Johnnyiowa is officially crowned champ; jcl508 and natediggscsu take 2nd and 3rd, respectively

1/8/08--Thanks to a sizeable lead, we've known for a few days that Johnnyiowa was the 2007 Rams Bookstore Pigskin Bowl Pick'Em champ. So, heading into the last game of the season -- the national championship game (LSU -4.5 vs. Ohio State) -- all that remained to be determined was our second- and third-place winners. LSU sent Ohio State to its second consecutive beat down in the title game, winning 38-24 and easily covering the 4.5-point spread. So, it came down to what tiebreakers jcl508 and natediggscsu pick, since each entered the day with a record of 21-10 and both picked LSU to cover the point spread. Thus, the second- and third-place distinction came down to total points (and, if had been needed, total yardage would have been the next tiebreaker) in the national championship game.

Jcl508 earned the runner-up slot thanks to his tiebreaker prediction of 46 total points in the title game (actual total was 62), while natediggscsu's guess was 30 points. So, Nate takes third. Johnnyiowa wins the $100 store credit to Rams Bookstore, jcl508 wins $50, and natediggscsu earns $25. Littleton_Ram, who led the field for a significant portion of the contest, slid in the final few days but eeked out a fourth-place finish and a $10 credit. He beat Good SHEPHERD and lvgolfer02 based on the total points tiebreaker with a guess of 56 (compared to SHEP's 51 and lvgolfer02's 45. Winners should contact us ASAP to arrange collecting your prize.

Johnnyiowa had a tremendous run in the contest, although he faded down the stretch, going just 1 for his last 5. He still He finished with a record of 23-9, for an incredible 72% winning percentage, which ties him for second all-time with Ram Fan1's 72% in 2006. Good SHEPHERD still owns the top Bowl Contest percentage ever, with his 78% showing in 2002 -- a year in which he started 1-4 and proceeded to get 21 out of the next 24 games right. Jcl508 and natediggs finished at 22-10 (69%). With a solid push over the last week, the field ended with a winning percentage of 52%, marking the highest win percentage in the history of the Bowl Contest. The field previously hit marks of 51% in 2006 and 2004, but thanks to the favorite winning in Monday's national championship, the majority of the field had LSU to cover, and it helped boost the overall winning percentage from 51% to 52% in one day. The field's worst year came in 2005, when it recorded a 42% winning percentage. Cammie won the championship that year, correctly picking 17 out of 30 games (56.7%) thanks to a method of choosing all underdogs. Autumnatic took Toilet Bowl honors this bowl season, unfortunately going just 9-for-32 (28%).

The top-20 standings looked like this:

1. johnnyiowa (23-9)
2. jcl508 (22-10)
3. natediggscsu (22-10)
4. Littleton_Ram (21-11)
5. Good SHEPHERD (21-11)
6. lvgolfer02(21-11)
7. rlsern3 (20-12)
8. tk61 (20-12)
9. bunsbuggy (20-12)
10. Ram Fan 2 (20-12)
11. Trophy Ram (20-12)
12. Wheat Ridge Buff (20-12)
13. Young RAMC (20-12)
14. Pigskin (20-12)
15. Ramsrus (20-12)
16. Olympic Oak (20-12)
17. Q.Ram (20-12)
18. CSUMichael (20-12)
19. SDCARAM (19-13)
20. running ram (19-13)

For full standings and to see where you ended up, check the final results/standings link in the right-hand column of this page. Thanks as always for playing, for spending your days on RamNation, and for supporting our sponsors. Please remember to give your business to Rams Bookstore, who has been a long-time sponsor of this site and a great supporter of this contest! Enjoy the offseason folks!

--Joel Cantalamessa
(Good SHEPHERD)

BOWL MATCHUP/LINES

Contest details/rules

Prizes:

The contestant with the most correct picks against the point spread a the end of the bowl season will be the Bowl Contest champion, and will win our grand prize, compliments of Rams Bookstore. The second, third, and fourth-place finishers will also receive prizes.

Rules:

• Contestants will pick a point-spread winner in every bowl game games.
• Contestant's should make their picks "against the spread". For instance, if Utah is favored by 9.5 vs. Navy, and Utah wins by more than 9.5 points, they win "against the spread." If Utah does not win by more than 9.5 points, then Navy wins "against the spread," even though they might lose the game.
• In the event of a tie between contestants at the end of the bowl season, the first tiebreaker is the total points scored in the "tiebreaker" game. 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.
• Entries are due by 4 p.m. MST on the day of the first bowl game, December 20 (Poinsettia Bowl).
• Please submit only one entry form per contestant.
• The system is set up so that if you want to change your picks (before the start of the first game), you simply have to to resumbit your entry, and it will overwrite the exisiting entry.

Guidelines and other notes:

Q.Ram, our contest administrator, will make his picks known on the message board prior to deadline, so that everyone will know he is not rigging the game to win all of the prizes.

When in Fort Collins, please pay a visit to our gracious sponsor, Rams Bookstore, for furnishing the prizes. 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 Bookstore 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