And then there were four.
The quarterfinals of our inaugural monthly Football Madness contest saw two relatively easy victories in the top half for Geoff Schwartz and PJ Walsh, while I edged out Peter Jennings in the bottom half to set up a meeting with my podcast partner, Collin Wilson, who advanced via the net margin of a cover tiebreaker over Sean Koerner.
Collin has vultured his way into the semifinals, having yet to post a winning week — but that doesn't matter in a bracket contest. Survive and advance, baby!
Here are the rules of the competition in case you need a refresher:
RULES
- Each person submits three weekend bets by Friday each week.
- They can only be sides or totals — based on lines locked in on Wednesday.
- There must be at least one NFL and one NCAA pick; the third can be either.
- Wins are worth 1, losses -1 and pushes 0.
- H2H winners advance to the next weekend.
- In the event of a tie, the person with the greatest margin of cover advances.
Now, let's take a look at which three wagers the final four are rolling with this weekend.
SEMIFINALS
PJ Walsh vs. Geoff Schwartz
The Carolina Connection.
Schwartz (4-2): Oregon +2; Bengals +3; Dolphins -3
PJ Walsh (3-3): Miss State-Kentucky Under 56; Saints +3; Redskins +3
Schwartz now resides in North Carolina, which is PJ's old stomping grounds. I make Geoff a favorite for two reasons:
- He played in the NFL.
- PJ is a Duke fan.
Stuckey vs. Collin Wilson
Podcast bragging rights.
Stuckey (4-2): Florida State -10; Steelers -1.5; Chargers +7
Wilson (2-3-1): Arkansas +30; Navy-SMU Under 62.5; Redskins +3
Well, Collin said on our podcast that his favorite NFL bet of the weekend was the 49ers, but he submitted the Saints, which I said was my favorite. Hmm.
However, starting in the semis, any duplicate picks must be reselected, which is how Collin and I ended up with the Redskins and Chargers, respectively.
