Rachel Dulitz takes Bowl Pick ’em lead in wild Pizza Bowl finish

Two nights after leapfrogging the competition in a “Jewish Christmas miracle” when Tulsa beat Hawaii in Honolulu, Rachel Dulitz took sole possession of the LRT Bowl Pick ’em Contest lead when Florida International beat Toledo in dramatic fashion Sunday in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.

Dulitz was one of just 8 contestants (out of 39) who predicted that FIU would win the Detroit-based game. She has a 6-2 prediction record and 8 points out of a possible 10, good enough for first place.

Casey Zak (“DARMOKANDJALAD”) and Randy Styles (“WOLFMANBC“), also 6-2, are tied for second place with 7 points. Andrew Hunter (“MUROYALS“) also has 7 points, but is in fourth place because of the number-of-wins tiebreaker; he has a 5-3 record, versus the 6-2 record held by Zak and Styles. (Most bowl games to date have been worth 1 point, but two of them have been worth 2 points. Later bowls will generally be worth more points. Complete rules here, including tiebreakers.)

For the same reason, Dulitz technically was not tied for the lead from Christmas Eve through tonight, as I erroneously stated Friday night. She and Hunter had the same number of points as the leader, Styles, but were technically tied for second place because of the tiebreaker, which I failed to take account of, but the official standings do consider.

In any event, Duiltz has the lead now, and can’t lose it until Tuesday at the earliest. She picked Air Force in tomorrow’s Independence Bowl, but will remain in first place even if Georgia Tech wins. On Tuesday, however, she’ll need N.C. State to beat West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl in order to remain atop the leaderboard.

Dulitz, watching and tweeting the Pizza Bowl from blizzard-hit New York City (with thundersnow outside), was on an emotional roller-coaster — along with anyone else invested in the game’s outcome — in the final minutes, as Toledo, down 7, converted a 4th-and-inches to keep its last drive alive, then scored a touchdown a few plays later, decided to go for 2, made it, ran Florida International’s final drive to 4th-and-17, then allowed a hook-and-lateral that appeared to go about 16 1/2 yards, but was generously spotted just beyond the first-down marker, a spot which survived a tense video review that allowed the game to continue. A few plays and a Les Miles-esque near-meltdown in clock management later, FIU lined up for a game-winning 34-yard field goal… and the kicker, apparently without visions of Kyle Brotzman dancing in his head, nailed it.

“#RachelDulitz #ItsANervousWreck,” Dulitz tweeted at one point. Then later: “Rachel has been in #MyocardialInfarction mode for the last 20 minutes!!” Finally, when it was over, she was able to celebrate: “#FIU wins its first bowl game and Rachel takes her first lead in her first bowl pick ’em! Thank you #Tulsa and #FIU.”

Complete standings visible to contestants here (along with everyone’s picks); visible to everyone here.