Defensive performance as a modulator of biased play calling in collegiate American-rules football

The present study sought to replicate and extend previous research on matching in American-rules football in an effort to identify possible explanations for biased play calling. In particular, we demonstrate a relation between defensive performance and bias (quantified via the generalized matching equation [GME]) in opponents' play calling. Specifically, against good pass/rush defenses, opponents demonstrated a bias away from the defenses' strengths. We conclude with a discussion on the importan- ce of translating matching theory and the explanatory utility of the bias parameter in the GME.