How we write our game previews

Every preview on Mako Bets goes through the same steps, for every game on the schedule, from the biggest rivalry to the smallest non-conference game.

1. A fact sheet from data

We start from a fact sheet built from data, not from memory: season statistics with league ranks, recent results, key players, schedule and rest, and the current spread and total from US sportsbooks. Sources include CollegeFootballData, CollegeBasketballData, ESPN, nflverse and The Odds API.

2. News research

An AI research assistant (Anthropic's Claude) searches recent reporting for injuries, suspensions, lineup and coaching news, and records each item with its date and source. Availability news needs two independent sources or is reported as unconfirmed.

3. Writing

A second Claude model writes the preview from the fact sheet and the research notes only. It is told to use no number that is not in those two sources and to say when a statistic is from last season.

4. Checking every number

An automated check traces every number in the article back to the fact sheet or a cited source. A third model then reviews every claim against the data and fixes or removes anything it cannot verify. Sentences whose numbers still cannot be traced are deleted before publishing.

5. Updates

Lines in each preview refresh several times a day. A preview is rewritten when the spread moves enough to signal real news, and on game day we re-check injury and availability news.

What a preview is not

A preview is analysis, not a guarantee and not financial advice. Our betting models are tested before their picks are shown, and anything untested is labelled as untested.

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