College football is eight days away and you've probably noticed some changes to the site.
First, we've set up online videos to play on the right side of the screen. This is an experiment that I think is going to get better and better. The idea is simple -- OKTC needs video content as well as written content. I'm continuing to experiment with ensuring that everything we give you is completely free, but that means we have to continue to evolve. Next week we'll have tailgate videos and maybe some additional content from our weekend on the road in college football. As the season progresses we'll constantly update new videos on the site, at least four videos a week of a 3-4 minute duration.
Second, we're launching a gambling portion of the site that will be headed up by Todd Fuhrman formerly an odds maker at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The idea is simple, we're going to have Todd serve as a Vegas beat writer for OKTC. He'll be reporting what the lines are, where the smart money is going, and keeping us updated on any surprising shifts in the line as a result of injury or otherwise. No other site on the Internet has anyone as qualified as Todd to be keeping us as updated on what's going on in Vegas.
We'll also have a lot of new content in the area from Vegas content providers that Todd and I have vetted to be the most trustworthy in the business.
All of these additions -- in conjunction with the recent launch of the Bullpen which has already led to several great articles -- are a sign of OKTC's growing strength as we enter our second year as one of the largest independent sites in the country. There's no longer any question about whether OKTC is a strong and viable business, now the only question is, how much bigger and better can we get?
I think the answer is a lot bigger and a lot better.
Eight days away from kickoff means it's time to check in with our friend Paul Bessire at PredictionMachine.com.
Who answers the question, what happens if you run the 2012 SEC season 50,000 times on your computer simulation?
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Standings
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Team
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Avg. Wins
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Avg. Losses
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1
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Alabama Crimson Tide
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10.9
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1.1
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2
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Georgia Bulldogs
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10.6
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1.4
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3
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LSU Tigers
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10.1
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1.9
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4
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Arkansas Razorbacks
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8.4
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3.6
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5
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South Carolina Gamecocks
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8.0
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4.0
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6
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Tennessee Volunteers
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7.8
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4.2
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7
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Florida Gators
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7.2
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4.8
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8
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Missouri Tigers
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6.9
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5.1
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9
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Auburn Tigers
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6.4
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5.6
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10
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Texas A&M Aggies
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6.0
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6.0
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11
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Vanderbilt Commodores
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6.0
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6.0
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12
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Mississippi State Bulldogs
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6.0
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6.0
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13
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Mississippi Rebels
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4.5
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7.5
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14
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Kentucky Wildcats
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4.2
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7.8
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As you can see, Alabama and Georgia are the clear division favorites.
My Kentucky under looks pretty good as Paul believes the Wildcats will be the worst team in conference. But my South Carolina national title and Mississippi State ten win predictions don't look as good.
Plus, there's a ton of jumbling between six and twelve in conference. There aren't many bad teams, but there are an awful lot of teams that will ride or day based on a play or two.
In terms of current Vegas over/unders, the best bet according to Paul is Mississippi State on the under. Which, you know, is the exact opposite of what I told y'all to do. Figures.
Paul also did the same thing for us last year and you can see his 2011 predictions by clicking this link.
Last year Paul nailed the Gators, pegging them as a 6-6 team when expectations were much higher. He also nailed it on Vandy as a decent team, projecting them to win 5 games when the over/under was three.
Prediction Machine will be providing content for us all year, and you can read more about Paul's methods and how his computer simulations work, by clicking here.
