All Hail the 24-25 Champion

 Matthew Baker Strikes Back!

After losing the first two, Matt goes on an incredible 18-7 run to win the Bowl Pool. This included a nine game win streak in the middle of the action. Great job, Matt. (He also won his NFL Fantasy Football league by the way.) The plaque will need to be returned from California so it can reside for a year in Austin, Texas. See you all next year!

Close Results

 Matthew and Monique have clearly outclassed the field as they both added another win last night with Ole Miss routing Duke in the Gator Bowl. However, just looking at the results this year it is amazing how things could have been different. First. Pitt v. Toledo went six overtimes. Six! If that games goes the other way, Monique loses one, but Matt gains one.

Kansas State beats Rutgers by 3 in the Rate Bowl. Ana, Time and Alex pull big wins as the only three to pick Rutgers if that goes the other way.

Arkansas State beats Bowling Green by a touchdown. Big win for Matt. A big loss if it had gone the other way. Most of us had Bowling Green, including Monique.

Navy's upset of Oklahoma was huge. A 95 yard TD run sparks the midshipmen who seal the deal by stopping OU on a 2-point conversion on the last play of the game. Huge win for Monique as most of her challengers had OU, including Matt.

Texas A&M blows a 17 point lead in the 4th quarter to choke away the Las Vegas Bowl to the USC Trojans. Huge win for Matt as Monique had the Aggies.

Nebraska holds off a furious rally by Boston College by running out the last 4:16 of the game clock to win by five. Both Matt and Monique picked the Cornhuskers while many in the field had the Eagles.

Iowa State, in a wild one, scores a TD with 56 seconds left to beat Miami by one point. Huge win for Matt and a loss for Monique.

East Carolina breaks off an 86 yard run with a minute left in the game to come back and beat North Carolina State by five. Alex and Moriah were the only two to pick the Pirates.

Missouri scores the last 10 points of the game to come back and beat Iowa. Monique picks up a key win to keep within striking distance of Matt who had picked Iowa.

Michigan upsets Alabama by 6 points. Monique picks up a crucial victory against Matt and most of the field.

Washington fails on a 2-point attempt to win the game against Louisville. Both Matt and Monique suffer losses but Kirsten, Will, Alex, and Margaret picked up wins.

In a wild game that featured the coaches almost getting into a fight, Illinois beats South Carolina by 4 points. Matt and Monique both pick the Illini.

That's a LOT of tight games folks. And we didn't even get to pick the Texas v. Arizona State game yesterday which was a double overtime thriller. It's why we love college bowl season. I hope we never lose it (by the way, a ton of the proponents of the playoff are now singing a different tune as all four teams with byes in the first round - meaning they were conference champions - got beat over the last three days, hah!, told you so!).

Two Person Race

 This contest is coming down to two members of the family, both recent past winners: Monique and Matthew. Their battle renders today's Gator Bowl meaningless. Duke plays Ole Miss. Ole Miss is a whopping 17.5 point favorite. They have an experienced quarterback and a solid defense. Duke lost their starting QB and backup QB to the transfer portal among others. So, Coach Manny Diaz will have to start a third stringer and this may be a problem for the Blue Devils.

The Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina (will Monique attend?) will decide this contest. This bowl features the winning head coach getting doused with mayonaise at the end of the game. Also, the commentators, rather than call the game, spend their time tasting different foods covered in mayonaise. Don't watch on an empty stomach. Monique has the ACC's Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 6-6 going into the game and are seeking to have a second winning season in a row. They have lost a lot of players to the dreaded transfer portal though. They feature a strong running game and a stout defense. Matthew has picked the Big 10's Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers are 7-5. Coach P.J. Fleck has a 5-0 record in bowl games. He has lost very few to the transfer portal and has a high scoring defense - yes, defense. Minnesota is a 9.5 favorite to win. Good luck to both Monique and Matthew.

Note: I could not figure out a way to incorporate the 12 team playoff other than the first round games for our pool. I would have to go to a points based system or do something with collecting your picks after the pool has started or allow hypothetical picks. I decided to see how it played out this year and then reconsider next year. If you have a thought, let me know. I think we still had a great contest with the remaining bowls. I think the system will change soon anyway. You will probably see a 16 team playoff soon given that it looks like every team with a bye - Georgia is yet to play - this year so far lost in the second round. I'll let you know who won the pool after the Mayo bowl.