2018 Atlas CFB Pick Em Contest

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Hi everyone! We are doing a college football pick em contest once again this year, but it'll be a bit different than it was last year. Last year, we did it completely on Atlas, but it's a lot easier to score in a new way, so it'll be hosted on the Yahoo Sports Pick Em site this year!

https://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college/register/joingroup

You go to that link and where it says "join private group", type in the id: 237 and the pw: Dave

This ensures that anyone who wants to play from Atlas can do so while still keeping it just to Atlas (though I suppose anyone who comes across this can do it as well) Up to 100 people can play! It should ask you what your pick set name is so please use your atlas username, or note otherwise below. I believe you need a yahoo account but it is easy to sign up for and you can use any email service to do so. Thanks for cooperating and I hope we have fun again this year, we are using the Yahoo editors pick set which is 20 games each week and picks can be made up to 5 minutes before each game!

[Terry the Fat Shark]

(Note: The season doesn't start until August 31st but I wanted to get this up early so as many people who wanted to sign up could prior to the contest commencing this time)

[Terry the Fat Shark]

(Note # 2: You can actually already make picks for week 1 if you want and the tiebreakers are to make sure there is always one person in first)

[NewYorkExpress]

I'm in, and I've already submitted my picks.

I strongly encrouage anyone else who enjoys college football to get a Yahoo account, and play.

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

Yeeesssss! I will cement my soon-to-be annual tradition of irrational exuberance towards the Indiana Hoosiers Football Team which leads me into a bottom 20% finish!

[Alabama_Indy10]

Joined! Can't wait to get the season started!

[Alabama_Indy10]

I didn't want to bump the old thread.. what were the final standings last year?

[Illiniwek]

I didn't want to bump the old thread.. what were the final standings last year?

Dereich                       267    68.6%
Illiniwek                      265    67.9%
Extreme Republican     263    67.6%
Progressive Democrat  261    66.9%
Alabama Indy             260     67.2%
NY Express                 256    65.6%
Santander                  253    64.9%
Sprouts                      252    64.6%
JGibson                      235    60.6%
dfwlibertylover            232    64.8%
RINO Tom                   200    66.9%
Birch Bath 2020          182    62.8%
ltomlinson                  114    72.2%
tmth4u                        96    67.1%
SJoyce                         93    73.8%
Sunrise                        77    68.1%
Del Tachi                      61    74.4%
Rjjr77                          10    66.7%
CMB222                       10    66.7%

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Ummmmmm who is USC4CFBPLAYOFF, just wondering

[Alabama_Indy10]

I didn't want to bump the old thread.. what were the final standings last year?

Dereich                       267    68.6%
Illiniwek                      265    67.9%
Extreme Republican     263    67.6%
Progressive Democrat  261    66.9%
Alabama Indy             260     67.2%
NY Express                 256    65.6%
Santander                  253    64.9%
Sprouts                      252    64.6%
JGibson                      235    60.6%
dfwlibertylover            232    64.8%
RINO Tom                   200    66.9%
Birch Bath 2020          182    62.8%
ltomlinson                  114    72.2%
tmth4u                        96    67.1%
SJoyce                         93    73.8%
Sunrise                        77    68.1%
Del Tachi                      61    74.4%
Rjjr77                          10    66.7%
CMB222                       10    66.7%

Thanks!

[Illiniwek]

Thanks!

You're very welcome!

[NewYorkExpress]

Ummmmmm who is USC4CFBPLAYOFF, just wondering

I doubt everyone who reads the page is actually a member of the forum.

[tmthforu94]

Make sure to edit your settings to NOT allow the commissioner to edit your picks, otherwise DFW will cheat his way to victory.

[NewYorkExpress]

Make sure to edit your settings to NOT allow the commissioner to edit your picks, otherwise DFW will cheat his way to victory.

And why would he do that, when he's pretty damn at picking games himself?

[tmthforu94]

Make sure to edit your settings to NOT allow the commissioner to edit your picks, otherwise DFW will cheat his way to victory.

And why would he do that, when he's pretty damn at picking games himself?

DFW does whatever it takes to get ahead.

[NewYorkExpress]

Make sure to edit your settings to NOT allow the commissioner to edit your picks, otherwise DFW will cheat his way to victory.

And why would he do that, when he's pretty damn at picking games himself?

DFW does whatever it takes to get ahead.

I'm just going to assume you two have an Atlasia history that I don't know about...

[Terry the Fat Shark]

He's trolling and I think I have the edit the picks thing off anyways on the game

[Terry the Fat Shark]

http://www.espn.com/college-football/schedule The first 4 CFB games (week 0 really) are in a week and then the main season and the contest kick off in 2 weeks, make sure to sign up if you haven't already and are interested!

[NewYorkExpress]

Does anyone else have Michigan over Notre Dame?

[RINO Tom]

Yeeesssss! I will cement my soon-to-be annual tradition of irrational exuberance towards the Indiana Hoosiers Illinois Fighting Illini Football Team which leads me into a bottom 20% finish!

Still pumped, though!

[Del Tachi]

I joined and make my picks.  Great format.  Looking forward to another great season!

[#gravelgang #lessiglad]

Yeeesssss! I will cement my soon-to-be annual tradition of irrational exuberance towards the Indiana Hoosiers Illinois Fighting Illini Football Team which leads me into a bottom 20% finish!

Still pumped, though!

This year has to be the year, right?

And after removing my homer glasses, I would not be at all surprised if Illinois compiles more wins than Indiana. B1G East is more of a gauntlet and Lovie has been recruiting some really good talent out of St. Louis, while Indiana has been losing talent to a resurgent(ish) Purdue

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

I'll begrudgingly join at the last moment. Hope I have time this year.

I will go out of my way to stubbornly pick Army over Duke.

The games I am most excited for are:
1. James Madison @ NC State - of course I'm going with State on the pick 'em, but how can you not watch this and want to see JMU perhaps pull it off? NC State is not going to challenge Clemson this year for the crown, so maybe someone can challenge NDSU - even as someone who likes NDSU, let's get that storyline going.

2. Miami @ LSU - Everybody knows Miami is not good but rates them highly because joke schedule comparable to UCF. Everyone thinks LSU is not good due to consistent underachieving (partially right). They will underachieve again this year, but they will take the opener to shut out the ACC Bad Half from serious contention.

3. Washington State @ Wyoming - a great battle between two of my great loves, but I don't think it is reasonable to favour Wazzu by all that much, so Wyoming is my pick here. I expect severe regression for Leach and for Bohl to finally hit targets in Laramie despite having average talent.

4. South Dakota State @ Iowa State - how can you cheer against either. I think Iowa State does take this in spite of not being for real - but they will give us a reason to hope, and that's all you can ask for. South Dakota State will pull off a stunner at some point later this season to no championship accolades...as the story always goes in Brookings!

5. Ole Miss @ Texas Tech - I have absolutely no clue what the oddsmakers are thinking making Tech a favourite here.

---Some other potential surprises/storylines.

Navy @ Hawaii - Navy trying to prove they are not in tailspin yet.

Washington @ Auburn - obligatory excitement, but more for the storyline that the Pac-12 is for real this year - if possible.

UNC @ Cal - I picked UNC last year and got burned. S&P and others once again that UNC should be the better team. Not favoured per Yahoo?

Cincinnati @ UCLA - Reminds me of my perception when I picked Maryland over Texas last year. But Cincinnati is no Maryland lately! But I will definitely check in.

UTSA @ Arizona State - Perhaps Herm Edwards is more likely to flop to an oddly competitive foe than Chip Kelly. This one I will take the unlikely upset. UTSA has to get one eventually...Too bad the Arizona's didn't flip opponents as BYU might take 'em down.

Michigan @ Notre Dame - In the battle of overrated team I wouldn't otherwise hate, it's hard to care, but how does Michigan not get taken out of contention here? Please let's end that one early.

[NewYorkExpress]

I made my picks a while ago, but here's my reasoning behind them.

1. Duke has the superior overall talent to Army, and while the Black Knights should keep this interesting, I think the Blue Devils will win a close one. Army 30, Duke 23.

2. I'm actually surprised Stanford isn't favored by more than the current 14.5 points, honestly. Stanford 40, San Diego State 17.

3. Colorado isn't going to do well this year, but I'll be surprised if they lose to their instate rivals. Colorado 30, Colorado State 24

4. I know a lot of people got burned by Maryland beating Texas last year, but this is a stronger Texas team. Plus, Maryland is missing their head coach, who is on administrative leave following a scandal involving the death of a player from heatstroke. This should be an easy win for the Longhorns. Texas 45, Maryland 14.

5. James Madison is one the top teams in FCS football, so they have the potential to surprise the Wolfpack. However, like most FCS teams, I don't quite think they have the talent to seal the deal. Still, expect this game to be relatively close. North Carolina State 30, James Madison 27

6. I know Ole Miss is supposedly a better team, but it's an open question of how motivated they'll be without the promise of a bowl game. Texas Tech 20, Ole Miss 19.

7. Appalachian State is probably the favorite in the Sun Belt, but Penn State will blow them out of the water. Expect a blowout. Penn State 42, Appalachian State 3

8. The Wildcats were a pleasant surprise in the SEC East and while I don't expect them to repeat that this season, they should be able to easily handle Central Michigan. Kentucky 33, Central Michigan 7

9. Jeremy Pruitt will be a good Head Coach. That said, I can't trust Tennessee until they prove the aren't the cluster**** that last year's team was. West Virginia 24, Tennessee 14

10. In an evenly matched game, pick the better conference. Since the SEC is better than the PAC-12, I believe Auburn will narrowly defeat Washington. Auburn 14, Washington 13

11. I'm a little surprised the spread in this one is only 1 1/2 points. I would think Wazzu would win by more. Washington State 37, Wyoming 20

12. I can't remember how many people got burned by the Cal/North Carolina game last time, but I think that while North Carolina has improved, so has Cal. Plus the Golden Bears are playing at home. Cal 21, North Carolina 17

13. I don't know why Boise State isn't favored by more. Troy isn't very good.  Boise State 35, Troy 10.

14. I know everyone's excited about Chip Kelly's debut as UCLA head coach, but I think the real test of his skill with these players comes next week at Oklahoma. He should win against Cincinnati easily. UCLA 34, Cincinnati 27

15. While I wouldn't be surprised if the Hoosiers lost, they are favored... Indiana 20, Florida International 10

16. Since I have Michigan going to the Playoff, logically, I must have Michigan beating Notre Dame, but it'll be close.  Michigan 20, Notre Dame 17 (OT)

17. Iowa State should win, but don't count out an upset. Iowa State 26, South Dakota State 14

18. One of the contenders for biggest rout of the day, but it might have been bigger if Chip Kelly were still Oregon Head Coach. Oregon 44, Bowling Green 12

19. If Louisville still had Lamar Jackson they might have had a shot, but he's in the NFL. Without him, they've got no chance at Alabama. Alabama 40, Louisville 21

20. Akron is my "upset" special. Nebraska isn't very good (in fact they're probably the worst team in the Big Ten), while the Zips, while not great, are by no means awful, and almost won the MAC last year.  Akron 21, Nebraska 18 (OT)

21. Arizona State should easily win Herm Edwards's debut. Arizona State 34, UTSA 9

22. Arizona should win, but a BYU upset isn't impossible to comprehend. Arizona 20, BYU 17

23. Hawaii's already lost a shootout, and this game with Navy promises another shootout, and probably another loss. Navy 56, Hawaii 49

24. I would pick the SEC team here, but LSU is a perennial underachiever, and needs to prove themselves to me first. Miami (FL) will win this game, but it'll be close...in fact if Les Miles were still coaching at LSU, he might have won.  Miami(FL) 17, LSU 14

25 .Florida State should rebound and contend for a title this season, and as such I believe they'll beat Virginia Tech in their opener. Florida State 24, Virginia Tech 20


Other

UCF @ UConn (August 30)  I have UCF in the playoff, as if they go undefeated again, it would be really hard to ignore them two years in a row. First however, they need to win this game, and they will.  UCF 34, UConn 7

Oregon State @ Ohio State  Another "upset special". I don't think the Buckeyes will react very well to not having Urban Meyer, and while the Beavers aren't particularly good, they are good enough to give the Buckeyes a scare, at a minimum. I'd also expect a loss against TCU, the final game of Meyer's suspension.  Oregon State 20, Ohio State 17 (OT)

[Illiniwek]

Yeeesssss! I will cement my soon-to-be annual tradition of irrational exuberance towards the Indiana Hoosiers Illinois Fighting Illini Football Team which leads me into a bottom 20% finish!

Still pumped, though!

This year has to be the year, right?

And after removing my homer glasses, I would not be at all surprised if Illinois compiles more wins than Indiana. B1G East is more of a gauntlet and Lovie has been recruiting some really good talent out of St. Louis, while Indiana has been losing talent to a resurgent(ish) Purdue

I think we really might see some improvement from the team this year. Sounds like we are getting closer to having a B1G offensive line (which we just have not had in a long time), and we have a QB that fits our offensive system. These have been our greatest weaknesses, so improvement here should go a long way.

I would be satisfied with an Illinois season with wins including: Kent State, Western Illinois, Rutgers, Minnesota, and maybe one of USF, Purdue or Maryland. If we see that success, as well as simple competence when playing in the B1G, then I think we making great progress and are on track to being a bowl team next year.

P.s. I love how much attention Illinois gets on this forum lol.