The big question we're left with: what does this mean for bowl pick'em competitions? The game is changing and so are we. So strap in and get ready for the first ever Bowl-Off Challenge.
For the most part, the format is similar to past years: look over the bowl schedule, pick a winner for each game and send your list of winners to the commissioner at nothingtolose784@yahoo.com or on Facebook. For each game you pick correctly, you earn a point. Whoever has the most points at the end of the bowl season wins. The two wrinkles in the new system are: 1.) all of the "New Year's Six" bowls (Sugar, Rose, Cotton, Orange, Fiesta, and Peach) are worth two points instead of one and 2.) you must also pick a winner for the national championship game (also worth two points) even though the final two teams have not been determined yet. In other words, take your winner from the Rose Bowl between Oregon and Florida State and put it against your winner from the Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Ohio State and decide who you think will win a second game. It's just like filling out a bracket in March, except on a much smaller scale. Whether or not you lose your champion on New Year's Day, you will have a chance at one more point as all contestants will send in an "update pick" for the national championship game based on the actual results from the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
If you have any questions about this process, feel free to email the commissioner at nothingtolose784@yahoo.com. Otherwise, send in your picks before the New Orleans Bowl kicks off on Saturday, December 20th, at 11am EST. For convenience, please list your picks chronologically, starting with your winner for the New Orleans Bowl and ending with your national champion. One column of picks is preferred. Happy Bowling!
