2018 RamNation Pigskin Pick’em Contest Sponsored by Rams Book Store

BOWL CONTEST RECAP

WEEKLY LINES / ENTRY FORM |
GAME-BY-GAME RESULTS/STANDINGS

Welcome to the 2018 RamNation Pigskin Pick’em Contest, sponsored by the Rams Book Store!

SlamBamRam3 is crowned the champion; FCRam and RamsDuJour tie for second

(Congrats to RamsRule for winning the week)

12/3/18–Clutching up. That’s one way to describe SlamBamRam3‘s conclusion to the 2018 RamNation Pigskin Pick’em Contest, sponsored by Rams Book Store. After leading for much of the last several weeks of the contest season, SBR3 posted a dismal 3 wins last week, thus dropping out of first place. But with everything riding on Week 14, he posted a solid 10, which was enough to propel him into a convincing season championship at 103 Contest Wins (factoring in omitting each constant’s worst two weeks). His Contest Total ended up beating the next-closest competitors by two wins thanks to avoiding more than two crappy weeks during the season. His low point of 3 wins last week and a 5 in Week 1 were his two worst blemishes, which were thrown out. Outside of that, he averaged 8 wins per week, including four double-digit weeks. Despite his solid season, he didn’t take the top spot in any individual week….he merely beat the field with good consistency.

Granted, SlamBamRam3’s winning percentage of 53.4% was the lowest winning percentage of any champ in contest history (the next lowest being 54.3% in 2001 and 2003). But he wasn’t playing against history, he was playing against the 2018 field, and it was good enough to earn the 2018 RamNation Pigskin Pick’em Title, and the $100 store credit to Rams Book Store. Congratulations! (Please email us at [email protected] to arrange collecting your prize.)

Ironically, while SBR3’s Contest Total bested the competition, he won the season via tiebreaker rules, as his 53.4% winning percentage evenly matched the two contestants behind him who finished in a tie of second place. FCRam and RamsDuJour,  who also finished with a 53.4% winning percentage, ended the year at 101 Contest Wins, falling just short of the title. FCRam posted an 8 this week to earn his spot, while RamsDuJour needed a 9 to move into the spot. The two contestants will share second-place prizes. (Again, please email us to arrange collecting your prize.) Congratulations to our three winners!

On the outside looking in was a group of contestants who also finished at 101 Contest Wins, falling out of the prizes only due to tiebreaker rules. Impala1978 owned sole possession of first place in the overall standings after Week 13, but managed just 7 wins this week and finished in a tie of fourth place at 52.9% with SteamboatRamFan who recorded a 9 this week. CSpringsRam was the final contestant to finish at 101 Contest Wins, but officially finishes in sixth place with a 52.4% winning percentage. 

The final top 10 looks like this:

1   SlamBamRam3
t2  FCRam
t2  RamsDuJour
t4  Impala1978
t4 SteamboatRamFan 
CSpringsRam
RamU23
t8 hawkram
t8 Rams98
10 Thosedernramz 

Let’s not forget to honor this week’s individual winner, which was RamsRule, who posted a season-tying-high 13 wins to earn the weekly prize. He earns the store credit to Rams Book Store. His 13 edged out a pair of 12s by BudRam and Rammie_5, the latter of which, had it not been for RamsRule’s big week, would have earned a back-to-back win, which was our third near-miss back-to-back winner of the season. Two other contestants nearly did it over the past month. We’ve only had one back-to-back weekly winner in the history of the contest — smaruscog who did it way back in the inaugural season in 2001. (Smaruscog had a great season, by the way, finishing in 12th place.)

It was not a pretty season for the field, as we had come into the week with a 48.63% winning percentage and only posted five plus-.500 weeks all season. However, three of those came in the final four weeks, and we finished the season with a bang, recording a season-high 58.2% (ninth-best week all time), which improved our overall winning percentage to 49.17% for the season, which tied for seventh worst season in the 18-year history of the contest. We’ve only finished above .500 seven times, but this was only the third time in the last nine years that we failed to miss that mark. 

So, that concludes our 2018 Pigskin Pick’em Contest, but stay tuned in the next week or so for our Bowl Pick’em Contest, sponsored by Rams Book Store. It works the same way, but you pick all bowl games against the spread, and then sit back and enjoy bowl season, tracking how you fare! The top three finishers will again win prizes from Rams Book Store.

Thanks to everyone for playing, and please join me in thanking Rams Book Store for their 18th year of sponsorship to this contest. When you’re in need of CSU memorabilia, gear, or school books, Rams Book Store should be your first choice! 

–Joel Cantalamessa
(Good SHEPHERD)

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Contest details/rules

Each weekly winner gets a prize from Rams Book Store. Season winners win gift certificates to Rams Book Store. Prizes: Each weekly winner will receive a store credit to Rams Book Store. The top three finishers will receive gift Grand Prize gift certificates to Rams Book Store.

Rules:

  • Each week contestants will pick a winner in 15 games.
  • Contestant’s should make their picks “against the spread”. For instance, if Stanford is favored by 14.5 vs. San Diego State, and Stanford wins by more than 14.5 points, they win “against the spread.” If Stanford does not win by more than 14.5 points, then San Diego State wins “against the spread,” even though they might lose the game.
  • The weekly winner will be the contestant with the most correct picks.
  • In the event of a tie between contestants at the end of a week, the first tiebreaker is the total points scored in the “tiebreaker” game (usually a game involving CSU). The contestant that picks closest to the total points scored wins the tiebreaker. If total points does not break the tie, then total yards will be used. Again, closest guess to the total yards gained from scrimmage by both teams during that game will win the tiebreaker. If a tie is still unbroken, both contestants will receive a prize
  • Please have picks in 15 minutes prior to kickoff of the first game on the contest schedule. Please note that Thanksgiving many games start on Thursday.
  • Please submit only one entry form per contestant.
  • The system is set up so that if you want to change your picks before the weekly deadline, you simply have to to resumbit your entry, and it will overwrite the existing entry.

Season Contest: In addition to each weekly contest, there is a contest for the entire 14-week season in which totals will be kept over the course of the season. The season winners will be the contestant’s with the most correct picks throughout the season, while dropping your worst two weekly win totals. If you miss a week or have a bad week, you can drop that week against your season total. This allows for contestants who may miss the first week, or who may miss a week during the season for whatever reason to remain in contention for the title. If there is a tie between contestants at the season, the highest win percentage for all weeks will be the first tiebreaker. (A contestant must have participated in 11 or more weeks to be eligible.) If the tie is not broken by win percentage, then the contestant with the most Season Wins breaks the tie. If the tie is still unbroken, there will be a final playoff during the Conference Championship weekend, between contestants who are tied. 

Guidelines and other notes: The contest administrator (Q.Ram) will determine the weekly games on the following basis:

  1. All games involving MWC teams.
  2. All games involving two teams rated in the Top 25 AP Poll or receiving votes.
  3. At least one game involving each of the eight biggest conferences.
  4. Any other games of note (rivalry games or games involving Top 10 teams).

Please note that CSU games will not be included because the contest administrator (Q.Ram) is highly superstitious and doesn’t believe in betting on games in which he is emotionally involved. (Most of us are CSU fans, and we would all pick CSU to win every week anyway, so that game would be a wash.) CSU games will, however, be used for the Tiebreaker game, unless they are on a Thursday night. Results will typically be posted the following Monday. Please track your picks and make sure you are credited with the right amount of wins. Q.Ram has been known on a very, very rare occurrence to make a mistake, and we will correct errors up until the following week has been played. Remember, if you are in the market for text books and CSU gear, Rams Book Store should be your first choice. Their sponsorship is what helps make RamNation go. All registered posters are welcome to join the contest, but remember all you Ram foes out there…the prizes are limited to what Rams Book Store has in stock, which is primarily CSU-related gear! Thanks and best of luck to everyone (except Buffaloes, Cowboys, and Falcons). –Q.Ram, Good SHEP, and CSURamFan