Standings, Features 12/30

Oh, the horror! I've fallen from 1st to 12th place, and my long-overdue correction came with a disastrous 0-3 Wednesday. Greg Blanco is now our leader with 196 points and a 10-4 record. How quickly things change in this volatile Bowl Season Pool. How quickly hearts are broken.

Feature time.

Assessing the top 15

This is where I use my limited knowledge of statistics and probability to assign a "health rating" to the top 15 players in an attempt to assess their chances of winning the ultimate prize. The main thought behind this is that potential points are good, while actual points are better.

1. Greg Blanco - High points, average PPR (369). Health rating: 7/10
2. Mike Curry - High points, poor PPR (339). Health rating: 4/10
3. Phil Kairalla - High points, poor PPR (354). Health rating: 5/10
4. Alan Shaw - High points, high PPR (394). Health rating: 8/10 CURRENT FAVORITE!
5. Dan Ryan - High points, high PPR (392). Health rating: 8/10
6. Dave Bragg - High points, average PPR (373). Health rating: 6.5/10
7. Richard Sarver - High points, above average PPR (380). Health rating: 7/10.
8. Erik Grell - Above average points, poor PPR (333). Health rating: 3/10
9. Dylan Hulser - Above average points, above average PPR. Health rating: 5.5/10
10. Brendan Mooney - Above average points, high PPR (397). Health rating: 7/10.
11. Kyle Seymour - Above average points, above average PPR (388). Health rating: 6.5/10
12. Shane Ryan - Above average points, extremely high PPR (441). Health rating: 7/10.
13. Patricia Curry - Above average points, awful PPR (313). Health rating: 3/10.
14. Andy Watson - Good points, very high PPR (425). Health rating: 6.5/10.
15. Will Byrum - Good points, above average PPR (386). Health rating: 5/10.

Sleepers: Sean Marshall (23rd), Eric Thomason (29th), Erik Kallevig (34th), Tom Cowell (37th).


The Cream of the Crop

Richard Sarver went 1-2 yesterday, but it was enough to earn him the top spot in the record category. He's now alone at 11-3, a true guru of college football. But 7 others are breathing down his neck at 10-4...


The Schneid Watch

It's thinned out a bit today. 5-9 is the low mark, and it's shared by Emily Radford and Brian Leitten. Well done!


The Day's Biggest Winner

This has to be Andy Watson, who went 3-0 and gained 55 points. With 425 PPR still in the bag, he vaulted up to 14th place.


The Day's Biggest Loser

I didn't actually lose very many points since my priority numbers were all low, but I didn't see anyone else go 0-3 or drop 12 places, so I'll take this one for myself.


Old School v. New School

The New School keeps rolling in 2010. But we'll see who's laughing come January.

Old School Average: 138.4
New School Average: 150.9


Helter Skelter vs. Dirty Vegas vs. Shouting Siblings

This is the one where we use three contestants to determine whether it's better to make your picks using a coin and a hat, picking by the spread, or relying on random outbursts from teenagers.

In terms of lost points, Helter Skelter probably fared the worst yesterday, dropping a combined 63 on Baylor and Arizona. The random picks giveth, and they taketh away. She's at 7-7, a true coin flipper, while Dave Ryder is at the same mark but with less points. Shouting siblings, meanwhile, continue to tank.

Helter Skelter: 166
Dirty Vegas: 151
Shouting Siblings: 104


Young vs. Old

This is Spike Friedman vs. Tom Cowell, who represent youth and age in the Bowl Pool.

Cowell is one the rise, living the high life in 37th place with 120 points and a lot of PPR, while Spike is in dead last without much hope of making any noise. Age before beauty indeed.


Eric(k)s vs. Toms vs. Females

Eric(k)s: 423
Toms: 392
Females: 344

The Eric(k)s just keep on rolling, and at least two of them are rolling in PPR. The Toms still have a fighting shot at this one, but the females are in rough shape.


Family Time

Mike Curry's big day keeps them at the top, though the Kairallas are on the prowl and the crazy Ryans have jumped all the way up to third.

Curry (Mike & Patricia, husband/wife): 357
Kairalla (John & Phil, father/son): 340
Ryan (Dan & Steve, brothers): 319
Shane Ryan/Ryder (uncle/nephew): 318
Zehringer/Sarver (father/son-in-law): 312
Mooney (Brendan & Dan, brothers): 294
McLaughlin/Moore (cousins): 279
Cowell/Fisch (father/son-in-law): 272
Cacchione (Fred & Tom, father/son): 226

After today we'll be over halfway through the games. Update later tonight or tomorrow!