Predict the Score Contest, Week 15 Results
 

Let's see, since the prediction thread got wiped out I'll have to go by memory of what I saw there when I made my prediction. Here's what I can remember so far:Wow, quite a shakeup in the season standings, too!
Ahem. Ok, maybe those aren't quite right. (Hey, it was just about my only shot at personal glory!)

You know the oddest thing? I always wait until Tuesday to check the predictions and post the scores, since before then threads scroll off the first page so quickly. But after the game Saturday I altered my routine and checked and saved the predictions right then. First time all season I have done that. Did I have a premonition? No, I don't think so, I was just happy at the win and that plus the fact that it was Saturday instead of Sunday meant I did things differently. I wish I was as lucky with my actual predictions!

When I look at the real results... I see that this week kudos are due to this contest's creator, Andy Johnson, who had more faith in the defense than anyone else. Congratulations Andy!

Season Standings
 

Again few were able to exploit the opportunity that the Patriots defense provided, as the top five stay in the same order and noone in the top ten except OhExaulted1 was able to make much of a move.

Brilliant work, Alamo -- that would have been the saddest thing to lose from the site (after the cheerleaders' thread, of course :D ).

Very striking that, though most people took the Pats to win, very few had them holding the Bucs under 10 points. I looked at the Buffalo results and noted that AJ didn't get as close as I'd have expected, given his attitude to the Pats' problems this season. Congratulations to him this week -- the unquenchable optimist has the pleasure of being right

Alamo,

Great job on doing a backup. Now that reminds me I haven't done a backup on my computer since 199........, wait, I have never done a back-up.

AJ, great pick. I think many are getting close to making wild picks,

Alamo, I thought my prediction was 24-10.

Nope, I just went back and double-checked, only 21-10. I've done the same thing, actually prepared the results one week with my score entered from my memory but when I double-checked everything against the prediction thread I saw I was wrong.

Funny how early in the season many people kept picking scores like "Patriots 28-10" while the team kept losing alternating with tight wins. Everyone learned their lesson and started picking for relatively close games -- but now the pattern has changed. For now.

Had his thread not been wiped out, my intro would have mentioned how fitting it was that AJ won, since he had been so vocal with his ideas.

I used to back up my computers religiously... I got a new one a year and a half ago and haven't backed up since, as hard drives get larger it gets more and more time-consuming and it's tempting to just live on the edge...

I'm just happy to have won.
I can only take them one game at a time, and the competition for picking this weeks game is going to be tougher than ever.
I hope my prediction can be prepared for the game and handle adversity and fight back to win.
Its only one game, I dont think they are creating a bust for me in Canton.
I just want to thank of all those who helped me in preparation for this pick. I cant do it alone, it takes a team working together.





By the way, I must admit, as I did when I made the pick, I went with the blowout in order to help get me close in the yearly standings. It worked, but Im still out of the top 10.

just an idea.... for the last couple weeks, have the predictions PM'd to be fairer...
or, if that's too much trouble, the predictions should be made in order, to prevent #1 from coasting after seeing others picks

andy, you left out:
you picked some things good, but you could have picked better... it is what it is... and next week's pick is gonna be really tough

On rule changes
 

I've thought about this. I've tried to make a lot of Thursday predictions, and sometimes Fridays, but last week I picked last-minute, and there was also that last-minute pick from the Denver airport, although that time I never saw anyone else's picks. If we really wanted to get serious about it, there could be a 1-point penalty for waiting til Friday to predict, a 2-pt for Saturday, and a 3-point hit for day-of-game predictions. But I'm not proposing any changes midseason --- this is one for the Competition Committee to discuss in March.

Certainly among the Top 5 there has been a certain amount of "groupthink" on recent predictions. I think chrisinsunnyvale and dr deserve credit for sometimes going with unique picks. Also, they've often made picks admirably early, and have inspired me to try to do the same, on the honor system.

P.S. It's only fair to warn you all: if I am able to hold my lead ---- no gimme as everyone else starts taking potshots ---- I will exercise my "bragging rights" to the fullest extent of the law! LOL :)