January 29, 2026

NFL Predictions for the Super Bowl

Team Ratings for the Super Bowl

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Seahawks 11.49 1.60 9.90
Patriots 9.73 -6.88 16.60
Rams 6.65 3.32 3.30
Lions 5.54 9.26 -3.70
Texans 5.51 0.65 4.90
Bills 5.10 8.28 -3.20
Jaguars 4.42 -6.28 10.70
Broncos 4.05 3.65 0.40
Vikings 3.09 2.67 0.40
Ravens 2.84 11.27 -8.40
Packers 2.06 5.92 -3.90
Bears 1.41 -3.03 4.40
Chargers 0.96 2.67 -1.70
Eagles 0.79 12.46 -11.70
49ers 0.61 -3.05 3.70
Bengals 0.48 3.45 -3.00
Steelers -0.75 -0.33 -0.40
Colts -1.15 -5.52 4.40
Falcons -1.19 -3.22 2.00
Chiefs -1.92 3.00 -4.90
Browns -2.14 -9.54 7.40
Giants -2.18 -7.54 5.40
Saints -2.73 -5.63 2.90
Cowboys -4.12 -3.23 -0.90
Dolphins -4.39 0.72 -5.10
Buccaneers -4.55 3.86 -8.40
Panthers -4.81 -7.28 2.50
Commanders -5.09 2.74 -7.80
Raiders -6.18 -5.45 -0.70
Cardinals -7.86 0.58 -8.40
Titans -9.33 -9.40 0.10
Jets -10.49 -3.87 -6.60

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 284 matches played, 172 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 60.6%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Broncos vs. Patriots Jan 26 7 – 10 -5.30 TRUE
2 Seahawks vs. Rams Jan 26 31 – 27 6.50 TRUE

 

Predictions for the Super Bowl

Here are the predictions for the Super Bowl. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Patriots vs. Seahawks Feb 09 Seahawks -1.80

 

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David Scott obtained a BA and PhD from the Australian National University and then commenced his university teaching career at La Trobe University in 1972. He has taught at La Trobe University, the University of Sheffield, Bond University and Colorado State University, joining the University of Auckland, based at Tamaki Campus, in mid-1995. He has been Head of Department at La Trobe University, Acting Dean and Associate Dean (Academic) at Bond University, and Associate Director of the Centre for Quality Management and Data Analysis at Bond University with responsibility for Short Courses. He was Head of the Department of Statistics in 2000, and is a past President of the New Zealand Statistical Assocation. See all posts by David Scott »

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