Group E: Google’s Fallible Prediction
Over the course of the past few months, World Cup Blog has offered its infallible predictions for each of the World Cup groups. We are so confident of the infallibility of our selections that we are willing to match wits with the smartest kids on the block: Google. Google Fight is a site that allows you to enter any two terms and the Google gurus tell you who would win in a fight. Today we played out this battle with the Group E to see how our predictions compare to Google’s. Will World Cup Blog reign supreme in this clash of Internet titans?
USA - Czech Republic, Gelsenkirchen, June 12
Google winner: USA
WCB winner: Czech Republic
Italy - Ghana, Hanover, June 12
Google winner: Italy
WCB winner: Italy
Czech Republic - Ghana, Cologne, June 17
Google winner: Czech Republic
WCB winner: Tie
Italy - USA, Kaiserslautern, June 17
Google winner: USA
WCB winner: Italy
USA - Ghana, Nuremburg, June 22
Google winner: USA
WCB winner: USA
Italy - Czech Republic, Hamburg, June 22
Google winner: Italy
WCB winner: Tie
Group Winner
Google: USA 9pts
WCB: Italy 7pts
Group Runner-up
Google: Italy 6pts
WCB: Czech Republic 5pts
Conclusion: Google is picking with their heart and not their head. Perhaps FIFA uses Google formulas to come up with its world rankings? Might be the only way to explain the US being ranked number 5. Fails to explain how the Czech Republic is ranked number 2 yet gets no love from Google in this group.
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Comments
By Mike | April 10th, 2006 at 7:23 am 
I couldn’t agree more.
Posted from 
United States
By The Greatest Pub Team in the World - FIFA World Cup 2006 - World Cup 2006 Blog | April 14th, 2006 at 2:05 pm [...] We’re not the only ones doing rankings. The cool kids of Google now have a ranking system on Google Video. Top of the list today is the Carlsberg commercial below that features Bobby Robson managing a pub football team filled with former England legends, including Bobby Charlton, Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle. Quite a clever ad if you ask us. We’re still going to kick Google’s ass in World Cup predictions. Group F predictions headed you way on Monday. [...]
Posted from United States
By Cajun Nick | May 8th, 2006 at 6:42 pm The bottom-line is: We can expect a GREAT match on June 22 - Czech Republic v Italy. With both teams already having been assured passage to the Round of 16, they will be fighting to win the Group in order to escape Brazil.
I think that 4 pts will be enough for the second-place team to get through. I think that the Azzurri will pip the Czechs for Group winner because of great defense and strikers who take the best advantage of every situation.
Italy - 1st
Czech Republic - 2nd
It is great fun handicapping the other Groups. However, I don’t relish having to make picks in this Group. Everytime I look at it, I see my beloved US sitting at 3rd (and sometimes even 4th).
Posted from United States
By William | May 13th, 2006 at 3:53 pm Technically, for the record, GoogleFight isn’t associated with Google. So it’s really the GoogleFight guru’s.
And then it’s not even Google’s predictions as I think Google is pretty much agnostic when it comes to the World Cup. It’s GoogleFight’s predictions.
Sure it may be too-MAY-toh vs. too-MAH-toh, but it’s not Google’s fault if they’re wrong because simply, it’s not their predictions.
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