WEEK FIVE RECAP

• No week five recap at this time.  I will be posting something later in the week.

WEEK FIVE RESULTS

•  WEEK FIVE WINNER: Dan Kucab.  He was one of four people to go 5-0-1.  His total, 113 points, is the lowest winning total of the year…but it still pays the same.  Aside from a bad two week stretch, Dan has performed well.  He currently sits in 53^rd.
•  The group winning percentage was the worst of the year: 45.8%.
•  There was a ton of interest in the Arkansas vs Texas A&M game. 190 people made a selection in the game, 148 of those picks being for the Aggies.
•  Home underdogs continue to be a good play. They have covered 60% of the time.
•  We are only five weeks into the season, and only six people have a perfect lock record.
•  Eleven people have an 0-5 lock record.
•  Iven Stevenson is the only person to score at least 80 points every week. He and Joseph Pempin are the only two participants to score at least 70 points every week.
•  Three people have scored 100 or more points on three separate occasions: Trevor Bowman, Tim Strategakos, and Stephanie Stovall.

WEEK FOUR RECAP

• Kurtis recently posted an uplifting blog on the PP6 website. You can read the inspiring words here.  It encourages all participants, particularly those of us who have performed poorly, to keep forging ahead.  There is even historical data that supports the plea.  Just because you’ve had a few bad weeks doesn’t mean you should give up, unless you are June Jones and the SMU Mustangs.  June Jones, formerly known as the head coach of the Mustangs, quit a couple weeks ago.  The SMU football team should consider doing the same.  I too have historical data to support my case.

Scoring Offense = 4 PPG = 125^th out of 125 teams.  Their lone touchdown this year came as time expired against North Texas.

Total Offense = 194.7 YPG = 125^th out of 125 teams.  21.8 yards per game worse than 124^th place.

Rushing Offense = 29.3 YPG = 125^th out of 125 teams.  Their -24 yard rushing performance against Baylor didn’t help.

First Downs = 12.3 FDPG = 125^th out of 125 teams.  Texas A&M leads the way with 30 first downs per game.

Scoring Defense = 48.7 PPG = 125th out of 125 teams.  Stanford leads the way at 4.3 PPG.

Total Defense = 530.0 YPG = 120^th out of 125 teams.  Hey, an improvement.

Turnover Margin = -1.67 TPG = 119^th out of 125 teams.  Terrible.

3^rd Down Conversion Percentage Offense = 25% = 123^rd out of 125 teams.  Terrible.

3^rd Down Conversion Percentage Defense = 46.8% = 101^st out of 125 teams. Terrible.

SMU Mustang Football =
https://33.media.tumblr.com/e5db606ab4863c9ae5dfbc68734f5455/tumblr_nc7b3gg3rZ1travyco1_400.gif

•  As you know, the PP6 standings are based on a point system. If you didn’t know that, I don’t know what to tell you.  Anyway, you get 20 points for a win and 10 points for a tie.  Depending on the outcome of each game, there can be an opportunity to earn bonus points.  They are awarded as follows:

-Your team covers the spread by 11-19.5 points = 1 bonus point*

-Your team covers the spread by 20-28.5 points = 3 bonus points*

-Your team covers the spread by 29+ points = 5 bonus points*

*Bonus points are doubled on your locks of the week.

Bonus points are crucial and can mean the difference between winning money or just coming close.  The 25 point games are few and far between.  Surprisingly, the very first game of the year( Texas A&M vs South Carolina) resulted in a 25 point game.  There has only been one since.  23 point games are easier to come by, but still rare.  21 point games are fairly common and, obviously, the standard 20 point outcome is the most frequent.  The following table gives recent data for each of the five possibilities:  25 points, 23 points, 21 points, 20 points or 10 points.

WEEK FOUR RESULTS

 WEEK FOUR WINNER: Brad Riddle.  He was one of three people to go 6-0.  He scored 134 points, which is the highest total of the year.  Thru two weeks, he was way down in 146^th place.  Since then, he has shot all the way up into 3^rd!

•  The weekly winning percentage have been consistently around the 50% mark. Week four was more of the same.  The group winning percentage was 52%.
•  The group winning percentage was boosted by the Clemson vs FSU game. With Winston sidelined for being an idiot, most picks game in on the side of the Tigers, 144-3.
•  The Missouri vs Indiana outcome kept this from being a great week for the group. That, and the WSU vs Oregon game.  150 people picked Missouri.  Only 3 picked Indiana.  Missouri was also a very popular lock selection.  They received 60 picks to Indiana’s zero!
•  Congratulations to Trevor Bowman for the best four week start in PP6 history. He is 20-4 and has scored 432 points.  The old record was set by Will Corbyn’s in 2011.  He was 20-4 with 413 points.
•  The point differential between 1^st and 2^nd (59 points) is the same as the point differential between 2^nd and 30^th. The point differential between 1^st and 10^th (93 points) is the same as the point differential between 10^th and 155^th!

By Kurtis Hanni

At this point, some of us are like:

Other more like: 

So, should you quit? At what point is a bad start too bad to recover from? Nothing is too bad. Really, I promise. But, you know what guarantees you a finish towards the bottom? Not submitting picks. Each season, a few people quit early in the year thinking they cannot recover.

Each of the last 3 years, many have overcome rough starts to finish strong. Below I will highlight some specific cases of those overcoming a rough start.

Continue reading →

Every middle of September, the Oklahoma State Fair comes to town, bringing with it a wide array of interesting people, food and fun.  What do the State Fair and Big 12 Football have in common?  Plenty.  Every extreme, from the worst to the best of the state fair is embodied in the teams that make up the current configuration of the Big 12 Conference.  Each Big 12 team was paired with a state fair attraction that most closely exemplifies the state of their program.

Iowa State = Pig Races:  Can be mildly entertaining at times, but most races end in pig manure.

Oklahoma = Cinnamon Roll:  Consistently good, and always one of the main attractions at the fair.  May contain nuts.

Texas Tech = Bobo The Clown Dunk Tank:  Biggest trash talker at the fair.  Loud and obnoxious whether they are high and dry or dripping wet.  Currently drowning.

Texas = Carney Man:  Used to have some bite, but lost the majority of his teeth somewhere along the way.

West Virginia = Hot Tubs:  Why is West Virginia in the Big 12, and why are hot tubs at the state fair?  Do people really go to the state fair to buy hot tubs?  “I’ll take two corndogs and a hot tub, please.”

TCU = Brown Ribbon:  Your peppered sauerkraut muffins might have been a hit at the county fair, but they just don’t fly around here.  Here is your brown ribbon.  Thank for participating.

Baylor = Carnival Rides:  Sat in the corner of some wearhouse doing nothing since the Cold War.  Some dude that just consumed a pack of Camels and a dozen Natty Lights has brought it back from the dead  (disclaimer:  I am not saying Art Briles is that “dude”).  The ride is exciting and enjoying its 15 minutes of game, but you can’t help but think it will end in vomit, death, mechanical failure or a combination of.

Kansas State = Midway Games:  Toss a softball in a basket.  Throw a plastic ring around a bottle.  At first glance, midway games don’t appear to be that difficult.  Don’t be fooled.  They are always tougher than they look.

Oklahoma State = Chocolate Dipped Twinkie on a Stick:  The original Twinkie had its moments in history, but the fate of the treat was in doubt.  In comes Boone Pickens: he fried it, dipped it in chocolate and put it on a stick.  Success.

Kansas  = Karaoke:  Screeching, dying dolphin, sadness, g-flat, more sadness.  Their only fans are their family and friends. Very hard to watch.  Very hard.

WEEK THREE RECAP

• Last Friday, OU’s Twitter account inadvertently released a photo from the Tennessee pep rally. Under normal circumstances, nobody would think twice about a pep rally photo.  In this case, it made news.  Although suspended from all team activities, Joe Mixon was pictured taking part in the event.  An OU spokesman said something to the effect of, “We knew he was suspended from team activities, but we didn’t know that included team activities.”  Can you find Joe Mixon in the picture?

• In OSU’s game against Missouri State, JW Walsh went down with a lower leg injury. After having surgery last week, Mike Gundy wanted him off the sidelines for their game against UTSA.  Walsh wanted to get a good perspective of the action on the field.  Since the Texas School Book Depository was too far away, and a seat inside the press box made too much sense, Walsh decided to watch the game from the roof of the stadium.  He is pictured below

WEEK THREE RESULTS

•  WEEK THREE WINNER: Brett Finley.  He was one of two people to go 6-0.  Luke Wilkerson also accomplished the feat, but was outscored 127 to 124.  Finley has now gone 0-6 and 6-0 this year.
•  Another average week for the group. The winning percentage was 49%.  The lock winning percentage was only 37%.
•  Seven people went 0-6. The worst result of the year.
•  The Texas vs UCLA game killed the group. The pick distribution was 170-11, in favor of UCLA.  The lock distribution was 79-2, in favor of UCLA.  The ATS outcome was in favor of Texas.
•  33 people locked Georgia. Nobody locked South Carolina.  Big loser for the group.
•  Only 23 people picked a side in the Illinois vs Washington game. That is the least popular game of the year, and could easily be the least popular game for the entire season.
•  Lastly, I considered letting this last statistic go without mention, but I changed my mind. Put the women and children to bed.  This will be disturbing.  Jason Hall just endured the worst start in PP6 history.  Thru three weeks, he has amassed a measly 42 points and a 2–16 record.  The previous record, 63 points, was set by Dan Kucab in 2012.  Ok, here comes the good news.  Strangely enough, Jason Hall also holds the record for the best start in PP6 history.  Thru the first three weeks of 2010, he had 369 points and a 16-1-1 record!  Stranger still, just last year he was the leader after three weeks.  What a difference a year makes.