Rachel Dulitz yesterday maintained the lead she’s held since Sunday in the 6th annual Living Room Times Bowl Pick ’em Contest, but her 4-bowl winning streak ended and her 2-point lead shrank when Iowa stunned Missouri. Now, several different scenarios — including my not-quite-3-year-old daughter, “Loyette,” taking a share of the lead — are possible today, with three bowl games on the schedule.
The Military Bowl, underway now, will have a limited impact, as everyone near the top of the leaderboard picked Maryland. The later bowls are another story.
If Baylor and Arizona win the Texas Bowl (1 point) and Alamo Bowl (2 points), respectively, Loyette and RPM002 (Ryan) will finish the night tied for the lead. I would be tied for third with Becky and Rachel Dulitz, all five of us with the same number of points (but Becky, Rachel and I losing out on a tiebreaker).
If Illinois and Arizona win, Dulitz will remain on top, but Loyette will be tied for second place, 2 points back, with Ryan and WOLFMANBC (Randy Styles). Becky and I would be tied for fifth in that scenario, with the same number of points as Loyette and the others in second place, but again, a spot lower than them because of a tiebreaker.
If Baylor and Oklahoma State win, Ryan will take the lead, with Dulitz second, Casey Zak third, and MUROYALS (Andrew Hunter) fourth — all within one point (plus tiebreakers) of one another.
If Illinois and Oklahoma State win, Dulitz will lead by 2 points, followed by a tie between Styles and Ryan.
Right now, it’s Dulitz in first place with 10 points, Ryan in second with 9 points, and Zak and Styles tied for third with 8 points. Hunter also has 8 points, but is in fifth place due to a tiebreaker. Loyette is in sixth place with 7 points. Also with 7 points, but tied for seventh because they lose the tiebreaker (number of wins, regardless of points per game) to Loyette: me, Becky, Kelly Strutz, Todd Morris and KIME1R (Mike R.).
Full current standings are visible to contestants here (along with everyone’s picks), and visible to everyone here. Contestants can play around with “what-if” scenarios here.