...when you've got The Second Annual Graziano Brothers College Bowl Game Point Spread Bonanza? (A gloriously complex pool in which contestants pick all 34 college bowl games against the spread and can earn bonus points for practically anything.)

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Who Can Still Win This Pool

Yohan has the lead and could have clinched the pool title with an Alabama cover last night. But Utah's stunning upset leaves it a four-man race between Yohan, Steve, Ed and -- on the very fringes -- Jon.

Today's bowl game (unless it's a push) will eliminate one person from contention as follows:

-If Connecticut covers the 4-point spread, JON cannot win the pool (and ED's chances are greatly reduced, as you can see below).

-If Buffalo covers, STEVE cannot win the pool.

But so you four know for whom to root, here are the combos I ran last night, followed by the name of the person who wins if those combos come in. I ran 16 different combos. Yohan won five of them, Steve won five, Ed won five and Jon won one.

(DISCLAIMER: If one of these games is a push, I have NO IDEA what happens.)

If UConn, Texas, Ball State and Florida all cover: STEVE
If UConn, Texas, Ball State and Oklahoma all cover: YOHAN
If UConn, Texas, Tulsa and Florida all cover: STEVE
If UConn, Texas, Tulsa and Oklahoma all cover: STEVE
If UConn, Ohio State, Ball State and Florida all cover: STEVE
If UConn, Ohio State, Ball State and Oklahoma all cover: YOHAN
If UConn, Ohio State, Tulsa and Florida all cover: STEVE
If UConn, Ohio State, Tulsa and Oklahoma all cover: ED
If Buffalo, Texas, Ball State and Florida all cover: YOHAN
If Buffalo, Texas, Ball State and Oklahoma all cover: ED
If Buffalo, Texas, Tulsa and Florida all cover: YOHAN
If Buffalo, Texas, Tulsa and Oklahoma all cover: ED
If Buffalo, Ohio State, Ball State and Florida all cover: YOHAN
If Buffalo, Ohio State, Ball State and Oklahoma all cover: ED
If Buffalo, Ohio State, Tulsa and Florida all cover: JON
If Buffalo, Ohio State, Tulsa and Oklahoma all cover: ED

So there you have it. I'll update this again later, after the results of today's game.

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Scoring Rules

BASIC SCORING RULES

-Games held between Dec. 20 and Dec. 21: 1 point each (5 bowls)

-Games held between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28: 2 points each (7 bowls)

-Games held between Dec. 29 and Dec. 30: 3 points each (5 bowls)

-Games held on Dec. 31: 4 points each (5 bowls)

-Games held between Jan. 1 and Jan. 2: 5 points each (8 bowls)

-Game held on Jan. 3: 2 points (1 bowl)

-Game held on Jan. 5: 5 points (1 bowl)

-Game held on Jan. 6: 2 points (1 bowl)

-Game held on Jan. 8: 7 points (1 bowl)


LOCKS AND SUPER LOCKS

Each player shall designate one of his 34 picks as a “Lock” and another as a “Super Lock.” Should a player correctly pick either or both of those games, against the point spread, he would be awarded bonus points as follows:

-“Lock” game: 5 bonus points

-“Super Lock” game: 10 bonus points

These bonuses pertain no matter how many points you receive for the game under the basic scoring rules. For example, if your “Lock” game is the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl, a 1-point game, and you pick it correctly, you will receive 6 points – 1 under the basic scoring rules and an additional 5 because you designated it as your “Lock.” If your “Lock” game is the FedEx Orange Bowl, a 5-point game, and you pick it correctly, you will receive 10 points – 5 under the basic scoring rules and an addition 5 because you designated it as your “Lock.”


ADDITIONAL BONUS POINTS

In addition to the basic scoring rules and the Lock/Super Lock points, a player may earn bonus points for picking many different combinations of games. These combo bonuses, which range from three points to twelve points depending on the number of games included in the combo, are detailed under the BONUSES tab above.