ALL FOR THE LULZ
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Bowl Pool Update: December 31, 2011
Wha happen'?
BYU 24, Tulsa 21
In an oddly defensive game, the two offenses combined to complete fewer than 50% of their passes and rushed for 2.4 and 1.4 yards per carry, respectively. Tulsa led most of the game, but BYU scored a touchdown on the Dan Marino Fake Spike Oh Noes play with 40 seconds left to give the Cougs the win. Their QB finished the game 17-for40 for 6.3 yards per attempt, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Yeah, he won. This game was really kind of tedious to watch, but probably not as tedious as...
Rutgers 27, Iowa State 13
In a battle between two bad teams, Iowa State out-badded Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights used competent defense and a good running game to beat ISU's own-foot-shooting quarterbacks. Rutgers rushed for 173 yards and their QBs didn't make mistakes (usually overthrowing the ball and giving their gigantic receivers a chance against ISU's midget corners, i.e., "this is either gonna be incomplete or my mutant receiver is gonna make an acrobatic catch"). The teams combined to go 4-for-26 on third downs, each side going 2-for13. ISU's quarterbacks were plainly awful. Jared Barnett was 2-7 before getting hurt. Steele Jantz then came in and went 15-31 for 6.4 yards per attempt and two picks. He also regularly overthrew wide open receivers, most notably when he overthrew his wide-open running back on a screen pass. By ten yards. ISU's two best receivers caught three of their fourteen targets. Conversely, Rutgers WR Brandon Coleman caught one of the five passes that went his way, but it went for an 86-yard touchdown, effectively icing what was at that point a one-score game. Summarization of the game from three lines of the chat we did yesterday:
Jeff: How did ISU beat Oklahoma State?
Todd and Jack, simultaneously: How did they beat ANYONE?
Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17
I have no idea how Wake Forest ever wins games. It seems like they've been getting results purely on the margins for like ten years now. According to SBN's Bill Connelly, Wake Forest gained a turnover points margin of 18.4 points in this game (forcing 4 turnovers while never turning it over themselves), which is the only reason they were even close, as MSU outgained them by 100 yards and had a 6.5 to 3.3 advantage in yards per play. When forced into passing situations, Wake Forest's offense became useless: their pass plays on 3rd or 4th and long (defined as 6 yards or more to go) gained an average of -1.1 yards per play. MSU had 12 tackles for loss and were just, you know, better.
Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14
Early in this game, Iowa went for it on fourth and 1 from the Oklahoma 5-yard line. They lined up in a tight formation with Marvin McNutt the only receiver. Oklahoma apparently didn't see McNutt, because they didn't line anyone up to cover him, and McNutt was waiving his arms wildly trying to get QB James Vandenberg's attention. He apparently failed, because Vandenberg proceeded to hand the ball off to Jordan Canzeri, who got swallowed for a three yard loss. Oklahoma went into halftime up 14-0 despite gaining only 89 yards, as they had one 64-yard TD drive and one 5-yard TD drive after an idiotic Vandenberg interception. Their other four drives all went three-and-out. Both teams averaged 3.3 yards per play in the first half. Oklahoma's average starting field position was their 42-yard-line. Iowa never started a drive outside their own 30. Iowa outgained OU for the game and turnovers and special teams were the difference here, but, with the media climate the way that it is, the fact that a 4-4 Big Ten team essentially played toe-to-toe with mighty Oklahoma will be completely overlooked, and this will somehow be viewed as a failure for the Big Ten.
Not a ton of movement in the pick 'em, as it seems like favorites are winning most of the games. Top 15 as of today is below.
BYU 24, Tulsa 21
In an oddly defensive game, the two offenses combined to complete fewer than 50% of their passes and rushed for 2.4 and 1.4 yards per carry, respectively. Tulsa led most of the game, but BYU scored a touchdown on the Dan Marino Fake Spike Oh Noes play with 40 seconds left to give the Cougs the win. Their QB finished the game 17-for40 for 6.3 yards per attempt, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Yeah, he won. This game was really kind of tedious to watch, but probably not as tedious as...
Rutgers 27, Iowa State 13
In a battle between two bad teams, Iowa State out-badded Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights used competent defense and a good running game to beat ISU's own-foot-shooting quarterbacks. Rutgers rushed for 173 yards and their QBs didn't make mistakes (usually overthrowing the ball and giving their gigantic receivers a chance against ISU's midget corners, i.e., "this is either gonna be incomplete or my mutant receiver is gonna make an acrobatic catch"). The teams combined to go 4-for-26 on third downs, each side going 2-for13. ISU's quarterbacks were plainly awful. Jared Barnett was 2-7 before getting hurt. Steele Jantz then came in and went 15-31 for 6.4 yards per attempt and two picks. He also regularly overthrew wide open receivers, most notably when he overthrew his wide-open running back on a screen pass. By ten yards. ISU's two best receivers caught three of their fourteen targets. Conversely, Rutgers WR Brandon Coleman caught one of the five passes that went his way, but it went for an 86-yard touchdown, effectively icing what was at that point a one-score game. Summarization of the game from three lines of the chat we did yesterday:
Jeff: How did ISU beat Oklahoma State?
Todd and Jack, simultaneously: How did they beat ANYONE?
Mississippi State 23, Wake Forest 17
I have no idea how Wake Forest ever wins games. It seems like they've been getting results purely on the margins for like ten years now. According to SBN's Bill Connelly, Wake Forest gained a turnover points margin of 18.4 points in this game (forcing 4 turnovers while never turning it over themselves), which is the only reason they were even close, as MSU outgained them by 100 yards and had a 6.5 to 3.3 advantage in yards per play. When forced into passing situations, Wake Forest's offense became useless: their pass plays on 3rd or 4th and long (defined as 6 yards or more to go) gained an average of -1.1 yards per play. MSU had 12 tackles for loss and were just, you know, better.
Oklahoma 31, Iowa 14
Early in this game, Iowa went for it on fourth and 1 from the Oklahoma 5-yard line. They lined up in a tight formation with Marvin McNutt the only receiver. Oklahoma apparently didn't see McNutt, because they didn't line anyone up to cover him, and McNutt was waiving his arms wildly trying to get QB James Vandenberg's attention. He apparently failed, because Vandenberg proceeded to hand the ball off to Jordan Canzeri, who got swallowed for a three yard loss. Oklahoma went into halftime up 14-0 despite gaining only 89 yards, as they had one 64-yard TD drive and one 5-yard TD drive after an idiotic Vandenberg interception. Their other four drives all went three-and-out. Both teams averaged 3.3 yards per play in the first half. Oklahoma's average starting field position was their 42-yard-line. Iowa never started a drive outside their own 30. Iowa outgained OU for the game and turnovers and special teams were the difference here, but, with the media climate the way that it is, the fact that a 4-4 Big Ten team essentially played toe-to-toe with mighty Oklahoma will be completely overlooked, and this will somehow be viewed as a failure for the Big Ten.
Not a ton of movement in the pick 'em, as it seems like favorites are winning most of the games. Top 15 as of today is below.
| Rank | Team | Owner | Record | PPR | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dantonio Banderas | Elliott | 14-4 | 270 | 337 |
| 2 | Which Way Do I Geaux? | Joel M. | 15-3 | 256 | 322 |
| 3 | For Whom the Belk Tolls | Jeff | 11-7 | 232 | 305 |
| 4 | Probably no 8-0 good | Ene | 14-4 | 260 | 304 |
| 5 | Dr. Bacon McBratwurst | Sean | 15-3 | 290 | 300 |
| 6 | Make it Rainey on Dem Hos | Tyler | 15-3 | 311 | 287 |
| 7 | Thaturban | Ryan | 12-6 | 273 | 284 |
| 8 | DecidedSchematicAdvantage | Todd | 12-6 | 301 | 279 |
| 9 | Aww, Fuck It! | Christina | 14-4 | 311 | 269 |
| 10 | Armpunter | Donnie Smavels | 13-5 | 298 | 266 |
| 11 | Skee Town Sizzlers | Wolfe | 14-4 | 328 | 254 |
| 12 | Picks? Nope: Chuck Testa | Yours Truly | 12-6 | 292 | 252 |
| 13 | rustyballoonknot | K. Keenan | 13-5 | 346 | 240 |
| 14 | I Just Want My Kids Back! | Fred | 15-3 | 381 | 236 |
| 15 | Woodhouse'sBerserkerRage | Schill | 14-4 | 353 | 227 |
Friday, December 30, 2011
Bowl Pool Update: It Has to be Done
Don't forget the chat later today at or around 3:20. But before that, let's take a look at wha happen'.
Florida State 18, No-trah Dame 14
With about six minutes left in the third quarter, FSU trailed 14-3 and had amassed only 129 yards of offense. They then embarked on a 10-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that no one saw coming, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Brian Kelly continued his quarterback roulette routine and brought in Andrew Hendrix, who promptly threw a pick, FSU taking over at the ND 18-yard-line. They punched in another TD to take the lead and never trailed again. On three straight second half drives (including a 71-yard FG drive later in the fourth), FSU gained about half the yards they would gain in the game. Meanwhile, Tommy Rees did what Tommy Rees does, which is turn the ball over inside the red zone. He threw two picks in the FSU endzone, the last of which occurred with just over three minutes left and ND trailing by four. In all, No-trah Dame scored a grand total of seven points on four trips inside the FSU 40-yard-line (one TD, one missed FG, two picks in the end zone).
Baylor 67, Warshington 56
Holy shit, this wasn't even "defense-optional," it was "defense nonexistent." The teams combined for 1397 yards and there's almost no limit to the bizarre things you could say about this game. The teams obliterated the record for most combined yards in a bowl game, beating the old record by almost 200 yards. Look at that final score. There was one field goal in this game. Every other point was scored by touchdowns. Seventeen of them. SEVENTEEN TOUCHDOWNS. Yes, that is a new bowl record. The teams combined for six touchdowns and 43 points in the third quarter. There were nineteen KICKOFFS in this game. Both teams went 3-for-4 on fourth downs. Each team punted only twice (frankly, I'm shocked there were that many). For all the gaudy stats, Heisman winner Robert Griffin, III had a quiet night passing, going 24-33 for 295 yards and one score. Baylor did most of their damage on the ground, as three different rushers gained 100 rushing yards, led by Terrance Ganaway's 200 yards on 21 carries. On the other side, Warshington QB Keith Price threw for 438 yards and four scores, with no picks. He also rushed for 39 yards and three more TDs. Yes, his seven total touchdowns is a new bowl game record. And Chris Spielman was doing the color commentary for this defensive atrocity! He was clearly frustrated and appeared at one point to say about Baylor's defense, "To me, the guys out there have no idea what they're doing." Warshington scored an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to go up 42-24. Baylor outscored them 43-14 the rest of the way. This game was bananas.
Now, I normally don't do an update so soon after another update unless there were a bunch of games played, but this is a special occasion, because as of today, right now, Sean has exactly 220 points. Which is, of course, at least 220. And that fact needs to be preserved. You're welcome.
Through fourteen games, the standings of our dumb little bowl team fantasy league are thus:
Ryan: 3-1 (W: Marshall, Boise State, Texas; L: No-trah Dame)
Todd: 1-2 (W: Baylor; L: Utah State, North Carolina)
Sean: 1-1 (W: Southern Miss; L: Air Force)
Jeff: 2-3 (W: Temple, NC State; L: San Diego State, Florida Int'l, Western Michigan)
Scott: 3-1 (W: Ohio, Purdue, Florida State; L: Wyoming)
Jack: 3-1 (W: TCU, Missourah, Toledo; L: Louisville)
Nobody took Louisiana Lafayette (W), Louisiana Tech (L), Arizona State (L), Nevada (L), California (L), or Warshington (L).
Florida State 18, No-trah Dame 14
With about six minutes left in the third quarter, FSU trailed 14-3 and had amassed only 129 yards of offense. They then embarked on a 10-play, 84-yard touchdown drive that no one saw coming, culminating in an 18-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Brian Kelly continued his quarterback roulette routine and brought in Andrew Hendrix, who promptly threw a pick, FSU taking over at the ND 18-yard-line. They punched in another TD to take the lead and never trailed again. On three straight second half drives (including a 71-yard FG drive later in the fourth), FSU gained about half the yards they would gain in the game. Meanwhile, Tommy Rees did what Tommy Rees does, which is turn the ball over inside the red zone. He threw two picks in the FSU endzone, the last of which occurred with just over three minutes left and ND trailing by four. In all, No-trah Dame scored a grand total of seven points on four trips inside the FSU 40-yard-line (one TD, one missed FG, two picks in the end zone).
Baylor 67, Warshington 56
Holy shit, this wasn't even "defense-optional," it was "defense nonexistent." The teams combined for 1397 yards and there's almost no limit to the bizarre things you could say about this game. The teams obliterated the record for most combined yards in a bowl game, beating the old record by almost 200 yards. Look at that final score. There was one field goal in this game. Every other point was scored by touchdowns. Seventeen of them. SEVENTEEN TOUCHDOWNS. Yes, that is a new bowl record. The teams combined for six touchdowns and 43 points in the third quarter. There were nineteen KICKOFFS in this game. Both teams went 3-for-4 on fourth downs. Each team punted only twice (frankly, I'm shocked there were that many). For all the gaudy stats, Heisman winner Robert Griffin, III had a quiet night passing, going 24-33 for 295 yards and one score. Baylor did most of their damage on the ground, as three different rushers gained 100 rushing yards, led by Terrance Ganaway's 200 yards on 21 carries. On the other side, Warshington QB Keith Price threw for 438 yards and four scores, with no picks. He also rushed for 39 yards and three more TDs. Yes, his seven total touchdowns is a new bowl game record. And Chris Spielman was doing the color commentary for this defensive atrocity! He was clearly frustrated and appeared at one point to say about Baylor's defense, "To me, the guys out there have no idea what they're doing." Warshington scored an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the second half to go up 42-24. Baylor outscored them 43-14 the rest of the way. This game was bananas.
Now, I normally don't do an update so soon after another update unless there were a bunch of games played, but this is a special occasion, because as of today, right now, Sean has exactly 220 points. Which is, of course, at least 220. And that fact needs to be preserved. You're welcome.
| Rank | Team | Owner | Record | PPR | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dantonio Banderas | Elliott | 11-3 | 369 | 245 |
| 1 | Which Way Do I Geaux? | Joel M. | 11-3 | 333 | 245 |
| 3 | For Whom the Belk Tolls | Jeff | 9-5 | 321 | 239 |
| 4 | Thadurban | Ryan | 10-4 | 336 | 235 |
| 5 | Dr. Bacon McBratwurst | Sean | 12-2 | 391 | 220 |
| 5 | Probably not 8-0 good | Ene | 11-3 | 360 | 220 |
| 7 | Make it Rainey on Dem Hos | Tyler | 11-3 | 382 | 216 |
| 8 | DecidedSchematicAdvantage | Todd | 9-5 | 390 | 205 |
| 9 | Aww, Fuck It! | Christina | 11-3 | 388 | 201 |
| 10 | Skee Town Sizzlers | Wolfe | 11-3 | 402 | 194 |
| 11 | rustyballoonknot | K. Keenan | 11-3 | 435 | 189 |
| 11 | Falcon Amazing | Aly | 11-3 | 384 | 189 |
| 11 | Armpunter | Donnie Smavels | 10-4 | 395 | 189 |
| 14 | Picks? Nope: Chuck Testa | Yours Truly | 9-5 | 369 | 180 |
| 15 | I Just Want My Kids Back! | Fred | 11-3 | 444 | 173 |
Through fourteen games, the standings of our dumb little bowl team fantasy league are thus:
Ryan: 3-1 (W: Marshall, Boise State, Texas; L: No-trah Dame)
Todd: 1-2 (W: Baylor; L: Utah State, North Carolina)
Sean: 1-1 (W: Southern Miss; L: Air Force)
Jeff: 2-3 (W: Temple, NC State; L: San Diego State, Florida Int'l, Western Michigan)
Scott: 3-1 (W: Ohio, Purdue, Florida State; L: Wyoming)
Jack: 3-1 (W: TCU, Missourah, Toledo; L: Louisville)
Nobody took Louisiana Lafayette (W), Louisiana Tech (L), Arizona State (L), Nevada (L), California (L), or Warshington (L).
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Bowl Pool Update: December 29, 2011
WHA! HAPPEN'?
Missouri 41, North Carolina 24
This was a classic shitstomping. North Carolina came into the game giving up 108 rushing yards per game. Missourah had two different players rush for at least that amount, and totaled 337 yards on the ground. The Tigers only ended up outgaining UNC by 160 yards, but a lot of that is cosmetic, as Missourah ran off 31 straight points after spotting the Tar Heels an opening touchdown drive. Missourah finished the game 10-14 on third downs and gained 7.1 yards per play for the game. And UNC’s defensive coordinator and interim head coach is now coming to OSU! Oh goody!
Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32
Unequivocally the wildest bowl game thus far, it will take something flat-out insane for some other game to outdo this one. The teams combined for 927 yards and eleven (eleven!) turnovers. Here’s how batshit crazy this game was: two different times in the second half, Purdue forced a WMU turnover then fumbled the ball back to WMU on the return. Twice! Purdue threw a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown in for good measure. Bronco QB Alex Carder threw for 439 yards, 3 TDs, and 4 INTs, and was harassed by the Purdue D-line all game. Purdue’s lines won this game, as the Boilers rushed for over 250 yards, stuffed WMU’s run game (2.0 yards per carry), and pressured the crap out of Carder.
N.C. State 31, Louisville 24
A remarkably even game, as Louisville finished with more yards, N.C. State had a better yards per play average, and both teams turned it over three times. The difference was that one of Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater’s three interceptions was returned 64 yards for a touchdown. The Wolfpack D threw the kitchen sink at Louisville, as Bridgewater was sacked five times and N.C. State finished with twelve tackles for loss. The teams combined to go 1-for-7 on fourth down attempts.
Toledo 42, Air Force 41
Is it a coincidence that probably the two most entertaining games of bowl season thus far (YMMV on SDSU/LaLaf) featured a heaping helping of hot steamy MACtion? The Rockets and Falcons both went over five yards per play, both turned the ball over twice, and the game was 28-28 at halftime. Toledo got an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown from Buckeye Tormentor Eric Page. Air Force went 5-for-6 on fourth down conversions. With all the wackiness back and forth, the game’s denouement was downright Tressel-ian in its focus on special teams: Toledo downed consecutive fourth quarter punts inside the Air Force five (Fox Force Five?) yard line, and forced consecutive three-and-outs, taking over at the Falcon 39 and punching in the go-ahead TD. Air Force went down the field and scored their own TD with about a minute left (on fourth down, naturally), then went for two on a fake extra point. The holder fumbled the ball out of the end zone (it looked to me like he was trying to pitch it to the trailing kicker and just derp’d the ball to the ground) and the Rockets recovered the onside kick. Seriously, how could someone look at wild games like this one, the Pizza Pizza Bowl, and the N’Awlins Bowl and say with a straight face that there are too many bowl games?
Texas 21, California 10
This, on the other hand, was anti-MACtion. The teams combined for 450 yards. Texas won comfortably despite amassing just 255 yards of offense and going 3-for-14 on third downs. How? They gave up less than 200 yards, on just 2.8 yards per play, finished with thirteen tackles for loss including six sacks, and won the turnover battle 5-0. Actually, how the hell did they only win by 11? Not a lot of offense in this game: the teams combined to go three-and-out NINE TIMES. Not upholding the Holiday Bowl’s fine tradition of providing a wild, major-conference equivalent of MACtion.
In the pick 'em, Jeff has thrusted his way into the lead on the strength of a 7-1 stretch for 178 points, where the fewest points he had on any of his wins was 19 and his lone loss was his 1-point game. Tyler, Elliott, Todd, and Sean all look dangerous, as they're in the top 10 and have only lost very low-point games. Katy Keenan is a sneaky threat, as she's in 15th but her three losses were her 1-, 2-, and 3-point games. Down in 18th, Defending Champion Former Co-worker and One-Time Cuervo Participant Ben is 10-2 and has only lost his 3- and 4-point games. At the other end of the table, the last 7 or 8 people pretty uniformly did not adjust their confidence points, so their entries are super back-loaded, and we will see where they end up.
Top fifteen is below.
Missouri 41, North Carolina 24
This was a classic shitstomping. North Carolina came into the game giving up 108 rushing yards per game. Missourah had two different players rush for at least that amount, and totaled 337 yards on the ground. The Tigers only ended up outgaining UNC by 160 yards, but a lot of that is cosmetic, as Missourah ran off 31 straight points after spotting the Tar Heels an opening touchdown drive. Missourah finished the game 10-14 on third downs and gained 7.1 yards per play for the game. And UNC’s defensive coordinator and interim head coach is now coming to OSU! Oh goody!
Purdue 37, Western Michigan 32
Unequivocally the wildest bowl game thus far, it will take something flat-out insane for some other game to outdo this one. The teams combined for 927 yards and eleven (eleven!) turnovers. Here’s how batshit crazy this game was: two different times in the second half, Purdue forced a WMU turnover then fumbled the ball back to WMU on the return. Twice! Purdue threw a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown in for good measure. Bronco QB Alex Carder threw for 439 yards, 3 TDs, and 4 INTs, and was harassed by the Purdue D-line all game. Purdue’s lines won this game, as the Boilers rushed for over 250 yards, stuffed WMU’s run game (2.0 yards per carry), and pressured the crap out of Carder.
N.C. State 31, Louisville 24
A remarkably even game, as Louisville finished with more yards, N.C. State had a better yards per play average, and both teams turned it over three times. The difference was that one of Louisville QB Teddy Bridgewater’s three interceptions was returned 64 yards for a touchdown. The Wolfpack D threw the kitchen sink at Louisville, as Bridgewater was sacked five times and N.C. State finished with twelve tackles for loss. The teams combined to go 1-for-7 on fourth down attempts.
Toledo 42, Air Force 41
Is it a coincidence that probably the two most entertaining games of bowl season thus far (YMMV on SDSU/LaLaf) featured a heaping helping of hot steamy MACtion? The Rockets and Falcons both went over five yards per play, both turned the ball over twice, and the game was 28-28 at halftime. Toledo got an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown from Buckeye Tormentor Eric Page. Air Force went 5-for-6 on fourth down conversions. With all the wackiness back and forth, the game’s denouement was downright Tressel-ian in its focus on special teams: Toledo downed consecutive fourth quarter punts inside the Air Force five (Fox Force Five?) yard line, and forced consecutive three-and-outs, taking over at the Falcon 39 and punching in the go-ahead TD. Air Force went down the field and scored their own TD with about a minute left (on fourth down, naturally), then went for two on a fake extra point. The holder fumbled the ball out of the end zone (it looked to me like he was trying to pitch it to the trailing kicker and just derp’d the ball to the ground) and the Rockets recovered the onside kick. Seriously, how could someone look at wild games like this one, the Pizza Pizza Bowl, and the N’Awlins Bowl and say with a straight face that there are too many bowl games?
Texas 21, California 10
This, on the other hand, was anti-MACtion. The teams combined for 450 yards. Texas won comfortably despite amassing just 255 yards of offense and going 3-for-14 on third downs. How? They gave up less than 200 yards, on just 2.8 yards per play, finished with thirteen tackles for loss including six sacks, and won the turnover battle 5-0. Actually, how the hell did they only win by 11? Not a lot of offense in this game: the teams combined to go three-and-out NINE TIMES. Not upholding the Holiday Bowl’s fine tradition of providing a wild, major-conference equivalent of MACtion.
In the pick 'em, Jeff has thrusted his way into the lead on the strength of a 7-1 stretch for 178 points, where the fewest points he had on any of his wins was 19 and his lone loss was his 1-point game. Tyler, Elliott, Todd, and Sean all look dangerous, as they're in the top 10 and have only lost very low-point games. Katy Keenan is a sneaky threat, as she's in 15th but her three losses were her 1-, 2-, and 3-point games. Down in 18th, Defending Champion Former Co-worker and One-Time Cuervo Participant Ben is 10-2 and has only lost his 3- and 4-point games. At the other end of the table, the last 7 or 8 people pretty uniformly did not adjust their confidence points, so their entries are super back-loaded, and we will see where they end up.
Top fifteen is below.
| Rank | Team | Owner | Record | PPR | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Next Kansas Coach: Erin | Jeff | 8-4 | 367 | 205 |
| 2 | Thadurban | Ryan | 9-3 | 392 | 203 |
| 3 | Which Way Do I Geaux? | Joel M. | 9-3 | 378 | 200 |
| 4 | Probably not 8-0 good | Ene | 10-2 | 412 | 185 |
| 5 | Make it Rainey on Dem Hos | Tyler | 10-2 | 429 | 184 |
| 6 | Dantonio Banderas | Elliott | 9-3 | 431 | 183 |
| 7 | DecidedSchematicAdvantage | Todd | 8-4 | 434 | 174 |
| 8 | Dr. Bacon McBratwurst | Sean | 9-3 | 442 | 169 |
| 9 | Falcon Amazing | Aly | 10-2 | 529 | 165 |
| 10 | Aww, Fuck It! | Christina | 9-3 | 429 | 160 |
| 11 | Armpunter | Donnie Smavels | 9-3 | 446 | 157 |
| 12 | Picks? Nope: Chuck Testa | Yours Truly | 8-4 | 408 | 155 |
| 13 | I Just Want My Kids Back! | Fred | 10-2 | 471 | 154 |
| 14 | Skee Town Sizzlers | Wolfe | 9-3 | 446 | 150 |
| 15 | rustyballoonknot | K. Keenan | 9-3 | 484 | 140 |
Monday, December 26, 2011
Bowl Pool Update: December 26, 2011
Happy Holidays, bitches! Let's start right now: hey, wha' happen'?
Boise State 56, Arizona State 24
Another weird game this bowl season. The teams combined for just shy of 850 yards and 50 first downs. They also combined for five turnovers and four non-offensive touchdowns. In something you probably won't see very often, each half began with a kickoff return touchdown: Doug Martin returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a Boise TD, and Rashad Ross returned the second half opening kickoff 98 yards for a Sun Devil score. Boise QB Kellen Moore earned the 50th win of his career. Unsurprisingly, the Dennis Erickson era at ASU ended with him driving an American flag-themed golf cart into a volcano.
Southern Miss 24, Nevada 17
Thirty-one of the forty-one points scored in this game occurred in the frantic second quarter. Yardage and yards per play were pretty even, and both teams were crappy on third downs and turned the ball over twice. So what was the difference? The first score of the game cam via a blocked punt which Southern Miss recovered for a special teams score. Both teams ran pretty well, and both quarterbacks played like crap for the most part, with SoMiss's Austin Davis barely outplaying Nevada's apparently dyslexic signal caller Lampford Mark.
So, these were two games played since our last update. With thirty people in the group, that means there were sixty picks among us. Of those sixty, there were exactly three incorrect picks. ONE PERSON picked Arizona State (Katey M.) and TWO PEOPLE picked Nevada (Joanna and, again, Katey). Tyrone, is that you?
As usual, top fifteen is below.
Because I know you all care, in our bowl team, er ... fantasy, uh ... league? ... the standings through seven games are thus:
Ryan - 2-0 (W: Marshall, Boise State)
Jack - 1-0 (W: TCU)
Sean - 1-0 (W: Southern Miss)
Scott: 1-1 (W: Ohio; L: Wyoming)
Jeff: 1-2 (W: Temple; L: San Diego State, Florida International)
Todd: 0-1 (L: Utah State)
Of the teams that have already played, no one took Louisiana Lafayette (W), Louisiana Tech (L), Arizona State (L), or Nevada (L).
Boise State 56, Arizona State 24
Another weird game this bowl season. The teams combined for just shy of 850 yards and 50 first downs. They also combined for five turnovers and four non-offensive touchdowns. In something you probably won't see very often, each half began with a kickoff return touchdown: Doug Martin returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a Boise TD, and Rashad Ross returned the second half opening kickoff 98 yards for a Sun Devil score. Boise QB Kellen Moore earned the 50th win of his career. Unsurprisingly, the Dennis Erickson era at ASU ended with him driving an American flag-themed golf cart into a volcano.
Southern Miss 24, Nevada 17
Thirty-one of the forty-one points scored in this game occurred in the frantic second quarter. Yardage and yards per play were pretty even, and both teams were crappy on third downs and turned the ball over twice. So what was the difference? The first score of the game cam via a blocked punt which Southern Miss recovered for a special teams score. Both teams ran pretty well, and both quarterbacks played like crap for the most part, with SoMiss's Austin Davis barely outplaying Nevada's apparently dyslexic signal caller Lampford Mark.
So, these were two games played since our last update. With thirty people in the group, that means there were sixty picks among us. Of those sixty, there were exactly three incorrect picks. ONE PERSON picked Arizona State (Katey M.) and TWO PEOPLE picked Nevada (Joanna and, again, Katey). Tyrone, is that you?
As usual, top fifteen is below.
| Rank | Team | Owner | Record | PPR | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Probably not 8-0 good | Ene | 6-1 | 476 | 131 |
| 2 | ArmPunter | Donnie Smavels | 5-2 | 480 | 129 |
| 3 | Thadurban | Ryan | 5-2 | 481 | 124 |
| 4 | Which Way Do I Geaux? | Joel M. | 4-3 | 457 | 121 |
| 5 | Make it Rainey on Dem Hos | Tyler | 5-2 | 500 | 113 |
| 6 | Next Kansas Coach: Erin | Jeff | 4-3 | 463 | 110 |
| 7 | I Just Want My Kids Back! | Fred | 6-1 | 520 | 109 |
| 8 | roneffinswanson | Aaron W. | 5-2 | 490 | 104 |
| 9 | Dr. Bacon McBratwurst | Sean | 5-2 | 508 | 103 |
| 10 | Picks? Nope: Chuck Testa | Yours Truly | 4-3 | 480 | 102 |
| 11 | DecidedSchematicAdvantage | Todd | 4-3 | 515 | 100 |
| 11 | Woodhouse'sBerserkerRage | Schill | 5-2 | 494 | 100 |
| 13 | rustyballoonknot | K. Keenan | 4-3 | 527 | 97 |
| 14 | Aww, Fuck It! | Christina | 5-2 | 500 | 96 |
| 15 | Skee Town Sizzlers | Wolfe | 4-3 | 509 | 96 |
Because I know you all care, in our bowl team, er ... fantasy, uh ... league? ... the standings through seven games are thus:
Ryan - 2-0 (W: Marshall, Boise State)
Jack - 1-0 (W: TCU)
Sean - 1-0 (W: Southern Miss)
Scott: 1-1 (W: Ohio; L: Wyoming)
Jeff: 1-2 (W: Temple; L: San Diego State, Florida International)
Todd: 0-1 (L: Utah State)
Of the teams that have already played, no one took Louisiana Lafayette (W), Louisiana Tech (L), Arizona State (L), or Nevada (L).
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bowl Pool Update: Five Games Down
We're five games in and a decent amount of weird shit has already gone down. Let's take a look at wha happen', in chronological order.
Temple 37, Wyoming 15
Temple got up 21-0 five minutes into the second quarter, but the game wasn't really over until they threw a 61-yard touchdown pass less than 40 seconds before halftime, and just one play and six seconds after Wyoming had scored to pull within fourteen. This game was a beatdown.
Ohio 24, Utah State 23
I am still not sure how Ohio won this game. Utah State rushed for 345 yards, outgained OU by 100 yards, converted 9 of 17 third downs (as opposed to OU's 5-for-14), and had a 6.4 to 5.1 advantage in yards per play. The Bobcats scored on a QB keeper with 20 seconds left and made the PAT for the one-point win, as Utah State continued their season-long trend of losing games they should win. Apparently this was Ohio U.'s first-ever bowl victory.
Louisiana-Lafayette 32, San Diego State 30
This was one of those "defense optional" bowl games. The teams conbined for 1,068 yards, 905 through the air. The game was inexplicably won on a 50-yard field goal as time expired, by a placekicker who had already MISSED TWO EXTRA POINTS IN THE GAME. Oh, and the kick just barely cleared the bar, which is significant when you take into account that the only reason it was a 50-yarder instead of 55-yarder was that SDSU got called for something called illegal spinning or stemming or skimming or something, after both sides seemed to jump across the line of scrimmage before the field goal attempt. You see what I mean by weird shit happening?
Marshall 20, Florida International 10
These teams combined for almost half the yards of the LaLaf/SDSU game. With neither offense able to do anything, the game turned on two big plays in the fourth quarter: with the score tied at 10 and under nine minutes to play, Marshall blocked an FIU punt and took over at the FIU 23-yard-line. That drive ended with a go-ahead field goal. On the ensuing possession, FIU drove out to their own 40-yard-line before fumbling with just under five minutes left. Marshall punched in a TD to put the game out of reach. After OU and LaLaf, Marshall was the third consecutive Vegas underdog to win this bowl season.
TCU 31, Louisiana Tech 24
I completely forgot about this game and didn't watch a second of it. In my defense, Kristin was out of town so I was a single father the last few days. Apparently Sean's Fightin' Male Lady Techsters put up quite a fight as an 11-point underdog, leading by seven going into the fourth quarter. TCU punched in two touchdowns in the final stanza, on drives covering 72 and 86 yards, respectively. La Tech's two drives over that span? A total of 2 yards and 2 punts. One team had another gear that the other didn't.
In the pick 'em, it's way too early to tell anything. Fred's in first and his only loss was his one-point game, so he's in the driver's seat. Both Todd and Katy Keenan are 2-3 but have only lost low-confidence games, so they're in great shape. At the other end of the table, four of the last five spots are taken up by people who did not change their confidence points at all, so these first five games were their 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-point games, and they've therefore accumulated very few points. The one person in the bottom five who DID adjust their confidence levels: Al. Who is winless. Derp.
As usual, top fifteen is below.
Temple 37, Wyoming 15
Temple got up 21-0 five minutes into the second quarter, but the game wasn't really over until they threw a 61-yard touchdown pass less than 40 seconds before halftime, and just one play and six seconds after Wyoming had scored to pull within fourteen. This game was a beatdown.
Ohio 24, Utah State 23
I am still not sure how Ohio won this game. Utah State rushed for 345 yards, outgained OU by 100 yards, converted 9 of 17 third downs (as opposed to OU's 5-for-14), and had a 6.4 to 5.1 advantage in yards per play. The Bobcats scored on a QB keeper with 20 seconds left and made the PAT for the one-point win, as Utah State continued their season-long trend of losing games they should win. Apparently this was Ohio U.'s first-ever bowl victory.
Louisiana-Lafayette 32, San Diego State 30
This was one of those "defense optional" bowl games. The teams conbined for 1,068 yards, 905 through the air. The game was inexplicably won on a 50-yard field goal as time expired, by a placekicker who had already MISSED TWO EXTRA POINTS IN THE GAME. Oh, and the kick just barely cleared the bar, which is significant when you take into account that the only reason it was a 50-yarder instead of 55-yarder was that SDSU got called for something called illegal spinning or stemming or skimming or something, after both sides seemed to jump across the line of scrimmage before the field goal attempt. You see what I mean by weird shit happening?
Marshall 20, Florida International 10
These teams combined for almost half the yards of the LaLaf/SDSU game. With neither offense able to do anything, the game turned on two big plays in the fourth quarter: with the score tied at 10 and under nine minutes to play, Marshall blocked an FIU punt and took over at the FIU 23-yard-line. That drive ended with a go-ahead field goal. On the ensuing possession, FIU drove out to their own 40-yard-line before fumbling with just under five minutes left. Marshall punched in a TD to put the game out of reach. After OU and LaLaf, Marshall was the third consecutive Vegas underdog to win this bowl season.
TCU 31, Louisiana Tech 24
I completely forgot about this game and didn't watch a second of it. In my defense, Kristin was out of town so I was a single father the last few days. Apparently Sean's Fightin' Male Lady Techsters put up quite a fight as an 11-point underdog, leading by seven going into the fourth quarter. TCU punched in two touchdowns in the final stanza, on drives covering 72 and 86 yards, respectively. La Tech's two drives over that span? A total of 2 yards and 2 punts. One team had another gear that the other didn't.
In the pick 'em, it's way too early to tell anything. Fred's in first and his only loss was his one-point game, so he's in the driver's seat. Both Todd and Katy Keenan are 2-3 but have only lost low-confidence games, so they're in great shape. At the other end of the table, four of the last five spots are taken up by people who did not change their confidence points at all, so these first five games were their 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-point games, and they've therefore accumulated very few points. The one person in the bottom five who DID adjust their confidence levels: Al. Who is winless. Derp.
As usual, top fifteen is below.
| Rank | Team | Owner | Record | TOTAL | PERC. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I Just Want My Kids Back! | Fred | 4-1 | 73 | 97.5 |
| 2 | Probably not 8-0 good | Ene | 4-1 | 72 | 97.3 |
| 3 | ArmPunter | Donnie Smavels | 3-2 | 70 | 96.8 |
| 4 | DecidedSchematicAdvantage | Todd | 2-3 | 64 | 94.3 |
| 5 | Falcon Amazing | Aly | 3-2 | 63 | 93.7 |
| 6 | Skee Town Sizzlers | Wolfe | 3-2 | 62 | 93.0 |
| 7 | Which Way Do I Geaux? | Joel M. | 2-3 | 61 | 92.1 |
| 8 | Next Kansas Coach: Erin | Jeff | 2-3 | 60 | 91.4 |
| 9 | Thadurban | Ryan | 3-2 | 56 | 88.8 |
| 10 | . . 2nd name its M-E-Y-E-R | Chris C. | 2-3 | 55 | 88.2 |
| 11 | rustybaloonknot | K. Keenan | 2-3 | 50 | 85.6 |
| 12 | Make it Rainey on Dem hos | Tyler | 3-2 | 49 | 85.1 |
| 13 | Dantonio Banderas | Elliott | 2-3 | 42 | 81.0 |
| 14 | Picks? Nope: Chuck Testa | Yours Truly | 2-3 | 40 | 79.2 |
| 14 | Aww, Fuck It! | Christina | 3-2 | 40 | 79.2 |
| 14 | Dr. Bacon McBratwurst | Sean | 3-2 | 40 | 79.2 |
Friday, December 16, 2011
Bowl Team Fantasy Draft: The Results
As you can see in the previous post, we had our second annual fantasy draft of the bowl teams. We each drafted ten bowl teams, auction-style, with ten teams left over at the end. Ryan was the Big Winner last year, and the four teams that didn't get drafted last year (we drafted after three games had already been played, so there were fewer teams available) ended up going 2-2. So that shows you how much we know. (Hint: it's not a lot.)
Here are the results of this year's draft:
Obviously, Sean is really confident in the Big Tweleven, for some reason, and Todd decided to troll his own entry by picking several of the worst teams. Check back in and when the bowls are over we will let you know who won this stupid thing.
Here are the results of this year's draft:
| Entrant | Ryan | Todd | Sean | Jeff | Scott | Jack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Tulsa | Ohio State | Oklahoma | Florida | Arkansas | Oregon |
| Boise State | Utah State | Southern Miss | Western Micigan | Wisconsin | Louisville | |
| LSU | BYU | Houston | Florida Int'l | Georgia | Stanford | |
| South Carolina | Clemson | Illinois | Temple | Purdue | TCU | |
| Auburn | Baylor | Michigan State | Virginia | Ohio | Virginia Tech | |
| Texas | Arkansas State | Northern Illinois | Michigan | Penn State | Missouri | |
| Kansas State | Vanderbilt | Northwestern | Oklahoma State | Alabama | Texas A&M | |
| UCLA | Rutgers | Nebraska | San Diego State | Wyoming | Toledo | |
| Marshall | North Carolina | Iowa State | Mississippi State | Florida State | Cincinnati | |
| No-trah Dame | Pittsburgh | Air Force | N.C. State | Georgia Tech | SMU |
Obviously, Sean is really confident in the Big Tweleven, for some reason, and Todd decided to troll his own entry by picking several of the worst teams. Check back in and when the bowls are over we will let you know who won this stupid thing.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Yo, it's about that time
It's here again!
Go to: http://games.espn.go.com/college-bowl-mania/en/
Search for the group: NumBowlWang!
Type in the password: boban
Go to: http://games.espn.go.com/college-bowl-mania/en/
Search for the group: NumBowlWang!
Type in the password: boban
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