SAN ANTONIO – Between statistics, numbers and percentages, math is an important part of the sports world.
But can it be used to predict the outcomes of games?
Two Trinity University professors say they have come up with the winning formula to do just that.
"I was teaching a course in Linear Algebra and the students kept asking, 'What is this good for?'" said Trinity professor Eduardo Cabral.
Cabral then teamed up with fellow math professor Dr. Brian Miceli to answer that question, picking winning sports teams by using math to rank teams in various sports leagues.
Right now, the 7-3 Dallas Cowboys are ranked 9th after 10 games and the San Francisco49ers are ahead of them, even though the 49ers have a 6-4 record.
"San Francisco probably played better and the teams they lost to were better than the teams Dallas lost to," said Cabral.
As far as college football goes, the pair believe they have the final four teams already locked down.
They should be. So far this season, their predictions are correct 64 percent of the time.
The professors had the San Antonio Spurs winning the NBA championship last season, even when the team was headed to Miami for Game 3 of the Finals with the series tied 1-1. And we all know how that turned out.