COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Times are a changin’ in college football.

For the first time since the advent of the AP poll in 1936, seven BIG 10 teams lost non-conference games to unranked opponents. The College Football Pool was a victim of the aftermath.

The biggest loser – Wisconsin. The Badgers lost at home to BYU, essentially ending any hopes at a playoff appearance AND putting up -6 in a double game loss in the pool. ASU did NOT play to win the game vs. the Aztecs and South Carolina didn’t play at all, but remained in the lineup. It all adds up to 12 whopping points and accomplishing what a week ago seemed impossible. Overtaking last place in the pool. Plummeting from 4th place to 8th…

Gob.

 

So, for at least a week, he climbs out of the cellar. Arkansas loses (again) and late-add Baylor falls to Duke. He goes 4-2, scoring 37 points, upgrading from a dingbat.

 

A couple 6-0 records this week for Ringo and Skunk. Ringo gets a nice 18 point win out of BC in his double game and wins the week with 52 points jumping back to first place. Likewise, the Dawgs get 18 for Skunk, he moves into 4^th.

5-1 for Mike Lynn, Negatron and George. Mike Lynn gets a pool-leading 20 from Bama and moves into 2^nd. Northwestern and Nebraska were the Big10 teams that dinged Negatron and George.

PJ falls to 3^rd. His LSU team beat his Auburn for a intrasquad -3 home loss and GaTech continues to befuddle him. Ohio State did get a double win over ranked TCU but lost the spread by the dreaded ½ point.

The Few. The Proud. The College Football Trip Guys are back on ND soil.

And they have seen things that the unfortunate few cannot comprehend.

So we will start with the “stay-at-home-boys”.

“Row it” indeed! PJ has cobbled together a squad that sits atop the standings. Another 5-1 week, Only the Ramblin’ Wreck didn’t get ‘er done. He’s dominating the double games averaging 20 points a week.

Next up, Knut, not Rockne, but a Kraut country western barfly. He posts a 6-0 week, butmanages only 40 points – Utah over No Illinois (10) outscores Bucky in his double game (8). He leads the middle of the pack in 4^th place.

It’s not that he picked three losers. We’ve all done that. It’s leaving Washington, the 5^th pick overall on the bench – vs. the FIGHTING HAWKS! Like an angry beaver, chasing points in week 2. He meets his demise. 40 points behind the leader – 20 points behind 7^th place. What a…..

 

 

 

Ringo’s run to perfection gets tripped up by UNC – getting drilled by East Carolina. He slips to 2^nd, one point behind PJ.

Mike Lynn goes 6-0 and wins the week with 56 points, one of three teams in the 90’s.

Skunk also bounces back with a 6-0 week, jumping from last to 5^th place.

George’s Gators were his lone loss this week. He sits in 6^th.

Negatron is doing his best to get out of 7^th place (where he finished last year). He goes 6-0 led by Penn State and Washington State with a shutout in his double game.

None of the Sisters are beating their guys. Let’s go, ladies!

Weekly spreadsheet is on Weekly Lineup/ Results Tab.

 

 

The College Football Gods cast a plague upon week one of the college football pool.

They washed out the defending champ’s double game, forcing him to start Miami vs. LSU for a 4 point loss. They cursed Daggett with temporary insanity, causing him to switch his double game to Washington over Auburn (-4). They made Hawaii a pool-wrecking ball – dealing Negatron the first official loss of the year in week zero and beating Navy in Skunk’s double game.

A year ago, only one player was sub-40 after week 1: Bubba (34 points)

This year 6 players are below the 40 point mark, led(?) by Skunk with 23 points – losses by Navy (2X) and Temple to FCS “Nova.

Daggett and Negatron join Skunk in the “under 30 crowd”.

George, Mike Lynn, and Knut are in the 30’s – Miami losing George’s doubler to spoil an otherwise great week 1 with 3 teams getting defensive bonus points. Mike Lynn saw the Heisman hopes for Arizona go up in flames in his week one loss to BYU. And Knut’s only loss was the perennially over-rated Texas Longhorns annual L to the Turtles.

PJ scored a pool high 22 points in the Auburn win over Washington. UCLA’s home loss to Cincinnati ruined what could have been a 60+ Saturday.

Ringo posted the only 6-0 record – Boise trounced Troy on the road in his double game, Notre Dame dealt Harbaugh a 9^th loss in his last 18 games. The ‘Yotes provided the lone scare – collapsing in the 2^nd half at K State.

It’s off to College Station for 5/8 of the pool in week two for their annual field trip.When ESPN heard rumors that we would be there, it was only natural they would follow.

 

Of the 33 champions in 29 years, seven began the season ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, with four each ranked No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5. Teams ranked No. 3 in the preseason have claimed as many titles (two) as teams ranked No. 14 in that span. Though most champions start in the top five, three of the past 33 champions have done so from outside the preseason top 15:

• In 1990, Georgia Tech went from unranked to No. 2 in the AP Poll. It won the coaches’ vote and split the title with AP No. 1 Colorado.
• Despite going six years without finishing in the top 25, Oklahoma opened the 2000 season, its second under Bob Stoops, ranked No. 19 and finished 13-0 to win the BCS title.
• With the addition of Cam Newton, Auburn went from preseason No. 22 to an undefeated national championship in 2010.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson will be good. They probably will not finish No. 1 and No. 2.

The only preseason AP No. 1 team to finish unranked since 1989 was USC under Lane Kiffin in 2012. The only preseason AP No. 2 team to end up outside the poll in that span was 1994 Notre Dame under Lou Holtz. The top two teams in the preseason have each finished in the top five over 61 percent of the time and in the top 10 over 82 percent of the time.

The Crimson Tide and Tigers have been the consensus choice for Nos. 1 and 2 in the preseason by an overwhelming margin. They will likely both end up in the final top 10, but it’s unlikely that they’ll actually start and finish as the top two teams. The consensus national championship game prediction is rarely right, even when it seems like the obvious choice.

An average of 5.5 teams ranked in the preseason top 10 finish in the top 10. An average of 1.6 preseason top-10 teams end up unranked.

Teams ranked No. 8 or better in the preseason have finished in the top 10 more than 50 percent of the time. No. 1 (86.2 percent) and No. 2 (82.8 percent) are the only ones above 62.1 percent, however.

Only 15 of 58 teams ranked No. 9 or 10 in the preseason have finished in the top 10. In other words, teams like No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Penn State this year typically fall out of the top 10 by the end of the season, although they have still finished in the top 25 about two-thirds of the time.

The 2018 College Football Draft will be held August 23rd – 7:00.

1. Mike Lynn – Never recovered from Florida State pick
2. Negatron – The doomsayer needs some PMA in 2018
3. Skunk – Sophomore slump is lasting a lot of years
4. Knut – Consistent mediocrity
5. Daggett – See above
6. Ringo – Week 9: TCU 7 Iowa State 14 – Boom goes the dynamite
7. PJ – So close to an elusive “modern-era” title
8. George – 105 points better than PJ – dominant year

 

2016 Champion Klaus (Knut) passing the trophy to 2017 Champ George.

 

Wishing all your teams’ seasons end with a victory.

The final standings are in and the 2018 draft order is set. Congratulations to everyone in the College Football Pool, the greatest pool in the history of the world. You can receive your 2017 commemorative participant awards by sending $99.99 to your commissioner.

Skunk vaulted into 6th place with his Georgia win over Knut’s Auburn. Skunk passes idle Negatron who posted the most fitting scoring line in the history of the pool.

Daggett rose from the ashes and claimed “best of the worst” despite his Badgers falling to Ringo’s Buckeyes.

Our runner-up is PJ – other years it may have been good enough. He continues his quest to sit atop the throne.

First and last ended fittingly. Cautious George scored a safe 8 point win from Toledo. Mike Lynn’s Cardinal lost its 2nd doubler of the year to USC.

So George wins his first title in recorded history. His claims of being a “winner” are now legitimized.

 

 

 

 

Unlike college football, the pool needn’t depend on a committee to determine a champion. It’s a historic year, the 600 point “glass ceiling” has been shattered. After a brief back-and-forth with OJ, the pool outcome was never in doubt. Alabama, Miami, Central Florida, FAU, Toledo. 70 wins. 19 games over .500 vs. the spread. He averaged over 47 points a week. And led Murderer’s Row to a 2000+ point season and rout of the Sisters of the Poor. In honor of his cautious (lack of testes) nature we offer congratulations to our champion…

George McClellan.

Also, Stumpy Pete is no longer with us after plummeting to 7^th place. He died in a bizarre gardening accident that the authorities said was “best left unsolved.”

He is now…

Skunk Baxter.

PJ looks to have our runner-up spot locked up. His Sooners were a point scoring machine this year, except for that week at Columbus when he chose to leave them on the bench.

Ringo, Knut, and Daggett will fight it out this week for 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th. Daggett wins the week for the 3^rd straight time with 54 points led by Sconny’s road shutout win over hapless Goldy.

Negatron achieves a first in the pool as well, failing to have a team on his roster for the final double week picks.

Mike Lynn posts the only 6-0 record this week. And scores 43 points. Perfect ending for him.

One pick left boys – double it!

Happy Thanksgiving! Here’s to a great weekend of college football!

 

Daggett scores the most points for the 2^nd straight week edging PJ and Snuffy. BYU hit rock bottom losing at home to UMass for Daggett’s only loss. Sconny gets 16 in his double game and the Hoosiers shut out Rutgers.

6-0 and 47 points for both Snuffy and PJ, Bama survives Mercer for Bama in Snuffy’s double game – OU scores 20 for PJ.

Ringo goes 5-1 scoring 46. Knut goes 5-1 scoring 29. How? Coach Bald took the dreaded -4 loss to Fresno State and Penn State only scored 8 in Knut’s doubler. Ringo gets 20 out of TCU – The Gators, Jesuits, and Aztecs get cover/bonus points.

The negativity was too much for Houston and Iowa to overcome losing to Tulane and Purdue. Colorado State managed 8 in his double game, the Huskies need OT to knock off the Utes. Negatron scores 20 as the free fall continues.

Okie State and Middle Tennessee were losers for Stumpy Pete – Boise was the only team to cover. His Huskers are historically awful and signing blank checks to any form of coaching pride left in the college football world with ties to Nebraska.

Ohio loses Tuesday in his double game. His late switch results in an Idaho home loss to Coastal Carolina. Ga Tech gets blown out at Duke. He scores 6 points for the week, now 49 points out of 7^th, 200 out of first. It started with drafting Florida State and it’s been a litany of wrong decisions dooming his season. He is Mike Lynn.