How to Win NFL Big Data Bowl—According to Last Year’s Winner

There’s an NFL contest that no one really knows about but “anyone who knows ball or can code has a chance,” Mike Lopez, senior director of football data and analytics for the NFL, told CNBC.

The league announced Wednesday that its “Big Data Bowl,” a stats-generating contest where competitors analyze football data to generate metrics that could help teams on the field, is back for a seventh year. The contest began on Monday and final submissions are due January 6, 2025.

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In addition to prize money (the top five submissions receive $12,500, with the winner receiving an additional $12,500, and No. 6 through No. 10 earning $5,000 each) and, of course, bragging rights, there’s also been a slew of competitors hired by the NFL and its teams. More than 75 participants are now working in data and analytics roles in sports, with more than 50 joining NFL clubs and vendors, according to an NFL press release.

“Not only do we get the ideas, but we also get a pipeline of talented analytics staffers that can come work for teams,” Lopez said. “Because not only does the league office want these ideas, but the teams do, too.”

“It’s almost like a science fair,” Lopez added.

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Previous competitions have analyzed various positions on the field, from running back to defensive end, and generated metrics used by NFL teams that have been “incorporated into live games,” according to the release.

This year’s contest has three options for submission: An “undergraduate track” open to undergraduate students, a “metric track” that leverages pre-snap data to assess team or player performance, and a “coach presentation track” that analyzes data designed for coaches.

Tips for the NFL’s Big Data Bowl

The winner of the 2024 competition, Matt Chang, wrote about how he and his team took home the top prize on Medium and offered numerous tips, including verifying your results in two different ways and “making sure your write-up answers the ‘so what?’ question.” His write-up also includes examples of the specific slides his team used to win it all.

The competition is powered by Amazon Web Services. For more information about the Big Data Bowl, click here.