade? Let's go to playoff format.". Then it was"Why didn't think conference participate this year". Within days Iwas so deep into it I had no idea where to start or what to do. I hobbledtogether something resembling a stat sheet. I started running numbers to doublecheck it and the thing was an unmitigated disaster in every way possible. Itried to fix one issue and that led to another. I obsessed over the stupidthing for a month non-stop. Finally for my sanity I let the dumb thing dieafter about a month.

Playoff time 2014 rolled around and I wanted totake a second look at it. That's when, as some of you'll remember, I posted thesheet here asking for help with what you could find wrong. Turns out throwingwhat I had out and asking a vague question led to a lot of vague replies that Ifound ridiculous and I completely scrapped the sheet all together

After about 3 weeks of going back and forth onwhat I wanted to do with it I said to myself "Self, I think start fixingit leading up to the title game. By the time I'm done the title game will beover and I can unveil it a week or two after the playoffs were over to stillcatch some of the hype and give a talking point until spring ball rolls around.So I started working on it Monday, January 5. Well I have issues with this typeof thing. I started it and couldn't stop. I spent every free second at work andat home (including staying up way too late and avoiding actual work at work). Ifinished the sheet completely before the title game (due to 2 MVFC teamsplaying the game getting the playoff record and title added to the MVFC waseasy), but waited to unveil it until after the title game. I took everything Iwanted to do initially and made an outline of how to do it. I used about 17difference excel sheets to sort the same data different ways to copy it to theGoogle Doc Sheet. I went game by game through every single season to get teamrecord and conference record for each year.

Long story slightly shortened - this sheet haseverything you want to know about the playoffs (except box score related items)and should be a very nice compliment to the playoff records sheet that alreadyexists in the historical information tab on this site when it is added to thattab here in the next couple days.

Let me know what you think.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tiryx4mVZ834TtLo0r-Uup-w6S5D9BCW6QISbKanrcg/edit?usp=sharing



I was just going to pm you and let you know I added it to the historical data sheet (black bar at top of every page for those unfamiliar) and it is a great source of information to go along with the other historical data sheets. I'm really glad you and others do things like this. Its really cool to have that information at your fingertips at the click of a mouse like this place has now.

BTW, I appreciate that you did give up on the same crap some of the other MVFC guys were whining about last year but I still gotta say it...I told you so. xlolx

Really great work clenzy. You're a good lad.xthumbsupx

[clenz]

Wow. Great work & you have WAAAYY too much time on your hands.
Yes I do.


Well...I don't.

Between school, work, and my family I really don't. I am just really good at multitasking at work and staying up until 1 or 2 AM doing things like this

[Lehigh'98]

Pretty cool stuff!! 11 playoff wins for the Patriot, woohoo.

Anyway to get conference H2H records from this dataset?

[clenz]

Pretty cool stuff!! 11 playoff wins for the Patriot, woohoo.

Anyway to get conference H2H records from this dataset?
Um...

Yes...but not from this published sheet

That is going to take me a while but I can certainly try to get it added as I have that data more or less at my disposal fairly easy. Just a time consuming deal

[Lehigh'98]

Um...

Yes...but not from this published sheet

That is going to take me a while but I can certainly try to get it added as I have that data more or less at my disposal fairly easy. Just a time consuming deal

Please do not take up excess time on my account. It was just a question I had out of curiosity. This is great stuff as is.

[clenz]

Please do not take up excess time on my account. It was just a question I had out of curiosity. This is great stuff as is.
It's definitely something I can do. As I said, I have the data at a click of a mouse. Getting it done will just require time. It's an added sheet I hadn't thought of. I will work on it over the next month or two.

[thebootfitter]

Nice work, Clenz! Very cool data that you've gathered. Thanks for your efforts.

Take it or leave it, but here is a useful resource for gathering data in tabular format. I'm not advocating you change anything that you've already done, but a quick read of this article may help the next time you take something like this on again. The gist is that if you capture everything in a single table on a single sheet with each piece of data in its own cell, each column representing a unique piece of information and each row representing a unique entry, then you are able to use pivot tables and charts, etc. to summarize all the data in pretty much any way imaginable.

http://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-tabular-data-format

[ursus arctos horribilis]

As always if anyone notices a mistake please pm clenz or I so he can look into it and verify whether it needs correction or not.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Nice work, Clenz! Very cool data that you've gathered. Thanks for your efforts.

Take it or leave it, but here is a useful resource for gathering data in tabular format. I'm not advocating you change anything that you've already done, but a quick read of this article may help the next time you take something like this on again. The gist is that if you capture everything in a single table on a single sheet with each piece of data in its own cell, each column representing a unique piece of information and each row representing a unique entry, then you are able to use pivot tables and charts, etc. to summarize all the data in pretty much any way imaginable.

http://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-tabular-data-format

Pivot Tables are a great tool. Looks like a great article from a cursory review. Thanks boot.

[clenz]

Nice work, Clenz! Very cool data that you've gathered. Thanks for your efforts.

Take it or leave it, but here is a useful resource for gathering data in tabular format. I'm not advocating you change anything that you've already done, but a quick read of this article may help the next time you take something like this on again. The gist is that if you capture everything in a single table on a single sheet with each piece of data in its own cell, each column representing a unique piece of information and each row representing a unique entry, then you are able to use pivot tables and charts, etc. to summarize all the data in pretty much any way imaginable.

http://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/excel-tabular-data-format
I have pivot tables to gather the data on excel.

This doc is more or less a "home" for it after it's done.xbeerchugx

[thebootfitter]

This doc is more or less a "home" for it after it's done.
Cool, makes sense. I may hit you up for the source sheet someday if you're willing to share.

[superman7515]

Let me know what you think.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tiryx4mVZ834TtLo0r-Uup-w6S5D9BCW6QISbKanrcg/edit?usp=sharing



I was wondering why you were asking me about the Gulf Star Conference, haha. Good work. Just a reminder though that the Gulf Star ceased after the '86-'87 school year, so there was no conference for the 1987 football season. Barely makes a difference though, from .5 to .67 in the 80's and from 1 to 2 in the 12-team bracket.

[Pard4Life]

Pretty cool... Lafayette was a major snuff in 1981... but only 8 teams were invited.

[mvemjsunpx]

You have Jackson State with a playoff win in 1987, but checking cfbdatawarehouse says they lost in the first round. You also have the 1987 playoff field adding up to 16 wins when it should be 15, so JSU should be the source of that error.

The reason I checked is that I was pretty sure the SWAC never won a playoff game.

[superman7515]

You have Jackson State with a playoff win in 1987, but checking cfbdatawarehouse says they lost in the first round. You also have the 1987 playoff field adding up to 16 wins when it should be 15, so JSU should be the source of that error.

Also, you have the SoCon listed as 6-0 in 1987. Appalachian State defeated Georgia Southern, Marshall defeated Appalachian State, ULM defeated Marshall; should be 6-3.

[344Johnson]

Yes I do.


Well...I don't.

Between school, work, and my family I really don't. I am just really good at multitasking at work and staying up until 1 or 2 AM doing things like this

That time would be better spent at night watching the wonder years m.... Again.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Also, you have the SoCon listed as 6-0 in 1987. Appalachian State defeated Georgia Southern, Marshall defeated Appalachian State, ULM defeated Marshall; should be 6-3.

Georgia Southern didn't join the SoCon until like 1992 I think it was.

[superman7515]

Georgia Southern didn't join the SoCon until like 1992 I think it was.

Yeah, their first football season in the SoCon was 1993, but he included Georgia Southern's records in the SoCon records, so I just thought that's the way he was breaking them down.

Clenz, if you're looking to change those up, Georgia Southern was an Independent for their playoff appearances from 1985 to 1992.

1978 Florida A&M was in the SIAC, not an Independent.
http://www.thesiac.com/sports/2010/2/2/gen_0202103837.aspx?


SIAC schools are known for being staunch competitors, where many have flourished to the realms of national and global celebrity. As a whole, the conference has staked its claim to more than 50 team and individual national championships. In 1978, Florida A&M became the first black college to win a NCAA Football National Championship on any level when they defeat Massachusetts, 35-28, in the inaugural NCAA I-AA Championship Game.

1984 Rhode Island was in the Yankee Conference, not an Independent. They were conference co-champions with Boston.

[caribbeanhen]

. Then I got curious about the other conferences.
Let me know what you think.



I think this is when you became a mans' man.