College Football Playoff time is upon us. There are some great matchups from Alabama to Clemson and beyond. Tracking Football continues to help analyze the objective and verified athletic data, which allows media and fans to see the games through different eyes. Our data and insights have been mentioned during commentary in multiple games this year. Would it not be best to know whether the information is verified ahead of time. Instead of hearing, “He might be one of the fastest guys on the field,” or “His athleticism really showed on that play.” Whether you are in the media or a fan that loves your team, use the same data that major programs use to scout their opponents. Read the link to see how simple yet powerful our PAI score can be when predicting game outcomes.
Alabama vs Oklahoma (College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl, Miami Gardens, FL, 8 p.m., ESPN)
Top to bottom the past few years, Alabama has been number 1 in our verified athletes’ category. Looking at the athletic/physical matchups through an objective lens, this article will help put things in perspective for the 4 teams playing for a National Title.
Jonah Williams is one of Bama’s men in the trenches, he has a PAI of 4.8 (PAI is simply an eloquent and historical measurement based on height, weight, and verified explosion, or speed). Jonah’s explosion and size in the shot put ring can be compared to a history of players like Joe Thomas. Jonah’s shot put of 61’05” is 1st in the SEC going as far back as 2010 which is out of a total of 98 OT’s. Shot put at an early age can demonstrate natural explosiveness in a small space.
Henry Ruggs III has a PAI of 4.1. When we discuss how verified speed translates to the field, first and foremost a player must have the physical tools. Henry’s 100m dash time makes him the 8th fastest SEC WR since 2010 (Anthony Schwartz is first and there are nearly 200 SEC WRs with data since 2010).
Patrick Surtain has a rare 5.0 PAI (We have nearly 60,000 players scored in our database less than 2% of them ever get a 5.0). A PAI or player athletic index score of 5.0 essentially says this athlete has a very rare set of height, weight, and verified athletic data, which all scores very highly vs past players.
Amani Bledsoe is one of Oklahoma’s players with a rare 5.0 PAI. His shot put of 56’07” is the 3rd best out of nearly 90 Defensive ends in the Big 12 since 2010.
Tre Brown for the Sooners has a 4.3 PAI. His 10.51 100m dash is the 8th fastest among CBs in the Big 12 since 2010.
Marquise Brown, one of the Sooner receivers, has a 3.5 PAI. His 200m dash of 21.94 puts him in the top 20% of nearly 140 WRs that have played in the Big 12 since 2010.
Athleticism is not everything that happens on the football field. However, it is a heavy factor when considering game outcomes. Alabama has a team PAI of 3.6 and Oklahoma has a team PAI of 3.3. Going with just an athletic viewpoint this game tilts towards Alabama as the winner of the contest.
Clemson vs Notre Dame (College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Arlington, TX, No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame 4 p.m., ESPN)
Jerry Tiller is an impressive 4.2 PAI for Notre Dame. In addition, he scored a 4.0 combine score. His verified 40 was top 10% of his position group which includes nearly 10 years of data.
Troy Pride is a 4.1 PAI for Notre Dame. His blazing 200m time is 21.35. It will be the 4th fastest time Clemson has had to match up against in all their conference play going as far back as 2010.
Dexter Williams sits at a 3.6 PAI and rare 4.9 combine score. Not only did he run on one of the faster relay teams in the database but in addition, his 40 yard and vertical jump were top marks. Compared to all the Nike opening combine data since 2007 his vertical jump and 40 yards dash put him in the top 1% of his position group.
Travis Etienne is another in a long line of verified athletes in Clemson’s history. His PAI is a 4.6 which makes him a rare athlete. He is credited with a 10.51 100m dash which was wind aided. We only use verified wind-legal times thus he sits at a 10.75 in our database. He has a rare combination of blazing speed and explosiveness. His explosion in the triple jump (taking horizontal speed to vertical explosion) would rank him 5th in the ACC since 2010.
A.J. Terrell is another exceptionally rare athlete on the field. His PAI is a 4.8. His verified times on shorter sprints put him towards the middle of the ACC database. However, combine his height, weight, position, and his 300m time of 35.15 then we see that rare combination.
Christian Wilkins was mentioned in a recent blog about draft analysis. His PAI is 4.2 and his shot put makes him one of the top DTs to play in the ACC since 2010.
Looking at the team matchups Clemson has a team PAI of 3.3 and Notre Dame’s is 3.1. The game is a very close athletic match up which favors Clemson.
Continued bowl matchup analysis will be available in additional blogs. For media game facts or an edge in your evaluation process please reach out to us.