The SuperGeek's Mulligan: Now It's the Niners to Win the Super Bowl

Nate Silver is never afraid to put his conclusions into the public record.

The zeitgeistmeister of the blogosphere who landed a sweet gig with the Grey Lady -- aka The New York Times -- as a columnist and then saw his reputation skyrocket with his analytical ability to predict precincts in presidental elections with 98%-100% accuracy is back to take another shot at this year's Super Bowl winner.

Or more to the point: Super Bowl coverer.

It's worth repeating that he got his start as a sports-stat geek, so a return to his roots comes with the cred he established the first time around. However, as they say, past performance does not guarantee future results.

Silver's first stats-based prognostication for Super Bowl XLVII didn't get very far. That came before the start of the playoffs, and he liked the Patriots to beat the Seahawks.

This time around, Silver is exploring the old bromide that defense wins championships. Maybe it does, but it won't necessarily follow that defense covers spreads ... unless you're picking the favorite.

Silver is. He's got the 49ers.

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