Block 2 Pennant Race – Friday

Posted: October 5, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: Block 2 Championship | Leave a comment »

Friday Update

In the Atlantic League championship series last night, Long Island defeated Lancaster 9-4 in Game 2 to knot the best-of-5 at 1 game apiece. Meanwhile in the WNBA Western Conference Finals, Minnesota defeated Los Angeles 94-77 in Game 1 of the best-of-3 series. The Minnesota win ensures that all users who picked Los Angeles cannot earn those points in Block 2. A Los Angeles series win would mean the series extended into Block 3. No points were earned Thursday but 24 points are up for grabs in the MLB Wild Card games taking place this afternoon and tonight. The Shriners Open continues – it’s cut day! – as do the Week 6 CFB picks and the Atlantic League championship series.

Current Standings

Danny 689
skizzow^ 673 (-16)
Jimmy 673 (-16)
Bristol* 671 (-18)
mxknkl 663 (-26)
abittner 647 (-42)
JP 618 (-71)
Greg 607 (-82)
Chris 575 (-114)
Ryan 564 (-125)
Doug 551 (-138)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

Major League Baseball – The two wild card games will be played today for a total of 24 possible points.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Shriners Open – The event that is overwhelmingly likely to decide Block 2 is now underway. As with other UvU events, the top 10 finishers earn points on a sliding scale from 80 to 8, with a 32-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the winner. Thus, 112 points are possible in this one.

WNBA – The Western Conference Final between Minnesota & Los Angeles began last night and ends on Sunday with a Minnesota sweep. This would add the 32 points to Block 1. (Game 3 of the series would be next Wednesday and would put the points in Block 3 if the game is necessary.)

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events. All contenders are in play for the 24 points for the MLB Wild Card games, provided they submit picks.

Danny 689 (+16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 3rd place after Day 1 at -29 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

skizzow 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 4th place after Day 1 at -28 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

Jimmy 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 8th place after Day 1 at -18.

Bristol 671 (-18)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 2nd place after Day 1 at -30 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

mxknkl 663 (-26)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 5th place after Day 1 at -26.

abittner 647 (-42)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – Tied for 8th place after Day 1 at -18.

JP 618 (-71)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 13th place after Day 1 at +7.

Greg 607 (-82)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 10th place after Day 1 at -16.

Chris 575 (-114)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
WNBA (0) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles can no longer win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 7th place after Day 1 at -19.

Ryan 564 (-125)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 5-way tie for 10th place with 1 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 6th place after Day 1 at -20.

Doug 551 (-138)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota can still win the series in Block 2.
CFB Week 6 Picks (16) – In a 9-way tie for 1st place with 2 correct.
Shriners Open (112) – In 1st place after Day 1 at -31 and has tournament leader Ryan Moore (-10).

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

Lancaster and Long Island are tied at 1 game apiece in the best-of-5 championship series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Saturday or as late as Sunday.
- If Long Island wins: mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. mxknkl currently trails Danny by just 26 points for the Block 2 lead.
- If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points. Bristol currently trials Danny by just 14 points for the Block 2 lead.
- The Takeaway: If the series does not go the full 5 games, Danny will be bumped out of the lead following its conclusion. However, if Lancaster wins he will still be in the lead for the playoff spot.

CFB Week 6 Picks

One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Major League Baseball

The two wild card games will be played today and are each worth 12 points, giving everyone a shot at 24 more points.

WNBA

Minnesota leads Los Angeles in the best-of-3 Western Conference Finals. The series will only end in Block 2 on Sunday if Minnesota wins. The game on Sunday begins at 2:30 pm CDT and should be ending during the final round of the Shriners Open.
- If Minnesota sweeps: Bristol, Danny, Doug, Ryan, mxknkl & skizzow would earn 32 points.
- The Takeaway: Everyone except for those 6 (and maybe even Ryan & Doug) should be heartily cheering for a Los Angeles win on Sunday. A Minnesota sweep pushes the foursome of Danny, skizzow, Bristol & mxknkl further away from the rest of the group.

Shriners Open

The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

CFB Week 6 “Previews”

Posted: October 4, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: CFB Weekly Picks, Uncategorized | Tags: Carleton (MN), Central Missouri, Cumberlands, Faulkner, Gorilla playing Phil Collins, Grambling State, Joe Esposito, Macalester, Pittsburg State, Prairie View A&M | Leave a comment »

Cumberlands @ Faulkner – Saturday, October 6 @ 1:30 pm CDT

Author: Ryan

Mascots

Cumberlands – Patriots. They’ve already reminded me of Tom Brady, so that’s not a good way to start. Previous mascots at Cumberlands were the Redhounds and Indians, but apparently these weren’t ‘Merican enough. The college decided to make the name change to Patriots “which is more in keeping with our college’s architecture.” Sure. Things are not going well Cumberlands, could anything turn it around…maybe a little Patriot Pride. You sir have won all mascot challenges for the rest of time.

Faulkner – Who Gives a Shits. I mean Eagles. Sadly not Eagle! Baldwin the Bald Eagle wears football jerseys and is not The Best.

Advantage – Joe Esposito.

Coaching Staff – Most Awesome Member

Cumberlands – All of these are on one page, but make sure to check out how high Michael Collins can get his chest in a photo. And he might not be a coach, but do yourself a favor and scroll down the page to check out all that is Manager Brian Campbell. But our winner here is Head Coach John Bland, a four-year letterman at QB for Arkansas in the 80s, a team that went to four straight bowl games.

Faulkner – The winner here is OC/QB Coach Nick Coleman, who was one of Dwight Dasher’s back-ups at Middle Tennesse. Dasher did not steal any checks from Coleman.

Advantage – Cumberlands. Because Michael Collins told me so.

Best Name

Cumberlands – Freshman OL Caleb Turnipseed and his brother Junior OL Shane Turnipseed. I assume their father was Steve Turnip.

Faulkner – A few winners here – Senior DL Paramore Tapa, Junior OL CoCo Lattimore, but nothing tops Senior DB Zeke Pigg.

Advantage – Faulkner.

Location

Cumberlands – Williamsburg, Kentucky. The Cumberland river flows through Williamsburg, hence the school name. The town thrived upon its founding due to its fresh water springs, and later lumber and coal industries. At its peak Williamsburg had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the nation, which I assume was 1. Williamsburg’s top attraction is the nearby Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, home of the Cumberland Falls, which is also known as Little Niagara or Niagara of the South. It is the only venue in the Western Hemisphere where a Moonbow or Lunar Rainbow is visible on clear nights with a full moon. Patricia Neal, who won the Best Actress Academy Award in 1963 for Hud, was born nearby but moved to Knoxville, TN at a young age. Also, I read this story yesterday before selecting this game to preview – http://www.wate.com/story/19689945/chinese-restaurant-shut-down-for-bringing-in-road-kill. What a disgusting coincidence.

Faulkner – Montgomery, Alabama. Obviously a much larger town that Williamsburg, Montgomery is the capital of Alabama. A group of European-American settlers established the town in 1817ish. In 1886 Montgomery became the first town in the US to install city-wide electric street cars. Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man, which helped make Montgomery one of the focal points of the modern civil rights movement. Hyundai has a factory in Alabama that makes Elantras, so I assume that is where my car was born. They are also home to one of the most successful fake baseball teams of our time, the Montgomery Burns. Some notable residents include Rosa Parks, Tommy Shaw of Styx, Hank Williams, Sr., and Hall of Fame QBs Bart Starr and Tarvaris Jackson.

Advantage – Faulkner. They had this one in a runaway.

Notable Alumni

Cumberlands – MMA Fighter Dustin Center, a couple of ex-governors of Kentucky, and that’s it.

Faulkner – Former MLB Pitcher Shane Reynolds (fun fact Reynolds was the opposing starting pitcher in the game Kerry Wood struck out 20 batters), a congressman, and that’s it.

Advantage – Faulkner. Shane Reynolds beats an MMA fighter I’ve never heard of.

Decision

A big comeback victory for Faulkner in this one on the strength of Zeke Pigg.

Macalester @ Carleton (MN) – Saturday, October 6 @ 1:00 pm CDT

“The Book of Knowledge”

I was not able to locate much information regarding the Book of Knowledge. The teams have been playing for the book since 1999 with Carleton winning the last 9 games in a row. They lead the overall series 49-9-1.

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Macalester – Scots. I spent 10 minutes looking and could not find any explanation of why. Fail.

Carleton – Knights. No further information available.

Advantage – No one. I know you are D-III institutions, but let’s get a few web pages up. It’s 2012 for fuck’s sake.

Best Player Name

Macalester– Tie – Sophomore RB Samson Bialostok, freshman QB T. Joe Loiselle, freshman RB Zandy Sowell, senior LB Geo Chester and sophomore OL Djoser Ramsey and his white-guy dreadlocks.

Carleton – Tie – the very Scandanavian duo of Henrik Byrlev & Jens Lillehei. However, they made my job easy by showing pictures of all the players. Buzz from Home Alone. Extremely happy. The Bounty guy. I don’t even know.

Advantage – Macalester. Great work on the pictures, Carleton, but since the category is names Macalester wins it easily.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Macalester – Defensive line coach Lee Nystrom, who looks a little bit like Dave Wannstedt. He was a four-year starter at Macalester and was named team MVP in 1972. He coached defensive line for the Scots from 1976 – 1984 and returned this year after a 28-year hiatus. Nystrom was inducted into the Macalester Hall of Fame in 1986 and played for the Green Bay Packers from 1973 to 1975.

Carleton – Wide receivers coach James Kilian. Kilian was a QB at Tulsa and was named second-team All-Conference in 2003. He was drafted in the 7th round by the Chiefs in 2005 and spent time with them, the Atlanta Falcons, the Hamburg Sea Devils (Europe), the Nashville Kats (AFL), and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL). Kilian was a graduate assistant and then quarterbacks coach at Tulsa and the running backs coach at LSU for one reason before landing at Carleton. Honorable mention goes to Offensive Coordinator Dick Tressel. He spent the last 11 years at Ohio State, the last 8 as running backs coach. However, no mention of his brother anywhere in the bio.

Advantage – Macalester. Both schools have a guy with NFL ties but having a Tressel means you lose the tiebreaker.

Location

Macalester – St. Paul, MN. St. Paul is the capital of and second largest city in Minnesota. It comprises the “Twin Cities” with adjoined Minneapolis. The settlement was originally known as Pig’s Eye for a tavern located there but was renamed Saint Paul by the first Catholic pastor in the region. It’s motto is “The most livable city in America”. In 1857, the territorial legislature voted to move the capital to Saint Peter. However, Joe Rolette, a territorial legislator, stole the physical text of the approved bill and went into hiding, thus preventing the move. On May 11, 1858, Minnesota was admitted to the union as the thirty-second state, with Saint Paul as the capital. It is home to the Saint Paul Winter Carnival which began in 1886 after a New York reporter called the city “another Siberia”. Notable natives include Peanuts creator Charles Schulz; painter LeRoy Nieman; and MLB players Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Jack Morris and Joe Mauer (give the Twins credit, they employed all of them at one time or another).

Carleton– Northfield, MN. Northfield is a town of approximately 20,000 which has become a suburb and bedroom community on the southern fringe of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. It was founded in 1855 by John North. The school was originally called Northfield College in 1866 but was renamed after William Carleton when the latter donated $50,000 to the school in 1871. In 1876, Jesse James and the James-Younger gang attempted to rob First National Bank of Northfield. Local citizens, recognizing what was happening, armed themselves and resisted the robbers and successfully thwarted the theft. The gang killed the bank’s cashier, Joseph Lee Heywood and a Swedish immigrant, Nicholas Gustafson. A couple of members of the gang were killed in the street, while the rest were cornered near Madelia, Minnesota. Jesse and Frank James escaped west into the Dakotas, while the remaining gang members were killed or taken into custody.The town’s motto is “Cows, Colleges, and Contentment” reflecting the influence of dairy farms in the area. Cereal producer Malt-O-Meal has a plant in the town on the Cannon River. Notable natives include professional juggler Jon Wee; former St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Mark Setterstrom; former New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Chad Setterstrom; and actress Alexandra Holden (one of Ross’ girlfriends on Friends).

Advantage – Carleton. In a huge upset, Northfield knocks off St. Paul. The townspeople “armed themselves” and drove off Jesse and Frank James. That’s good enough for me.

Notable Alumni

Macalester – Diplomat Kofi Annon; former U.S Vice President Walter Mondale; talent agent Ari Emanuel, the basis for Ari Gold of Entourage; 80’s pop group Information Society; actor Carl Lumbly (Detective Mark Petrie on 104 episodes of Cagney & Lacey); and actor/director Peter Berg (directed Friday Night Lights & Hancock).

Carleton – former Meet the Press host Garrick Utley; Barrie Osborne, producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy; Monkees member Peter Tork (did not graduate); and a crapload of authors and politicians I’ve never heard of.

Advantage – Macalester. The politicians, musicians, and movie directors/producers cancel each other out leaving Cagney & Lacey for the win.

Decision

Macalester wins it 3-1-1 thanks to Cagney & Lacey, a quintet of great names and not employing a Tressel.

Central Missouri @ Pittsburg State – Saturday, October 6 @ 2:00 pm CDT

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Central Missouri– Mules. (The women’s teams are called the Jennies.) Here is a look at a day in the life of Mo the Mule. Also, their mule logo is awesome.

Pittsburg State – Gorillas. They provide a great explanation as to why they are the Gorillas. The mascot’s name is Gus. And Gus loves Phil Collins.

Advantage – Phil Collins. Both teams have unique, alliterative and awesome mascots. Unless Mo the Mule puts outs a video doing spin moves to Take Me Home Tonight, Gus wins. Forever.

[Ed. Note: I Googled “gorilla wrestling a mule” because, you know, I do shit like that. I didn’t find any evidence this has happened, but I found a good quote: “Success is like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you are tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.”]

Best Player Name

Central Missouri – Tie – Freshman kicker Niko Schwenneker (from Knob Noster, MO), senior LB Ovie Oghenejobo, junior DB Boy Humphrey, and (from an Iowa fan’s perspective, one of the best names ever) sophomore QB Hayden Hawk. And now, behold, the greatest mustache in college football history – Layne Moore. (He is from Wahoo, NE, which is a terrific place. If you buy two pieces of Casey’s Pizza you get a free fountain drink whether you want it or not.)

Pittsburg State – Tie – Sophomore LB Tyler Disney, sophomore OL Boston Higgins, sophomore DL Tank Burns, junior WR Trey Derryberry and freshman long snapper Steyr Stubenrauch. De’Vante Busby is very happy to be a Gorilla.

Advantage – The love child of Rollie Fingers and Tom Selleck. Pitt State had no chance after that.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Central Missouri – Head coach Jim Svoboda is a native of Denison, IA and is one of three Iowa natives on the Mule coaching staff. Svoboda played at Northwestern College in Orange City, IA and began his coaching career there as well. He has since coached for Dana College, Eastern New Mexico, Nebraska Wesleyan (head coach for 7 seasons), Northwest Missouri State, UCLA (where he was the finalist for the Frank Broyles Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2005) and Montana State. He has been a part of 3 national championship teams – 1 at Northwestern and 2 at Northwest Missouri State – and UCLA made it to a bowl game in each of his 3 seasons there. The 2010 Central Missouri team won the first playoff game in school history and became the first team with a 5,000 yard passer and a 1,000 yard rusher.

Pittsburg State – Wide receivers coach Neal Philpot (who looks a bit like Harland Williams) was a four year starter at QB for Pittsburg State. He was a two-time All-American who became the first QB in NCAA history to run and pass for more than 1,000 yards in a season 3 times. He set a conference record with 10,168 yards of total offense and led the 2004 team to a Division II runner-up finish. He has been on the coaching staff since his graduation. Additionally, running backs coach John Pierce kind of looks like Tom Selleck – Tom Selleck now, not Magnum P.I. If he looked like a young Tom Selleck, Neal Philpot would have had to take a seat.

Advantage – Central Missouri. A tough call here with a long and storied and coaching career versus a very prolific playing career. However, Svoboda gets the edge based on 3 national titles and being from Iowa.

Location

Central Missouri – Warrensburg, MO. Warrensburg was founded in 1856 by settler Martin Warren. One of the elementary schools (Martin Warren Elementary) is named after the town’s founder. Warrensburg is close to the site of a horrific Missouri Pacific train wreck that occurred in 1904. An eastbound passenger train collided head-on with a westbound freight, killing 30 people. The passenger train was packed with people en route to St. Louis for the 1904 World’s Fair. The phrase “Man’s best friend” is based on a famous trial over the killing of Old Drum, a dog commemorated by a statue in front of the Warrensburg Courthouse. Notable natives include John William “Blind” Boone, an African-American concert pianist considered a pioneer of modern music; Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People; Kimberly Wyatt, former member of the Pussycat Dolls; American Idol season 7 winner David Cook; and current Oklahoma governor Mary Fallon.

Pittsburg State – Pittsburg, KS. Pittsburg was founded in 1876 and originally known as Iowa City. No mention is made as to why they dropped such a fine name. On October 23, 1864, a wagon train of refugees had come from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was escorted by troops from the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the command of Col. William Campbell. These were local men from Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon Counties. Their enlistment was over, and they were on their way to Fort Leavenworth to be dismissed from service. They ran into the 1st Indian Brigade led by Maj. Andrew Jackson Piercy near the current Pittsburg Waste Water Treatment Plant. They continued to the north when a small group of wagons broke away in an unsuccessful rush to safety. The Confederate troops caught up with them and burned the wagons. The death toll was three Union soldiers and 13 civilian men who had been with the wagon train. It was likely that one of the Confederates had also been killed. A granite marker memorial for the “Cow Creek Skirmish” was placed near the Crawford County Historical Museum on October 30, 2011. Notable natives include actor Hugh Gillin (the sheriff from Psycho II and Psycho III); 1930s-1950s professional wrestler “Wild” Red Berry; Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer; and former Los Angeles Dodgers player, coach and manager Bill Russell.

Advantage – Warrensburg. A close race, but since Pittsburg changed its name from Iowa City, it loses.

Notable Alumni

Central Missouri – former Kansas men’s basketball coach Phog Allen, for whom the university’s fieldhouse is named; Houston Astros owner Jim Crane; Grant Curtis, executive producer of Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3; former WWE wrestler “The Natural” Butch Reed; former Drake and Iowa State men’s basketball coach Maury John, who lead Drake to the Final Four in 1969; actor Allan Kayser (Bubba Higgins on Mama’s Family); Carrie Nation, leader of the Temperance Movement; currently suspended NFL defensive coordinator Gregg Williams; former MLB pitcher Jerry Reuss; radio host Erich “Mancow” Muller; and James Evans, the inventor of Cheerios.

Pittsburg State – former Texas A&M football coach Dennis Franchione; former MLB player Sherm Lollar; NFL punter Brian Moorman; former NFL player Ronald Moore; and actor Gary Busey (did not graduate).

Advantage – Tie. Phog Allen, The Natural, Mama’s Family, Carrie Nation and the inventor of Cheerios = Gary Busey.

Decision

Central Missouri wins it 3-1-1 but I almost made an author’s decision to award the win to Pittsburg State on the strength of Gary Busey alone.

Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State – Saturday, October 6 @ 6:00 pm CDT

“State Fair Classic”

The State Fair Classic has been annually at the Texas State Fair since 1925. The game has seen many teams since its inception and has featured these two schools each year since 1992.

[Ed. Note: The use of the word “classic” is debatable. Grambling State comes in 0-4 and Prairie View A&M 0-5. Although, MB does love a good pillow fight.]

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Prairie View A&M – Panthers. Here is Prairie View’s female mascot practicing for the 2012 Mascot “Dance Like a Stripper” contest.

Grambling State – Tigers.

Advantage – Panthers. In a battle of nondescript feline mascots, the one that doubled as my high school mascot wins. And earns a few singles.

Best Player Name

Prairie View A&M – Tie – Junior DT Alpha Kamara and WR Jamal Jupiter. QB De’Auntre Smiley is just that. And something seems different about the kicker and the punter from the rest of the squad.

Grambling State – Tie – Freshman RB Shaquille Traylor (only 5’11” so not the love child of Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Traylor), freshman WR Ka’Jandre Domnio and freshman RB Jeremy Runner.

Advantage – Grambling State. A RB named Runner is good enough for me.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Prairie View A&M – Safeties coach Bubba McDowell. McDowell played 7 years in the NFL, the first 6 for the Houston Oilers and the last for the Carolina Panthers in their inaugural year. He earned NFL All-Pro honors in 1991 and was named to two different All-Rookie team in 1989. He was a four-time letterman at Miami (FL) in college and was a starter on the undefeated 1987 National Championship team. After working for several years in the private sector following his playing career, McDowell joined the coaching ranks in 2003 at Texas Southern. He has also coached at Houston and Willowridge High School in addition to PVAM.

Grambling State – Head coach Doug Williams. Williams was a first round choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978 and led the team to its first 3 playoff appearances in 4 seasons. He jumped to the USFL following the 1982 season because he was the lowest-paid starting QB in the NFL and was paid less than 12 backups. After the USFL was shut down in 1986 Williams signed with the Washington Redskins, coached by Williams’ offensive coordinator with the Bucs, Joe Gibbs. In 1987, Williams started only 2 games, but relieved starter Jay Schroeder 3 other times and was named the starter for the playoffs. He led the Redskins to the Super Bowl title in a 42-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. Williams was named MVP after throwing for 4 TDs. Williams is in his 2nd stint as Grambling State head coach and has also coached in the collegiate ranks at Navy and Morehouse.

Advantage – Grambling State. Bubba McDowell was an excellent player, but Doug Williams was a Super Bowl MVP.

Location

Prairie View A&M – Prairie View, TX. Prairie View is town of about 4,000 people in the Houston Metropolitan Area. The city was established in 1969 with the motto: “Productive, United, Indomitable.” Greyhound Bus Lines serves the Prairie View Station at Unco Food Store. It’s website heralds the town as “A City at the Point on the Frontiers of Change”. I don’t know what the hell that means. That is all the information I could find about Prairie View.

Grambling State – Grambling, LA. Grambling is a town of around 4,700 people in the Ruston Metropolitan Area. [Ed. Note: There is a Ruston Metropolitan Area?] The link to the city of Grambling’s website on Wikipedia takes you to a site entirely in Japanese that may or may not be selling furniture. I don’t think the city has an actual website.

Advantage – Prairie View. By default since they at least have a website and a motto.

Notable Alumni

Prairie View A&M– Rapper Kirko Bangz; former NFL Zelmo Beatty; 5-time MLB All-Star Cecil Cooper; Terry Ellis, member of R&B group En Vogue; Pro Football Hall of Fame member Ken Houston; Frederick Patterson, the founder of the United Negro College Fund; and actor Mr. T (did not graduate).

Grambling State – Eight-time Mr. Olympia winner Ron Coleman; NFL Hall of Fame member Willie Brown; Grammy-winning musician Erykah Badu (did not graduate); writer Judi-Ann Mason, who wrote for the sitcom “Good Times” and wrote the screenplay for Sister Act II; and Doug Williams.

Advantage – Prairie View A&M. Mr. T beats Sister Act II. Figuratively and probably literally.

Decision

A fun preview is won 3-2 by Prairie View and Mr. T.

Block 2 Pennant Race – Thursday

Posted: October 4, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: Block 2 Championship | Leave a comment »

Thursday Update

In the Atlantic League, Lancaster defeated Long Island 5-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-5 championship series. No points were earned Wednesday and none can be earned Thursday, but action will continue today in the Atlantic League while the Week 6 CFB picks and the Shriners Open begin.

Current Standings

Danny 689
skizzow^ 673 (-16)
Jimmy 673 (-16)
Bristol* 671 (-18)
mxknkl 663 (-26)
abittner 647 (-42)
JP 618 (-71)
Greg 607 (-82)
Chris 575 (-114)
Ryan 564 (-125)
Doug 551 (-138)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

Major League Baseball – The two wild card games will be played Friday, adding a possible 24 points to Block 2.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Shriners Open – The event that is overwhelmingly likely to decide Block 2 begins today and ends Sunday. As with other UvU events, the top 10 finishers earn points on a sliding scale from 80 to 8, with a 32-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the winner. Thus, 112 points are possible in this one.

WNBA – The Western Conference Final between Minnesota & Los Angeles begins Thursday and would end Sunday if one of teams sweeps the other in the best-of-3 series. This would add 32 more points to Block 1. (Game 3 of the series would be next Wednesday and would put the points in Block 3 if the game is necessary.)

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events. All contenders are in play for the 24 points for the MLB Wild Card games, the 16 points for the upcoming Week 6 CFB picks and the 112 points for the Shriners Open, provided they submit picks.

Danny 689 (+16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

skizzow 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

Jimmy 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles is in the Western Conference Finals.

Bristol 671 (-18)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

mxknkl 663 (-26)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

abittner 647 (-42)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles is in the Western Conference Finals.

JP 618 (-71)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles is in the Western Conference Finals.

Greg 607 (-82)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is trailing the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles is in the Western Conference Finals.

Chris 575 (-114)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Los Angeles is in the Western Conference Finals.

Ryan 564 (-125)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

Doug 551 (-138)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is leading the championship series 1-0. Game 2 is tonight.
WNBA (32) – Western Conference champion pick Minnesota is in the Western Conference Finals.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

Lancaster leads Long Island 1 game to 0 in the best-of-5 championship series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Friday or as late as Sunday.
- If Long Island wins: mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, mxknkl will take a 6-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Long Island championship. Doug would be eliminated from contention.
- If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, Bristol will take a 14-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Lancaster championship. Danny would remain in the lead for the playoff spot.
- The Takeaway: If the series does not go the full 5 games, Danny will be bumped out of the lead following its conclusion. However, if Lancaster wins he will still be in the lead for the playoff spot.

CFB Week 6 Picks

One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Major League Baseball

The two wild card games will be played tomorrow and are each worth 12 points, giving everyone a shot at 24 more points.

WNBA

The best-of-3 Western Conference Finals between Minnesota and Los Angeles begins tonight and would end Sunday only if one team sweeps the first 2 games. The game on Sunday begins at 2:30 pm CDT and should be ending during the final round of the Shriners Open.
- If Minnesota wins: Bristol, Danny, Doug, Ryan, mxknkl & skizzow would earn 32 points.
- If Los Angeles wins: Chris, Greg, JP, Jimmy & abittner pick up 32 points.
- The Takeaway: If the series ends in a sweep, one of the two groups of users listed above will gain 32 points right around the time the points from the Shriners Open will be finalized.

Shriners Open

The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

Block 2 Pennant Race – Wednesday

Posted: October 3, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: Block 2 Championship | Leave a comment »

Wednesday Update

In the WNBA last night, Indiana defeated Atlanta 75-64 in the first game and Minnesota defeated Seattle 73-72 in the second game. All of the contenders except Danny, mxknkl & Doug earned 16 points from Indiana while everyone except Chris picked up 16 from Minnesota. skizzow, Jimmy & Bristol all moved past mxknkl, dropping him to 5th while Ryan moved past Doug into 10th place.

Current Standings

Danny 689
skizzow^ 673 (-16)
Jimmy 673 (-16)
Bristol* 671 (-18)
mxknkl 663 (-26)
abittner 647 (-42)
JP 618 (-71)
Greg 607 (-82)
Chris 575 (-114)
Ryan 564 (-125)
Doug 551 (-138)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

Major League Baseball – The two wild card games will be complete before the end of Block 1, adding a possible 24 points.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Shriners Open – The event that is overwhelmingly likely to decide Block 2 begins on Thursday and ends Sunday. As with other UvU events, the top 10 finishers earn points on a sliding scale from 80 to 8, with a 32-point bonus for anyone who correctly picks the winner. Thus, 112 points are possible in this one, which is keeping so many users alive for the Block 2 championship.

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Danny 689 (+16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.

skizzow 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.

Jimmy 673 (-16)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.

Bristol 671 (-18)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

mxknkl 663 (-26)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

abittner 647 (-42)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.

JP 618 (-71)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

Greg 607 (-82)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

Chris 575 (-114)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.

Ryan 564 (-125)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

Doug 551 (-138)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

The championship series between Lancaster and Long Island begins tonight and is a best-of-5 series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Friday or as late as Sunday.
- If Long Island wins: mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, mxknkl will take a 6-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Long Island championship. Doug would be eliminated from contention.
- If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, Bristol will take a 14-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Lancaster championship. Danny would remain in the lead for the playoff spot.
- The Takeaway: If the series does not go the full 5 games, Danny will be bumped out of the lead following its conclusion. However, if Lancaster wins he will still be in the lead for the playoff spot.

Major League Baseball

The two wild card games will be played Friday barring crazy tiebreaker scenarios and are each worth 12 points, giving everyone a shot at 24 more points.

CFB Week 6 Picks

One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Shriners Open

The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

Final Note

The only way that the Block 2 championship will not come down to the Shriners Open is if the Atlantic League Championship series is later Sunday evening with a chance to swing the title. Otherwise, it all comes down to a golf event. Perfect.

Block 2 Pennant Race – Tuesday

Posted: October 2, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: Block 2 Championship | Leave a comment »

Tuesday Update

Danny and skizzow each picked an impressive 13 of 15 NFL games correct in Week 4 to claim the weekly title and more importantly, the 16 points. Danny extended his lead over the rest of the field and now sits 26 points clear of mxknkl. skizzow moves past Bristol into a 3rd place tie with Jimmy, 32 behind Danny. skizzow holds the tiebreaker edge over Jimmy with 6 Block 2 Event Wins to 5. Had the Cowboys won last night instead of the Bears, mxknkl and Greg would have tied for the weekly title and picked up 16 points as well. In other words, He’s A….Romo put a wrinkle in mxknkl’s hopes and severely damaged Greg’s chances by out-Cutlering the master last night.

Current Standings

Danny 673
mxknkl 647 (-26)
skizzow^641 (-32)
Jimmy 641 (-32)
Bristol* 639 (-34)
abittner 615 (-58)
JP 586 (-87)
Greg 575 (-98)
Chris 559 (-114)
Doug 535 (-138)
Ryan 532 (-141)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the playoff berth.

^ – skizzow owns the tiebreak edge over Jimmy by virtue of a 6 to 5 advantage in Block 2 Event Wins.

Remaining Points Available

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

WNBA – The two remaining in-progress first round series conclude tonight. With each series worth 16 points, 32 Block 2 points are available this evening.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will open the scoring for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to ongoing events. All contenders are in play for the 16 points for the upcoming Week 6 CFB picks and the 112 points for the Shriners Open, provided they submit picks.

Danny 673 (+26)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

mxknkl 647 (-26)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

skizzow 641 (-32)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Jimmy 641 (-32)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Bristol 639 (-34)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

abittner 615 (-58)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

JP 586 (-87)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Greg 575 (-98)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Chris 559 (-114)

Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Seattle picked to win in the 1st round.

Doug 535 (-138)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Ryan 532 (-141)

Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Atlantic League

The championship series between Lancaster and Long Island begins tomorrow night and is a best-of-5 series. As scheduled, the series could end as as soon as Friday or as late as Sunday.
- If Long Island wins: mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. Unless the series does not conclude until after the Shriners Open on Sunday, mxknkl will take a 6-point lead over Danny for the Block 2 lead with a Long Island championship. Doug would be eliminated from contention.
- If Lancaster wins: Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points.

WNBA

The Indiana-Atlanta and Minnesota-Seattle series both conclude tonight and are worth 16 points apiece.
Rooting interests:
- Atlanta @ Indiana:
  - Indiana – Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Chris, Ryan
  - Atlanta – Danny, mxknkl, Doug
- Seattle @ Minnesota:
  - Minnesota – Danny, mxknkl, Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Doug, Ryan
  - Seattle – Chris
Tonight’s breakdown:
- If Atlanta wins: Danny & mxknkl move 16 more points clear of everyone else except Doug, keeping Danny’s lead at 26 and giving mxknkl a 22-point cushion over 3rd place. Jimmy & skizzow would fall 48 points behind Danny with Bristol 50 back.
- If Indiana wins: mxknkl drops from 2nd to 5th place, passed up by skizzow, Jimmy & Bristol. skizzow & Jimmy would trail Danny by just 16 while Bristol would be within 18.
- If Minnesota wins: Everyone else gains 16 points on Chris, putting him on the brink of elimination.
- If Seattle wins: Chris gains 16 points on everyone and keeps his faint hopes alive.
- If Atlanta & Minnesota win: Chris is eliminated from contention.

CFB Week 6 Picks

One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact. This week, it might mean the difference between winning the Block 2 championship and falling agonizingly short.

Shriners Open

The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

Final Note

[Ed. Note: I might be the only one paying this close of attention, but holy shit this is fun.]

Block 2 Pennant Race

Posted: October 1, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: MB 2013 | Tags: Block 2 Championship | Leave a comment »

With the end of Block 2 looming on Sunday, it’s time to take a look at the race for the 2nd playoff spot. There is a mad scramble for the Block 2 title with 4 users within 20 points, 6 within 50, 9 within 100, and 11 within 125. Making the conclusion of this block even more exciting is the fact that we have a User Vs User event this weekend – the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The block 2 title has the potential to be changing hands as the golfers come down the stretch on the back nine on Sunday. With 11 users still alive in Block 2, let’s break the title chase down…

Current Standings

Danny 657
mxknkl 647 (-10)
Jimmy 641 (-16)
Bristol* 639 (-18)
skizzow 625 (-32)
abittner 615 (-42)
JP 586 (-71)
Greg 575 (-82)
Chris 559 (-98)
Doug 535 (-122)
Ryan 532 (-125)

* – Bristol has already clinched a playoff spot. If he wins Block 2, the second place finisher will earn the 2nd playoff berth.

Remaining Points Available

NFL Week 4 Picks – The 16 points for the week will be awarded following the conclusion of tonight’s Chicago-Dallas matchup.

Atlantic League – Barring rainouts, the championship series, worth 32 points, will be complete no later than Sunday evening and be included in Block 2.

WNBA – The two remaining in-progress first round series will conclude Tuesday night. With each series worth 16 points, 32 more Block 2 points are available in this event.

CFB Week 6 Picks – Week 6 picks end on Sunday with the Montreal @ Laval CIS game, so the 16 points to the week’s winner(s) will count towards Block 2.

Note: Since the NFL Week 5 picks conclude on Monday, October 8, those points will count for Block 3.

The Contenders

Here is a breakdown of how each of the contenders for the Block 2 title stands in regards to events that have already begun. All contenders are in play for the 16 points for the upcoming Week 6 CFB picks and the 112 points for the Shriners Open.

Note: The possible points for the Week 4 NFL picks are based on number correct only and not based on who the users currently have picked for tonight. That information is not available until after kickoff.

Danny 657 (+10)

Week 4 NFL(16) – Currently tied for the lead with skizzow. If he hangs on to at least a tie for 1st, he will pick up 16 points
Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

mxknkl 647 (-10)

Week 4 NFL (16) – Currently tied with Greg, one behind Danny and skizzow.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Jimmy 641 (-16)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Bristol 639 (-18)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

skizzow 625 (-32)

Week 4 NFL(16) – Currently tied for the lead with Danny. If he hangs on to at least a tie for 1st, he will pick up 16 points
Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

abittner 615 (-42)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick York has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

JP 586 (-71)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Greg 575 (-82)

Week 4 NFL (16) – Currently tied with mxknkl, one behind Danny and skizzow.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Long Island is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Chris 559 (-98)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (0) – Champion pick Southern Maryland has been eliminated.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Seattle picked to win in the 1st round.

Doug 535 (-122)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Atlanta and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Ryan 532 (-125)

Week 4 NFL(0) – Eliminated from winning the week.
Atlantic League (32) – Champion pick Lancaster is in the championship series, which begins Wednesday.
WNBA (32) – Has Indiana and Minnesota picked to win in the 1st round.

Event-By-Event Analysis

Week 4 NFL Picks

Danny and skizzow are tied for the lead with 1 game remaining. mxknkl and Greg are tied, 1 behind the leaders. Thus, all 4 remain alive for the 16 points.

Atlantic League

The championship series between Lancaster and Long Island begins Wednesday night and is a best-of-5 series. The series could end as as soon as Friday or as late as Sunday, barring rainouts.
If Long Island wins the championship series, mxknkl, JP & Greg all pick up 32 points. mxknkl currently trails by just 10, although the standings could change before the championship series is completed.
If Lancaster wins the championship series, Bristol, Doug & Ryan earn the 32 points.
Regardless of who wins, a threesome of users is gaining 32 points on the lead.

WNBA

The Indiana-Atlanta and Minnesota-Seattle series will conclude on Tuesday night and are worth 16 points apiece.
Rooting interests: Indiana – Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Chris, Ryan; Atlanta – Danny, mxknkl, Doug. Minnesota – Danny, mxknkl, Jimmy, Bristol, skizzow, abittner, JP, Greg, Doug, Ryan; Seattle – Chris.
An Atlanta win tomorrow moves the top 2 users another 16 points clear of everyone else, while an Indiana win tightens things up a bit. A Minnesota win would serve only to push Chris further behind while a Seattle upset would gain he alone the 16 points.

CFB Week 6 Picks

One or more users will earn the 16 points for winning the week. At the beginning or in the middle of a block, the 16 points may not seem to have a lot of impact, but that is not the case this week.

Shriners Open

The Big One. With a maximum of 112 points available and the possibility of large point swings, the Block 2 championship will almost certainly be decided by the Shriners Open.

Final Note

Undefeateds & Defeated – Week 6

Posted: October 1, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: CFB Weekly Picks | Tags: Defeated, Mismatch, Undefeated, Winless | Leave a comment »

29 more teams fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last week as the number of undefeateds falls under 100. On the other side of the ledger 34 teams notched their first win of the season, leaving 88 squads victory-free.

Undefeated (96 – 125 last week without CIS)

FBS (23; 27 last week)

Alabama, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas-San Antonio, West Virginia

FCS (11; 15 last week)

Alabama A&M, Cal Poly, Harvard, Illinois State, Lehigh, Montana State, North Dakota State, Old Dominion, Tennessee State, Wofford, Youngstown State

D-II (18; 25 last week)

Ashland, Bentley, Bloomsburg, CSU-Pueblo, Emporia State, Grand Valley State, Harding, Henderson State, Minnesota State, Missouri Western, New Haven, Ouachita Baptist, Pittsburg State, Shippensburg, Sioux Falls, Southern Arkansas, Tuskegee, Winston-Salem

D-III (33; 43 last week)

Amherst, Bethel (MN), Birmingham-Southern, Bridgewater (VA), Coe, Concordia (IL), Concordia (Moorhead, MN), Gettysburg, Heidelberg, Hobart, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Middlebury, Millsaps, Mount Union, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, Salve Regina, St. John Fisher, St. Thomas (MN), Trinity (CT), Waynesburg, Wesleyan, Whitworth, Widener, Willamette, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wittenberg

NAIA (7; 11 last week)

Cumberlands (KY), Georgetown (KY), Hastings, Marian, Missouri Valley, Morningside, William Penn

CIS (4; 4 last week)

Calgary, Laval, McMaster, Montreal

Winless (88 – 122 last week without CIS)

FBS (8; 9 last week)

Army, Eastern Michigan, Idaho, Massachusetts, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB

FCS (16; 21 last week)

Austin Peay, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Davidson, Gardner-Webb, Georgia State, Grambling State, Hampton, Holy Cross, Liberty, Missouri State, Prairie View A&M, Rhode Island, Savannah State, Valparaiso, Weber State

D-II (18; 27 last week)

Azusa Pacific, Benedict, Brevard, Fort Lewis, Lake Erie, Lincoln (MO), Lock Haven, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Nebraska-Kearney, North Greenville, Northeastern State, NW Oklahoma State, Pace, Quincy, Saint Anselm, Seton Hill, Southern Nazarene, Western State

D-III (33; 45 last week)

Anderson (IN), Averett, Beloit, Bethany (WV), Bowdoin, Buena Vista, Claremont-Mudd-Scrips, Colby, Earlham, Hamilton, Hiram, Howard Payne, Knox, Lakeland, Luther, MacMurray, Maine Maritime, Maranatha, Marietta, McDaniel, Misericordia, Morrisville State, Nichols College, Occidental, Olivet, Pomona-Pitzer, Puget Sound, St. Lawrence, St. Vincent, Tufts, Western Connecticut, Wilmington, Wisconsin-River Falls

NAIA (11; 16 last week)

Bethel (KS), Bluefield (VA), Concordia (MI), Culver-Stockton, Dakota State, Dordt, Haskell, Olivet Nazarene, Point, Sterling, Webber International

CIS (2; 4 last week)

Alberta, Ottawa (ON)

Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

FBS (3)

LSU (5-0, 26.40) @ Florida (4-0, 17.75)

West Virginia (4-0, 20.50) @ Texas (4-0, 26.25)

Georgia (5-0, 26.20) @ South Carolina (5-0, 25.40)

FBS (1)

Youngstown State (4-0, 21.75) @ North Dakota State (4-0, 34.50)

D-II (1)

Southern Arkansas (4-0, 20.00) @ Harding (4-0, 28.75)

D-III (3)

Concordia (Moorhead) (4-0, 16.00) @ Bethel (MN) (4-0, 27.25)

Amherst (2-0, 18.00) @ Middlebury (2-0, 26.50)

Willamette (4-0, 19.00) @ Whitworth (5-0, 10.20)

CIS (1)

Montreal (5-0, 27.80) @ Laval (5-0, 31.00)

Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [5]

FCS (2)

Gardner-Webb (0-4, -31.50) @ Liberty (0-4, -8.00)

Grambling State (0-4, -19.75) vs. Prairie View A&M (0-5, -25.20)

D-III (3)

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-3, -7.67) @ Occidental (0-3, -37.67)

Knox (0-5, -21.20) @ Beloit (0-5, -20.20)

Tufts (0-2, -14.50) @ Bowdoin (0-2, -18.00)

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [9]

FCS (1)

Cal Poly (4-0, 13.75) @ Weber State (0-5, -20.60)

D-II (4)

Bentley (4-0, 17.50) @ St. Anslem (0-5, -30.60)

Missouri Western (5-0, 26.40) @ Northeastern State (0-5, -20.20)

D-III (3)

Mount Union (4-0, 50.25) @ Wilmington (0-4, -41.50)

Wesleyan (2-0, 20.50) @ Colby (0-2, -31.50)

Trinity (CT) (2-0, 12.50) @ Hamilton (0-2, -22.00)

NAIA (1)

Hastings (4-0, 10.25) @ Dakota State (0-6, -20.17)

Miscellaneous Notes

Teams getting outscored by more than 40 points per game:
- Savannah State (FCS) – 49.50
- Misericorda (D-III) – 48.60
- Pace (D-II) – 47.40
- Buena Vista (D-III) – 41.75
- Haskell (NAIA) – 41.60
- Wilmington (D-III) – 41.50
Teams outscoring their opponents by more than 40 points per game:
- Mount Union (D-III) – 50.25
- Widener (D-III) – 48.20
- Heidelberg (D-III) – 41.75
- Wofford (FCS) – 40.75
Winless teams losing by less than 10 points per game:
- Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (D-III) – 7.67
- Liberty (FCS) – 8.00
Undefeated teams winning by less than 10 points per game:
- Oregon State (FBS) – 4.33
- Lehigh (FCS) – 7.80
The highest combined point differential in an undefeated matchup this week is 58.80 between CIS Montreal (27.80) & Laval (31.00)
The lowest combined point differential in a winless matchup is -45.33 between D-III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (-7.67) & Occidental (-36.67)
The largest mismatch in point differential is 91.75 between D-III Mount Union (50.25) & Wilmington (-41.50)

[Ed. Note – Hide the women and children in Wilmington. That one is going to be ugly.]

Last Week’s Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

FBS (2)

Texas Tech (3-0, 40.33) @ Iowa State (3-0, 17.33)

Baylor (3-0, 21.67) @ West Virginia (3-0, 25.00)

D-II (1)

Grand Valley State (4-0, 24.50) @ Michigan Tech (3-0, 28.00)

D-III (4)

Bethel (MN) (3-0, 36.00) @ Augsburg (3-0, 15.67)

Trinity (CT) (1-0, 21.00) @ Williams (1-0, 34.00)

Millikin (3-0, 28.67) @ Illinois Wesleyan (3-0, 30.67)

Otterbein (3-0, 24.33) @ Baldwin-Wallace (3-0, 14.33)

NAIA (1)

Dakota Wesleyan (3-0, 13.33) @ Hastings (3-0, 10.33)

Last Week’s Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [14]

FCS (2)

Georgia State (0-4, -27.50) @ William & Mary (0-4, -9.25)

Central Connecticut (0-4, -26.00) @ Sacred Heart (0-3, -12.33)

D-II (2)

Saint Anselm (0-4, -35.50) @ Southern Connecticut (0-4, -14.75)

Black Hills State (0-3, -19.33) @ Western State (0-4, -33.00)

D-III (7)

Stevenson (0-4, -11.00) @ Misericordia (0-4, -53.75)

Wilmington (0-3, -40.33) @ Muskingum (0-3, -25.00)

Alma (0-4, -38.75) @ Olivet (0-4, -27.25)

La Verne (0-2, -35.50) @ Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-2, -3.50)

Occidental (0-2, -35.50) @ Redlands (0-2, -20.00)

Bates (0-1, -21.00) @ Tufts (0-1, -21.00)

Knox (0-4, -20.25) @ Ripon (0-4, -16.50)

NAIA (2)

Briar Cliff (0-4, -10.25) @ Dordt (0-4, -27.00)

Saint Mary (KS) (0-4, -10.00) @ Sterling (0-4, -21.25)

CIS (1)

UBC (0-4, -24.00) @ Alberta (0-4, -29.50)

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [21]

FBS (2)

Ohio (4-0, 18.50) @ Massachusetts (0-4, -34.25)

Louisville (4-0, 14.50) @ Southern Miss (0-3, -21.33)

FCS (4)

Lafayette (3-0, 5.33) @ R0bert Morris (PA) (0-3, -27.67)

Grambling State (0-3, -19.33) @ Alabama A&M (4-0, 11.50)

Penn (0-2, -11.50) @ Dartmouth (2-0, 15.50)

Holy Cross (0-3, -9.00) @ Harvard (2-0, 14.50)

D-II (4)

Shippensburg (4-0, 31.75) @ Lock Haven (0-4, -36.00)

CSU-Pueblo (4-0, 16.25) @ Fort Lewis (0-3, -42.00)

Lincoln (MO) (0-4, -25.00) @ Emporia State (4-0, 21,00)

Lake Erie (0-4, -15.50) @ Ashland (4-0, 18.50)

D-III (9)

Marietta (0-3, -20.33) @ Heidelberg (3-0, 45.00)

McDaniel (0-4, -20.75) @ Gettyburg (4-0, 35.75)

Wisconsin-Oshkosh (3-0, 29.67) @ Wisconsin-River Falls (0-3, -18.00)

Amherst (1-0, 24.00) @ Bowdoin (0-1, -24.00)

Middlebury (1-0, 24.00) @ Colby (0-1, -34.00)

Hamilton (0-1, -24.00) @ Wesleyan (CT) (1-0, 21.00)

Buena Vista (0-3, -38.67) @ Coe (3-0, 18.67)

Lewis & Clark (3-0, 15.00) @ Puget Sound (0-3, -24.67)

Hiram (0-4, -27.00) @ Ohio Wesleyan (3-0, 6.00)

NAIA (2)

Olivet Nazarene (0-4, -18.75) @ William Penn (4-0, 33.75)

Culver-Stockton (0-4, -21.25) @ Missouri Valley (4-0, 27.75)

Camel Foe – Week 5, Drake

Posted: September 28, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: Camel Foe | Tags: Campbell, Drake, Fighting Camels | Leave a comment »

The Fighting Camels fell to 1-3 with a 35-14 loss at Butler last week. In his second start, QB Dakota Wolf was 17-23 passing for 159 yards and ran for 111 yards on 31 carries. Kurt Odom provided the scoring with 2 short touchdown runs. Jordan Hildreth had 4 catches for 58 yards and Chad McMichael 6 for 45 yards. The Camels rushed for 206 yards but the defense allowed 452 yards and the 35 points. Paul Pizzuti had 12 tackles and a fumble recovery for the defense. After two consecutive road losses, they return to the friendly confines of Buies Creek this week to face Drake University.

Drake University

Location: Des Moines, IA (population: 203,433 as of 2010 census, the largest city in Iowa)

Established: 1881 by Francis Marion Drake, who lead a group of staff members from Oskaloosa College to form the new institution.

Enrollment: ~5,200

Nickname: Bulldogs

Mascot: Spike is Drake’s mascot. Spike is on Facebook and has an “army” for Drake students to join.

Affiliation: Drake is a football-only member of the Pioneer Conference. Except for women’s crew, the rest of its teams compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. The crew team is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Random Fact #1: On September 17, 1969 the Drake student newspaper, The Times-Delphic, published what appears to be the first documented account of the famous Paul is dead hoax, written by Tim Harper.

Random Fact #2: Drake’s law school is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the nation, tracing its history to 1865. It is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools, has been accredited since 1923 when accreditation first began, and is one of only seventy-five ABA-approved law schools to have a Chapter of Order of the Coif.

Random Fact #3: The athletic teams received their nickname of Bulldogs in 1904 from a sportswriter who noticed that John L. Griffith, who coached every sport, was bringing his pet bulldogs to the practice fields. The teams had previously been known as the Ducklings and Ganders. (I, for one, am sad they are not the Drake Ducklings.)

Random Fact #4: In 1928 Drake defeated Simpson College 41-6 in what is believed to be the first night football game west of the Mississippi River. Perhaps the most famous incident in Drake’s football history is known as the Johnny Bright Incident, where Pulitzer-Prize winning photographs in the Des Moines Register proved an intentional attack on the African American quarterback by Oklahoma State Cowboys football players. Drake withdrew from the Missouri Valley Conference in protest of the lack of disciplinary action taken against those responsible. Today, Drake’s football field is named Johnny Bright Field in memory of the incident.

Random Fact #5: The university hosts the Drake Relays during April. This track and field event has been held since 1910, and is the second-largest collegiate track and field event in the United States. The 1961 Drake Relays was the first sporting event televised on ABC’S Wide World of Sports anthology show.

Notable Alumni:

comedian Steve Allen, the first host of the Tonight Show
Terry Branstad, former and current governor of Iowa
NFL kicker Billy Cundiff
Michael Emerson, Emmy-winning actor as Ben Linus on Lost
PGA golfer and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson
actor Jeremy Piven (did not graduate)
actor Sam Wanamaker (Private Benjamin, Raw Deal)
WGN TV producer-director Arne Harris (if you watched Cubs games on WGN, you instantly remember that name)

We’ll expand the list t0 10 this week. You can never list too many notable Iowans.

Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC, Grammy winning R&B Singer
actor Stephen Collins, the dad from 7th Heaven
Peter Hedges, writer of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
multiple Emmy-award winner Cloris Leachman
Olympic gymnastics gold medalist Shawn Johnson
Track & field world champion LoLo Jones
NFL quarterback Kyle Orton
former MLB player Casey Blake
7 of the 9 members of the band Slipknot
former NFL quarterback and league & Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner

Oh yeah, the Football Team:

Drake is 2-2 (1-0 in the PFL), with both losses coming to FCS scholarship programs (Montana State & Indiana State)
Drake defeated conference foe Morehead State 28-25 in Des Moines last Saturday.
Drake leads the series between the two school 4-0.
In the teams’ only previous game at Campbell in 2010, Drake eked by with a 14-12 victory.
Drake trailed Morehead State 17-7 in the 4th quarter last week before scoring 3 TDs in a span of 9:40
Senior QB Mike Piatkowski, the reigning PFL Offensive Player of the Year, threw for 268 yards and 3 TDs and became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards. Gary Scott added 125 yards on the ground and 1 TD.
The defense was paced by John Hugunin’s 16 tackles and 1 sack while Travis Merritt added 14 tackles.
Drake leads the PFL in sacks with 14, which ranks them sixth in FCS. They have ranked in the Top 10 nationally in each of the past three seasons.
The Bulldogs are looking for their 6th consecutive PFL victory and their fourth straight 2-0 start in conference play.
Piatkowski also holds the career record for completion percentage (62.2) and needs just 7 TD passes to become the all-time leader in that category as well. He ranks 5th all-time in the PFL in passing yardage. With 7 games remaining he must average 228 yards/game to pass current San Francisco 49ers QB Josh Johnson for 2nd all-time in the conference.
In last season’s meeting Piatkowski set an FCS record for completion percentage by a QB with at least 30 completions, going 30-33 (90.9%) in a 31-14 Bulldog victory.
Stat Leaders:
- Passing: Piatkowski – 110-178, 1179 yards, 7 TD, 3 INT
- Rushing: Scott – 64-285, 3 TD
- Receiving: Kevin Marshall 23 receptions (198 yards); Joey Orlando 219 yards (21 catches, 1 TD); Nick Rosa 3 TD (13-208)
- Defense: Hugunin 46 tackles; Brandon Coleman 8 TFL; TylerMoorehead 4 sacks; Drew Ormseth 2 INT
Best Name Nominees:
- Neko Graf, Naser Hannoon, Paddy O’Connell, Ezekiel Okeleye, Zach Zlabis & Caz Zyks
- The winner – Caz Zyks

Prediction:

Drake has not yet lost to the Fighting Camels in four tries and were picked to finish 2nd in the league by the coaches in the preseason poll. Campbell has still yet to score in the first quarter this season (outscored 45-0) and seeks a better start than the past 4 weeks. The defense is allowing 466 yards per game to opposing offense, including more than 10 yards per pass attempt and will be severely tested by Drake’s all-time leading passer, Mike Piatkowski. Drake’s defense has allowed 215 yards per game on the ground this season, which may be an opening for the Camels’ ground based offense. Dakota Wolf is the first Camel QB to top the 100-yard mark in back-to-back weeks and may find #3 against the Bulldog defense. However, poor starts and a weak defense have the Achilles heel’s for the Camels this season and again portend doom against Drake. I will boldly predict that the Camels dent the scoreboard in the opening stanza for the first time this season and that Dakota Wolf again manages 100+ yards rushing, but Piatkowski, Scott and the rest of the Bulldogs recover and will celebrate a 28-14 road victory.

CFB Week 5 “Previews”

Posted: September 27, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: CFB Weekly Picks | Tags: Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Grand Valley State, Lebanon Valley, Michigan Tech, Widener, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-Stout | Leave a comment »

Widener @ Lebanon Valley – Saturday, September 29 @ 12:00 pm CDT

Author: Ryan

After squeaking out a 90-0 victory over Wilkes last weekend, we need to take a look at how Widener stacks up against this week’s opponent, Lebanon Valley. A few quick notes on Widener’s win last week and their year thus far. The 90 points was a school record but fell shy of the D-III record of 105 by Rockford in their 2003 victory over mighty Trinity Bible College. Widener put up 651 yards of total offense (which is actually less than I would have expected), and in fact had more yards in their 67-0 victory over Misericordia the week before. Starting QB Chris Haupt had 6 TD tosses, 4 of 50 yards or more. Even Junior Backup QB Tevin Campbell got in on the act with 69 yards rushing and a TD. In 4 games this year Widener has outscored their opponents 261-23. But we are going to preview this game anyway.

Mascot

Widener – Pride. The new mascot was chosen in 2006 or 2007 (it’s a little unclear), when they retired the old mascot, Pioneer. Pride was chosen over a few options, one of which was Keystones. That would be a failure folks. Their logo is many Lions, and these two like to hug like Turk & JD.

Lebanon Valley – Flying Dutchmen. Lebanon Valley is located in the center of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and they were named for that reason, and not after the Ghost Ship. Or this Ghost Ship. Their mascot is the Flying Dutchman, which can terrify children while pooping in both costume and cartoon form. In his free time he enjoys wrestling lions, which should come in handy this week.

Advantage – Lebanon Valley. Even the Flying Dutchman is pissed they didn’t go with Keystones at Widener. And because I saw him on Saturday, I can tell you Keith Stone is also less than pleased.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Widener – Safeties/Co-Special Teams Coach Colin Hitschler. Not a lot going on at Widener, but Hitschler worked for the Chiefs in 2010 as a player personnel assistant and in spring training with the Eagles in 2009. Oh yeah, and he looks like this. And apparently wrestled at Penn in college.

Lebanon Valley – WR Coach Greg Drake got consideration for his lengthy bio and general disposition, as did Secondary coach Corey Wenger for really liking getting his picture taken, but the winner here is TE/OL/Strength & Conditioning Coach Guy Bennardo and his flattop. Guy served as the S&C Coach for Pitt for one season in 1991-92 and as the Assistant Coordinator of Corporate Fitness for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992-94

Advantage – Lebanon Valley. Anyone who may have given Jim Leyland health tips is a winner in my book.

Best Name

Widener – Other than the aforementioned R&B superstar Tevin Campbell there is Freshman RB Couve LaFate, and Senior TE Dom DePasquale, who I hope makes another Cannonball Run someday.

Lebanon Valley – Senior WR Yahya McIntyre.

Advantage – Lebanon Valley. I let Prince make the call one this one as he had a player in both, and he chooses Yeahhhhh.

Location

Widener – Chester, PA. Chester is located directly between the cities of Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE. I just spent three days in Wilmington and I can tell you that Chester seems quite awesome. Chester is right next to the Philadelphia International Airport, and is home to a Harrah’s Casino that overlooks a prison (things I learned while driving through). Chester was named after the English city of Chester by William Penn on his first visit to the city (it had previously been called Finlandia and Upland). Chester was a very large ship building hub, and two ships in the US Navy have been designated the USS Chester in its honor. Chester claims the title, as do a few other places, as Birthplace of the Hoagie. In case you wanted to drive to New Jersey, Chester is home to the Commodore Barry Bridge. Chester’s newest arrival is PPL Park, home to the MLS’ Philadelphia Union. PPL Park is a soccer specific stadium at the base of the Commodore Barry Bridge that opened in 2010. PPL Park, which looks pretty cool, has also served as the host of the Collegiate Rugby Championship the last two years and has hosted college football games, including The Battle of the Blue between Villanova and Delaware, and quarterfinal matches in the NCAA D-I Men’s Lacrosse Championship. PPL Park will serve as the host for the Army-Navy soccer match in 2012 and 2013, a game that had traditionally been played on-campus. Basically, lots of MB happens at PPL. Bill Halley & His Comets (Rock Around the Clock) formed in Chester in 1952. Famous people whose mouths are open right now that were born in Chester include Bo Ryan. NBA star Tyreke Evans also grew up in Chester.

Lebanon Valley – Annville Township, PA. Annville itself is very small (4,000), but is home to former WWE Wrestler “The Lethal Weapon” Steve Blackman (you may remember him from his use of nunchucks). Annville is basically a suburb of Lebanon, PA, where former NFL QBs Frank Reich and Kerry Collins both played HS football.

Advantage – Widener. This one wasn’t really a fair fight, even with Bo Ryan’s mouth dragging them down, while dragging on the floor.

Notable Alumni

Widener – Director Cecil B. DeMille (Cleopatra, The Ten Commandments – back when known as the Pennsylvania Military College), NFL Star Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, St. Joe’s Basketball Coach Phil Martelli, and Matthew McGrory – The World’s Tallest Actor (Bubble Boy, Big Fish, The Devil’s Rejects).

Lebanon Valley – A bunch of major city Orchestra members, and Quarterback Henry “Two Bits” Homan, one of the smallest players in NFL history, who is rumored to be the first person to celebrate a touchdown.

Advantage – Again, it’s Widener in a landslide. If the Giant Guy from Bubble Boy went there, they win.

Decision

My research tells me Lebanon Valley is going to win this one, but my brain says otherwise.

Franklin & Marshall @ Dickinson – Saturday, September 29 @ 12:00 pm CDT

“Conestoga Wagon / Battle for the Wagon”

The series started on October 30, 1889, with a 10-0 Dickinson win. The teams gathered again on November 28th of that year, with F&M posting a 22-0 shutout. Since 1963, the F&M Diplomats and Dickinson Red Devils have played for a model of the wagon that transported both teams to play each other in the two 1889 meetings. A gift of F&M Athletic Director J. Shober Barr and Dickinson A.D. Dave Eavenson, the trophy, created by Amish craftsmen in 1963, is meant to symbolize the friendly gridiron rivalry between the two institutions. F&M holds a 25-21 advantage since the inception.

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Franklin & Marshall – Diplomats. There is a long-winded web page that explains why they are the diplomats. To make a long, boring story short, some dude in the 30’s called them diplomats either before or after a game and the name stuck.

Dickinson – Red Devils. Basically the exact same story as F&M, but the writer called them Red Devils instead of Diplomats.

Advantage – Red Devils. At least that makes it sound like they played hard. Diplomats makes it sound like they got their asses kicked but raised everyone’s taxes later on in revenge. And their explanation was a paragraph instead of a full page.

Best Player Name

Franklin & Marshall – Tie – Freshman DB Hannibal Robinson, a member of the A-Team, and Junior LB Leo Chubinishvili, who is from Georgia. The country. Peter Gumas is at least 35 years old.

Dickinson – Senior RB Bligh Cassidy.

Advantage – F&M takes it this disappointing category by virtue of the A-Team reference and Chubs.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Franklin & Marshall – All the coaches are on the same page. The winner is defensive coordinator Craig Sutyak (2nd coach listed), who was very surprised by the camera. Before F&M, he coached at Allegheny, Bowdoin (Polar Bears!) & Fordham. He was a three-year letterwinner at Dickinson and is second in the school’s history in kickoff return yardage. He’s now on the other side of the Battle for the Wagon. Traitor!

Dickinson – Offensive backs coach Scott Shank. Coach Shank is back for his 23rd season at Dickinson and has also served as head coach at Carlisle and Boiling Springs High Schools. He earned All-ACC academic honors as a member of the Maryland football team in 1970.

Advantage – Dickinson. They will Shank the traitor.

Location

Franklin & Marshall – Lancaster, PA. Pronounced LANK-iss-ter, the city is one of the older non-coastal towns in the United States and is known as the Red Rose City. It was originally called Hickory Town before being renamed for the city of the same name in England. The Lancaster County Prison was built in 1737 and remain in use to this day. Fun fact – it housed public hangings until 1912. The first paved road in the United States, opened in 1795, was for the former Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, which is now part of U.S. Route 30. Two of the most common products needed by pioneers in settling the Frontier were manufactured in Lancaster – the Conestoga Wagon (tie-in!), named for the Conestoga River which runs through town, and the Pennsylvania long rifle. The retail chain Woolworth’s was opened in Lancaster by F.W. Woolworth and was one of the most successful chains for most of the 20th century. The name disappeared in the late 90’s and the company now focuses solely on sporting goods as Foot Locker. Inventions credited to Lancaster residents include the battery powered watch and Peeps, the disgusting marshmallow candy. Natives include James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States; Congressman and abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens; and former MLB player Tom Herr.

Dickinson– Carlisle, PA. The name is locally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable as apparently Pennsylvanians need to be different. (Note: You already are.) The town motto is “Excellence in Community Service”. Carlisle is home to the U.S. Army War College, which caters to high-level military personnel and civilians and prepares them for strategic leadership responsibilities. An army of the Confederate States of America led by General Fitzhugh Lee, shelled the town on July 1, 1863 during the Gettysburg campaign of the Civil War. One can still see evidence of destruction caused by cannonballs on one column of the historic county courthouse. The town was home to the Carlisle Indian school from 1879 to 1918. The school was operated by the U.S. Government to teach Indian children to reject their heritage and adapt to white society. (Still offensive, but better than small pox blankets.) The school gained fame in 1911 and 1912 as Jim Thorpe led the football team to wins over powerhouses Harvard, Army & Penn. Other notable people include former NBA player Billy Owens; East Carolina men’s basketball coach Jeff Lebo; and James Wilson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a major force in the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.

Advantage – Tie. Too close to call – a lot of great history in both cities and I will not choose between James Buchanan and Jim Thorpe.

Notable Alumni

Franklin & Marshall – Michael Dee, CEO of the Miami Dolphins; Ed Flesh, art director who designed the wheel for Wheel of Fortune; Bowie Kuhn, MLB Commissioner from 1969-1984; Spliff Starr, rapper and hypeman for Busta Rhymes; and actor Roy Scheider (Jaws).

Dickinson – Sports agent Leon Rose; Alfred du Pont, head of the du Pont Company (class of 1818); Judy Faulkner, CEO of Epic, who once hired yours truly; MLB executive Andy MacPhail; actor Stuart Pankin (Fatal Attraction, Arachnophobia); Rosie O’Donnell (did not graduate); the aforementioned James Buchanan; and MLB Hall-of-Fame pitcher Chief Bender.

Advantage – Dickinson. Another good category, but I have to go with Jaws, Wheel of Fortune and Busta Rhymes over Rosie, du Pont, and my former boss.

Decision

Dickinson takes this one 3-1-1.

Grand Valley State @ Michigan Tech – Saturday, September 29 @ 5:00 pm CDT

We step outside the state of Pennsylvania for the first time in three games to take a look at our D-II Game of the Week.

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Grand Valley State – Lakers. Lakers won out over Bruisers, Warriors, Bluejays, Ottawas, Archers and Voyagers. Louie the Laker has his own web page.

Michigan Tech – Huskies. But not just any husky, Blizzard T. Husky, who is clearly a crack hound.

Advantage – Lakers. Louie has biceps and sails ships. Blizzard has two teeth and an obvious drug problem.

Best Player Name

Grand Valley State – Tie – Junior DB Suave Lavallis and sophomore DB Bobby Wunderlich, who according to his bio, enjoys sports. He needs this Scrubs homage t-shirt. Shockingly, this guy is a kicker.

Michigan Tech – Tie – Senior WR Ethan Shaver, junior OL Buddy Poljan and freshman DL Conor Cocking.

Advantage – Michigan Tech. They give the Wunderlich test a good Cocking.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Grand Valley State – Running backs coach Eddie Brown had a stellar 13-year career as a WR/DB in the Arena Football League, winning titles in 1991, 1993 and 1995. He was named team MVP for three different organizations and the Buffalo Destroyers renamed their Big Hit Award to the Eddie Brown Award. Collegiately, he played two years at Michigan State after transferring from Grand Rapids Community College. He was a starting WR as a junior in 1989 and a starting DB as a senior in 1990. He coached at Mansfield University before joining GVSU. Honorable mention goes to head coach Matt Mitchell. Mitchell played at Cornell College in Iowa and I am 75% sure he hosted me on a recruiting visit.

Michigan Tech – Head coach Tom Kearly spent 19 years at the D-I level at Central Michigan (too soon!) and offensive line coach David Sartin won three national championships as a player at Mount Union, but the winner is defensive line coach Chuck Klingbeil. Klingbeil starred at Northern Michigan and for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL before spending five years with the Miami Dolphins. He played in 78 games, starting 65, for the Dolphins from 1991 to 1995. He recorded 242 tackles and 7.5 sacks. On September 22, 1991, he recovered a Green Bay Packer fumble in the end zone for his lone career touchdown. After his TD tied the game at 13 in the 4th quarter, the Dolphins won 16-13 on a Pete Stoyanovich field goal as Dan Marino outdueled Don “Majik Man” Majkowski.

Advantage – Michigan Tech. Even though I think I stayed with GVSU’s head coach on a visit, that doesn’t outweigh Klingbeil’s clutch fumble recovery to help defeat the Majik Man.

Location

Grand Valley State – Allendale, MI. Malta was initially chosen as the name for the township; however when the township was organized in 1849, a state senator changed the name to Allendale, after Agnes Allen, the first person on the tax roll in the area and the widow of Hannibal Allen, who was the son of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen. The town is an exurb of Grand Rapids. The town was originally settled in 1842 on the Grand River. Not much information on Wikipedia or the township website, although if you want to be a part of the town’s Planning Commission, call Candy Kraker.

Michigan Tech – Houghton, MI. Houghton is a town on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and is very isolated from the more populous areas of the state. It is farther to drive from Houghton to Detroit than it is to drive from Detroit to Washington, D.C. The town has been named one of the “100 Best Small Towns in America”. Copper has been mined in area for centuries. When Horace Greeley famously said, “Go West, young man”, he was referring to the Copper Rush in the western part of the Upper Peninsula. The last mines closed in the 1960s, but Michigan Tech, originally known the Michigan College of Mines, remains. The town was the birthplace of professional hockey in the United States when the Portage Lakers were founded in 1903. The town’s sits on the south shore of Portage Lake, hence the name.

Advantage – Houghton in a landslide.

Notable Alumni

Grand Valley State – former MLB pitcher Greg Cadaret; former NFL wide receiver Jeff Chadwick; Dallas Cowboys CB Brandon Carr; screenwriter and director Patrick Sheane Duncan (Mr. Holland’s Opus, Courage Under Fire); Chicago White Sox P Matt Thornton; and Miami Dolphins LB coach Bill Sheridan. It is also worth noting that Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke spent a year on staff at GVSU and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was GVSU’s head coach from 1991-2003.

Michigan Tech – former NHL player Tony Esposito; former St. Louis Blues head coach Davis Payne; David Hill, former chief engineer of the Chevrolet Corvette; and Richard Robbins, whose company built 5 of the 6 machines used to dig the Chunnel between Great Britain and France.

Advantage – Michigan Tech. Quality (the Corvette and the Chunnel) over quantity (a bunch of random pro athletes). Plus, Brady Hoke and Brian Kelly are douchebags.

Decision

Michigan Tech is hoping Saturday’s game turns out the same way this preview did, with a big win.

Wisconsin-Stout @ Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Saturday, September 22 @ 1:00 pm CDT

“I-94 Trophy”

Author: Bristol

Mascot

Wisconsin-Stout – Blue Devils. Gross.

Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Blugolds. Eau Claire athletes are referred to as “Blugolds,” a name coined to reflect the school colors, navy blue and old gold. Previous athletic team names include the Normals and the Normalites (because UWEC was founded as the Eau Claire State Normal School), the Blue and Gold Warriors, the Blue and Gold Gridirons, the Zornmen (in honor of Willis L. “Bill” Zorn, basketball and football coach from 1928–1968), the Golden Zornadoes, the Blue and Gold Squad, and the Blugold Squad.

Advantage – Blugolds. I am sad they did not stick with the Golden Zornadoes, but anything beats Blue Devils.

Best Player Name

Wiscosin-Stout – Tie – Freshman RB Dirk Spence and brothers Hank (sophomore QB) and Reggie (freshman TE) Kujak.

Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Tie – Freshman LB Avery Sega and freshman TE Killy Kitzman. Best impersonation of a smarmy Euro – Alex Plaster. Best impersonation of Zach Galifinakis – Josh Albrecht.

Advantage – Eau Claire. When you have a player named Killy and a kicker/punter that looks like that, you win.

Coaching Staff (Most Awesome Member)

Wisconsin-Stout – Honorable mention goes to Travis Destache’s last name and ginger happiness and to Shane Konop’s facial hair but the winner is Bob Thomas. Bob was the head wrestling coach, an assistant football and basketball coach and equipment manager until he retired in 1997. He has been a volunteer football coach ever since, currently mentoring the kickers. He has been inducted into 3 athletic halls of fame (UW-Superior as an athlete, UW-Stout as a coach and the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association). He was head coach of the wrestling team when they won their only national championship and works yearly at the College World Series.

Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Defensive line coach Derrick Swanigan. Swanigan played at Eastern Michigan and William Penn and bears at least a passing resemblance to Big from Rob & Big. A search also revealed that he plays for the Chippewa Valley Predators in the Northern Elite Football League. (NEFL, welcome to MegaBracket.)

Advantage – Eau Claire. Bob Thomas’ 3 Halls of Fame were tough to beat, but Coach Swanigan looks like Big and led me to discover a new event for MB. That’s a winner every time.

Location

Wisconsin-Stout – Menomonie, WI. The city center is located at the south end of Lake Menomin, a resevoir on the Cedar River. The town is named after the Menominee tribe of Native American who lived on the site centuries ago. Menomonie was ranked #15 in Smithsonian Magazine’s “The 20 Best Small Towns in America” from the May 2012 publication. Notable natives and residents include television personality Adam Carolla; former NFL player Tim Krumrie; and Harry Miller, “the greatest creative figure in the history of the American racing car”.

Wisconsin-Eau Claire– Eau Claire, WI. Eau Claire is the 8th largest city in Wisconsin and the largest in the northwest portion of the state. The town’s motto is officially in French and means “Here is clear water”. America’s Promise named the city as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People in 2007. The lumber industry drove Eau Claire’s growth in the late 19th century. At one time, there were 22 sawmills operating in the city. The Eau Claire Curling Club has been around for over 50 years. Notable natives and residents include Mary Brunner, the girlfriend of Charles Manson; advice columnists Ann Landers and Abigail van Buren; former Wisconsin and Washington State basketball coach Dick Bennett; former NFL WR Bill Schroeder; and former Minnesota Twins pitcher Brad Radke.

Advantage – Eau Claire again. For the Curling Club and Brad Radke.

Notable Alumni

Wisconsin-Stout – Former Montana State football coach Tony Storti, who led the team to its first national championship in 1956; 1976 Summer Olympics wrestling gold medalist John Peterson; Minnesota Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra; and Evansville women’s basketball head coach Oties Epps.

Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Justin Vernon, founder and lead singer of Bon Iver; actress Laila Robbins (Steve Martin’s wife in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles); actor Mark Proksch (Dwight’s handyman Nate on The Office); Kato Kaelin, witness in the O.J. Simpson trial; NASCAR driver Paul Menard; and John Menard Jr., the founder of Menard’s.

Advantage – Eau Claire once again. Kato Kaelin, the Menard family and the wife from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is more than enough to beat out the Twins hitting coach.

Decision

In what I believe is the first shutout of the year Eau Claire rolls 5-0. The lesson – don’t name your team the Blue Devils.

Undefeateds & Defeateds – Week 5

Posted: September 25, 2012 | Author: bristol | Filed under: CFB Weekly Picks | Tags: Defeated, Mismatches, Undefeated, Winless | Leave a comment »

There are 30 fewer undefeated and 28 fewer winless teams than last week. How many of the mighty will fall in Week 5? How many of the meek will rise? As a great band sings, only time will tell.

Undefeated (125 – 155 last week without CIS)

FBS (27; 31 last week)

Alabama, Baylor, Cincinnati, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa State, Kansas State, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, LSU, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas-San Antonio, West Virginia

FCS (15; 20 last week)

Alabama A&M, Cal Poly, Dartmouth, Delaware, Harvard, Illinois State, Lafayette, Lehigh, Montana State, North Dakota State, Old Dominion, Samford, Tennessee State, Wofford, Youngstown State

D-II (25; 38 last week)

Ashland, Bentley, Bloomsburg, California (PA), CSU-Pueblo, Emporia State, Grand Valley State, Harding, Henderson State, Humboldt State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Minnesota-Duluth, Missouri S&T, Missouri Western, New Haven, Newberry, Northwood, Ouachita Baptist, Pittsburg State, Shippensburg, Sioux Falls, Southern Arkansas, Tuskegee, Winston-Salem

D-III (43; 52 last week)

Amherst, Ausburg, Baldwin-Wallace, Bethel (MN), Birmingham-Southern, Bridgewater (VA), Carnegie Mellon, Coe, Concordia (IL), Concordia (Moorhead, MN), Elmhurst, Emory & Henry, Gettysburg, Heidelberg, Hobart, Illinois College, Illinois Wesleyan, Ithaca, Johns Hopkins, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, Mary Hardin-Baylor, Middlebury, Millikin, Millsaps, Mount Union, Norwich, Ohio Wesleyan, Otterbein, RPI, Salve Regina, St. John Fisher, St. Thomas (MN), Trinity (CT), Waynesburg, Wesleyan, Whitworth, Widener, Willamette, Williams, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Wisconsin-Platteville, Wittenberg

NAIA (11; 14 last week)

Benedictine (KS), Cumberlands (KY), Dakota Wesleyan, Georgetown (KY), Hastings, Marian, Missouri Valley, Morningside, St. Ambrose, St. Xavier, William Penn

CIS (4; not listed last week)

Calgary, Laval, McMaster, Montreal

Winless (122 – 150 last week without CIS)

FBS (9; 13 last week)

Army, Eastern Michigan, Houston, Idaho, Massachusetts, Memphis, Southern Miss, Tulane, UAB

FCS (21; 28 last week)

Austin Peay, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Davidson, Gardner-Webb, Georgia State, Grambling State, Hampton, Holy Cross, Liberty, Missouri State, Penn, Prairie View A&M, Princeton, Rhode Island, Robert Morris (PA), Sacred Heart, Savannah State, Valparaiso, Weber State, William & Mary

D-II (27; 38 last week)

Azusa Pacific, Benedict, Black Hills State, Brevard, Fort Hays State, Fort Lewis, Lake Erie, Lincoln (MO), Lincoln (PA), Lock Haven, Malone, McKendree, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Minot State, Nebraska-Kearney, North Greenville, Northeastern State, NW Oklahoma State, Pace, Quincy, Saint Anselm, Seton Hill, South Dakota Mines, Southern Connecticut, Southern Nazarene, Texas A&M-Commerce, Western State

D-III (45; 51 last week)

Alma, Anderson (IN), Averett, Bates, Beloit, Bethany (WV), Bowdoin, Buena Vista, Claremont-Mudd-Scrips, Colby, DePauw, Earlham, Geneva, Hamilton, Hiram, Howard Payne, Knox, La Verne, LaGrange, Lakeland, Luther, MacMurray, Maine Maritime, Manchester, Maranatha, Marietta, McDaniel, Misericordia, Morrisville State, Muskingum, Nichols College, Occidental, Olivet, Pomona-Pitzer, Puget Sound, Redlands, Ripon, St. Lawrence, St. Vincent, Stevenson, Tufts, Western Connecticut, Wilmington, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-River Falls

NAIA (16; 20 last week)

Avila, Bethel (KS), Bluefield (VA), Briar Cliff, Campbellsville (KY), Concordia (MI), Culver-Stockton, Dakota State, Dordt, Haskell, Olivet Nazarene, Point, Saint Mary (KS), Sterling, Texas College, Webber International

CIS (4; not listed last week)

Alberta, Ottawa (ON), Saint Mary’s (NS), UBC

Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

FBS (2)

Texas Tech (3-0, 40.33) @ Iowa State (3-0, 17.33)

Baylor (3-0, 21.67) @ West Virginia (3-0, 25.00)

D-II (1)

Grand Valley State (4-0, 24.50) @ Michigan Tech (3-0, 28.00)

D-III (4)

Bethel (MN) (3-0, 36.00) @ Augsburg (3-0, 15.67)

Trinity (CT) (1-0, 21.00) @ Williams (1-0, 34.00)

Millikin (3-0, 28.67) @ Illinois Wesleyan (3-0, 30.67)

Otterbein (3-0, 24.33) @ Baldwin-Wallace (3-0, 14.33)

NAIA (1)

Dakota Wesleyan (3-0, 13.33) @ Hastings (3-0, 10.33)

Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [14]

FCS (2)

Georgia State (0-4, -27.50) @ William & Mary (0-4, -9.25)

Central Connecticut (0-4, -26.00) @ Sacred Heart (0-3, -12.33)

D-II (2)

Saint Anselm (0-4, -35.50) @ Southern Connecticut (0-4, -14.75)

Black Hills State (0-3, -19.33) @ Western State (0-4, -33.00)

D-III (7)

Stevenson (0-4, -11.00) @ Misericordia (0-4, -53.75)

Wilmington (0-3, -40.33) @ Muskingum (0-3, -25.00)

Alma (0-4, -38.75) @ Olivet (0-4, -27.25)

La Verne (0-2, -35.50) @ Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-2, -3.50)

Occidental (0-2, -35.50) @ Redlands (0-2, -20.00)

Bates (0-1, -21.00) @ Tufts (0-1, -21.00)

Knox (0-4, -20.25) @ Ripon (0-4, -16.50)

NAIA (2)

Briar Cliff (0-4, -10.25) @ Dordt (0-4, -27.00)

Saint Mary (KS) (0-4, -10.00) @ Sterling (0-4, -21.25)

CIS (1)

UBC (0-4, -24.00) @ Alberta (0-4, -29.50)

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [21]

FBS (2)

Ohio (4-0, 18.50) @ Massachusetts (0-4, -34.25)

Louisville (4-0, 14.50) @ Southern Miss (0-3, -21.33)

FCS (4)

Lafayette (3-0, 5.33) @ R0bert Morris (PA) (0-3, -27.67)

Grambling State (0-3, -19.33) @ Alabama A&M (4-0, 11.50)

Penn (0-2, 11.50) @ Dartmouth (2-0, 15.50)

Holy Cross (0-3, 9.00) @ Harvard (2-0, 14.50)

D-II (4)

Shippensburg (4-0, 31.75) @ Lock Haven (0-4, -36.00)

CSU-Pueblo (4-0, 16.25) @ Fort Lewis (0-3, -42.00)

Lincoln (MO) (0-4, -25.00) @ Emporia State (4-0, 21,00)

Lake Erie (0-4, -15.50) @ Ashland (4-0, 18.50)

D-III (9)

Marietta (0-3, -20.33) @ Heidelberg (3-0, 45.00)

McDaniel (0-4, -20.75) @ Gettyburg (4-0, 35.75)

Wisconsin-Oshkosh (3-0, 29.67) @ Wisconsin-River Falls (0-3, -18.00)

Amherst (1-0, 24.00) @ Bowdoin (0-1, -24.00)

Middlebury (1-0, 24.00) @ Colby (0-1, -34.00)

Hamilton (0-1, -24.00) @ Wesleyan (CT) (1-0, 21.00)

Buena Vista (0-3, -38.67) @ Coe (3-0, 18.67)

Lewis & Clark (3-0, 15.00) @ Puget Sound (0-3, -24.67)

Hiram (0-4, -27.00) @ Ohio Wesleyan (3-0, 6.00)

NAIA (2)

Olivet Nazarene (0-4, -18.75) @ William Penn (4-0, 33.75)

Culver-Stockton (0-4, -21.25) @ Missouri Valley (4-0, 27.75)

Miscellaneous Notes

All 3 teams who were scoreless after Week 3 (FCS Savannah State, D-II Fort Lewis & D-II Lock Haven) put up their first points of the season. All three lost to remain winless, but are no longer pointless.
Teams getting outscored by more than 40 points per game:
- Misericorda (D-III) – 53.75
- Savannah State (FCS) – 50.33
- Pace (D-II) – 47.00
- Haskell (NAIA) – 45.50
- Fort Lewis (D-II) – 42.00
- South Dakota Mines (D-II) – 41.50
- NW Oklahoma State (D-II) – 41.00
- Wilmington (D-III) – 40.33
Teams outscoring their opponents by more than 40 points per game:
- Widener (D-III) – 59.50
- Mount Union (D-III) – 49.00
- Florida State (FBS) – 46.25
- Wofford (FCS) – 46.00
- Heidelberg (D-III) – 45.00
- North Dakota State (FCS) – 42.00
- Texas Tech (FBS) – 40.33
Winless teams losing by less than 10 points per game:
- Princeton (FCS) – 2.00
- Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (D-III) – 3.50
- Saint Mary’s (NS) (CIS) – 7.33
- Liberty (FCS) – 8.00
- Manchester (D-III) – 8.75
- Holy Cross (FCS) – 9.00
- William & Mary (FCS) – 9.25
Undefeated teams winning by less than 10 points per game:
- Oregon State (FBS) – 5.00
- Lafayette (FCS) – 5.33
- California (PA) (D-II) – 5.75
- Ohio Wesleyan (D-III) – 6.00
- Concordia (IL) (D-III) – 8.33
- Lehigh (FCS) – 9.00
The highest combined point differential in an undefeated matchup this week is 59.33 between D-III Millikin (28.67) @ Illinois Wesleyan (30.67)
The lowest combined point differential in a winless matchup is 66.00 between D-III Alma (-38.75) @ Olivet (-27.25)
The largest mismatch in point differential is 67.75 between D-II Shippensberg (31.75) @ Lock Haven (-36.00)

Last Week’s Battles of Undefeateds (18)

FBS (4)

Clemson @ Florida State

Kansas State @ Oklahoma

Arizona @ Oregon

Oregon State @ UCLA

FCS (1)

Harvard @ Brown

D-II (5)

Indiana (PA) @ California (PA)

Findlay @ Michigan Tech

Adams State @ CSU-Pueblo

Bloomsburg @ LIU-C.W. Post

Carson-Newman @ Newberry

D-III (6)

Carleton (MN) @ Bethel (MN)

Macalester @ Lewis & Clark

Johns Hopkins @ Muhlenberg

Hartwick @ St. John Fisher

Birmingham-Southern @ Rhodes

Chapman @ Whitworth

NAIA (2)

Missouri Valley @ Baker

Midland @ Morningside

Last Week’s Battles of Defeateds (14)

FBS (1)

Wyoming @ Idaho

FCS (1)

Wagner @ Central Connecticut State

D-II (4)

Edinboro @ Lock Haven

Lincoln (PA) @ Livingstone

Seton Hill @ West Virginia Wesleyan

Mesa State @ Black Hills State

D-III (6)

King’s (PA) @ Misericordia

Anderson (IN) @ Defiance

North Park @ Olivet

Denison @ Hiram

Union (NY) @ St. Lawrence

Whittier @ Puget Sound

NAIA (2)

Dordt @ Concordia (NE)

Campbellsville @ Belhaven

Last Week’s Mismatches (Undefeated vs. Winless) (22)

* – Winless

FBS (2)

UAB* @ Ohio State

NW Oklahoma State* (D-II) @ Texas-San Antonio

FCS (6)

Prairie View A&M* @ North Dakota State

Dartmouth @ Holy Cross*

McNeese State @ SE Louisiana*

Delaware @ William & Mary*

Lehigh @ Liberty*

Yale @ Cornell (NY)*

D-II (8)

Harding @ Southern Nazarene*

Missouri Western @ Fort Hays State*

Lincoln (PA)* @ Pittsburg State

Minnesota State-Moorhead* @ Minnesota State-Mankato

St. Anselm* @ New Haven

Washburn @ Central Oklahoma*

Southwest Baptist* @ Missouri Southern

NW Oklahoma State* @ Texas-San Antonio (FBS)

D-III (6)

Mount Union @ Marietta*

Heidelberg @ Wilmington*

Ripon* @ Illinois College

Baldwin-Wallace @ Muskingum*

DePauw* @ Carnegie Mellon

Wisconsin-Oshkosh @ Alma*

NAIA (1)

Hastings @ Briar Cliff*

MegaBracket Info and Ramblings

Friday Update

Current Standings

Remaining Points Available

The Contenders

Event-By-Event Analysis

Central Missouri @ Pittsburg State – Saturday, October 6 @ 2:00 pm CDT

Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling State – Saturday, October 6 @ 6:00 pm CDT

Thursday Update

Current Standings

Remaining Points Available

The Contenders

Event-By-Event Analysis

Remaining Points Available

The Contenders

Final Note

Current Standings

Remaining Points Available

The Contenders

Final Note

Undefeated (96 – 125 last week without CIS)

Winless (88 – 122 last week without CIS)

Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [5]

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [9]

Miscellaneous Notes

Last Week’s Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

Last Week’s Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [14]

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [21]

Widener @ Lebanon Valley – Saturday, September 29 @ 12:00 pm CDT

Grand Valley State @ Michigan Tech – Saturday, September 29 @ 5:00 pm CDT

Wisconsin-Stout @ Wisconsin-Eau Claire – Saturday, September 22 @ 1:00 pm CDT

Undefeated (125 – 155 last week without CIS)

Winless (122 – 150 last week without CIS)

Battles of Undefeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [8]

Battles of Defeateds (Record, Point Differential) – [14]

Mismatches – Undefeated vs. Winless (Record, Point Differential) – [21]

Miscellaneous Notes

Last Week’s Battles of Undefeateds (18)

Last Week’s Battles of Defeateds (14)

Last Week’s Mismatches (Undefeated vs. Winless) (22)

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