Uconn beats Buffalo

Giles is continues to enjoy his lead after Buffalo lost to Connecticut...can anyone overtake his lead? The time is winding down....

Troy, I'm nipping at your heels. I'll be ahead of you before you know it.

Jill is coming out of obsurity to rank decently, while Lance was making a run of things up until Jan. 2nd, where things have tapered off. Dad Puffer, at one point, shared the lead with Giles. The 2nd half of the bowl season, however, has taken him out of contention. And Scott, who was way out there, had come back nicely, but things have since slowed down.

Well, you can all look at your scores and see who you might be able to tease once you beat them. Even the Robbs can still beat somebody, so there's always hope. Here are the scores, with 3 games remaining:


Giles 173
Rick 153
Alexis and Quinn 151
Kent 146
Troy 125
Ben 115
Marilee 104
Jill 102
Judy 97
Lance 94
Steve 92
Paul 86
Jim 81
Christian 80
Scott 77
Carma 69
Amanda 67
Liz 53
Robbs 39

PAC who?

I am putting up this blog due to my brother-in-law being completely delusional and misguided as to the PAC-10 'strength'. True, they've got a good USC team, but when the rest of the conference is lame, how hard can it be to run the board?

On that note, I've compiled below a comparison of PAC-10 teams, MWC teams, and SEC teams. It's obvious where the better teams play. Even on an off year, the SEC simply has the better teams. Just imagine what it would be like if storied programs (Auburn, Tennessee...heck, even LSU and Georgia had off years and still pounded their bowl game opponents) had a good year? Which is why it's so difficult to play in the SEC....they all beat up on each other, while a team like USC doesn't play anyone, and then claims to be the national champions. Yeah, right.
Teams in the SEC actually have to bring it...all season long.

USC	Utah	Florida
Oregon	TCU	Alabama
Cal	BYU	Ole Miss
Oregon St.	Air Force	Georgia
UCLA	New Mexico	LSU
Arizona St.	UNLV	Vanderbilt
Stanford	San Diego St.	Kentucky
Washington St.	Wyoming	Auburn
Washington	San Diego St.	Arkansas
		South Carolina
		Tennessee

By the way, Kent, where does your USC devotion come from? How come we never hear you say anything about WSU? WSwho? Wuss-U?

And while I am stating here that the SEC is the best football conference, I'm not taking anything away from the MWC. I'm only saying that the PAC-10 is the PAC-1, and that team really only has to play mediocre football, then gear up for a bowl game, and everyone on the west coast joins the bandwagon. Like my brother-in-law.

MWC rocks....even the SEC....WOW!!!

Sorry Kent, but USC played a weak Penn State team. They should have played a real team, like Utah. Utah simply looked great today, beating a very, very good Alabama team. And it wasn't even really in question at any point during the game. Utah put the Smackdown on 'Bama.

Personally, I don't know whether to cheer or be sad. When both of your alma maters' arch-rivals play, who do you cheer for? It's like seeing 2 jerks beat each other up, and not knowing what you're supposed to do.

Anyways, congrats to those who picked Utah. I didn't see that one coming at all.

Giles	168
Alexis and Quinn	153
Rick	148
Kent	141
Troy	120
Ben	110
Marilee	99
Jill	97
Judy	92
Lance	89
Paul	88
Steve	87
Scott	79
Jim	76
Christian	75
Carma	71
Amanda	69
Liz	55
Robbs	41

Kentucky beats ECU!!! Alexis & Quinn on the rise!!!

While Giles is out in the front once again, Alexis and Quinn have continued to inch their way ever closer to the lead. They were the only ones to pick Kentucky to win, which was big for them.

Now if Alabama wins their game, they'll be in the lead. Although the way Utah is playing, I don't know that is going to happen. With 4 minutes left in the 1st quarter, Utah is up 21-0. And they look awesome.

Scores:

Giles	161
Alexis and Quinn	153
Rick	148
Kent	141
Ben	110
Troy	103
Judy	85
Marilee	92
Jill	83
Lance	82
Steve	80
Jim	76
Scott	72
Paul	71
Carma	71
Christian	63
Amanda	62
Robbs	41
Liz	38

The win heard around the Puffer Showdown

Folks, this one changes things. The unthinkable happened in Ole Miss putting the Smackdown on Texas Tech. Then again, the thinking should have reminded you that this is SEC football. Even on an off year for the SEC, they've produced two championship-worthy teams in Florida and Alabama, in additiona to LSU (having a poor year) hammering Georgia Tech, Georgia (having a disappointing season) soundly beating Michigan State, and even conference low-life Vanderbilt beating storied Boston College. While some other conferences may not get as much attention as they deserve (MWC is the prime example), there is just no way around it -- SEC football is the best in the nation.

So there was a shakeup at the top after the 1st game today:

Giles	161
Rick	148
Alexis and Quinn	146
Kent	141
Ben	110
Troy	103
Judy	85
Marilee	84
Jill	83
Lance	82
Steve	80
Jim	76
Scott	72
Paul	71
Carma	71
Christian	63
Amanda	62
Robbs	41
Liz	38

Alexis and Quinn are drawing ever closer to the crown. Go kids!!!

Lame!!!

You guys, I can see when you get on the blog. You leave comments about 1/10th of the time. Lame-os!!!

Down to the wire

The scores: Rick 148, Kenty-boy 141, Giles 138, Alexis & Quinn 118, Troy 103, Ben 87, Judy 85, Marilee 84, Jill 83, Lance 82, Steve 80, Jim 76, Scott 72, Paul 71, Carma 71, Christian 63, Amanda 62, Robbs 41, Liz 38.

Here we are with just 7 games left (and after tomorrow there will only be 4 remaining games). Rick, Kent and Giles appear to be headed for a photo finish. Personally, I'm rooting for Alexis and Quinn for the win from behind. They are within striking distance and it would be hilarious to see them take the cake. Troy remains a contender as well.

The rest of us appear to be headed towards bragging rights. That's not to say that we don't have a chance, it's only to say that there would have to be some very crazy things happening to pull the leaders down. It'd take too long for me to summarize the possibilities for everyone, but I'll try to summarize things for the top 5 contenders (what could happen tomorrow):

Utah beats Bama (it's not gonna happen): A Utah win is good for Giles and Troy, bad for Kent, Rick, Alexis/Quinn. But folks, Utah is not going to win this game. As much as I'd like the MWC to get more respect, Bama is a lot better than Utah this year.

Mississippi vs. Texas Tech: A Mississippi win is very, very good (worth at least 23 points) for Giles and Alexis, whereas the other leaders have chosen Texas Tech. Giles, I think this is your riskiest pick of the showdown ((I predict this game will either be tight, or it will be a blowout by Texas Tech. I picked Mississippi, too, but I ain't gonna win this thing)

East Carolina vs. Kentucky: Only Alexis/Quinn have chosen Kentucky. And if Kentucky wins, I'm going to have a really good laugh.

I'll start teaching Alexis how to talk trash. Perhaps the Puffer brothers can help Quinn do the same. I'd like to see him strut, too.

Scores after USC game

So USC won their game. Whoop-dee-doo. If you didn't see that one coming, then I'm sorry, you haven't been watching football. The Big Ten always sports lousy teams that can't cut it.

So after USC's game, Rick is in the lead with 148, Kent has jumped into 2nd with 129, Giles has 123, Troy has 103, Alexis and Quinn have 101, Ben 87, Marilee 84, Lance 82, Steve 80, Jim 76, Scott 72, Paul 71, Jill 71, Judy 70, Christian 63, Amanda 62, Carma 54, Liz 38, and Robbs 29. It appears that the Puffers are poised to retake the throne on the Puffer Bowlgame Challenge.

123, 103, Jill 71, Judy 70, Christian 63

And in the Parker/Puffer challenge, the average Parker score is 86, while the average Puffer score is 79.9. Thanks, Liz.

1/2 way thru Jan. 1st -- the scores

We're 1/2 way through the Jan. 1st games (still have USC/Penn State and Virg. Tech/Cincinatti to be played). Some of you are pulling away from the rest of us. With 8 games left to play, anyone who is going to win (my guess) will likely need to have 100 points or more right now. Perhaps a stunning upset could be pulled by someone in the 75-100 area, but anything less than that I really don't see happening. But you can all vie for your individual spots around those who find themselves near you. Here's where we're at right now:

Rick 143 (your pick on Georgia was huge), Giles 123 (3-for-3 today), Kent 114, Troy 103, Alexis/Quinn 96 (I promise they picked these teams and the spreads themselves), Steve 80, Lance 75 (winning it all could possibly be in reach), Ben 72, Scott 72, Jim 71, Paul 71, Judy 70, Marilee 69, Jill 66, Christian 63, Amanda 62, Carma 54, Liz 38, Robbs 24

By the way, none of the top 7 people have the same teams selected for the remaining 2 games to be played today. I expect there will be some more shuffling by the end of the day.

We have a new leader!!!

You've all seen when Hulk Hogan steps into the ring, waves his hand, and then holds it up to his ear for screams and applause, right? Well Rick can pretty much do the same after his performance today. Flat out, he put the Smackdown on us. Unfortunately, I don't know that Rick has as much spare time on his hands as some contenders, which may require us to use our imagination as to what he might post on this blog.

This was one of those days that changes everything. Anyone who chose Georgia Tech lost 15 points, and anyone who picked LSU got at least 16. That's quite a change in things. But there are still days left for yet another turn around (12 games left, so anything can happen). Here are the scores, ending the year for us in 2008:

Rick 123, Giles 103, Kent 103, Troy 92, Alexis and Quinn 86, Ben 71, Judy 69, Jim 66, Scott 62, Lance 61, Steve 60, Marilee 59, Christian 58, Paul 57, Jill 52, Amanda 46, Carma 40, Liz 37, Robbs 20.

So after 22 bowl games so far, I must ask a few questions:
Robbs: Doing ok and then. . .what happened?
Scott: Keep it up! It'd be awesome if you won!
Lance: Right on Scott's heels and poised to come out of nowhere for the win!
Rick: Where is the crystal ball?
Giles: A question, for the purposes of this blog, is defined as the act of asking; interrogation; inquiry; as, to examine by question and answer. Also defined as examination with reference to a decisive result; investigation; specifically, a judicial or official investigation; also, examination under torture.
Kent: Hey, can I have your Zune?
Jimmy: You're doing great -- a speedbump today, but still doing well!
Alexis and Quinn: Your daddies have taught you well!
Judy: Can you tell him to go to bed?
Carma: I'd be in the lead if I were taking Vita-Lea.
Troy: I'm waiting to see how you devised a way to lose and give your points to Jill on this one...
Marilee: Just because you're so nice and can make instant friends with anyone doesn't mean that you should give it all away here!
Steve: Remember when you were laughing at Scott's score?
Liz: Can you let Steve come out and play? Oh, wait, this is Steve's #2.....entry, that is.
Jill: If you're Jill Puffer Parker, I guess I'll cheer for you. But if it's just Jill Parker, well....hey, way to go Liz!

Let's give it up for Lance!!!!

Ladies and gentleman:

Amidst the banter among us football fans, each one professing their undying devotion to their respective team(s), I invite you all to set aside your allegiances, your differences, your opinions, and acknowledge a true fan. Yes, a fan that may not win it all, who may not put that many points on the board, but whose story truly brings tears to our eyes.

Tonight we recognize my brother, Lance. Some of you may remember Lance as the guy who road a Schwinn bike to school. Who later on in life drove a 1980 Rabbit -- WITH A 1985 GTI ENGINE. Yes, many notable accomplishments in his lifetime. But none can hold a candle in comparison with Lance's spectacular rise from the pits of doom to his present score. Please join me as we step into Lance's shoes for just one brief moment and experience the wild ride that we call Lance's Bowlgame Showdown, 2008.

Day 1
A bright and snowy morning. Flakes fall from the sky. The greater Portland area is enveloped in a winter storm. But at the end of the day, it is a calm storm in comparison to Lance's bowl game stats. That's right, Lance is in the red. Negative 10.
Day 5
A crushing blow sends Lance reeling to negative 13. Negative 13!!! We're talking government bailout numbers here, folks!
Day 11
In an amazing turn of events, Lance has risen to 61 points. That's a rise from 18th place all the way to 10th place -- amazing!!!

So, while some of you will undoubtedly choose to continue the status quo of Bowlgame Showdown, we might all just find a place in our hearts for the guy who may not win it all, but will win all of our hearts. Tonight, we forget the scores and all their meaningless hoopla. Tonight we give it up for Lance.

P.S. (thanks for teaching me how to dance. And no, I never did drive the Rabbit above 23MPH in 1st gear) Love, Ben

Pioneer children talked smack as I traveled, and traveled, and traveled

Now that I'm back in football country, I've realized the effect that being in Oregon had on my football bowlgame selections. It's too bad that I didn't make my selections before leaving, but alas, I digress.

Scott Birk is making the comeback of a lifetime. He's pulled ahead of a few folks. That's not saying much, but for going 0-8 to start out, this is probably like the Oklahoma Thunder winning the NBA championship. Rick and Steve are making similar jumps of their own, and Jim and Christian have been turning it on, too.

And Giles, way to go. I really, really hope that you can keep that lead. I'd be really sorry to see you lose it. Losing the lead now would be like grasping defeat from the jaws of victory. (Kudos to my physiologist...er...psychologist. Sorry, it's my stigma that keeps me from seeing the right keys on the keyboard.)

Giles 75, Rick 73, Steve 70, Christian 68, Jim 64, Paul 62, Kent 61, Troy 61, Alexis and Quinn 54, Ben 50, Lance 48, Liz 48, Scott 39, Amanda 36, Judy 36, Marilee 33, Robbs 29, Jill 21, Carma 2

Misery beats Northwestern

Giles (since you believe I single you out whenever I can) do you take that vitamin supplement called '1-a-day'? Because you've been holding the lead for quite some time now, but I think that's a function of there not being many football games on. We've pretty much had 1-a-day (We've had 14 games in the past 10 days. Just as a comparison, we'll have 13 games over the next 3 days.)

So what am I saying? I'm sure it's been a fun ride. But with any roller coaster, you always puke once it ends. Enjoy it while it lasts.



Scores as of the end of the day:

Giles	66
Paul	60
Jim	59
Christian	58
Kent	57
Rick	57
Steve	50
Troy	46
Ben	45
Amanda	41
Liz	38
Lance	35
Robbs	34
Marilee	31
Alexis and Quinn	29
Jill	26
Judy	19
Scott	19
Carma	-3

Papa's are in the lead after the PapaJohn's Bowl

PapaGiles and PapaPaul have risen to the occasion and are leading the pack currently. But the game is tightening up, with PapaGiles never quite able to pull away. I predict it's only a matter of time before he drops back. (Much like his son has been doing lately.)

But a few people have really pulled through! Congrats to Jim, who is coming on strong, the Robbs (aka Shelby as we now know) who are pulling along steadily, and Scott, who has overcome a dismal start to get ahead of my sister Jill (for the purposes of this blog, she's a Parker, not a Puffer). On that note, I think it would be interesting to see average scores of the families involved in this competition (minimum 3 family entries to be considered in the 'family' showdown. ) As said before, Parkers, you get Jill, which is only fair since Puffers are taking Liz and Amanda....and Lance.

Average family scores: Parkers 175/4=43.75, Puffers 370/11=, 33 &4/11ths. So now I know the reason why Butch didn't put in an entry this year, much less Kyle and Rachel.

Here are the individual scores:

Giles	61
Paul	55
Kent	52
Rick	52
Christian	51
Jim	51
Steve	42
Ben	40
Troy	38
Robbs	34
Amanda	34
Liz	30
Lance	27
Marilee	23
Alexis and Quinn	19
Judy	14
Scott	14
Jill	11
Carma	-3

Boys rule!!!

I wasn't the one to notice this, but it was pointed out to me, so I'm runnin' with it. The men are winning this showdown! In fact, the first 8 places belong to men (that's if you count the Robbs as being the highest-placing female representation. Kyle does have a soft side to him, haven't you noticed? Then again, Shelby is probably the only female who is obsessed with football in this contest). And if you don't count the Robbs as the highest-placing female, then it is Amanda (sorry, being totally HOT doesn't get you any points in this showdown. But it does with me!!!). So girls, are you bringing up the rear or what?

By the way, Lance (a.k.a. the ladies' man in high-school) is living up to his name. He's stuck with the females. Scott is down in the cellar out of obligation (you think he wants to burn bridges with females in the ward? Smart thinking Scott, even if it does cost you a win in this showdown!)

Giles	61
Paul	45
Kent	42
Christian	41
Ben	40
Rick	37
Jim	36
Troy	33
Robbs	28
Steve	27
Amanda	27
Alexis and Quinn	19
Lance	19
Marilee	15
Liz	15
Judy	14
Jill	6
Scott	-1
Carma	-3