After Saturday’s action, Diane Heffner and Xiaorong Lai are tied for the lead with 13 out of 17 possible points. Diane held on to a share of the lead despite Michigan’s upset loss, while Xiaorong was one of only two entries to get all 4 games correct on Saturday. The heavy favorites won both semifinal games, which means that most people’s picks for the National Champion are still alive.

We are really only halfway through the pool, as 17 possible points remain, so anything can happen. The action resumes on Monday with six games on New Year’s Eve.

See the updated results here: https://tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool

Completed Games:

Belk Bowl
Virginia 28, South Carolina 0

Peach Bowl
Florida 41, Michigan 15

Cotton Bowl / Playoff Semifinal
Clemson 30, Notre Dame 3

Orange Bowl / Playoff Semifinal
Alabama 45, Oklahoma 34

Upcoming Games:

Military Bowl – 12/31/18 – 12:00pm
Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech

Sun Bowl – 12/31/18 – 2:00pm
Stanford vs. Pitt

Redbox Bowl – 12/31/18 – 3:00pm
Michigan State vs. Oregon

Liberty Bowl – 12/31/18 – 3:45pm
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri

Holiday Bowl – 12/31/18 – 7:00pm
Utah vs. Northwestern

Gator Bowl – 12/31/18 – 7:30pm
Texas A&M vs. NC State

After 10 games, Diane Heffner and Miriam Snare are tied for the lead with 8 out of 10 correct.
Today is one of the most important days of the bowl season. Seven points are up for grabs, including three “New Year’s Six” games worth two points each. Two of those games are also the playoff semifinals, which will determine the teams that will play for the championship next week. There will be a lot more clarity in the bowl pool standings after tonight.

See the updated results here: https://tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool

For the statistics nerds, the results so far are making a near-perfect “normal” distribution, with an average score of 5.06. This indicates that the game outcomes have been very random. This is typical of the early bowl season, where it is difficult to determine which team will be more motivated to play well. We’ll see if the trend continues…

Completed Games:

Music City Bowl
Auburn 63, Purdue 14

Camping World Bowl
Syracuse 34, West Virginia 18

Alamo Bowl
Washington State 28, Iowa State 26

Upcoming Games:

Belk Bowl – 12/29/18 – 12:00pm
Virginia vs. South Carolina

Peach Bowl – 12/29/18 – 12:00pm (2 point game)
Florida vs. Michigan

Cotton Bowl / Playoff Semifinal – 12/29/18 – 4:00 pm (2 point game)
Clemson vs. Notre Dame

Orange Bowl / Playoff Semifinal – 12/29/18 – 8:00pm (2 point game)
Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Miriam Snare sits alone at the top of the leaderboard after Thursday’s action with 6 out of 7 correct. Lots of entries are right on her heels with 5 points, with a chance to move up with three more games on Friday. It continues to be an unpredictable bowl season, with underdogs winning 4 of the 7 games so far. As a result, the average score remains less than half (3.28 out of 7).

See the updated results here: https://tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool

Completed Games:

Independence Bowl
Duke 56, Temple 27

Pinstripe Bowl
Wisconsin 35, Miami 3

Upcoming Games:

Music City Bowl – 12/28/18 – 1:30pm
Auburn vs. Purdue

Camping World Bowl – 12/28/18 – 5:15pm
Syracuse vs. West Virginia

Alamo Bowl – 12/28/18 – 9:00 pm
Washington State vs. Iowa State

After only five completed games (and one cancelled game), no more perfect entries remain. In fact, only four entries even have 4 out of 5 correct. Julie Hank, Miriam Snare, Sabine Snare, and Shelby Heffner are currently tied for first place. The average score is only 2.3 out of 5 (less than half). Still a long way to go. Two games are on the slate today.

See the updated results here: https://tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool

Completed Games:

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl
Boston College vs. Boise State – CANCELLED

Quick Lane Bowl
Minnesota 34, Georgia Tech 10

Cheez-It Bowl
TCU 10, California 7 (OT)

Upcoming Games:

Independence Bowl – 12/27/18 – 1:30pm
Temple vs. Duke

Pinstripe Bowl – 12/27/18 – 5:15pm
Wisconsin vs. Miami

There was one last-minute entry that got in before the games started. That brings the total number of entries to 53, increases the total pot to $530, and increases the winner’s share to $370.

Three games have been completed, and only 6 perfect entries remain. The bowls take a few days off for Christmas, before returning on Wednesday, December 26th.

See the updated results here: https://tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool

Completed Games:

Birmingham Bowl – 12/22/18
Wake Forest 37, Memphis 34

Armed Forces Bowl – 12/22/18
Army 70, Houston 14

Dollar General Bowl – 12/22/18
Troy 42, Buffalo 32

Upcoming Games:

SERVPRO First Responder Bowl – 12/26/18 – 1:30pm
Boston College vs. Boise State

Quick Lane Bowl – 12/26/18 – 5:15pm
Georgia Tech vs. Minnesota

Cheez-It Bowl – 12/26/18 – 9:00pm
California vs. TCU

All entries are in. There are a total of 52 participants this year, for a total pot of $520. *One additional entry came in before the deadline, bringing the total to 53 participants and $530.

The payouts will be as follows:

1st Place: $360 $370
2nd Place: $100
3rd Place: $50
Last Place: $10 returned

Everyone’s picks have been entered into the spreadsheet, which you can view here: https://www.tinyurl.com/2018bowlpool.

Check back frequently to follow along with the standings.

Good luck!

The 2018 Bowl Pool is now open and accepting entries.  Click the link below.  Deadline is Friday, December 21, 2018.    https://goo.gl/forms/d1bxYU4D9Bg2HEqV2