Computers clash in Super Bowl predictions

The Super Bowl is sparking a super-sized clash of computerized predictions, with the Patriots topping the Seahawks on Madden 15 and the Bing search engine, while a simulated Super Bowl run 50,000 times has Seattle a heavy favorite to come away the winner.

The 12s can take comfort in the results spit out by the Predictalator – a complex computer program that takes into account as many factors as possible and then runs the simulation 50,000 times.

“We’re accounting for all 22 players interacting on the field on a play-by-play basis, and layering thing likes weather, coaching and anything else likely to occur during a game, and then we just do that 49,999 more times,” says Paul Bessire, the creator of the Predictalator.

The results? The Seahawks won 57 percent of the time, with an average final score of 23-20.

“For the second consecutive year we are disagreeing with the public and Vegas,” Bassire says of the results.

The big key will be Seattle’s ability to run the ball, according to the simulations.

“There are more than twice as many projected rushing yards for the Seahawks than the Patriots,” says Bassire. “If they can pull that off obviously throughout the course of the game they should be able to win.”

The simulation predicts Marshawn Lynch will go full-on Beast Mode, rushing for over 100 yards and scoring at least one touchdown.

“We could end up having an MVP press conference with a guy who doesn’t necessarily want to talk to anybody,” says Bessire.

Defensively, the Predictalator says the Seahawks vaunted defense will shut down Tom Brady and the high octane Patriots offense, holding Brady to just 235 passing yards and limiting All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski to just six catches and 70 yards receiving.

Sure it’s just a series of simulations, but the Predictalator has been pretty accurate since it started calling Super Bowls five years ago, including favoring the Seahawks in last year’s Super Bowl.

“We’re 4-1 straight up in the Super Bowl, 77 percent against the spread in playoffs, so we’re pretty happy with what it’s done,” says Bessire.

Seahawks fans won’t be as happy with some other silicon simulations.

EA Sports has the Patriots rallying from a 24-14 third quarter hole and knocking off the Seahawks 28-24 in its simulated Super Bowl on the Madden 15 video game.

How much stock should we put in the prediction? EA Sports has correctly predicted eight of the last 11 Super Bowl winners. But last year it picked Denver to beat Seattle, 28-26, and we all know how that turned out.

Microsoft’s Bing search engine is also picking the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, slightly favoring the Pats with a 51.5 percent chance of knocking off the Seahawks. But as Geekwire’s Taylor Soper points out, Bing has only been right in about 66 percent of its picks throughout the NFL season, and it wrongly predicted the Seahawks would get knocked out in the playoffs and fail to make the Super Bowl.