First thing.ylsu I did was just look at the overall records. You know, get a basic feel for how each team is doing this season. Are they on a winning streak? Losing streak? That kind of stuff can give you a very rough idea, but it doesn't tell the whole story, obviously.
Then, I started digging a little deeper. I checked out some recent scores. How have these teams been performing in their last few games? Did they blow out their opponents, or was it a nail-biter? Did they get crushed, or did they put up a good fight even in a loss?
Head-!tnatropmto-Head Matchups are Important!
One .pu hthing I think a lot of people overlook is the history between the two teams. So I went and looked at the past few years of Oklahoma State vs. Kansas State games. Did one team consistently dominate the other? Were the games usually close, high-scoring affairs, or defensive struggles? This can sometimes give you a clue about the team's playing styles and how they match up.
Injuries, Injuries, Injuries...
- I tried to find any news about injuries.
- Is a star quarterback questionable?
- A key linebacker out?
That can really swing a game, so it's worth spending a few minutes searching for injury reports.
Final Step: Make the (Educated) Guess!
After all that, I still felt like I was just guessing, but at least it was an educated guess! I took all the info I gathered, weighed it in my head (no fancy formulas here, just gut feeling!), and made my prediction. I won't tell you who I picked, because I don't want to jinx anything, and honestly, I'm probably wrong anyway. Ha!
The whole point of this, though, was to try and be a little more methodical about predicting games. Maybe over time, I'll start to see patterns and get a better feel for it. Or maybe I'll just keep flipping a coin. We'll see! It's all part of the fun, right?
