Tag Archives: football

Coaching Expectations, Probabilistic Limits, and the NFL Replacement Fallacy

Posted on January 8, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Professional football franchises frequently dismiss head coaches after narrowly missing the playoffs, operating under an implicit belief that marginal underperformance is evidence of correctable leadership failure. This paper argues that such expectations are mathematically incoherent, structurally naive, and … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Determinants of High School Sports Classification Systems and Mobility Among Competitive Levels

Posted on December 20, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary State high-school athletic systems divide schools into competitive “levels” or “classes” (e.g., 1A–6A) to promote fairness, competitive balance, safety, and program sustainability. While the appearance of uniformity masks considerable diversity across states, common underlying drivers shape how many … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

White Paper: Examining the Fallout From the 2025 CFB Playoff Bracket

Posted on December 9, 2025 by nathanalbright

Given: ACC champion Duke goes 8–5, wins the league, but is left out of the 12-team playoff. Miami goes 10–2, does not make the ACC title game, but gets an at-large bid. Tulane and James Madison, both Group of 5 … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

White Paper: Like Father, Unlike Son? A Comparative Analysis of Monte and Lane Kiffin’s Careers and Public Reflections on Their Relationship

Posted on December 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Monte Kiffin and his son Lane Kiffin represent two very different archetypes in modern football coaching. Monte became a legendary defensive coordinator, defined by stability, tactical innovation (the “Tampa 2”), and a largely controversy-free public image. Lane has … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

College Football Championship Selection: An Analysis

Posted on December 10, 2024 by nathanalbright

The development of college football’s championship selection process reflects the sport’s continuous effort to establish a more equitable and comprehensive method for determining its national champion. The Bowl Championship Series (BCS), implemented in 1998, marked the first systematic attempt to … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sports | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Division I-A/FBS Conference Championships And Member Tenure: A Trend Analysis

Posted on December 8, 2024 by nathanalbright

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) pioneered the conference championship game format after expanding to 12 teams in 1992 with the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. This development marked a significant shift in college football organization, as it required an NCAA … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings, Sports | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Anyone Could Have Done That

Posted on January 9, 2024 by nathanalbright

You know you are having a bad day as a college athlete, or any other kind of athlete, when a fairly ordinary casual fan of college football not only knows your jersey number, but knows enough to recognize that you … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings, Sports | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What Do The James Madison Dukes Need To Do To Get A Bowl Game?

Posted on November 9, 2023 by nathanalbright

There are some people who are fans of college football who hate bowl games and think that 39 bowl games that are completely unconnected to the playoff system are a bad thing. I must admit that I appreciate a playoff … Continue reading →

Posted in Musings, Sports | Tagged | Leave a comment

An Indefinite Suspension

Posted on January 3, 2023 by nathanalbright

This evening there was supposed to be a Monday Night Football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati, but in the first quarter of the game, a frightening real life situation intruded upon the game when … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Musings, Sports | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Let Them Kiss

Posted on January 10, 2022 by nathanalbright

In the 1982 World Cup there was an incident of collusion between two teams for a mutually advantageous result that was so flagrant that it became known, among other things, as “Disgrace of Gijón”, and it changed how it was … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sports | Tagged , | 2 Comments