# Oak's Bowl Pick'em **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 6, 2010, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126 "2010-12-06T07:27:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/101 "2011-01-03T01:24:24Z")
New Year’s Eve was a horrible day for me. New Year’s Day was MUCH better. Kinda made me think back to when Ohio St.'s president was bashing TCU by saying how much harder it is to play in conferences such as the Big Ten and the SEC, and think “Hold on. Where do you get off acting like the Big10 and the SEC are on the same level?” > [@notfrommensa](#): > > I am guessing that we haven’t heard the last of the suspensions. Well, apparently they all pinkie-sweared to come back next year. What are the odds-makers saying about that? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/102 "2011-01-03T04:28:52Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I wonder what the winning total will actually be. > > 630 is the the theoretical best. My guess for the best score will be about 560 points. pfffffft, The Swami sucks at predictions. 445 is the best possible at this point with 7 games to play. 10th place. with a possible 375. Made a comeback yesterday with the Big 10 sucking eggs yesterday, although I did pick Wisconsin to beat TCU. Someone picked UConn with 35 confidence points?? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/103 "2011-01-03T14:01:37Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > 10th place. with a possible 375. Made a comeback yesterday with the Big 10 sucking eggs yesterday, although I did pick Wisconsin to beat TCU. I predict that my possible 375 won’t happen. And I picked Wisconsin, too, based on the hype on how dominant their O line was. It takes more to win games apparently and I was as thrilled with TCU’s win as I was with any SEC win that day. I must say second place in the thrills zone was the drubbing that the state of Michigan took. For a neat comparison by conference, see [2010–11 NCAA football bowl games - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010-11_NCAA_football_bowl_games) and [Bowl Challenge Cup - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Challenge_Cup) If anybody knows where the “official” ESPN standings for this Cup are posted, please link to that. Right now it appears that Sun Belt and Mountain West are in the lead. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/104 "2011-01-03T18:08:04Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I predict that my possible 375 won’t happen. And I picked Wisconsin, too, based on the hype on how dominant their O line was. It takes more to win games apparently and I was as thrilled with TCU’s win as I was with any SEC win that day. I must say second place in the thrills zone was the drubbing that the state of Michigan took. > > For a neat comparison by conference, see [2010–11 NCAA football bowl games - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010-11_NCAA_football_bowl_games) and [Bowl Challenge Cup - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Challenge_Cup) > > If anybody knows where the “official” ESPN standings for this Cup are posted, please link to that. Right now it appears that Sun Belt and Mountain West are in the lead. Every year, I create my own bowl scorecard (I’ve mentioned it here before), where I weight each game based on the participant’s standings in their respective conferences. You get positive points for winning, negative for losing, and more points for beating a conference champ than you do for beating the #6 team, naturally. Currently, I’ve got the ACC (4-3) and MWC (4-1) tied for the lead. The MWC got little credit from me for beating UTEP and Georgia Tech, while the ACC got big points for beating South Carolina and West Virginia. SEC is in 3rd…Big 10, unsurprisingly, is in dead last. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/105 "2011-01-03T18:25:00Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > The MWC got little credit from me for beating UTEP and Georgia Tech As a Ga Tech alumnus, I think I should be insulted. But I think embarrassment is the better adjective. Glad to see the ACC doing well. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/106 "2011-01-03T18:38:18Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > As a Ga Tech alumnus, I think I should be insulted. But I think embarrassment is the better adjective. Glad to see the ACC doing well. Nothing personal…nobody gets credit for beating the 7th place team in any conference. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/107 "2011-01-07T18:49:58Z")
Did I win yet? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/108 "2011-01-07T19:11:27Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Did I win yet? Not so fast my friend! I still have 77 points to collect! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/109 "2011-01-07T19:23:09Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > Not so fast my friend! I still have 77 points to collect! That beats my 111, but we won’t both collect, I wager. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/110 "2011-01-07T20:22:33Z")
That was actually a bump with a little barb to get lour attention. Succeeded I would say. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/111 "2011-01-07T20:36:58Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > That was actually a bump with a little barb to get lour attention. Succeeded I would say. I almost bumped it myself with some links and “analysis” for what’s left. > **[Bowl Championship Series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Championship_Series)** > > The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a college football post-season selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including an opportunity for the top two teams to compete in a national championship game. The system was in place from the 1998 season to the 2013 season and was replaced in 2014 by the College Football Playoff (CFP). > The BCS relied o... Bowl Championship Series > **[Bowl Challenge Cup](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowl_Challenge_Cup)** > > The Bowl Challenge Cup is a competition among NCAA college football conferences in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly called Division I-A, based on win–loss records in the bowl games that take place annually during December and January. The winner is the conference that has the highest winning percentage, among conferences with a minimum of three teams appearing in bowl games. > The Challenge was created in 2002 by ESPN, who also occasionally refers to it as the "Bowl Cup Challenge" whe... Bowl Challenge Cup > **[BCS National Championship Game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BCS_National_Championship_Game)** > > The BCS National Championship Game was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college football season as one of four designated bowl games, and beginning in the 2006 season as a standalone event rotated among the host sites of the aforementioned bowls. > The game was organized by a group known as the Bowl Championship Series, consisting of the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bow... BCS National Championship Game > **[2010–11 NCAA football bowl games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010-11_NCAA_football_bowl_games)** > > The 2010–11 NCAA football bowl games concluded the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season and included 35 team-competitive bowl games and four all-star games. The games began play with three bowls on December 18, 2010 and included the 2011 BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, Arizona played on January 10 at the University of Phoenix Stadium. The bowl season concluded with the East–West Shrine Game, the Eastham Energy All-Star Game, the Senior Bowl, the Dixie Gridiron Classic, and the ... 2010-11 NCAA football bowl games > **[College Bowl Games - 2014-15 College Football Playoff Game Scores and...](https://www.espn.com/college-football/bowls)** > > Get the latest scores, statistics, schedules, and more for this year's college football bowl games on ESPN.com. College Bowls 2010-11 > **[Unauthorized Access](https://www.bcsevolution.com/communities/enter_private_mode_password)** Bowl Challenge Cup Standings ======================================================================== Jan. 7 AT&T Cotton Bowl Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX 8:00 pm Fox #11 LSU vs. #17 Texas A&M SEC vs. Big 12 Jan. 8 BBVA Compass Bowl Legion Field Birmingham, AL 12:00 pm ESPN Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky Big East vs. SEC Jan. 9 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl AT&T Park San Francisco, CA 9:00 pm ESPN #15 Nevada vs. Boston College WAC vs. ACC Jan. 10 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, AZ 8:30 pm ESPN #2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn Pac-10 vs. SEC ```auto Conference Bowl Records Conference Bowl Teams Record % Teams Games Potential Potential in AP Poll Remaining Record % Mountain West 5 4-1 0.800 2 0 Pac-10 4 2-1 0.667 2 1 3-1 0.750 Sun Belt 3 2-1 0.667 0 0 Independents 3 2-1 0.667 0 0 Big East 6 3-2 0.600 2 1 4-2 0.667 SEC 10 3-4 0.429 6 3 6-4 0.600 ACC 9 4-4 0.500 2 1 5-4 0.556 MAC 4 2-2 0.500 0 0 Big 12 8 3-4 0.429 5 1 4-4 0.500 WAC 4 1-2 0.333 3 1 2-2 0.500 Big Ten 8 3-5 0.375 3 0 Conference USA 6 2-4 0.333 0 0 ``` ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/112 "2011-01-07T20:54:42Z")
My own analysis, which weights each game based on conference standings of the opponents, also has MWC and Pac-10 tied at the top. However, the SEC can still come back and win if they sweep their 3 remaining games. (The Compass Bowl is a weird matchup: #3 in the Big East vs #10 in the SEC. So in my scoring, the Big East has nothing to gain and everything to lose in this game, and vice versa for the SEC.) ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/113 "2011-01-07T21:27:41Z")
LOL, wouldn’t it be funny if Kentucky, LSU, and Auburn all lose? SEC would be 3-7! (I know it won’t happen, but I don’t think 4-6 is outside the realm of possibility)… ETA: **jsc1953** , would you mind posting your rankings? I remember liking how you did them last year about this time. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/114 "2011-01-07T21:42:27Z")
That would be hysterical. But they could still say they’re better than the Big 10. Thanks, quixotic. With 4 games remaining: Conference Score Wins Losses MWC 14.5 4 1 Pac-10 14.5 2 1 ACC 10 4 4 SEC 7 3 4 Ind 6 2 1 Big 12 5.5 3 4 Big 10 5.5 3 5 Sun Belt 5 2 1 MAC 3.5 2 2 CUSA 2 2 4 WAC 1.5 1 2 Big East 0.5 3 2 ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/115 "2011-01-09T15:55:29Z")
Michigan and MSU got blown out. The rest of the Big 10 games were close and exciting competition. They were not manhandled by vastly superior teams. Even the Big 10 wins were close games. Michigan State had a good schedule to run up victories this year but they are a flawed team. Michigan can not play defense. Not even a little. They were half a team. But they still bring people to games and make money . ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/116 "2011-01-10T00:30:54Z")
I’m just shocked the Big East ended their bowl participation with a record over .500. Terrible year for the conference but at least it wasn’t completely embarrassing. I am confident that the TCU addition will bring some credit to the conference as a whole. I also like that I will be able to drive 2.5-3 hrs to see Rutgers play TCU every few years. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/117 "2011-01-10T18:50:50Z")
Woot! I can’t place worse than 6th! I can’t win either but I’m still calling this a moral victory. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/118 "2011-01-10T22:23:21Z")
It looks as group (the 27 of us) are just a little better than a bunch of monkeys randomly making picks. 20 of us have picked at least 17 out of the 34 games correctly, and a random picks would suggest that only 13 or 14 of us would be at 50% or better. So we got that going for us. I am astonished that I have picked only 18 out 34 winners, heads up. And as bad as I have picked, I am still in the top 33% of SDMB pool entries. I not sure how many entries there were, but the best anyone has done was 29 out 34 according [these standings](http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/bowl/group/all/standings). ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/119 "2011-01-11T02:19:58Z")
If Auburn wins I’ll pull into 6th. That ain’t too bad either! Otherwise I think 7th is as low as I can go. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126/120 "2011-01-11T09:11:14Z")
I went 18 for 35, scoring 333 confidence points, and finished in 21st place. Ouch. Oh well, it was fun playing, and good to see a 5th Consecutive SEC/BCS Champion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oaks-bowl-pickem/563126.md?page=7)