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.
No comments:
Post a Comment