Photo by David Tulis, UPI

Photo by Alika Jenner, Getty Images

January 17 - The LSU Tigers capped a dream season on Monday night by defeating Clemson for their first National Championship since 2007. It's fitting that one of the most dominant teams we've seen in a long time was also paralleled by the dominance from Drell in BAMFv14. As mentioned in the previous post, Drell could not lose no matter what happened.

Even with James Madison losing to North Dakota State in the FCS National Championship, Drell still cruised to a BAMF-first sweep. Drell's sheets 1, 4, 7 and 10 found their way into the money. Anna Rose and Gremlin finished nine points behind 4th place.

There were chances for other entries to possibly make a run, like Gremlin and QB2 who both had Oklahoma had they won in the Playoff. Or if In Day We Trust had taken Penn State instead of Syracuse for their Wild Card. But just as LSU was destined to win this year's National Championship, Drell was destined to win BAMFv14.

Check out either the Leaderboard or Final Standings links on the left to see how your entries finished! Hope to see all of you back next year!

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Shout out to our first ever WEEKLY WINNERS as well. These entries will get to take home all or split $5.00 for the weeks they won.

Week 1 - Chris Fechner, Eric Detzel, Gary Gelter II, Mad Heckler, Mike Kammerer 1, Pollack 13, Sudie, T Beck, Tex Gon Give It To Ya

Week 2 - Toucan Sam

Week 3 - Mike Miller

Week 4 - Gilbert

Week 5 - Love Those Hawkeyes, Sean Bell, TylerKing2

Week 6 - Anna Rose, Drell-3, Drell-6

Week 7 - In the Money, Toucan Sam

Week 8 - Jeremy Sommer 1

Week 9 - Drell-8

Week 10 - Gary Gelter II, Leslie Yoder, Randy Flowers, Ty Wright 2, Worm

Week 11 - Ando 2, Steve Breaston

Week 12 - In Day We Trust, Keefer's Krazies, Tex Gon Give It To Ya

Week 13 - AJG1

Week 14 - Hitachi Power

DUDE, YOU'RE GETTING A DRELL

Photos by Charlie Riedel, Associated Press

October 27 - It would just about be a clean sweep for Drell if the season ended today, not a bad return on his $120 investment in this year's pool. All but one of his 12 sheets scored in double figures this week. Officially, it's his 10th sheet that holds the top spot with 85 points and a point ahead of lucky number seven. The only pick that's different there is in Fool Me Twice where he picked Texas and Ohio, respectively. Braden hit on it in last week's recap, but no group has ever lived up to their name more than that one. Wisconsin could very well lose their third straight with Iowa after their week off. Miami, Ohio, and Texas are the bottom half of the group despite coming in with the highest expectations. The U and Longhorns were both top 10 and playoff dark horses back in August but have work to do to even make the postseason, and Frank Solich's ceiling in Athens is 8 wins is 8 wins is 8 wins.

Back to the Leaderboard, Gremlin would be tied for the lead had Oklahoma not been slayed in Manhattan. That 3-point swing is the difference between 85 and his 82. Long-term that may not be so bad. Maybe it's better for the Sooners to miss playoff, avoid a beatdown from Bama, OSU, or LSU, and win another NY6 game. There are a few sheets within 10 points of the lead that are basically playing with nine teams. Troy (3-4, 0) lost to Georgia State and is killing King of the Hill 2 and Adam Gators but both sheets are within striking distance. Gators can credit his +11 Wild Card Penn State. Hill is the highest sheet with Baylor, who is running away with Fool Me Twice at +10. To beat that dead horse, Miami, Texas, and Ohio are a combined +6. In Day We Trust is the highest sheet with a team taking him backwards. Syracuse is -1 but he's still at 75 thanks to six (6!) other teams scoring double digits for him.

I'm going to forgo the usual Good, Bad, Ugly for Week 9 and instead work on one for a Bowl Watch post, which should be up soon. Check out the Bowl Watch page in the meantime. It's looking like Wanna Bet? could be a very important group in determining our winners. Nobody in there is bowl eligible heading into the final month of the season. Having the team that breaks through and goes +12 for a bowl bid/win while everyone else's squad is sitting at home could be a huge separator.

AN ILL-ADVISED PICK COULD SCAR YOUR ENTRY

Photo by Matt Rourke, Associated Press

October 30 - Army was a tough placement for us in the summer of 2019. They were coming off an 11-2 season in which they took Oklahoma and eventual Heisman winner and eventual #1 pick Kyler Murray to overtime, had won 29 games the previous three years, and were in the top third of the FBS in terms of returning production. Vegas win totals are a tool we rely on maybe more than any other in organizing even groups, and all four we used this year had Army's over/under at at least nine wins. Athlon saw a weak schedule and another 11 win season. We initially had them in the Infinity Stones group because of those numbers. We didn't want them to end up a runaway in a group of all G5 teams. They weren't Boise or UCF status, but similar in terms of group placement. Putting them in Fool Me Once did give us some balance, since Appalachian State has been historically popular in the pool and Cincinnati always has a degree of hometown advantage and will always get picks. Even still, Army had the highest average Vegas total at 9.7. Appy was 9.0, Iowa State 8.0, UAB and UVA over seven, and Cincy's was 6.8. The Black Knights ended up receiving the 2nd-most picks in the group, trailing only App State and getting almost 20 more than UC.

Army marched through September going 3-1 with an overtime defeat at Michigan. It looked like a repeat of last year's 11-win campaign, and the Black Knights and 70 sheets with them headed into a bye week confident at +3. What has happened since is one of the most inexplicable things we've seen in our 14 years. Four straight losses including squandered road opportunities at Western Kentucky and Georgia State. Last week they lost to San Jose State, who they blasted 52-3 in 2018. They're 50 yards below their rushing yards per game from last year, and have a point differential of just +2.8 compared to over a two touchdown margin in 2018. They need three wins in their last five games to get to bowl eligibility and that 6th win will have to be earned. It may be dangerous, but let's pencil in wins against UMass and VMI. Lose one of those and it's over, but let's say five. That means they need to win one of the following: at Air Force (6-2) this week, at Hawaii at the end of November, or Navy in America's Game on December 14th. Air Force is favored by 14 points, Hawaii's home schedule so far includes wins over Arizona and Oregon State with the lone loss a 30-pointer to AF, and Navy is 6-1 and bouncing back from a 3-10 2018. It's looking like Army's postseason fate will be decided in that last game of the regular season in mid-December. The results have been disappointing but the drama these last five games certainly won't be.

CHOKELAHOMA

Photo by Matt Marton, USA Today

October 31 - The calendar is turning to the final and most exciting month of the regular season. If we can learn anything from September and October (and every other season in history) it's that we can't predict what is in store these last five weeks. Who could have predicted that Alabama and Clemson would look more like the 3-4 seeds and not runaways as #1 and #2? Or that the pick with the best playoff shot in Fool Me Twice would be the Baylor Bears? Or that nobody in Wanna Bet? may reach their win total projection? There are so many must-win games for our teams, rivalry games, and conference division races over this last month, not to mention battles for spots in the FCS playoff. Bring on the drama and the chaos! Here's a rundown of an anything but crystal bowl picture.

The Good

Minnesota, 8-0

Whatever happens over the last month, and they could go 0-4, the pick paid off for the three of us as they're one of just five bowl eligible Wild Cards.

Navy, 6-1

Huge bounce back after 3-10 2018, Midshipmen in the driver's seat for the Commander In Chief Trophy.

Baylor, 7-0

Even the 11 people who picked them are probably shocked the Bears are bowl eligible and the only undefeated team in the Big 12 before Halloween. Great story in Waco.

Wanna Bet Group

It'll be an exciting final month and the pick here could key a championship run in the pool. A&M should clinch this weekend against UTSA while Troy and Fresno have the most work to do. Each needs three more wins from a schedule with no room for error.

The Bad

Wisconsin, 6-2

Badgers are bowl eligible and can still earn their way into the B1G title game but NY6 looks out of reach. Badgers have dropped two straight for the first time since October of 2016 and Iowa could hand them a third straight L.

Texas, 5-3

They were BACK! in August but now getting to six wins is no guarantee. Horns have a confident K-State next, then trips to 22-Iowa State and 12-Baylor before a possible must-win finale at home against Texas Tech.

Tennessee, 3-5

ESPN has the Vols in the Gator Bowl but it looks to us like the season-opening loss to Georgia State will keep them home in December. Three wins in their last four is a tall order with UAB, at UK, at Mizzou, and then Vandy.

Ohio, 4-4;

They are who we thought they were. Frank's Bobcats have won 8, 8, 9, and 9 the last four years and look to finish in that neighborhood again. They were 4-0 against their last four opponents last year, but anything can happen when #MACtion starts. They could win the division or need a win at Akron after Thanksgiving to make a bowl.

The Ugly

Northwestern, 1-5

It's certainly been ugly for the Wildcats so far, but all hope is not lost. If anybody has a schedule to reel off five straight wins it's NW. If they get past IU in Bloomington this week, it could come down to beating Minnesota at home.

Miami, 4-4

The U was a perfect fit in their group. Preseason top 10 and playoff dark horse to an unsure bowl fate. At FIU in Week 13 is the only guaranteed win remaining so they'll have to beat Louisville or pick off FSU or Duke on the road to get to six wins.

Houston, 3-5

The combined record of their last four opponents is 21-10 and six of those losses belong to Tulsa, who the Cougs play in Tulsa where Wyoming went down earlier in the year and Memphis barely escaped last week. A 3-9 season is more likely than a bowl game.

ARMY OF DARKNESS

Photo by Brian Blanco, Associated Press

November 4 - That's how the old saying goes when it comes to rivalry games. It doesn't matter where you're playing, when you're playing or how good either team is. In rivalry games, throw records out the window. Fool Me Once clubhouse leader Appalachian State fell to their rival, Georgia Southern, at home last Wednesday night. The loss killed App's chances (not to mention the Sun Belt Conference and 91 BAMF entries) for a New Year's Six Bowl, barring any major collapses from multiple AAC schools or Boise State.

A loss is one thing, but Florida State's loss to rival Miami at home on Saturday also caused the Seminole leadership to make a decision. Head Coach Willie Taggart was fired on Sunday, a no doubt controversial and very expensive (almost $20 million buyout) conclusion for a guy who hasn't even finished his second year in Tallahassee.

Georgia (106 entries) bested Florida (21 entries) in the annual Cocktail Party in Jacksonville and Air Force (one entry!) trumped Army (70 entries) in the second game of the Commander-in-Chief series in the other rivalry games over the weekend.

Rivalry games are one of the best parts of college football. Here's a look at some future rivalry games that could impact BAMVv14.

Wednesday, November 6: Miami, OH (one entry) at Ohio (63 entries) - Ohio coach Frank Solich has owned "The Battle of the Bricks" going 11-3 in his time with the Bobcats, and they'll be seeking revenge after Miami ruined Ohio's 2018 season and prevented them from going to the MAC Championship. Can the Kromer's Krew entry spoil Frank's season again?

Saturday, November 9: Baylor (11 entries) at TCU (32 entries) - There hasn't been this big of stakes on the line for Baylor going into this game since 2015 when they were ranked #7 and TCU ended their Big 12 title hopes. The Horned Frogs have won five straight in this series and already upset Texas earlier in the year.

Saturday, November 9: LSU (69 entries) at Alabama (84 entries) - No explanation needed here. It's #1 versus #2. Can LSU's new offense carry the day against Bama?

Saturday, November 9: Iowa (13 entries) at Wisconsin (27 entries) - These two will both need some help in order to unseat Minnesota for first place in the Big Ten West and they'll each get their shot at the Gophers, but they need to take care of business in Madison first. The annual battle for the Heartland Trophy is always a slugfest, with only one game since 1975 combining for more than 55 points. A third loss here in conference play essentially takes you out of the conference title race.

Friday, November 15: Fresno State (51 entries) at San Diego State (79 entries) - I just learned that this rivalry is a fight for the Oil Can trophy. Only college football can have trophies like Paul Bunyan's Axe (more on this later), the Iron Skillet, and the Oil Can. This rivalry was recently renewed in 2011 due to the schools being in different conferences, but it has been competitive with Fresno taking a slight 5-3 edge since then. But SDSU leads the overall rivalry and a win here pencils them in for the Mountain West Conference championship game.

Saturday, November 16: Georgia (106 entries) at Auburn (54 entries) - "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" has recently been owned by Georgia, going 12-7 since 2000 in a lot of games separated by two or more scores. However, I'm not sure the Bulldogs have ran into the type of defense that Auburn has this season. If the Tigers shut down the running game, Jake Fromm will have to win the game with his arm and this season has been an adventure in that regard.

Saturday, November 16: Michigan State (74 entries) at Michigan (37 entries) - Let's not get this twisted; Michigan has absolutely owned this rivalry, going 70-36-5 historically against the Spartans. It hasn't been until recently that the limelight has shined on this game due to Michigan's recent struggles. Funny, it's almost like when one team in a rivalry is really bad, the other team gets really good. That's exactly what happened with Michigan State. They took advantage of down Michigan teams and years. Still, weird stuff happens in rivalries. Like punt snaps being dropped and returned for touchdowns weird.

Saturday, November 23: Penn State (30 entries) at Ohio State (64 entries) - I'm not sure this is technically a rivalry, but since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1994 this has been an annual meeting of Midwest powers and it's relatively even, with Ohio State holding a slight lead of 19-14 overall. No team has been able to keep pace offensively thus far with the Buckeyes, but a guy like KJ Hamler could help ignite a spark to put some significant points on the board for the Lions. One problem: Penn State has only won in Columbus twice since joining the Big Ten.

Saturday, November 23: Cal (21 entries) at Stanford (six entries) - Both teams need two wins to get to a bowl and both would love nothing more than to spoil their rival's season in The Big Game. Cal has dropped four straight after starting 4-0. They lost their starting QB Chase Garbers to injury and haven't been the same since. Stanford has found their footing, winning three of their last four including an upset of Washington.

Friday, November 29: Washington State (62 entries) at Washington (12 entries) - In a similar scenario in the PAC-12, one team could play spoiler to other's bowl chances if they aren't eligible by Black Friday. Wazzu desperately needs a road win here in the Wanna Bet? group for their entries. Washington desperately needs a win at home in a big game thanks to earlier home losses to Cal, Oregon, and Utah.

Saturday, November 30: Alabama (84 entries) at Auburn (54 entries) - The LSU game may matter more from a national title perspective for Alabama, but Auburn has recently given them fits in the Iron Bowl. Never. Gets. Old.

Saturday, November 30: Clemson (196 entries) at South Carolina (no entries) - Look, the fact that we have 196 entries for the Tigers and none for the Gamecocks alone makes this intriguing. Let's not forget that South Carolina already upset College Football Playoff contender Georgia earlier in the year. Clemson hasn't been tested. It's a rivalry game in America's most ridiculous sport. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

Saturday November, 30: Georgia (106 entries) at Georgia Tech (no entries) - Same rules apply here. It would be the most Georgia thing ever to run the table and then lose to a rebuilding Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Clean, Old Fashioned Hate and blow their playoff chances.

Saturday November, 30: Wisconsin (27 entries) at Minnesota (3 entries) - There is a lot of football to be played between now and then, but the battle for Paul Bunyan's Axe could be the best we've seen in almost a decade. Last year, Minnesota stopped Wisconsin's 14 game winning streak in the series. Before that, this game hadn't been played within one score since 2009.

Saturday, November 30: Ohio State (64 entries) at Michigan (37 entries) - I grew up watching Michigan spoil Ohio State seasons in the 1980s and 90s. This is exactly the kind of year it could happen. Will it? Odds are, probably not. But college football has a way of changing trajectories and regressing things back to a mean. It's been a long time since we've seen a market correction in this rivalry.

Saturday, December 14: Army (70 entries) vs. Navy (one entry) - Ben eluded to the bowl eligibility that Army is fighting towards. Navy is hoping to have an AAC West crown by the time this is played. It's America's Game. One of college football's greatest traditions. You should watch.

WILL YOUR TEAM BE SMOKING ONE OR PLAYING IN ONE COME DECEMBER?

Photo by JMUSports.com

RECORDS MEAN NOTHING

Photo by Butch Dill, Associated Press

DRELLICHICK

Photo by USA Today Sports/Sooners Wire

December 10- Scores are being audited, bowl slots are being filled and the collective thinking amongst the BAMF creators is "can anyone catch Drell?" Going into Championship weekend, he was dominating the Leaderboard, holding eight of the top ten spots. The closest non-Drell sheets came from Anna Rose and In Day We Trust, only seven and eight points off the lead respectively and hoping for some upsets.

But Championship weekend went mostly according to plan and Drell's top sheet (Drell-7) secured six conference champions (Clemson, OSU, LSU, App St, FAU and Memphis) and landed 3/4 spots in the College Football Playoff. It could end up being about as dominant a sheet we've seen in the history of BAMF.

There is some hope though, as winning bowl games is not guaranteed and some teams are losing coaches to higher paying jobs before the bowls have been played (App State and Memphis for instance). Also, the FCS Playoffs could throw a small wrench into this if another team other than Drell's James Madison takes home title. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it is fading fast.

Army and Navy still have to play, but in the coming week or two we'll be outlining bowl positioning and make sense of who still has a shot at winning this thing.

Developing...

JINXY CATS

Photo by Mike McCarn, Associated Press

Photo by Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Photo by Gerald Herbert, Associated Press

Photo by Adam Richins, USA Today Sports

September 29 - Wake Forest has shaped our Leaderboard maybe more than any other team in the pool. The Demon Deacons are 5-0, +7 after a win at Boston College on Friday and Junior Quarterback Jamie Newman could lead them to an historic season in Winston Salem. Even with tough road games at Clemson and Syracuse, Wake could win 10 games for just the second time in program history. (For reference, they have six 10-loss seasons). Newman leads the ACC in yards, touchdowns, and QB rating. He's even thrown for more yard (1,521 to 1,520) than Joe Burrow.

Bug leads the pool for the third straight week despite a week where two of his teams didn't play and three suffered a loss. He can credit Wake for that pole position. Second place In Day We Trust is actually a point up on him in all other groups besides Sister Kissers. 10 of the other 17 sheets with Wake are within 10 points of Bug's leading 49. Dobsonfly is one of those, four off the lead despite -2 FIU. Love Those Hawkeyes, Sean Bell, and TylerKing2 were each +13 this week. They have a lot in common, including two idle teams, but three separate Wild Cards. Tyler's Arkansas State Red Wolves earned +2 in a wild finish on the road at Troy. Altogether 40 sheets scored in double-figures, high considering 13 listed teams didn't play. Half of Infinity Stones and Fool Me Twice were off! Douglas Welch is one of four sheets at +45 and has scored in double-figures each week since going just +2 opening weekend. His other sheet can finish in the money, but in the DFL sweepstakes at just +17, one point ahead of Megan Gators.

The Good

- A perfect entry would be Clemson, Ohio State, Florida/LSU, Appy State, Baylor/Iowa/Wisconsin, Utah State, Wake, Auburn, JMU/Kennesaw/North Dakota State, and Minnesota. It'd be +57.

- Minnesota Freshman QB Tanner Morgan was 21/22 for 396 yards and 4 TD in Gophers' 38-31 win at Purdue. They're 4-0 with each victory by 7 points or fewer. Bowl eligibility is all but assured but the schedule is backloaded with Penn State, at Iowa, and Wisconsin in November.

- SMU is 5-0 and ranked for the first time since they got the death penalty in 1987. No shame in their September schedule scaring us, but we could've had a +8 Wild Card heading into October. They are averaging 44+ points per game and have road wins at Arkansas State, TCU, and USF. Ponies also just one of four teams that are undefeated against the spread.

- Louisiana is also 5-0 against the spread and 4-1 overall. Hat tip to Stardiff Stauffs entry for being the only sheet ragin' with the Cajuns. They have the biggest point differential in the Sun Belt by far and lead the league in points for (222) and against (107). Next two games are huge: Appy State on 10/9 and then at Arkansas State.

- Auburn is picking steam. They needed just 2:15 for three first quarter TD drives on their way to a 42-9 halftime lead and 56-23 victory. Five sheets have both them and Florida and will be rooting for the road Tigers when they play next weekend.

- Wake Forest converted 17 of 24 third downs. Only about a third of those were longer than 3rd & 5.

- Hawaii quarterbacks went a combined 31/36, 373, 5-0 in 54-3 rout of Nevada.

- North Carolina going for two and the lead late against Clemson.

The Bad

- North Carolina's play call on 2-point try late against Clemson.

- Stanford needed a field goal with a second left to beat Oregon State after the Beavers scored three times in the 4th quarter.

- Iowa State is 2-2 and sitting at 0 points in the pool. Their two losses are by a combined three points. They stormed back at Baylor on Saturday but a frosh Bear kicker nailed the game-winner with 21 seconds left. Cyclones could very easily be leading their group with +5.

The Ugly

- Maryland got shut out by Penn State 59-0. They've been outscored 79-17 the last two weeks after putting up 142 the first two.

- 11 Wild Card teams are in the red through the first month. Six of those have just one pick, but -1 North Texas is dragging down 13 sheets. There's a lot of football left, but if the Mean Green get blown out at Southern Miss in Week 6 they could be on bowl watch. USF is one of those single-sheet picks and has lost 10 straight against FBS opponents.

ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN

Photo by Ben Gleason, Tennessee Journalist

October 7 - Every year someone in BAMF finishes outside the money because of one pick. I thought I could use this update to highlight some of the 2019 season lowlights in each group.

IneVitable - No Anchors here. Clemson and Alabama are still on a collision course in the Playoff.

Transfer Portal - With 3 of the teams in this group undefeated, it doesn't take much to be the disappointment here. Washington is at +3 after their 2 losses, including this weekend's bad loss at Stanford. Frankly, the way the Pac-12 is you could see every team losing at least 3 times in conference play. Michigan is also at +3 with only a loss on the road to Wisconsin. They should get an easy 2 points on Saturday when they visit Illinois.

Infinity Stones - UCF is the only 2 loss team in the group with +3 points. You hate to see it. They have a bye week then get East Carolina at home.

Fool Me Once - Iowa State at +1 will have to fight to find 3 more wins to get a bowl bid. They need at least one win in their next three games (@WVU, @TxT and OKSt) if they have a realistic shot.

Fool Me Twice - Miami of Florida (I will use that phrase because both "Miami of" schools are at -1) is not a good football team. USA Today's Dan Wolken wrote after VT's 42-35 win over the Hurricanes, "they should have just taken their infamous turnover chain and gifted it to the Hokies the same way they did everything else."

Wanna Bet? - FIU is another team at -1. I do see the Panthers getting into the positive points with homes games against Charlotte and UTEP.

Sister Kissers - Two bad -3 teams from the Big 10 take Anchor "honors" in this group. Northwestern and Purdue both have similarly difficult schedules to end the season. Unless a miracle occurs, neither team makes a bowl. I give Northwestern the edge to finish with more points due to the fact they host Purdue and get to play an even worse team in UMass.

Never Be Closing - Just when it can't get any worse to be a Tennessee football fan you get a week like the last week with the Jeremy Banks videos and a whipping at the hands of Georgia. They stand at -3 in BAMF and will be lucky if they get 4 wins this season.

For FCS Sake - Eastern Washington at -2 is a real Anchor around the neck of those with them on their sheet. They just dropped out of the FCS Top 25 rankings and have a difficult route to the FCS Playoffs as they will most likely need to win their last 6 games.

Wild Card - Northern Illinois stands at 1-4 and -3 in BAMF. The defending MAC Champions just lost the Bronze Stalk Trophy to "rival" Ball State for the first time in a decade. The Huskies are dead last in the MAC West. They are a better team than their record, 3 of the losses are @Utah, @Nebraska and @Vanderbilt. But Saturday's loss to the Cardinals made the road to another conference title game that much harder.

WAKE CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR TAKE

Photo by Chris Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

October 20 - In successive weeks, a Top Ten team was defeated by an unranked conference opponent with a losing record. First in Week 7 it was South Carolina upsetting #3 Georgia on the road in a game that looked as if neither team wanted to win in the end. Questionable coaching decisions and missed field goals, the last by usually reliable 77 year-old Rodrigo Blankenship for UGA to hand the victory to the Gamecocks.

Yesterday it was Wisconsin's turn. Don't say we didn't warn you! We put the Badgers in Fool Me Twice for this very reason. They always, always, always, always, always, always find a way to sweep the rug out from under you. Illinois was down nine with six minutes to play and came roaring back, (thanks to some very bad plays by Wisconsin) setting the stage for Illini kicker James McCourt to drill a 39-yarder right down Broadway.

All in all, these two upsets affected 107 entries with Georgia, 27 entries with Wisconsin and six of the poor saps who happened to have both.

But that's not all! Let's do a BAMF run down shall we?

IneVitable

• No change here; Clemson (+10) and Alabama (+9) keep winning.

• Tiger QB Trevor Lawrence hasn't looked that great and leads the ACC in interceptions thrown.

• Tide QB Tua Tagovailoa was injured against Tennessee and will be out 1-2 weeks, but they play hapless Arkansas and get a bye week before that would become an issue.

Transfer Portal

• Ohio State (+10) and Oklahoma (+9) lead the charge and their QBs Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts will both probably be in NYC for the Heisman ceremony in December unless something drastic takes place.

• Every other team in the group has at least one loss.

• Georgia's (+7) offense looks pedestrian even with all of their athletes. At one point on Saturday Jake Fromm was 8/10 for 28 yards passing. They're still in Playoff contention, but they have a lot of work to do.

• Notre Dame (+5) and Michigan (+4) play next week in Ann Arbor, where a 3rd loss for Michigan would be a backbreaker and you might here some boo birds.

• And we may have overrated Washington (+4) a tad. Chris Petersen hasn't been able to capitalize on the Playoff berth from a few years ago.

Infinity Stones

• It's hard not to be impressed with what LSU (+10) and Joey Burrow are doing down in Baton Rouge. They look like a completely different team. Burrow has already broken the LSU record for passing TDs in a season and we have half the season left to play.

• Florida's (+8) loss to LSU last week looks better and better, and if Georgia doesn't get their crap together the Gators are probably going to walk away with SEC East.

• Oregon (+7) looked really, really good beating Washington on the road and have all but wrapped up the PAC-12 North. However there are some weird games coming up, including trips to USC and surprisingly tough Arizona State.

• Boise State (+7) was the front runner for the Group of Five New Year's Six Bowl slot until last night. And they would have gotten away with it too if not for those pesky Mormons of BYU (said in a Scooby Doo villain voice).

• Utah (+7) is still chugging along and needs USC to lose a couple more times to feel comfortable about winning the PAC-12 South. Their toughest remaining game is a trip to Washington in early November. A double-digit win season is a very likely outcome for the Utes.

• UCF (+4) has issues. They were up 35-6 at half against ECU and let them slowly crawl back into it. A trip to Temple next week will determine whether the Knights still have a shot at the AAC crown.

Fool Me Once

• With the the Boise State loss, Appalachian State (+8) and Cincinnati (+7) are now the favorites for the NY6 bowl slot. App State could be undefeated heading into their road game against Power 5 foe South Carolina and probably will have at least 10 wins this year, maybe more. Cincinnati should be 9-1 heading into late November games against Temple and Memphis.

• UAB (+7) continues to be the team nobody notices. A loss to WKU puts them at second place in the West Division of C-USA, but they do host leader Louisiana Tech in November. Watch out for the Blazers next week though. They travel to Knoxville and could get Tennessee HC Jeremy Pruitt fired with a win over the Vols.

• Iowa State (+5) still has the meat of their Big 12 schedule to go, including a trip to Oklahoma.

• Points will be at a premium for Virginia (+4) the rest of the way, as they only have two remaining road games. Being one game away from bowl eligibility is a great place to be for UVA though, who hasn't had that luxury in recent years.

• Army (0) has lost three straight and making a bowl is not guaranteed. With UMass and VMI still on the schedule, the Black Knights should get to at least five wins. However trips to Air Force and Hawaii, along with the annual showdown with Navy will prove whether or not Army can bowl once again.

Fool Me Twice

• Baylor (+10) took home the least selections in the group (only 11 entries), but as of today they're probably the front runner to challenge Oklahoma in the Big 12. They play West Virginia and TCU the next two games, both of which who are struggling, so they should be 9-0 before hosting Oklahoma and Texas in successive weeks.

• Wisconsin (+6) still has the toughest parts of their schedule to go, including a trip to Ohio State next week and sneaky good Minnesota in the finale.

• Texas (+4) and Iowa (+4) are probably both headed for at least 8-9 wins, which isn't bad but both had higher expectations for 2019.

• Ohio (0) and Miami (-1) have a long ways to go to get to bowl eligibility. Both were expected to win their respective conference divisions. FOOL ME.

Wanna Bet?

• This is the most competitive group so far. Competitive doesn't necessarily mean good.

• Utah State (+3) sits at 4-2 and has the most shots at bowl eligibilty, but it will be a tough road ahead. Four of their remaining games are against conference foes still in contention to win the league. Another one is against BYU. Nothing is guaranteed.

• Texas A&M (+2) has played the toughest schedule in the country so far, with three losses to Top Ten teams (Clemson, Auburn and Alabama). They'll likely be playing two more when they travel to Georgia and LSU later this year. Hopefully they'll be bowl eligible by then.

• Washington State (+2) broke a three game losing streak on Saturday, but still has upcoming trips to Oregon, Cal and Washington.

  • FIU, Fresno State and Troy all sit at +1 and will need to go on winning streaks to break the mold of how 2019 is playing out.

Sister Kissers

• Wake Forest (+7) currently sits as the second best team in the ACC. Only 18 entries have the Demon Deacons and about half of those are within 15 points of the lead. They probably won't make it to the ACC Championship game with a trip to Clemson still to play, but they've already made bowl eligibility and have potential for more BAMF points with three remaining road games.

• Tulane (+4) is already having their best season of the last 20+ years, but in order to win the division or conference they'll need to upset a lot of teams along the way. A 5-2 start could unfortunately turn into a 6-6 or 7-5 finish.

• Cal and FAU both sit at +3 and are going in opposite directions. Cal started 4-0, but has lost three straight. FAU started o-2 before rattling off four straight wins. FAU probably has the easier schedule the rest of the way, but Cal's defense is good enough to keep them in any game (20th in ppg allowed).

• Both of the Big Ten West Division members of this group, Purdue (-3) and Northwestern (-4), are pretty bad and need major upsets and turnarounds to get to bowl eligibility.

Never Be Closing

• Death, Taxes and San Diego State (+9) going to bowl games. The Aztecs have reached bowl eligibility in every season that Rocky Long has been head coach. They're already one win away from matching last year's seven win total.

• Auburn and Louisiana Tech are +7 each and in contention for their division titles. Auburn needs help after dropping a game to Florida, but if they beat LSU and Alabama outright it won't matter (big ifs). Louisiana Tech leads the West Division of C-USA and has an average margin of victory of 18.6 points in their six wins.

• Don't let the point outbursts against Indiana and Northwestern fool you, Michigan State (+2) has a terrible offense. Sitting at 4-3 overall and with Michigan and Penn State still on the schedule, it's absolutely possible to see the Spartans not making a bowl game.

• TCU (+1) has a pretty bad offense too. A team that was once thought to be a Big 12 contender now has to find three wins among Texas, at Oklahoma State, Baylor, at Texas Tech, at Oklahoma and West Virginia to get bowl eligible. In 20 years with Gary Patterson as it's coach, the Horned Frogs have only missed a bowl twice. Three is probably going to happen.

• Sigh...Tennessee (-3). As previously mentioned, a loss to UAB probably gets coach Pruitt fired. Actually it's entirely possible they go winless the rest of the way. Where do the Vols go from here?

For FCS Sake

• James Madison (+10), North Dakota State (+9), Kennesaw State (+8), South Dakota State (+7) and maybe Montana State (+5) look poised for the FCS Playoffs. Everyone else is up in the air.

• The biggest disappointments of the group so far have been Maine (-2), Eastern Washington (-1) and UC Davis (2).

• Over 70% of the picks in this group went to James Madison or North Dakota State, so one of two scenarios is in play. If they both continue to win most of the Leaderboard is happy. But if one or both loses, or a one-off like Kennesaw State makes a big run, things could get really interesting come FCS Playoff time. The further these teams advance, the more points they score for your BAMF entry.

Wild Cards

• The leading Wild Cards at the moment are both in the Big Ten. Minnesota (+10) is surprising everyone and after Wisconsin's loss this weekend, they have a legitimate shot at winning the Big Ten West Division. At the very least, Minnesota hasn't won more than seven games since 2016 and haven't won double-digit games since 2003. Minnesota has never won a division title, hasn't shared a conference title since 1967 and hasn't won an outright conference title since 1941. Historic times could be afoot for PJ Fleck's Gophers.

• The other Big Ten team is Penn State (+9), who outlasted Michigan Saturday night after going up 21-0 in the first half. The Lions will make or break their season on November 23rd when they travel to Columbus, but with the win over Michigan out of the way you can probably pencil them in for a NY6 Bowl barring a major upset.

• Memphis (+7) is the next best Wild Card and sits in a battle for the AAC West. They've already beat Tulane and Navy, but still have SMU, Houston and Cincinnati to deal with.

• The last one worth mentioning for now is Louisiana-Lafayette. Sitting at +6 and leading the Sun Belt West Division, they have most of their tough conference opponents out of the way. If all goes as expected, they should set themselves up for a rematch with Appalachian State in the conference championship game.

Leaderboard

• Week 7 Winners: In the Money 3 and Toucan Sam split the week at +12.

• Week 8 Winner: Jeremy Sommer 1 took home the outright win at +15, aided by seven road wins. He can thank the three-point swing that Oregon provided with their comeback win at Washington.

• Seventy-nine other entries recorded double-digit scores in Week 8.

• Overall, Gremlin has the lead at +74, but there are 30 entries within ten points of the lead. It seems like whichever team breaks through in Wanna Bet? will be the difference. That is the major group holding the top entries back.

• BAMF participant Andrew Elliott has the honor of the most entries by a single person, and it's paying off so far. Nine of his entries are within ten points of the lead and three of them are in the top four.

• Chops has the most interesting sheet near the top at +69 (nice). Even with a bad West Virginia selection as a Wild Card, the entry is benefiting from Clemson, Ohio State, LSU and Baylor all being +10. It's extremely unlikely to happen, but it is possible all four of them go to the College Football Playoff. Two would be great, three would be amazing and four would all but hand Chops the BAMFv15 title. Even if it doesn't happen and Baylor keeps winning, they may all be locks for NY6 bowls.

• Still TONS of football to be played.

THE ANCHORS

Photo by Marco Garcia, AP

August 26 - We sit just over three days from this year's entry deadline and are about 25% ahead of last year's pace when we ended up with more than 250 sheets. Our groups aren't as balanced as past volumes in terms of Vegas win totals, but the picks that are rolling in are are spread out pretty evenly. The least balance on first glance is actually Inevitable. 24 different Wild Cards from nine conferences have already been submitted. Four unlisted FCS teams have been written in For FCS Sake! Villanova isn't one of them, but you can strike while the iron's hot and pick up the Wildcats who would be +2 after beating #14 Colgate on Saturday. Speaking of FCS, this is from The Athletic's Stewart Mandel: "There were four FCS-over-FBS upsets in Week 1 last season. You know there are going to be more. Here are a few possibilities: FCS preseason No. 2 team James Madison at rebuilding West Virginia; Dan Hawkins' fifth-ranked UC Davis team (which beat San Jose State last year) at Cal; No. 4 South Dakota State at Minnesota on Thursday night; and No. 14 Colgate at Air Force."

We didn't learn a lot from the two Week 0 FBS games. Both were pretty ugly. This is how overall yardage stacked up in the opener: Florida 306, Miami 301, penalties 218. It seemed no team wanted to win that game in the 4th quarter. Besides Florida's defense (10 sacks, 16 tackles for loss) I don't think there was a ton to help inform your picks. Hawaii showed up as a Wild Card pick before Saturday's game against Arizona and it paid off. The Rainbow Warriors committed six turnovers but stopped Khalil Tate at the 1 with 0:00 on the clock to seal a 7-point win. A few notes:

- Follow on twitter @BAMF_CFB. We didn't use it a ton last year but plan on retweeted news, info, and scoring updates for the pool.

- Braden's tweeted about different strategies. Same conference, Group of 5, conference favorites for that extra +3, and even colors. Some of the color-themed sheets actually look pretty damn strong. I've used easy beginning schedule, easy ending schedule, my heart, and my head. I've even done a sheet of teams I hate because you know how the whole sports universe can be against you.

- Venmo is available in Braden's contact info.

- We need to get a map of the United States and drop pins from everywhere we get entries from. Besides the obvious so far we have Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.

- Pass along to any friends and family that would want to play!

Good luck finalizing those picks this week!

A-MAGIC?

Photos by Braden Yoder

Post by Braden Yoder

August 27 - College football, in all of it's glory and history, is by far the most exciting and ridiculous sport I have ever watched. Since I first laid eyes on the TV screen tuned into the 1993 Rose Bowl and Tyrone Wheatley running wild for Michigan over Washington, I was hooked. Most of my early memories involved those Michigan Wolverines, but there was always something in me that said "there is more out there."

So when BAMF Creator Ben Clark approached me about playing BAMF for the first time, I was ecstatic. Finally, a fantasy type league that I understood: the chaos and the beauty that is college football. Finally, a way for me to watch college football but enjoy the fact that maybe, just maybe, a botched penalty call by a PAC-12 ref matters. Finally, being able to understand that in 2007, Kentucky AND South Florida can be ranked in the Top 10 at the same time and a god-awful Pitt team can somehow spoil West Virginia's National Championship hopes. Finally, a pool where I can root for the God damn University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners.

This game...this pool...that we bust our ass for every summer (really all year) has made me a better college football fan. I've said many times I don't have a favorite team and that's because I mostly love ALL OF THEM (except Ohio State...call it jealous Older Brother syndrome for graduating from THE first Ohio school in the state).

My lifetime goal is to see a game in every FBS level college stadium. My brother Evan and I got to see Autzen Stadium, home of the University of Oregon Ducks (pictured above), last year and it's been my favorite so far. I've seen the Big House in Ann Arbor. I've seen the "i" dotted in Columbus. I've heard the MIZ-ZOU chant in Columbia, MO. I've witnessed a Duck on a Harley. I owe that to BAMF.

I think my favorite part of this pool is the fact that I help create this thing every year and I've never won. You'd think with all the research I do, the preseason magazines I purchase, and the articles I read about the impact of transfers and coaching changes that I might actually have a leg up in this thing! WRONG. I don't believe I've even come close, frankly.

But I keep coming back. Because it's a way for me to enjoy this sport on a deeper level. No other sport can enjoy 100,000+ spectators every Saturday. No other sport has winged helmets. No other sport has an Alabama fan so crazy and addicted to his team that he poisoned trees of his rival. No other sport has the Holy War. No other sport has a buffalo...a live freaking buffalo...run on its field during the pregame. No other sport has a hashtag that defines your ineptitude as a team (#Clemsoning, before they were Dabo). No other sport has a coach named after a character from Tombstone.

So come, stay awhile, make a few picks for teams you don't normally root for. I hear those Horned Frogs from TCU may be due for a comeback. But don't take my word for it...

AS DEADLINE APPROACHES,

DON'T COME UP SHORT

Photo by David Calvert, USA Today

August 31 - A huge thank you to everyone that filled out a sheet for this year's pool. Thanks for playing, passing it on, or giving it a shot if this is your first year. The last 24 hours leading up to the deadline were crazy and we have a BAMF-high 280 sheets! Entries will be emailed and posted on the site very soon. Double-check your picks to make sure everything is good. Also, let us know if you know any emails we're missing. Once we get rolling pretty much everything will go through the website and we won't be sending a lot of emails. An updated paid list will go up at the end of the weekend with the first write-up and leaderboard. The high score for the week will also get $5! We'll probably just email to get PayPal or Venmo information on Monday or Tuesday so we can get that out pronto.

It's not even noon on Saturday and we almost had our first FCS upset and +3 game in BAMF history with Minnesota barely escaping South Dakota State on Thursday night 28-21. That's a sign that the FCS group is going to add a lot of excitement to the pool this year, especially in those FBS matchups and when the playoffs come in late November. We also got a walk-off with Nevada's freshman kicker drilling a 56-yard field goal at the gun to beat Purdue. Shoutout to Dave Vidourek (Pollack13 entry) for being a one-man Wolfpack, the only sheet with Nevada.

Good luck this weekend and this season - it's going to be an all-timer!

WHY I'M A BAMF LIFER

Photo by Ronald Martinez, Getty Images

* Updated - an earlier version had incorrectly given +2 to Mississippi State for a neutral site win. That affected the top of the leaderboard and has been corrected.

September 2 - Week 1 was a rough one for the PAC-12. In position for a much needed signature win for the conference, Oregon was outscored 21-7 in the second half and lost a heartbreaker to 16-Auburn. True freshman QB Bo Nix will always be remembered for the winning touchdown pass with :09 remaining, and not for going 13/31 with two interceptions. The 54 sheets with the Tigers only care about the +1, I'm sure. Despite the thrilling win over Oregon, SEC fans might also need a stiff drink. Missouri lost 37-31 at Wyoming in Kelly Bryant's debut, Ole Miss fell 15-10 at Memphis, South Carolina lost to rival North Carolina, and Tennessee, in the coup de gras, went down to Sun Belt basement-dweller Georgia State 38-30.

Luckily those bad losses don't affect that many sheets in the pool. Check out the Statshot to see the breakdown of picks for v14. The most popular sheet would have Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Appalachian State, Texas, Texas A&M, FAU, San Diego State and North Dakota State, with a Wild Card of Memphis. Leading picks in Fool Me Twice and For FCS Sake don't surprise us, but the margin of Clemson over Alabama in the top group is shocking. Clemson was chosen on 196 of 280 sheets, 70%. A sheet with the least popular picks would be Alabama, Notre Dame, Florida, UAB, Baylor, Utah State, Tulane, Tennessee, and UC Davis.

We have just one game to go (Notre Dame at Louisville) this week, but it doesn't affect the top of the Leaderboard. Eric Detzel is one of the nine sheets at +11, and could have taken the top spot this week if Purdue hadn't last at Nevada on that 56-yarder at the gun. Thomas Becker is the only one in that group up top that got +2 from a Virginia win at Pitt. Dave Vidourek and Tom Paolucci, +9, are the top sheets with Notre Dame, and Dave's entry had a crazy Week 1. He had Boise (36-31 over FSU) and Wake (38-35 over Utah State) win in comeback fashion and Nevada in that walk-off. Had his Jackrabbits of South Dakota State pull off the upset at Minnesota, that +3 would've put him on top. That is the kind of stuff that makes this pool and this sport so exciting!

The Good

• Freshman quarterbacks were unbelievable, leading 4th quarter comebacks for Auburn, Boise State, North Carolina, and Nevada. Boise's Hank Bachmeier was 30/51 for 407 yards in his debut. Will the trend continue for USC's Kedon Slovis who takes over for JT Daniels, who tore his ACL against Fresno?

• For FCS Sake got just 3 wins from our 10 teams, but near upsets by South Dakota State and James Madison should help create some excitement for our picks. UC Davis also hung in for a while at Cal.

• Texas and LSU were the most popular picks in their groups, lit it up on Saturday, and will meet in Week 2 in Austin. LSU QB Joe Burrow and Texas' Sam Ehlinger threw a combined 9 TD without an interception this week. So much for looking ahead.

• We already mentioned Vidourek's Nevada, but single-pick Wild Card North Carolina and Boston College got huge wins in Week 1. Tip of the cap to John Wood and Lindsay Fleming (The Football Zoo) for those against the grain picks.

• Army, with 70 picks in Fool Me Once, scored the game-winning TD against Rice on just their 3rd completion of the game. It capped an 18 play, 96 yard drive that took 9:21.

• Hugh Freeze. In a hospital bed. In the coaching box. Meme immortality.

The Bad

• San Diego State appears on a group-high 79 sheets, but managed just 238 total yards in a 6-0 win over FCS opponent Weber State. Aztecs better get on track because the last 1/3 of their schedule is tough (Nevada, Fresno, at Hawaii, BYU).

• For the uninitiated, a 3-point swing is losing a road game your team could or should have won. Going -1 instead of +2 this week are Utah State, Purdue, Virginia Tech, and Missouri. Yours truly had two of those, plus Oregon and sit in DFL at -1.

The Ugly

• Jacksonville State, ranked as high as 6th in FCS preseason polls, getting upset 35-14 to Southeastern Louisiana. Nine people went off the list in For FCS Sake to pick the Gamecocks.

• Tennessee's worst loss in program history. After a field goal to get within a point early in the 4th quarter, the Vol offense went fumble, interception, and then a turnover on downs before a meaningless TD with :02 remaining.

AND WE'RE OFF!

Photo by Eric Gay, AP

September 9 - Not since Rohan Davey in the 2002 Sugar Bowl had an LSU player thrown for over 400 yards against an AP ranked opponent until Joe Burrow did on Saturday night in Austin. Heck, he's only the third LSU QB in their history to throw for over 400 yards. After an early tipped ball INT, Burrow torched the young Texas secondary going 31-39 for 471 yards and 4 TDs in the Tigers' new spread offense. Sam Ehlinger was just as electric for the Horns, but two early goal line stands by the LSU defense proved to be the difference in the ball game.

With that Texas loss, half the pool (140/280) was disappointed on Saturday night. But probably not as disappointed as the 12 entries who selected Washington and woke up Sunday morning to find out 2019's first #PAC12AfterDark episode was the Huskies losing at home 20-19 to upstart Cal. Cal and Wake Forest now lead Sister Kissers at +3. The most picks in that group went to FAU who is now -2 after playing Ohio State and UCF. The Owls and your entries are impatiently waiting for conference play to begin.

UAB and Virginia combined to take home only 25 entries in Fool Me Once, but both lead that group at +3. Army would have joined them had they not barely missed a FG at the end of regulation in Ann Arbor. That's two years in a row that the Black Knights have taken a Top 10 team to OT and scared the bejesus out their respective fan bases.

One of the most popular Wild Card picks was Nebraska. Had you seen the stadium in Boulder, CO on Saturday you would have thought they were playing a home game. They were not. It was all for naught though, as the Buffaloes denied the Cornhuskers a road win, pulling out a 34-31 win in OT. The best Wild Cards right now? Try Illinois, Minnesota and Oklahoma State. We'll see how long that lasts.

Toucan Sam is loving that Minnesota pick right now, as he was the outright winner of Week 2 at +13 and is tied for the overall lead with Ty Wright 1 at +21. Tex Gon Give It To Ya and Tom Paoucci 3 are at +20 and there is a 4-way tie at +19 between Bug, Mike Kammerer 1, Seth Shankle and Vanhallen. The Leaderboard is bound to change, as 11 of the top 13 entries all have different Wild Cards. How's that for parity?

The Good

• With Washington going down and Oregon losing in their opener, the chances for the PAC-12 to make the playoff are dwindling. One of the lone bright spots has been Utah (41 selections in Infinity Stones), who drubbed rival BYU in Week 1 and soundly beat NIU on Saturday. They get one more tune up against Idaho State before traveling to Los Angeles to play USC.

• San Diego State picked up the most selections in Never Be Closing and didn't look the part after a lethargic 6-0 victory in Week 1 over Weber State. But the Aztecs picked up their fifth win over the PAC-12 in four years on Saturday with a road win at UCLA. Just put them in the damn league already.

• UC Davis bounced back with a win at San Diego, and are currently the only other For FCS Sake participant other than North Dakota State with positive points. That's definitely going to change soon.

• Even with Texas losing, Dazin had the biggest jump of the week going from +5 to +16, with the help of road wins by Cal, San Diego State and UC Davis.

The Bad

• Like Nebraska, Syracuse was picked by a lot of entries for their Wild Card. Also like Nebraska, Syracuse lost on Saturday...but not quite the same fashion. The Orange were stomped by Maryland 63-20, in what I can only describe as them looking ahead to their home game against Clemson.

• Last year, Texas A&M took Clemson to the brink in a closely fought battle in College Station. This year the Aggie defense did more than their fare share, holding the prolific Tiger offense to only 24 points. But the Aggie offense was nowhere to be found most of the day, running for only 53 yards and QB Kellen Mond not providing enough electric plays. The schedule only gets tougher from here, as Texas A&M hosts both Auburn and Alabama in the next few weeks.

• Mason Fine was most definitely "not fine" on Saturday, as North Texas lost on the road at SMU. Fine was a pedestrian 17-32 for only 152 yards and the Mean Green defense did them no favors. Former Texas QB Shane Buechele led the Ponies with 3 TD passes and no picks.

The Ugly

• FAU, FIU, Florida State, Miami and USF are a combined "not so Sunshine State" 1-9. Technically you could take four of those on your sheets at one time. I hope you did not.

• Really, Cincinnati? Can't put one freaking point on the board against Ohio State?

• LOL Tennessee. New coach countdown has begun in Knoxville. Luckily most of you were smart to stay away from them in Never Be Closing (only 12 selections).

BO NIXES PAC-12 REDEMPTION

Photo by Matt Bush, USA Today

September 15 - The first 3+ weeks of the season has given us almost as many twists and turns as Mississippi State QB Garrett Shrader took on his 4th down scramble. Our top three groups (Inevitable, Transfer Portal, Infinity Stones) are predictably rolling with a combined 38-2 record. The chalk doesn't extend much beyond there, though. Just two of the other six groups are currently led by the most popular pick. Those would be North Dakota State and +5 San Diego State, who has so far reversed last year's late game lethargy and not surrendered a point in the 4th quarter. The only other team at +5 is Oklahoma State, who got just four Wild Card picks. Cal and Wake Forest have been a pleasant surprise for the 39 of us that chose them in Sister Kissers. Included in their combined 6-0 record are wins over UC Davis, Washington, Utah State, North Texas, and North Carolina.

Kansas State, SMU, and Wyoming are early contenders for a v15 Fool Me Once group. The schedule gets real next week (K-State at Oklahoma State, SMU at TCU), but each is off to a 3-0 start and would be +4 on our sheets had we picked them as a Wild Card. That is better than almost 2/3 of the sheets within 10 points of the lead. Cooper is working on an FCS roundup, but we all may have missed the boat on Towson and Villanova. Both are 3-0 and would be the only FCS teams +5 through three games. Towson has road wins over The Citadel (who just won at Ga Tech this week) and preseason playoff contender Maine, and Nova was +2 even before the entry deadline. Oh, and they play each other next Saturday. Is anyone else intrigued by an FCS game that has exactly zero impact on this year's pool? This is your brain on BAMF.

Bug has the top spot all to himself after a +16 Week 3. 26 of his 35 points have come the last two weeks. He has an amazing eight teams at +4, including out of the box picks Virginia, Iowa, and Wake Forest. Austin Hirsch is just a point behind and can credit his Minnesota Wild Card pick. The Gophers almost got picked off by South Dakota State in Week 1, and beat Fresno and Georgia Southern by a combined six points. Mike Miller is in third place after a huge jump. He had a solid 16 points through the first two weeks and then exploded for nine road wins and a pool best +17 over the weekend. 4th-quarter comeback wins on the road for Florida and Arizona State accounted for 6-point swing for Miller. Amazing! TBeck is in striking range with 31 points despite a -1 North Texas Wild Card. 154 sheets scored in double-figures this week, but unfortunately we have a two entries under 10 points total. Both of them can get back in the mix when FAU and Houston's schedules settle down a little.

The Good

• Georgia fans had a 'pink out' in honor of Wendy Anderson, the late wife of visiting Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson. Wendy passed away August 19th from cancer. If you feel like starting your week with a good cry, here you go.

• Oklahoma's offense is averaging 677 yards and 56 points per game. Jalen Hurts threw for three TD and ran for 150 yards and another score against UCLA this weekend. The grad transfer has 13 total TD so far.

• Infinity Stones is loaded. The only loss in 18 games for the group was assured when LSU and Oregon played each other Week 1. Boise and UCF are doing Boise and UCF things. The Golden Knights handed Stanford their second worst non-conference loss in the last 10 years. They've scored 30+ points in 29 consecutive games.

• U-S-A! All nine service and military academies that played won this week, including Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, VMI, and The Citadel. Air Force won at Colorado, who was fresh off that huge win over Nebraska.

• FAU gets back to 0 with a road win at Ball State. The Owls were one of the biggest disappointments from v13, and their 0-2 start wasn't unexpected but over 100 of us are glad to get out of the red.

• Eastern Michigan beat Illinois and has three straight B1G wins since going 0-12 as a Wild Card a handful of years ago. I think we had three winless Wild Cards that year, actually. Talk about your all-time backfires. (UCF was another one).

The Bad

• To say Iowa State muffed a punt when they were down 18-17 with under 2:00 to play is an understatement. A Cyclone had the ball bounce off his back as he straight flattened his teammate, Iowa recovered and hung on for their fifth straight Cy-Hawk trophy win.

• Eastern Washington lost 49-45 to Jacksonville State after entering the 4th quarter up 17. That's a tough 3-point swing for the Eagles, but a much needed win for those that picked Jax State after they were upset by Southeast Louisiana in Week 1.

• Florida's chances of winning the SEC East. QB Felipe Franks is lost for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury. The 21 sheets with the Gators got a huge +2 this weekend but likely have no chance for a +3 conference championship.

• The Ohio Bobcats punted to Marshall down 33-31 with 7:45 remaining and never got the ball back. Brutal 3-point swing but four winnable road games remain on the schedule.

The Ugly

• Pitt had a 4th and goal from the Penn State 1 yard line, down 7 with under 5:00 to play. Rivalry game. On the road. And Panther coach Pat Narduzzi elects to try a field goal. The kick was not good. Dave Wannstedt may as well have been coaching. According to ESPN, fourth-and-goal attempts from the 1 yard line since the start of last season have resulted in a touchdown 70% of the time.

• Michigan State lost in even more brutal fashion. A field goal that would have sent the Spartans and ASU Sun Devils to overtime was negated after MSU had 12 men on the field. Mark Dantonio's program-leading 110th victory will have to wait. Awww!

JOE COOL

Photo by Jeffery McWhorter, AP

AUGUST 8 - Group research pages are up! We may be adding some additional rankings in the coming weeks, but you can scope schedules, stats, projected win totals, and more now. Take a close look at the For FCS Sake page. There are probably a dozen teams we could have listed in the group, so that's why we did a top 5 and left it open to pick anyone. There are a bunch of different preseason top 25 lists posted, and there's a good amount of variance. We linked a lot of resources if you're curious about last season or take a gander at Maine, Towson, Jacksonville State or anyone else that is highly rated. North Dakota State has won 7 of 8 national titles but lost their head coach and 15 starters. If they are going to be dethroned, this would be the year. There are lots of other teams that can score you a lot of points in this year's pool. Eastern Washington plays seven road games. Even if they lose at Washington to open the season you're looking at +12 just on those other six games. James Madison has 19 starters back who are hungry to avenge an early playoff exit. They have a +3 opportunity at West Virginia on August 31st. South Dakota State almost knocked off the Bison early last year, and have a clutch kicker named Vinatieri. UC Davis has the best quarterback of the bunch in Jake Maier (364/557; 3,931; 34-10) and 9 starters back on offense. The Aggies beat FBS San Jose State last year. This group is going to be exciting! There are so many possibilities, and having the playoffs in late November/early December is going to be great. If one pick needs a little extra attention this year it's this one.

Some other tips and reminders for v14:

- The Online Entry form and PayPal make everything easier.

- Stay tuned for injuries coming out of training camps.

- Missouri is not eligible for the postseason as of now. They appealed their academic fraud penalties last month, but it's not known if a decision will be made before the season starts. Could be a great Wild Card pick with QB Kelly Bryant, but stay tuned for news on that appeal if you're looking at them.

- The returning leaders on the research pages, especially at QB, aren't necessarily the starters. Check in on position battles if it affects your team.

- Florida-Miami is 5 days before the entry deadline. We decided it would be silly to not accept entries for almost a week with nothing else going on because of one game. Sheets are due three weeks from tonight!

Good luck!

HEY BUDS, LET'S PARTY!