This week, it’s almost as if the bookmakers took MoSSBODS’ totals forecasts and randomly perturbed them slightly to come up with their own opinions. Their average expected totals are within one point of MoSSBODS’ (and not much more different from MoSHBODS’).

Seven of this week’s nine games are expected to be decided by less than three goals, and a eighth by only about three-and-a-half goals, leaving the Suns v Cats game to do all the heavy lifting of dragging up the all-game average.

Just how much effect a serious blowout victory should have on a team’s rating is an interesting thing to ponder, but my historical optimisation efforts - at least for MoSSBODS and MoSHBODS - suggest that putting a cap on the size of the adjustment is suboptimal.

I thought last week’s 18.5 all-Predictor average mean absolute error (MAE) would take some time to beat, but it took only seven days. This week’s average was 16.5 points per game per Predictor.

This week’s biggest differences between MoSHPlay and MoSHBODS are, for now, the following:

• Difference 19 points: Pies v Saints (MoSHPlay Pies by 49; MoSHBODS Pies by 30)

• Difference 9 points: Roos v Swans (MoSHPlay Roos by 12; MoSHBODS Roos by 21)

• Difference 8 points: Dons v Dockers (MoSHPlay Dons by 24; MoSHBODS Dons by 17)

• Difference 7 points: Power v Suns (MoSHPlay Power by 44; MoSHBODS Power by 51)

• Difference 7 points: Tigers v Hawks (MoSHPlay Tigers by 2; MoSHBODS Tigers by 9)

For the first time this season, the MoS twins’ totals forecasts are, in aggregate, near parity with the bookmakers’. Their average expected total is, again, 162, and the bookmakers’ is 162 to 163.

This week we have nine home team favourites - and considerable favourites at that in most cases.

Collingwood, who still sit atop both MoS Rating Systems, now have a 2 Scoring Shot (or about 7.3 points if we assume a 53% conversion rate) lead over Geelong on MoSSBODS, and a 3.3 points lead over Geelong on MoSHBODS. GWS fill 3rd place under both Systems, fractionally behind Geelong on MoSSBODS, and just over 2 points behind on MoSHBODS.

As expected with the higher levels of disagreement this week, there was quite a spread of scores across the Head-to-Head Tipsters, ranging from 3 out of 9s for C_Marg, Home Sweet Home, and Consult the Ladder, to 7 out of 9s for the RSMP twins and Bookie Knows Best.

This week’s biggest differences between MoSHPlay and MoSHBODS are, for now, the following:

• Difference 14 points: Blues v Pies (MoSHPlay Pies by 48; MoSHBODS Pies by 34)

• Difference 12 points: Dockers v Tigers (MoSHPlay Dockers by 9; MoSHBODS Tigers by 3)

• Difference 11 points: Saints v Eagles (MoSHPlay Eagles by 2; MoSHBODS Saints by 9)

• Difference 9 points: Power v Crows (MoSHPlay Crows by 5; MoSHBODS Power by 4)

Note that this includes three games where MoSHPlay and MoSHBODS are tipping different winners.

The MoS twins are, once again, slightly more pessimistic than the bookmakers about the return to high-scoring contests, but at least the pessimism discount now seems to be locked in at around half a goal. This week, their average expected total is 162 to the bookmakers’ 164 to 165.

Monday morning was what I can only describe as an odd period on the markets. By the time I ventured in to see where things were at around 9 or 10am, four of the line markets had moved from where they started, one by as much as the equivalent of half a goal or so (it was at $1.75 / $2.05).

Collingwood have opened up small gaps atop both the MoSSBODS and MoSHBODS Ratings Systems after comprehensively accounting for Port Adelaide in a 39 point and 14 scoring shot victory.

MoSHPlay backed up its 9 from 9 in Round 6 with a 7 from 9 in Round 7 to maintain a one tip lead as a Head-to-Head Tipster, but more importantly recorded an 18.7 points per game mean absolute error (MAE) as a Margin Predictor, the best of the round, and enough to see it to leap into third-place there.

Some big differences between MoSHPlay and MoSHBODS this week, most notably in the following games

Ah the comforting cadence of a week where the footy starts on Friday night and finishes on Sunday evening, and all the Totals markets are up by Wednesday …

I’m done speculating about how well the MoS forecasters might do on the basis of bookmaker expected margins, so let me, instead, just let you know that the TAB bookmaker has an average expected margin this week of 19.5 points per game, which is the lowest for a Round 7 since - at least - 2012.

A little quieter on the MoS Team Rating Systems this week, especially near the top where we now find both Systems agreeing on a Top 3 of Collingwood, GWS and Geelong.

After suggesting on Tuesday that no-one should expect to tip all nine results in the round, MoSHPlay went and did exactly that, out-tipping MoSHBODS using the player information that only it had.

It’s Wednesday, and all of the Totals markets are up at the TAB. Even after a decade at this caper, I feel certain I will never truly understand it.