Standings etc., 1/10

Only hours away from the national title game, the standings look like this:



Here's how it will play out in either scenario.

If Auburn wins:

1. Brendan Mooney - 523
2. Greg Blanco - 447
3. Dan Ryan - 443
4. Andy Watson - 420
5. Dave Bragg - 419

If Oregon wins:

1. Brendan Mooney - 497
2. Dan Ryan - 431
3. Greg Blanco - 422
4. Eric Thomason - 418
5. Dave Bragg - 414

I would finish 6th in that last scenario, which is highly annoying to me. But the real tragic hero of this is Keith Farrow, who is currently fifth but can't finish in the money unless the game is permanently canceled or ends in a tie. Dan Ryan, interestingly, is put in the position of rooting against his national championship pick. If Auburn wins, as he guessed, he moves from 2nd to 3rd by virtue of Greg Blanco's higher priority on Auburn, and loses out on $75. Dave Bragg will finish 5th either way, taking home $25, which means only 4th place is up for grabs. Eric Thomason and Andy Watson will be dueling for $50 tonight.

As I mentioned before, the Mooneys have won family time, and Dan has joined his brother on a victory lap. It was truly a Mooney pool this year. If Oregon wins tonight, though, the fabulous Ryan/Ryder team can vault ahead of Steve and Dan Ryan for second place. I think that would make the people happy. Final standings will be updated tomorrow.

The Old School has thrashed the new school.

Tom Cowell and Spike Friedman's enduring battle of the ages culminates tonight. If Oregon wins, Spike takes the crown and gets revenge for last year's harsh lesson. If Auburn wins, Tom strikes a second blow for the elderly.

Hollyyy COW, take a look at the Eric(k)s vs. Toms vs. Females standings:

Toms: 1027
Eric(k)s: 1015
Females: 853

And this is even crazier: if Auburn wins, the Eric(k)s and Toms will finish in a dead tie at 1062. If Oregon wins, the Toms take it. Ties are extremely rare in this kind of pool, and ties with teams of three are almost impossible, odds-wise. CRAZY.

Dave Ryder, again, is the Dirty Vegas champ over Shouting Siblings (dead last) and Helter Skelter (4th to last).

The best record in the pool STILL belongs to Dan Ryan at 24-10. He has clinched the title of best wins and losses picker, because the two people at 23-11, Brendan Mooney and Andy Watson, also have Auburn tonight. Well done, Dan.

The Schneid Award for the worst record goes to Robin Cohen! At 13-21, she's clinched the title. Dan Mooney is at 14-20, but again, both players have Auburn tonight, so this one is over. Congrats, Robin.

In the battle of this year versus last year, it's pretty clear that this year will trump its predecessor.

Last year: 543-513, 51.4% picking success, 54% point conversion rate.
This year: 809-652, 55.4% picking succes, 58.8% point conversion rate.

Final update tomorrow or later tonight!