Rivalry Week 2019

It's one week until we leave for Toronto, the surveys are in, numbers have been crunched, and...4 out of 7 rivalries remain the same. Here are the Rivalry Week 2019 Matchups:

1 (tie). Gutman vs. Marco - 14.0 points - The Dad Bowl II
1 (tie). Esco vs. Weissbard - 14.0 points - The Halloween Prank Bowl II
3 (tie). Belfer vs. Reap - 13.5 points - The Scorned Lovers Bowl II
3 (tie). Barnard vs. Kumpf - 13.5 points - The One-Sided Rivalry Bowl
5. Bennett vs. Levine - 13.0 points - The Florida Man Bowl
6 (tie). Ajay vs. Zacherman - 11.0 points - The AARP Bowl II
6 (tie). Alan vs. BAM - 11.0 points - The MACH Bowl

Here is the raw data:

Each row is that team's submission, with the rankings multiplied by 10 to give more weight to the higher rated matchups. Looking closer at the individual team numbers, here is the breakdown per team, normalized to the actual ranking they were given and removing the 1 point placeholder for ranking yourself:

1. Barnard - 10.46 (10.00 last year)
2. Weissbard - 10.08 (9.92)
3. Marco - 8.62 (7.69)
4. (tie) Ajay - 8.46 (6.62)
5. (tie) Bennett - 8.46 (8.00)
6. Kumpf - 8.38 (8.15)
7. Esco - 8.23 (7.23)
8. Belfer - 8.08 (8.23)
9. Gutman - 7.46 (8.77)
10. BAM - 7.31 (6.23)
11. Alan - 6.92 (8.08)
12. Levine - 6.69 (7.31)
13. Zacherman - 6.46 (7.31)
14. Reap - 6.38 (8.46)

Some interesting/random takeaways:

• We previously believed the 10 was the highest any individual team could achieve, but the desire to beat Barnard has proven science wrong again.
• Weissbard won the Stevens Bowl, yet becomes a more desirable rival? Marco and I both saw an increase despite making multiple playoffs in a row.
• The luster has worn of Ajay, Esco, and BAM, as these former champs all saw the largest bumps.
• People are rightfully afraid of Levine and Zacherman, but what's with the drops for Gutman and especially Reap? Did having a baby make Gutman a less interesting rival? Did losing a Belfer do the same to Reap?

I also find it interesting to look at the biggest gaps between alleged rivals:

• 12 points - Alan listed Barnard as his #1 Rival, while Barnard had Alan at #14 (I have a feeling the Disrespect Bowl will be back in 2020)
• 11 points - Alan listed Ajay as his #2 Rival, while Ajay had Alan at #14 (also a potential grudge for 2020)
• 10 points (tie) - Zacherman had Levine at #1, Levine had Zacherman at #11
• 10 points (tie) - Gutman had Barnard at #2, Barnard had Gutman at #12 
• 9 points - Zacherman had Belfer at #2, Belfer had Zacherman at #11

Alan, Barnard, and Zacherman really went against the grain, or else they have no idea who their rivals are. Schedule in ESPN will be updated in the next few days. See you all next week.

Gambling Corner - Week of 8/5

MLB Bets
Pirates (+125) vs. Brewers - Loss
Angels (+170) at Reds - Loss
Rangers (+144) at Indians - Win
Pirates (+133) vs. Brewers - Loss
White Sox (-108) at Tigers - Loss
Angels (+141) at Red Sox - Loss
Twins (+125) vs. Indians - Loss
Last Week: 3-2
2019 Record: 73-75 (-9.40 units)
Historical Win Percentage: 41.18% (-6.77 units)

With 6 weeks left in the season, my MLB Win Props are tracking to go 8-3.

EPL Spread Bets
West Ham (+1.5) vs. Manchester City - Loss
Burnley (Pick) vs. Southampton - Win
Crystal Palace (Pick) vs. Everton - Push
Newcastle (+0.5) vs. Arsenal - Loss
2019-20 Record: 1-2-1 (-1.17 units)
Historical Win Percentage: 52.73% (-4.46 units)

EPL Moneyline Bets
Watford (-105) vs. Brighton - Loss
Bournemouth (Even) vs. Sheffield - Loss
Leicester City (+115) vs. Wolves - Loss
2019-20 Record: 0-3 (-3.00 units)
Historical Win Percentage: 46.40% (-10.06%)

MLS Spread Bets
FC Cincinnati (+1) at Columbus - Win
Orlando City (+1) at Toronto FC - Win
Montreal (+1) at Chicago - Push
Houston (+1) at Philadelphia - Push
NY Red Bulls (+1.5) at LAFC - Loss
Last Week: 1-1
2019 Record: 11-12-5 (-3.01 units)

MLS Moneyline Bets
DC United (+145) vs. LA Galaxy - Win
Last Week: 2-2
2019 Record: 5-6 (+0.60 units)