NCAA TOURNAMENT POOL

NCAA TOURNAMENT POOL STANDINGS

Round 2 Day 2 

With apologies to Billy Joel, Say goodbye to Hollywood; say goodbye to Krzyzewski!!!! Down goes Duke, and Kentucky, Oregon, and North Carolina narrowly avoided defeat as well.  No real buzzer beaters, and no real Cinderellas, but finally some exciting games to whet our thirst for quality basketball.  Updating our champions remaining, we have people that have chosen 10 different teams of the Sweet Sixteen, so lots more excitement to go.  Our champions: Arizona, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oregon, UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin.  This list will remain the same throughout all of the updates, but I will remove the “bold” from teams as they lose.  Joshua and Katie Zdrowak is the highest placing entry that lost Duke.

Our leader remains the same, as Adam Jorgensen 2 correctly selected 7 of yesterday's 8 games; including the bonus points for Michigan over Louisville.  Also selecting Michigan was Christian Searcy, who vaults into second place.  Jennifer Armstrong is a solid third.  regains the lead, helped along by picking the Wisconsin upset of Villanova.  Yesterday's leader, Jonathan Wasserman, falls to third.

Speaking of picking Michigan, they are now undefeated (6-0) since the team survived a plane crash!  YES YOU READ ME CORRECTLY - THEY SURVIVED A PLANE CRASH!!!  I guess there is nothing like a team-wide near death experience to have the team focus on just playing basketball and having fun. The fact that this selection kept Adam Jorgensen 2 in first, and helped Christian Searcy, you would think that would be enough to earn them the Pick of they Day; and you would be incorrect.  Twenty-Five participants selected Michigan over Louisville.  Only one person selected South Carolina over Duke; Phil Doherty 3, earning him the Pick of the Day and 5 bonus points.  Runner-up is Eric Sain, who selected Duke to win, but for his entire bracket, spelled the team name as "Dook".  (Sorry Ty Leatherman).

The South bracket is the toughest remaining, as all top 4 seeds advanced; whereas the wildest is the East bracket where the remaining seeds total 22.  Many entrants have zero points remaining to earn out of that bracket.  If you have teams alive, that is a bonus for  you.

The mean point total from yesterday was 10 (Kansas, Oregon, North Carolina, UCLA, Kentucky), so if you scored more than that, you advanced; likewise if you scored less than that you fell in the standings.

Let us also welcome to our long-time player Karen Katz into the pool.  Part of the reason for waiting until now to post the standings was to see if her entry was in the mail - and it was.  Welcome!!!

As always, please review the standings and double check my math, as I may have missed something, missed an upset, or just simply miscalculated.  I try to be accurate, but sometimes I do mess up.  I will listen and change things as necessary.  If you point out a potential mistake, I will not take offense, but I will go re-score your entire bracket to make sure everything is accurate.

I will post more updates during the week to include the final picks of our entrants so you can start to gauge where you stand among the players that have selected your champion.

Please remember to pay, if you have not.  Payment instructions are on the rule sheet, or you can make other arrangements with me as necessary.

Good luck to everyone, and happy game watching.  Now, on to the standings.

1.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 89

2.  Christian Searcy - 77

3. Jennifer Armstrong - 76

4.   Steven Usma 3 - 74

5.  Thomas Bean 1 - 71
     Carolyn Fowler - 71
     Joshua and Katie Zdrowak - 71

8.  Greg Kummerlen - 70
      David Peterson - 70

10.  Adam Jorgenson 1 - 69
      George Walks 5 - 69
       Jonathan Wasserman - 69

13.  Jim Coleman - 68
       Matt Nieman - 68

15.  Katie Kollmeyer - 67

16.  Silas Nichols - 66

      Pepe Sosa - 66

      Measha Williams 3 - 66

19.  Alex King - 65

       Mac Kroesen - 65
       Vic LaPira - 65
        Rich Samuels 1 - 65

        Rich Samuels 2 - 65

        Day Yi 1 - 65

25.  Debbie Searcy - 64

26.  Phil Doherty 2 - 63

       Colleen Hamilton - 63

       Eric Sain - 63

       Steven Usma 2 - 63

       Measha Williams 5 - 63

 31.  Jeff Plamondon - 62

         Measha Williams 2 - 62

33.  Eric Inge - 61

       Karen Katz - 61

       Anthony LaPira - 61

       Roxy Sheehan - 61
       Steven Usma 1 - 61

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 61

39.  Measha Williams 4 - 60

       Amy Zdrowak - 60

41.  Steffan Alexander - 61

       Dan Barsky - 61

43.  Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 59

       Emily Lawson 3 - 59

       Kyle Sheehan - 59

       Jason Spuhler - 59

       Hershey Zdrowak - 59

       Katie Zdrowak - 59

49.  Matt Hopps - 58

50.  Phil Doherty 4 - 57

       Samantha Sheehan - 57

52.  Kent Armstrong - 56

       Thomas Bean 2 - 56

       Jacey Fowler 1 - 56

       Eddy P - 56

       Kulwadee Yung - 56

       Joshua Zdrowak - 56

58.  Phil Doherty 1 - 55

       Koma Gandy Fischbein - 55

       Allison Parker - 55

       Hannah Sosa - 55

       George Walks 2 - 55

63.  Thomas Bean 3 - 54

64.  Chris Kroesen - 53

       Sasha Moon - 53

       A.J. Rippin - 53

       Day Yi 2 - 53

68.  Paul Cummings - 52

       Jane Reynolds - 52

       Cheryl Spuhler - 52

71.  Jessica Ervin-Hang - 51

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 51

       Martha Kroesen - 51
       Ty Leatherman 1 - 51

       Ty Leatherman 2 - 51

       Max Macon 1 - 51

       Jason Murray - 51

       Ashley Poer - 51

       Justin Yung - 51

80.  Phil Doherty 3 - 50

        Traci Sheehan - 50

        Jeremy Spuhler - 50

83.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 49

       Max Macon 2 - 49

       George Walks 1 - 49

       Wes Wiggins - 49

87.  Brian Badger Spatchek - 48

       Albert Harper III - 48
       Jessica Koch - 48

       Abigail Sosa - 48

91.  Thomas Bean 4 - 47

       Brent Bellinger - 47

       Emily Lawson 1 - 47
       Glen Merchant (with Mango and Duncan) - 47

       Measha Williams 1 - 47

96.  George Walks 4 - 46

97.  Jamie Foreman - 44
       Jacey Fowler II - 44

99.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 43

100.  Colleen Hamilton 2 - 30

101.  Barkley Sosa - 41

         John Wiederhold - 41

103.  Kingfish Parham - 40
         George Walks 3 - 40

105.  Keith Zdrowak - 39

106.  Luke LaPira - 38
         Colonel Kareem Montague - 38

108.  Emily Lawson 2 - 36

109.  Philip Kroesen - 34

NCAA Tournament Pool

NCAA TOURNAMENT POOL STANDINGS

Round 2 Day 1 

Down goes Frazier!!!  OK, maybe not Frazier, but the defending champions the Villanova Wildcats were outsted by the Wisconsin Badgers.  That means the pool lost another champion.  Not just Villanova went down, as the pool also lost champions Florida State and Notre Dame.  That leaves us with 10 remaining champions:  Arizona, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oregon, UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin.  This list will remain the same throughout all of the updates, but I will remove the “bold” from teams as they lose.

Rich Samuels #1 is the highest ranked entry that has lost its champion already.  He had Villanova.

We have a new leader, and it is a familiar name as Adam Jorgensen 2 regains the lead, helped along by picking the Wisconsin upset of Villanova.  Yesterday's leader, Jonathan Wasserman, falls to third.

Our Picks of the Day is shared by Jennifer Armstrong and Steven Usma 3, both of whom selected Wisconsin and Xavier, earning 5 bonus points for each game.  They were the only brackets to earn both bonuses.  For those of you that had Xavier, but had them defeating Florida Gulf Coast, congrats on your two points, but you do not get the five bonus points.Jennifer Armstrong soars to second place not only because of the two bonuses, but because she went 7-1 yesterday, missing only her upset selection of Middle Tennessee State over Butler.

A very interesting pick was made by Christian Searcy, who successfully selected Florida to defeat Virginia; his alma mater.

We had no unanimous selections yesterday, which means a couple of people each selected against Gonzaga and Arizona, mostly to their dismay.
.

Some exciting games today starting right now as Michigan plays Louisville.  Kentucky - Wichita State should be a barn burner as well.  Biggest potential shock to watch is Rhode Island - Oregon and USC - Baylor.

As always, please review the standings and double check my math, as I may have missed something, missed an upset, or just simply miscalculated.  I try to be accurate, but sometimes I do mess up.  I will listen and change things as necessary.  If you point out a potential mistake, I will not take offense, but I will go re-score your entire bracket to make sure everything is accurate.

Please remember to pay, if you have not.  Payment instructions are on the rule sheet, or you can make other arrangements with me as necessary.

Good luck to everyone, and happy game watching.  Now, on to the standings.

1.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 70

2. Jennifer Armstrong - 68

3.  Jonathan Wasserman - 61
     Joshua and Katie Zdrowak - 61

5.  Greg Kummerlen - 60
      David Peterson - 60
     Christian Searcy - 60

8.  Carolyn Fowler - 59

9.   Steven Usma 3 - 57

     George Walks 5 - 57

11.  Measha Williams 3 - 56

12.  Alex King - 55

       Katie Kollmeyer - 55

       Anthony LaPira - 55
       Rich Samuels 1 - 55
       Rich Samuels 2 - 55

17.  Jim Coleman - 53
      Colleen Hamilton - 53
       Mac Kroesen - 53
       Vic LaPira - 53
       Eric Sain - 53
       Measha Williams 5 - 53

23.  Thomas Bean 2 - 52
       Jeff Plamondon - 52

25.  Steffan Alexander - 51
       Matt Nieman - 51

27.  Adam Jorgenson 1 - 50
       Steven Usma 2 - 50
       Amy Zdrowak - 50

30.  Eric Inge - 49
      Kyle Sheehan - 49
      Pepe Sosa - 49

      Jason Spuhler - 49

      Steven Usma 1 - 49

      Biscuit Zdrowak - 49

      Katie Zdrowak - 49

37.  Phil Doherty 2 - 48

       Matt Hopps - 48

       Day Yi 1 - 48

40.  Dan Barsky - 47

       Phil Doherty 1 - 47

       Phil Doherty 4 - 47

       Silas Nichols - 47

       Debbie Searcy - 47

       Hershey Zdrowak - 47

46.  Kent Armstrong - 46

       Thomas Bean 2 - 46

48.  Eddy P - 45
       Allison Parker - 45
       George Walks 2 - 45

       Measha Williams 2 - 45

52.  Thomas Bean 3 - 44
       Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 44
       Jane Reynolds - 44
       Roxy Sheehan - 44
       Kulwadee Yung - 44

       Joshua Zdrowak - 44

58.  Koma Gandy Fischbein - 43

       Chris Kroesen - 43

       Martha Kroesen - 43

       Ashley Poer - 43

       A.J. Rippin - 43

       Hannah Sosa - 43

       Measha Williams 4 - 43

65.  Cheryl Spuhler - 42
      George Walks 4 - 42

67.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 41
       Arlene Amo Hopps - 41

       Ty Leatherman 1 - 41

       Sasha Moon - 41

       Day Yi 2 - 41

72.  Paul Cummings - 40

       Jessica Koch - 40

       Emily Lawson 3 - 40

       Samantha Sheehan - 40

       Abigail Sosa - 40

77.  Jessica Ervin-Hang - 39
       Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 39

       Ty Leatherman 2 - 39

       Max Macon 2 - 39
       Glen Merchant (with Mango and Duncan) - 39

       Jason Murray - 39

83.  Thomas Bean 4 - 37

       George Walks 1 - 37

       Wes Wiggins - 37

       Measha Williams 1 - 37

87.  Brian Badger Spatchek - 36

       Jamie Foreman - 36
       Jacey Fowler II - 36

       Max Macon 1 - 36

       Justin Young - 36

92.  Brent Bellinger - 35

       Emily Lawson 1 - 35

       Traci Sheehan - 35

       John Wiederhold - 35

96.  Jeremy Spuhler - 33

       Emily Lawson 2 - 33

98.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 31

        Albert Harper III - 31
        Barkley Sosa - 31
        Keith Zdrowak - 31

102.  Phil Doherty 3 - 30
        Colleen Hamilton 2 - 30
        Colonel Kareem Montague - 30
        Kingfish Parham - 30
        George Walks 3 - 30

107.  Philip Kroesen - 28

108.  Luke LaPira - 26

NCAA Tournament Pool Standings - Round 1

NCAA TOURNAMENT POOL STANDINGS

Round 1 

First off, my apologies for no post yesterday.  I did do the scores, but then St. Patrick's Day happened.  I hope that everyone understands.  This update is complete through all of  round 1.  

We have 109 official entries in the pool.  The standings only contain 108, as I entrant has sent her entry via mail and I have not yet received it.  So long as it is postmarked correctly, she will be included in the first update after I can score her bracket.

We had 6 unanimous picks in the first round, and all advanced:  Villanova, North Caronlina, Gonzaga, Arizona, Kentucky and Duke.  That is right, that means Kansas was not a unanimous selection.  Samantha Sheehan selected UC Davis.  (To be fair, so did her mother, Traci Sheehan.)  We will give her a little credit for being risky, as she is only 15 months old.  This was an especially  gusty pick as only one 16 seed has ever defeated a 1 seed in NCAA Tournament History.  Who knows which team pulled of that feat?

We have fourteen different champions selected, and 13 survived the first round.  The unlucky selectors - Steven Usma 2 and Jessica Koch - of the University of Miami must be hating this tournament, but made the same mistake we all make every year, underestimating Michigan State and Coach Tom Izzo.  The champions from our group (remaining teams in bold:  Arizona, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oregon, UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin.  This list will remain the same throughout all of the updates, but I will remove the “bold” from teams as they lose.

I looked through last year's first round commentary, and interestingly enough nobody picked Middle Tennessee State to defeat Michigan State last year, but lots of entrants had them to defeat Minnesota this year.  Even though MTSU was a 12 seed, they were actually the betting favorite being favored by 2 in Vegas.  MTSU was one of four teams that earned bonus points for upsets in the first round, two each day:  Middle Tennessee State, Xavier, USC and Rhode Island.  Two entrants had all four upsets selected correctly, including Adam Jorgensen 2, who scored the maximum of 31 points on Thursday.  His Friday was good, but not enough to keep him in the lead as Jonathan Wasserman followed up a solid day Thursday (25 points) with 30 on Friday.  (Interestingly enough, Adam and Jonathan play on the same softball team.) [Ed. Note - Their team is not that good.] Given his perfect Thursday, Adam wins the "Picks of the Day(s)" Award.

I was all set to chastise Alex King for selecting Rhode Island, since I know he only picked them because his son attends the school, but enough of the entrants selected Rhode Island for this not to have been a fluke, so he gets a pass this time.

Other than Miami, the other worst loss was for Glen Merchant, as he had Vermont going to the FInal Four.He was close as  Vermont did in fact end up in the Final Sixty-Four.  

Some interesting games today, as Villanova-Wisconsin (which is on currently) involves two potential champions.  Middle Tennessee State seeks to make the Sweet Sixteen against Butler and Northwestern, in its first ever NCAA Tournament, looks to win its second round game to advance.  

As always, please review the standings and double check my math, as I may have missed something, missed an upset, or just simply miscalculated.  I try to be accurate, but sometimes I do mess up.  I will listen and change things as necessary.  If you point out a potential mistake, I will not take offense, but I will go re-score your entire bracket to make sure everything is accurate.

Please remember to pay, if you have not.  Payment instructions are on the rule sheet, or you can make other arrangements with me as necessary.

Good luck to everyone, and happy game watching.  Now, on to the standings.

1.  Jonathan Wasserman - 55

2.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 53

3.  Greg Kummerlen - 48

4.  Jim Coleman - 47
     Carolyn Fowler - 47
     Colleen Hamilton - 47
     Alex King - 47
     Vic LaPira - 47
     Eric Sain - 47
     Christian Searcy - 47
     Measha Williams 5 - 47

12.  Measha Williams 3 - 46

13.  Katie Kollmeyer - 45
       David Peterson - 45

15.  Jennifer Armstrong - 44
       Jeff Plamondon - 44

17.  Silas Nichols - 43

18.  Thomas Bean 2 - 42
       George Walks 5 - 42
       Amy Zdrowak - 42
       Joshua and Katie Zdrowak - 42

22.  Steffan Alexander - 41
       Phil Doherty 1 - 41
       Matt Nieman - 41
      Kyle Sheehan - 41
      Pepe Sosa - 41
      Jason Spuhler - 41
      Katie Zdrowak - 41

29.  Phil Doherty - 40
      Adam Jorgenson 1 - 40
      Anthony LaPira - 40
      Rich Samuels 1 - 40
      Rich Samuels 2 - 40
      Steven Usma 2 - 40

35.  Dan Barsky - 39
       Allison Parker - 39
       Ashley Poer - 39
       Debbie Searcy - 39
       George Walks 2 - 39
      Hershey Zdrowak - 39

41.  Eric Inge - 38
       Day Yi 1 - 38

43.  Koma Gandy Fischbein - 37
      Steven Usma 1 - 37
      Measha Williams 2 - 37
      Measha Williams 4 - 37

47.  Kent Armstrong - 36
       Matt Hopps - 36
       Mac Kroesen - 36
      George Walks 4 - 36
       Kulwadee Yung - 36
      Joshua Zdrowak - 36

53.  Ty Leatherman 1 - 35

54.  Thomas Bean 2 - 34
       Thomas Bean 3 - 34
       Phil Doherty 4 - 34
       Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 34
       Jessica Koch - 34
       Eddy P - 34
       Jane Reynolds - 34
       Keith Zdrowak - 34

62.  Martha Kroesen - 33
       Ty Leatherman 2 - 33
       Max Macon - 33
      Sasha Moon - 33
      Roxy Sheehan - 33
      Steven Usma 3 - 33
      Day Yi 2 - 33

69.  Abigail Sosa - 32
       Cheryl Spuhler - 32

71.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 31
        Jacey Fowler 1 - 31
       Arlene Amo Hopps - 31
       Jason Murray - 31

75.  Paul Cummings - 30
        Jamie Foreman - 30
       Jacey Fowler II - 30
       Justin Young - 30

79.  Thomas Bean 4 - 29
       Jessica Ervin-Hang - 29
      Glen Merchant (with Mango and Duncan) - 29
      George Walks 1 - 29
       Wes Wiggins - 29

84.  A.J. Rippin - 28
       Hannah Sosa - 28

86.  Brent Bellinger - 27
       Emily Lawson 3 - 27
       Samantha Sheehan - 27
       Measha Williams 1 - 27

90.  Brian Badger Spatchek - 26
       Chris Kroesen - 26
       Emily Lawson 2 - 26
       Max Macon 1 - 26
       Traci Sheehan - 26

95.  Emily Lawson 1 - 25
       John Wiederhold - 25

97.  Phil Doherty 3 - 24
       Colleen Hamilton 2 - 24
       Kingfish Parham - 24

100.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 23
         Albert Harper III - 23
         Barkley Sosa - 23
         Keith Zdrowak - 23

104.  Luke LaPira - 22
         Colonel Kareem Montague - 22
         George Walks 3 - 22

107.  Jeremy Spuhler - 21

108.  Philip Kroesen - 20

Sosa Final Four Brackets

Just for the record, the Sosa Household's brackets.

Super Bowl Roundtable and Picks of the Week

Since only one game remains - THE SUPER BOWL - I have combined the roundtable discussion with my picks column.  At the roundtable today is Sinickal, Hopps and myself.  We have invited Audio, Geo and Tony to join us to add a bit to the content.

Pepster:  Let's start off with the simplest question, who wins the Super Bowl?

Hopps:  Patriots.

Audio:  Patriots.

Geo:  Man do I hate the Patriots.

Sinickal:  I am rooting for Atlanta.

Pepster:  I have the Falcons.

Pepster:  What do you predict will happen Tony?

Tony:  A stomach ache from eating too fast!  Oh, and the Falcons because I hate New England.

Pepster:  So that leaves the total picks as 4 Falcons and 2 Patriots.  I will start by saying that the Patriots have the NFL leading scoring defense, but are 12th in passing yards.  Atlanta is the first ranked offense in terms of points, third in passing, fifth in rushing and 2nd in total yards.  New England does have the third ranked defense in total points scored, fourth in total yards.

Sinickal:  F'in nerd.

Pepster:  Haven't we established that, multiple times.

Sinickal:  So.

Pepster:  I am going with Atlanta because New England's defensive statistics are a bit overrated in that they did not play a top 10 offense all year.

Hopps:  Brady.

Sinickal:  Yes, the Patriots have Brady.

Geo:  Man, do I hate the Patriots.

Sinickal:  But the Falcons have Julio Jones.  That dude is ALWAYS open.

Audio:  If that happens today, it will only be in the first half.  If Atlanta's passing attack is successful, by halftime Donald Trump will likely deport JULIO Jones AND MOHAMMAD Sanu.

Hopps/Sinickal/Pepster:  *Spit takes*

All:  We will definitely be using that sometime during the game today.

Pepster:  But seriously ...

Hopps:  Bill.

Pepster:  Incredibly succinct Hopps, Brady and Bill.

Hopps:  Yep.

Geo:  Man, I hate the Patriots.

So basically, it is like this ...

Audio:  And, no matter which team wins, Kevin Durant will sign with them this summer.

All:  *Spit takes*

Pepster:  Definitely thank you for joining us today Audio.

Now, on to my picks ...

So last week was successful.  Four wins and two losses, the only losses being the point spread.  Neither underdog covered, but I did have both overs and the money line winners.  Not many picks this week, so I am adding one prop bet.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  a reminder.  Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will "pretend" that I bet $100 on each game.  No big bet for $250 this week, because I will also be making bets on the money line and the over/under. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig to make the math that much simpler, except on the money line bet.

Atlanta Falcons +3 v. New England Patriots
Atlanta was quietly the best team in the NFC this year (yes, better than Dallas), and a large part of it has to do with a vastly improved defense.  Atlanta can get to the quarterback without having to blitz, and they can line up Vic Beasley, Jr. anywhere on the line of scrimmage.  Each of New England's Super Bowl's have been really close.  Atlanta keeps this one close as well.

Atlanta Falcons +130 v. New England Patriot (Bet $100 to win $130)
Yes, Atlanta wins.  Malcolm Butler will have to face a lot better receivers than Seattle brought two years ago.  Plus, a chance to make up a bit more money by picking the underdog.

Atlanta Falcons v. New England Patriots (57 1/2) OVER
The first and fourth highest scoring teams in the league.  Is it so unbelievable to think that each will score 30?  I think not.

Luke Bryan's National Anthem (2:15) UNDER
Lady Gaga went over 2:22 last year, but only because she intentionally held the last note, took a breath, and then extended "brave" again.  (Interestingly enough, because of the extended notes, some Vegas books paid the over, while others paid the under).  Idina Menzel hit the over by 3 seconds two years ago.  Luke Bryan is a country singer.  He will not hit the over.

Last Week's Record:  4-2
Year-to-Date Record:  152-131-5
Playoff Record:  20-10
Big Bet Year-to-Date:  6-11
Last Week's Winnings (Losses):  $180
Playoff Winnings: (Losses): $10555
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date:  ($465)

Picks of the Week

PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS!!!

What a week last week.  11-1, and the 1 is only because Houston scored a couple of touchdowns to hit the over.  I will take a lot of weeks like that one.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  a reminder.  Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will "pretend" that I bet $100 on each game.  No big bet for $250 this week, because I will also be making bets on the money line and the over/under. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig to make the math that much simpler, except on the money line bet.

No roundtable discussion this week, but Hopps has some interesting perspectives on today's games.

"The winners will be the Steelers and the Falcons.  Well, ... and really, really rich old white guys."

And, since Donald Trump is a supporter of the Patriots owner, coach and quarterback, and since Donald Trump has now succeeded Barack Obama as President of the United States the following quip is now actually true, "Orange IS the new black".

Onto the picks ...

Green Bay Packers +6 at Atlanta Falcons
Obviously Atlanta's defense is markedly better than last year, but do you really think that they are going to be able to shut down Aaron Rodgers to the point where they win by more than a touchdown.  I think this is going to be a close, high scoring game.  Green Bay has won 8 in a row, and Atlanta has won 5 in a row, so both teams come into this game clicking.  Should be a great game for viewers, especially those that like lots of passing.

Atlanta Falcons -215 v. Green Bay Packers (Bet $215 to win $100)
Green Bay has won 8 in a row, but what are the chances they win 9?  Atlanta has quietly been the best team in the NFC all season, despite the hype given to Dallas because of the Cowboys' record.  They can pass, they can run, and they can rush the passer.  I look for them to make the Super Bowl, and leave Eugene Robinson at home.

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (60) OVER
Who doesn't think this could end 41-37, or 37-31?  If both teams hit their averages in points scores, this over wins.  Plus, both quarterbacks throw for 300+ yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers +6 at New England Patriots
This game should also be close, as Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown should all have big games.  Brady and Blount are no slouches themselves, and may even win this game, but I don't think they will cover.  Pittsburgh's defense is 12th in total yards, and 10th in points, which should keep them close.

New England Patriots -240 v. Pittsburgh Steelers (Bet $240 to win $100)
As close as Pittsburgh should keep this game, Tom Brady still finds a way to pull this one out.  The Patriots under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are 9-2 against Pittsburgh, and they should continue that today.

Pittsburgh Steelers at at New England Patriots (49 1/2) OVER
Roethlisberger and Brady both throw for over 300 yards and have multiple touchdown passes each..

Last Week's Record:  11-1
Year-to-Date Record:  148-129-5
Playoff Record:  16-8
Big Bet Year-to-Date:  6-11
Last Week's Winnings (Losses):  $1095
Playoff Winnings: (Losses): $875
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date:  ($685)

Picks of the Week

PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS, PLAYOFFS!!!

Just under .500 last week, but I knew that was going to happen.  I took the Dolphins because of the money line even though I new the Steelers were going to win.  The money line bet was just too tempting.  I don't think I completely mis-read Seattle as they did not look that great, but Detroit was just worse.  Anyway, 5-7 should be easy to bounce back from.

My long time readers know how this works, but for everybody else,  a reminder.  Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will "pretend" that I bet $100 on each game.  No big bet for $250 this week, because I will also be making bets on the money line and the over/under. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig to make the math that much simpler, except on the money line bet.

Atlanta Falcons -5 1/2 v. Seattle Seahawks
Here I go gain, underestimating the Seahawks, but we have a basis for this.  Earlier in the season, Seattle beat Atlanta by 2 at home coming off a bye in a week in which Atlanta had to travel to Denver and Seattle back-to-back.  And Seattle had Earl Thomas then.  Ryan still threw for 335 yards and 3 touchdowns.  This week, Atlanta has the bye and is at home.  I'll take Atlanta to win by 10.

Atlanta Falcons -240 v. Seattle Seahawks (Bet $240 to win $100)
If I think that Atlanta is going to win by 10, I better take the money line, and -240 is not that outrageous of a risk.  Atlanta has a defense this year - or at least a pass rush.  They should advance to the NFC Championship Game.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (52 1/2) OVER
Super enticing number to go either way, but earlier this year the teams scored exactly 50.  Earl Thomas' loss means more points for Atlanta, so I'll take the over.

New England Patriots -15 1/2 v. Houston Texans
New England won earlier this year 27-0 without Tom Brady.  Of the 5 largest postseason spreads, the favorite covered in 4 of them, with the exception being Super Bowl III.

New England Patriots -1400 v. Houston Texans (Bet $1400 to win $100)
A ridiculous money line, which is at -2000 at the Wynn, but the Texans are not a real playoff team.  Even a +1000 for Houston is not enough to get me to pick them.

Houston Texans at New England Patriots (44 1/2) UNDER
I am not sure that Houston will score more than 7 in this game.

Green Bay Packers +4 1/2 at Dallas Cowboys
Green Bay has won 6 in a row since week 11 loss to the Washington Racists, and no quarterback is playing as well as Aaron Rodgers.  Even if the Cowboys win, it will be close.  I'll take the points.

Green Bay Packers +200 at Dallas Cowboys (Bet $100 to win $200)
Dallas's rookies are still rookies, and Aaron Rodgers is not.  The Packers actually have a semblance of a running game to at least pretend they are balanced, and Davante Adams has been one of the best receivers all year.  I will take the Packers to win this outright.

Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys (51 1/2) OVER
31-27 gets me to this over, and I think that could happen very easily.

Pittsburgh Steelers + 1 1/2 at Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City has had a nice season, bolstered by Denver's Super Bowl hangover and a Derek Carr injury, though.  Do we really trust the Chiefs in a big spot?

Pittsburgh Steelers +105 at Kansas Cit (Bet $100 to win $105)
A really, really close game.  In fact at a couple of casinos the money line is minus for both teams.  If I am taking Pittsburgh getting only 1 1/2, I think they will win outright.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs (45) UNDER
Lots of ball possession offense and the scoring drives will be long (unless Tyreek Hill breaks a return).  That means few points.  I'll take the under.


Last Week's Record:  5-7
Year-to-Date Record:  137-128-5
Playoff Record:  5-7
Big Bet Year-to-Date:  6-11
Last Week's Winnings (Losses):  ($220)
Playoff Winnings: (Losses): ($220)
Winnings (Losses) Year-to-Date:  ($1,780)