Big Data and Nebraska Football

[oldjar07]

I'm a strategic minded person and I like to think big. For Nebraska football, I like to think how everything came together for this program and produced the dynasty we witnessed in the 90's. How do you take a program from a small population state in the middle of the country with little division 1 talent to greatness? There were a number of things that had to come together and a number of advantages we had to exploit to produce the run of 3 national championships in 4 years. The conventional wisdom is we had a unique set of advantages during the 90's and many think we will never see anything like it again. There were a number of things that gave us an edge over our opponents. We had a strength and conditioning program second to none. We had partial qualifiers. We had the walk-on program. We had Tommie Frazier. We had Tom Osborne. Many of those advantages no longer exist and we've fallen behind some other programs.

What if I told you we could have it all back? 90,000 fans in Memorial Stadium screaming for the top team in the country? Nebraska winning conference tiles and making it to the national title game?

For that to happen we need to create an advantage, and have something that no other program has. We can't do the same thing every other team does and expect that success will be guaranteed.

That thing we need, that something that can put us over the edge is Big Data. What is Big Data? It's using vast computing resources to discover hidden information that can be used to greatly improve ANY process or methodology. Big Data is huge and it's going to completely change every industry. Anybody who's not using it is going to be left behind.

So what can Big Data do for football? Well college football is all about data. Each year there are hundreds of recruits to evaluate and send offers to. Each player has size, weight, 40 times, bench press, etc. associated with them. Basic data analysis can give you a pretty good idea which of these players are going to be successful. This kind of data analysis can separate the 2 stars from the 3 stars from the 5 stars. But each year, a significant percentage of players, even 5 stars, end up being busts and hardly contributing to the team. But what if there was a way you could find out which of these players were going to be busts and which were going to be studs before they even stepped foot on campus? With Big Data, this could be possible. With Big Data, every tweet sent by every recruit could be analyzed. Every video clip of a recruit could be analyzed in extreme detail and could reveal any deficiencies or hidden abilities of the recruit. With Big Data, you could discover the hidden gems, the diamonds in the rough. You can discover the best pitch to use and the things a recruit responds well to before even talking to him.

Big Data would be invaluable on the field as well. Each play can be dissected in great detail. Each cut, each move analyzed. A player could watch video of themselves and optimize every step.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

My sanchas call me Big Data. Is that what you're talking about?

 

[bleed husker red]

Uhmm we have had a data analytics guy on staff for a couple of years. Like Sheldon Cooper kind of smart mathematician.

 

[phoenix4nu]

What's in it for you?

 

[Harry Caray]

Virtually all college programs have been using analytics for years now. The next big thing will be mental training. Every program has top-notch strength coaches nowadays, so the days of physical dominance are all but over. What's going to separate the elite athletes from the good athletes in the future is who has the neurological advantage. I recommend everyone read this article about Steph Curry's mental training regiment:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...brain-training-float-tanks-and-strobe-goggles

 

[ctscts]

I'm a strategic minded person and I like to think big. For Nebraska football, I like to think how everything came together for this program and produced the dynasty we witnessed in the 90's. How do you take a program from a small population state in the middle of the country with little division 1 talent to greatness? There were a number of things that had to come together and a number of advantages we had to exploit to produce the run of 3 national championships in 4 years. The conventional wisdom is we had a unique set of advantages during the 90's and many think we will never see anything like it again. There were a number of things that gave us an edge over our opponents. We had a strength and conditioning program second to none. We had partial qualifiers. We had the walk-on program. We had Tommie Frazier. We had Tom Osborne. Many of those advantages no longer exist and we've fallen behind some other programs.

What if I told you we could have it all back? 90,000 fans in Memorial Stadium screaming for the top team in the country? Nebraska winning conference tiles and making it to the national title game?

For that to happen we need to create an advantage, and have something that no other program has. We can't do the same thing every other team does and expect that success will be guaranteed.

That thing we need, that something that can put us over the edge is Big Data. What is Big Data? It's using vast computing resources to discover hidden information that can be used to greatly improve ANY process or methodology. Big Data is huge and it's going to completely change every industry. Anybody who's not using it is going to be left behind.

So what can Big Data do for football? Well college football is all about data. Each year there are hundreds of recruits to evaluate and send offers to. Each player has size, weight, 40 times, bench press, etc. associated with them. Basic data analysis can give you a pretty good idea which of these players are going to be successful. This kind of data analysis can separate the 2 stars from the 3 stars from the 5 stars. But each year, a significant percentage of players, even 5 stars, end up being busts and hardly contributing to the team. But what if there was a way you could find out which of these players were going to be busts and which were going to be studs before they even stepped foot on campus? With Big Data, this could be possible. With Big Data, every tweet sent by every recruit could be analyzed. Every video clip of a recruit could be analyzed in extreme detail and could reveal any deficiencies or hidden abilities of the recruit. With Big Data, you could discover the hidden gems, the diamonds in the rough. You can discover the best pitch to use and the things a recruit responds well to before even talking to him.

Big Data would be invaluable on the field as well. Each play can be dissected in great detail. Each cut, each move analyzed. A player could watch video of themselves and optimize every step.

For a strategic thinker you are kind of behind the times. Here is an article from three years ago discussing the very topic. We are on to bigger data now.

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/03/how-big-data-could-change-football-forever.aspx

 

[oldjar07]

Uhmm we have had a data analytics guy on staff for a couple of years. Like Sheldon Cooper kind of smart mathematician.

Just one guy? I'm talking about using analytics in every facet of our athletic programs. We should have a small army of data analytics guys.

 

[oldjar07]

What's in it for you?

I want to see the Nebraska football program do well. And it merges 2 of my interests: Husker football and technology

 

[oldjar07]

For a strategic thinker you are kind of behind the times. Here is an article from three years ago discussing the very topic. We are on to bigger data now.

https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/01/03/how-big-data-could-change-football-forever.aspx

I don't see how it's behind the times. I'm not claiming it's an original idea. Few ideas are. Fewer still actually work out. What I'm proposing is going way above what any other program is doing in data analytics.

 

[bleed husker red]

We were also ahead of the curve on using a sports psychologist. Out run in the 90s coincided with Jack Stark on staff. The coaches after Osborne had no vision.

We have some amazing things going on with our program again. Need to upgrade the recruiting and it will all come together.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

I don't see how it's behind the times. I'm not claiming it's an original idea. Few ideas are. Fewer still actually work out. What I'm proposing is going way above what any other program is doing in data analytics.

It's one thing to use analytics to determine play calls or if taking more 3 point shots is valid or if sacrifice bunting is a sound strategy.

Using analysis of 40 times or another physical test will never accomplish what you are looking for. The mental makeup of the player is the determining factor 99% of the time.

If it was just a physical thing, the U S Navy could just use physical analytics to determine who will make it as a SEAL. But we had guys that were physically average earn the Trident and physical freaks of nature quit within an hour.

I'm no math or analytics dude or anything but those computations cannot factor in heart, determination and mental toughness.

 

[oldjar07]

It's one thing to use analytics to determine play calls or if taking more 3 point shots is valid or if sacrifice bunting is a sound strategy.

Using analysis of 40 times or another physical test will never accomplish what you are looking for. The mental makeup of the player is the determining factor 99% of the time.

If it was just a physical thing, the U S Navy could just use physical analytics to determine who will make it as a SEAL. But we had guys that were physically average earn the Trident and physical freaks of nature quit within an hour.

I'm no math or analytics dude or anything but those computations cannot factor in heart, determination and mental toughness.

Who says it wouldn't be used to analyze the mental makeup of a player? I said earlier in this thread it could analyze posts on social media. Video cameras and sensors can be installed at practices and video of games can be analyzed to determine how a player thinks mentally.

 

[oldjar07]

Virtually all college programs have been using analytics for years now. The next big thing will be mental training. Every program has top-notch strength coaches nowadays, so the days of physical dominance are all but over. What's going to separate the elite athletes from the good athletes in the future is who has the neurological advantage. I recommend everyone read this article about Steph Curry's mental training regiment:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...brain-training-float-tanks-and-strobe-goggles

I'm not denying that analytics is being used by other programs. There's a reason it is. I think we should take it much further than any other program has. What you're saying about mental training is no different. Data and analytics both makes the technology for mental training possible and can be used to improve it. I am the biggest proponent that the mental attributes of an athlete are more important than the physical. Big Data can be used to determine which athletes already have the mental abilities you're looking for and can be used to help improve the mental processes of the players you already have.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

Who says it wouldn't be used to analyze the mental makeup of a player? I said earlier in this thread it could analyze posts on social media. Video cameras and sensors can be installed at practices and video of games can be analyzed to determine how a player thinks mentally.

So who has access to these cameras? Rival coaches? Fans? Who monitors access? Really social media posts? I can read a recruits twitter, IG or Snapchat now to see. If he is a dumbass, that doesn't make him mentally weak. Just stupid.

 

[oldjar07]

So who has access to these cameras? Rival coaches? Fans? Who monitors access? Really social media posts? I can read a recruits twitter, IG or Snapchat now to see. If he is a dumbass, that doesn't make him mentally weak. Just stupid.

Recruiting services and coaches have video of recruits. Maybe what you're looking for is speed and you can take thousands of hours of video data and find which guys can fly to the ball even though they might not have the best 40 times. Sure you can read a recruits posts on twitter, but can you analyze each post and compare them to hundreds of other recruits? Can you research every person they follow, when they followed them and how much infuence they have in his life?

I also think they should install more sensors and cameras on the practice field and help each individual player improve. Is the player reacting a split second too slow on every play? You can show each player in real time what mistakes he's making and be able to adjust. You can install them on helmets to determine what the player "sees". Are the cuts he's making as precise as they can be. Is the player able to see the play develop? Cameras, sensors, and data analytics would allow significant performance improvements in every area.

 

[Suhrreal]

Recruiting services and coaches have video of recruits. Maybe what you're looking for is speed and you can take thousands of hours of video data and find which guys can fly to the ball even though they might not have the best 40 times. Sure you can read a recruits posts on twitter, but can you analyze each post and compare them to hundreds of other recruits? Can you research every person they follow, when they followed them and how much infuence they have in his life?

I also think they should install more sensors and cameras on the practice field and help each individual player improve. Is the player reacting a split second too slow on every play? You can show each player in real time what mistakes he's making and be able to adjust. You can install them on helmets to determine what the player "sees". Are the cuts he's making as precise as they can be. Is the player able to see the play develop? Cameras, sensors, and data analytics would allow significant performance improvements in every area.

Proof?

 

[cthoend]

It's one thing to use analytics to determine play calls or if taking more 3 point shots is valid or if sacrifice bunting is a sound strategy.

Using analysis of 40 times or another physical test will never accomplish what you are looking for. The mental makeup of the player is the determining factor 99% of the time.

If it was just a physical thing, the U S Navy could just use physical analytics to determine who will make it as a SEAL. But we had guys that were physically average earn the Trident and physical freaks of nature quit within an hour.

I'm no math or analytics dude or anything but those computations cannot factor in heart, determination and mental toughness.

CNA is on the forefront of predictive analytics and have done several studies on the SEAL program. They range from who is most likely to make it through BUD/S to career longevity to divorce rates.