Ok college football fans. You think you know everything there is to know about college football? Then prove it. Join the Black Shoe Diaries Bowl Pick 'Em Game. The winner will get a $50 Visa Gift Card that works just like cash! Here are the rules.
1. Everyone who asks to be registered will get a $10,000 bankroll. (Disclaimer: This is play money. Not real money. You can't cash in your play money for real money at the end of the Bowl season.)
2. I'm creating a diary called "Bowl Game Pick 'Em" for placing bets. You will be able to see the table listing all the betting lines in that diary. All wagers must be made in the comments of the diary. I will be keeping track of the standings and wagers with my mad Excel skills and posting regular updates and standings as the bowl season progresses. Due to anonymous comments currently being turned off (Bite me spammers!) you will have to register for an account if you have not done so already. You can register here for your free account. It doesn't cost anything and you will not get an ounce of spam. Your email address is 100% safe.
3. You can place a bet on a team or you can bet on the over/under for any bowl game. Team bets are handicapped based on the table below.
4. When placing a wager, be sure to specify the name of the bowl game, the dollar amount of your wager, and the team you are betting on or whether you are betting on the over/under.
5. You can bet as much or as little as you like as often as you like. Make a $20 on the Rose Bowl or make a $10,000 bet on the Motor City Bowl. Or don't bet at all if you don't feel sure about a game.
6. You cannot have outstanding bets that add up to more than your current bankroll at any time. (i.e. - if your bankroll is $10,000 on December 23rd, you cannot put $7500 on the Alamo Bowl (Dec 30) and the Cotton Bowl (Jan 1) at the same time. After the Alamo Bowl you can put any winnings toward a Cotton Bowl wager as long as you do not exceed your current bankroll.)
7. All bets must be time stamped no later than one hour prior to kickoff of the game being wagered on.
8. If your balance reaches $0, you are eliminated from the game.
9. One entry per user.
10. Betting lines are fixed according to the table below. I realize betting lines fluctuate as people put more or less money on a team. This is not Vegas. If you complain you can get more points in Vegas I will tell you to go to Vegas.
11. All bets are final. Your booky may let you erase bets prior to kickoff, but we're big boys here. Try that and we'll break your thumbs.
12. At the end of the season the person with the highest bankroll over $20,000 will be declared the winner. I am setting the bar at $20,000 to encourage some action. In the event of a tie we will settle the game with a gentleman's dual with weapons of this blogger's choice on the banks of the Hudson river. Or we will go with whoever picks the closest point total for the BCS Championship game. Or maybe I'll call it a tie and keep the gift card for myself. I haven't decided yet. I'm making this up as I go along.
13. General discussion of the games and good natured trash talking is encouraged.
14. BSD reserves the right to add or modify the rules as we go along to create a fair playing field for all contestants. I will not be participating in the game and have nothing to gain in any of this. I'm giving away $50 of my own money, so please don't complain.
I think that's it. If there are any questions, please leave a comment and we'll try to get them all hammered out before the first bowl game. Have fun and place your bets!
Date | Bowl | Underdog | Favorite | Spread | Over/Under |
19-Dec | Poinsettia | Northern Illinois | TCU | 13 | 47 |
21-Dec | Las Vegas | Oregon | BYU | 5 | 59 |
22-Dec | New Orleans | Troy | Rice | 7 | 51 |
23-Dec | Papa John's | East Carolina | South Florida | 3.5 | 44 |
23-Dec | New Mexico | San Jose State | New Mexico | 5 | 49 |
23-Dec | Armed Forces | Tulsa | Utah | 2.5 | 49.5 |
24-Dec | Sheraton Hawaii | Arizona State | Hawaii | 8 | 76 |
26-Dec | Motor City | Middle Tennessee State | Central Michigan | 11 | 51 |
27-Dec | Emerald | Florida State | UCLA | 5 | 41 |
28-Dec | Independence | Alabama | Oklahoma State | 3 | 51 |
28-Dec | Holiday | Texas A&M | California | 5.5 | 52 |
28-Dec | Texas | Kansas State | Rutgers | 7.5 | 45 |
29-Dec | Music City | Kentucky | Clemson | 10.5 | 57.5 |
29-Dec | Sun | Missouri | Oregon State | 4 | 52 |
29-Dec | Liberty | Houston | South Carolina | 7 | 55.5 |
29-Dec | Insight | Minnesota | Texas Tech | 6.5 | 66 |
29-Dec | Champs Sports | Purdue | Maryland | 3 | 52 |
30-Dec | Meineke Car Care | Navy | Boston College | 7 | 47 |
30-Dec | Alamo | Iowa | Texas | 11 | 53 |
30-Dec | Chick-fil-A | Georgia | Virginia Tech | 3 | 39 |
31-Dec | MPC Computers | Nevada | Miami | 3 | 43 |
1-Jan | Outback | Penn State | Tennessee | 4.5 | 41 |
1-Jan | Cotton | Nebraska | Auburn | 3.5 | 45 |
1-Jan | Gator | Georgia Tech | West Virginia | 7 | 49 |
1-Jan | Capital One | Wisconsin | Arkansas | 2 | 45 |
1-Jan | Rose | USC | Michigan | 1 | 47 |
1-Jan | Fiesta | Boise State | Oklahoma | 8 | 51 |
2-Jan | Orange | Wake Forest | Louisville | 9.5 | 52 |
3-Jan | Sugar | Notre Dame | LSU | 8 | 55 |
6-Jan | International | Western Michigan | Cincinnati | 8.5 | 41.5 |
7-Jan | GMAC | Ohio | Southern Miss | 7 | 42 |
8-Jan | BCS Championship | Florida | Ohio State | 7.5 | 48 |