Group E: Google’s Fallible Prediction

April 10th, 2006 | by: WC Bob |

Crystal Ball 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.

Group A: Google vs. WCB

Group B: Google vs. WCB

Group C: Google vs. WCB

Group D: Google vs. WCB

International Football News – World Cup Blog RSS Feed

Mike

I couldn’t agree more.
http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2006/the-greatest-pub-team-in-the-world.html The Greatest Pub Team in the World – FIFA World Cup 2006 – World Cup 2006 Blog

[...] 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. [...]
Cajun Nick

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).
William

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.