Lurker > DpObliVion

Well, that was a rough week for pretty much all involved....

A few ground rules:
-Please say which level you are on when you post your pick. In most cases it will probably be obvious, but this makes it easier for me to record the picks.
-The deadline to make a pick is at the start of the second set of games on Sunday afternoon (4:25 PM ET). That means no SNF/MNF picks after most all the games have started or finished. You cannot pick a game that has already started.
-The deadline to answer the bonus question is at the start of games on Sunday (1 PM ET).
-Please post the spreads with your picks, it makes it much easier for me.
-I get my spreads from an online site providing lines from several sources, both in Vegas and out. Although these sources may continue to change their lines throughout the week, the ones I post in the topic are frozen and final for our purposes.

Explanation of Levels:

Level 1: Pick a winner. Simply pick one team to win their game. If they win, you go on to level 2.

Level 2: Pick an Underdog to win. You must pick a team that is an underdog to win their game. Underdogs will always be the team listed second.

Level 3: 2 Games with Spread. Using the spreads I provide, pick 2 games. You must get both correct to move on. Spreads work by giving (-) or getting (+) points. The team that is the favorite to win gives points to the underdog. If you choose the favorite to win, they must still win after giving those points to the underdog. If you choose the underdog, you would be correct if they win the game after getting those points. For example, if a game says Giants (-2.5) vs. Cowboys, if you pick the Giants, they must actually win the game by at least three points; if you pick the Cowboys, you would win if they actually won the game or lost by two points or less.

Level 4: 30+ or 10-: Pick one team to score 30 or more points, OR pick one team to score 10 or less points. You must clearly choose either 30+ or 10-. If you pick a team to score 30+, but they score 10-, you do not advance.

Schedule: (Favorites listed first; home team in CAPS)
Thursday, September 27th
LA RAMS (-6.5) vs Minnesota

Sunday, September 30th
NEW ENGLAND (-6.5) vs Miami
INDIANAPOLIS (-1.5) vs Houston
ATLANTA (-5.5) vs Cincinnati
GREEN BAY (-9.5) vs Buffalo
DALLAS (-2.5) vs Detroit
JACKSONVILLE (-7.5) vs NY Jets
CHICAGO (-2.5) vs Tampa Bay
Philadelphia (-3.5) at TENNESSEE
Seattle (-3.5) at ARIZONA
OAKLAND (-2.5) vs Cleveland
LA CHARGERS (-10.5) vs San Francisco
New Orleans (-3.5) at NY GIANTS
PITTSBURGH (-3.5) vs Baltimore

Monday, October 1st
Kansas City (-4.5) at DENVER

Bonus Question: Choose a game in which the teams will combine for at least 50 total points scored.
---

LGM

Hopefully this is correct.

Level 4
crazyisgood*

Level 3
Cokes*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte*
DilatedChemist*
Dr_Football*
Jukkie*
KCF0107**
MartinFF7*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
thekitchensink*
Whiskey_Nick
ZeroSignal620*

Level 2
Arti*
baubeta*
Camden
Cody11533
cyan1001*
DpOblivion**
Emeraldegg*
Evil_REmade*
fortybelowsummer
foxhead84**
guffguy89
HBJDubs*
kevwaffles**
KommunistKoala*
Paratroopa1*
Reg*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon*
StifledSilence*
terpaholic
theawesomestevr**
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
WiggumFan267*
Wizardsfan1000*
Xuxon*

Level 1
5tarscream
Dancedreamer*
dowolf*
FBike1*
HanOfTheNekos*
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
mccheyne
Menji
pronouncemyname*
Runemistress*
Sir Chris
Stripperiffic*
th3l3fty
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee
---

LGM

Yours was a close one, but needing Tom Brady to get just 155 yards on Sunday night and him failing to do so is a special kind of unlucky.
---

LGM

Unfortunate line of the night goes to pronouncemyname:

Brady (133) > Bortles (155) > Taylor (19)
---

LGM

Ladder already too hard.
---

LGM

0-1 yet again
Atlanta Falcons
Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
Green Bay Packers
Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Rams
Chicago Bears
Seattle Seahawks
New England Patriots
Tampa Bay Fitzmagics
---

LGM

Bonus: Ryan Fitzpatrick > Eli Manning > Dak Prescott
---

LGM

@TsunamiXXVIII Foles isn't starting.
---

LGM

Reg posted...

I am actually on level 2 and you just failed to move me, right?

I didn't magically slide in to a universe where the Rams literally lost to the Cardinals?

Whoops. Fixed.
---

LGM

Level 2
Jets
---

LGM

Level 3
Cokes*
crazyisgood*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte
DilatedChemist*
Dr_Football*
Jukkie*
KCF0107*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
Whiskey_Nick
ZeroSignal620*

Level 2
Arti*
baubeta*
Camden
Cody11533
cyan1001
DpOblivion*
Emeraldegg
Evil_REmade
fortybelowsummer
foxhead84*
guffguy89
kevwaffles*
KommunistKoala*
MartinFF7
Paratroopa1*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon
StifledSilence*
terpaholic
theawesomestevr*
thekitchensink
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
WiggumFan267*
Wizardsfan1000
Xuxon*

Level 1
5tarscream
Dancedreamer
dowolf*
FBike1*
HanOfTheNekos*
HBJDubs
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
mccheyne
Menji - Patriots
pronouncemyname*
Reg* - Rams
Runemistress
Stripperiffic
th3l3fty
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee

* - Bonus points
---

LGM

Okay, so the "open world" concept sounds like a no-go. I could still be looking into maybe adding in an easier level around Level 5 or making some later levels easier (over/unders can probably go down to two instead of three, IMO).

Last week saw a lot of upsets, which was good for Level 2, not so good for Level 1, and definitely pretty bad for the bonus.

A few ground rules:
-Please say which level you are on when you post your pick. In most cases it will probably be obvious, but this makes it easier for me to record the picks.
-The deadline to make a pick is at the start of the second set of games on Sunday afternoon (4:25 PM ET). That means no SNF/MNF picks after most all the games have started or finished. You cannot pick a game that has already started.
-The deadline to answer the bonus question is at the start of games on Sunday (1 PM ET).
-Please post the spreads with your picks, it makes it much easier for me.
-I get my spreads from an online site providing lines from several sources, both in Vegas and out. Although these sources may continue to change their lines throughout the week, the ones I post in the topic are frozen and final for our purposes.

Explanation of Levels:

Level 1: Pick a winner. Simply pick one team to win their game. If they win, you go on to level 2.

Level 2: Pick an Underdog to win. You must pick a team that is an underdog to win their game. Underdogs will always be the team listed second.

Level 3: 2 Games with Spread. Using the spreads I provide, pick 2 games. You must get both correct to move on. Spreads work by giving (-) or getting (+) points. The team that is the favorite to win gives points to the underdog. If you choose the favorite to win, they must still win after giving those points to the underdog. If you choose the underdog, you would be correct if they win the game after getting those points. For example, if a game says Giants (-2.5) vs. Cowboys, if you pick the Giants, they must actually win the game by at least three points; if you pick the Cowboys, you would win if they actually won the game or lost by two points or less.

Schedule: (Favorites listed first; home team in CAPS)
Thursday, September 20th
CLEVELAND (-3.5) vs NY Jets

Sunday, September 23rd
PHILADELPHIA (-6.5) vs Indianapolis
CAROLINA (-2.5) vs Cincinnati
JACKSONVILLE (-6.5) vs Tennessee
ATLANTA (-3.5) vs New Orleans
BALTIMORE (-5.5) vs Denver
HOUSTON (-6.5) vs NY Giants
MIAMI (-3.5) at Oakland
Green Bay (-2.5) at WASHINGTON
MINNESOTA (-16.5) vs Buffalo
KANSAS CITY (-6.5) vs San Francisco
LA RAMS (-7.5) vs LA Chargers
Chicago (-5.5) at ARIZONA
SEATTLE (-1.5) vs Dallas
New England (-6.5) at DETROIT

Monday, September 24th
Pittsburgh (-1.5) at TAMPA BAY

Bonus Question: Pick any three starting quarterbacks and rank them in order of passing yards they will have this week, from most to least. You must get the entire order correct. All selected quarterbacks must start their game. You must pick all three at once, you cannot make a partial pick to complete later.
---

LGM

Let's see if I can do a little bit better this week....

Jets
---

LGM

bump for tomorrow
---

LGM

Level 3
Cokes*
crazyisgood*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte
DilatedChemist*
Dr_Football*
Jukkie*
KCF0107*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
Whiskey_Nick
ZeroSignal620*

Level 2
Arti*
baubeta*
Camden
Cody11533
cyan1001
DpOblivion*
Emeraldegg
Evil_REmade
fortybelowsummer
foxhead84*
guffguy89
kevwaffles*
KommunistKoala*
MartinFF7
Paratroopa1*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon
StifledSilence*
terpaholic
theawesomestevr*
thekitchensink
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
WiggumFan267*
Wizardsfan1000
Xuxon*

Level 1
5tarscream
Dancedreamer
dowolf*
FBike1*
HanOfTheNekos*
HBJDubs
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
mccheyne
Menji - Patriots
pronouncemyname*
Reg* - Rams
Runemistress
Stripperiffic
th3l3fty
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee
---

LGM

Well we've already had 7 upsets this week and only one person went that high.
---

LGM

neonreaper posted...

Those are like the worst seats in baseball

Confirmed.
---

LGM

Level 2: Giants
Bonus: 5
---

LGM

Wait, no....

CHANGE Titans to Texans
---

LGM

0-1 again whoops
Carolina Panthers
LA Chargers
Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
LA Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Denver Broncos
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
---

LGM

Ringworm posted...

As for level 2, still deciding, but it likely won't be the first game anyway. I am guessing the Thursday game doesn't count for the bonus question?

It does count.
---

LGM

Level 2
Arti*
Camden
Cokes*
crazyisgood*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte
DilatedChemist*
DpOblivion*
Dr_Football*
fortybelowsummer
guffguy89
Jukkie*
KCF0107*
KommunistKoala*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon
StifledSilence*
theawesomestevr
Whiskey_Nick
WiggumFan267*
ZeroSignal620*

Level 1
5tarscream
baubeta*
Cody11533
cyan1001
dowolf*
Emeraldegg
Evil_REmade
FBike1*
foxhead84*
HanOfTheNekos*
HBJDubs
kevwaffles*
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
MartinFF7
mccheyne
Menji
Paratroopa1*
pronouncemyname*
Reg*
Runemistress
terpaholic
th3l3fty
thekitchensink
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee
Wizardsfan1000
Xuxon*

* - Bonus points
---

LGM

First things first....

GoldSlime35 posted...

Just an idea as an outside observer....

Have the first 4 or 5 levels (probably up to the high/low points one) be set for everyone, then let people do the remaining levels in any order they want. Everyone can choose their own path and attempt the more difficult levels in the order of their preference. If anybody gets "stuck" they can always attempt one of the other options. Also adds some strategy in deciding which order to go, or deciding week by week based on matchups. If nothing else, you'll likely learn how everybody ranks the difficulty of the levels, if you want to go back to a fixed order in the future. Or if it works, you could expand the order choice to cover all levels.

I'd like to know more people's opinion on this. It does kind of change the foundation of the contest, but I don't think that's really a problem.

A few ground rules:
-Please say which level you are on when you post your pick. In most cases it will probably be obvious, but this makes it easier for me to record the picks.
-The deadline to make a pick is at the start of the second set of games on Sunday afternoon (4:25 PM ET). That means no SNF/MNF picks after most all the games have started or finished. You cannot pick a game that has already started.
-The deadline to answer the bonus question is at the start of games on Sunday (1 PM ET).

Explanation of Levels:

Level 1: Pick a winner. Simply pick one team to win their game. If they win, you go on to level 2.

Level 2: Pick an Underdog to win. You must pick a team that is an underdog to win their game. Underdogs will always be the team listed second.

Schedule: (Favorites listed first; home team in CAPS)
Thursday, September 13th
Baltimore at CINCINNATI

Sunday, September 16th
WASHINGTON vs Indianapolis
ATLANTA vs Carolina
Minnesota at GREEN BAY
LA Chargers at BUFFALO
Houston at TENNESSEE
PITTSBURGH vs Kansas City
NY JETS vs Miami
Philadelphia at TAMPA BAY
NEW ORLEANS vs Cleveland
LA RAMS vs Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO vs Detroit
New England at JACKSONVILLE
DENVER vs Oakland
DALLAS vs NY Giants

Monday, September 17th
CHICAGO vs Seattle

Bonus Question: How many underdogs will win this week?
---

LGM

Level 2
Arti*
Camden
Cokes*
crazyisgood*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte
DilatedChemist*
DpOblivion*
Dr_Football*
fortybelowsummer
guffguy89
Jukkie*
KCF0107*
KommunistKoala*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon
StifledSilence*
theawesomestevr
Whiskey_Nick
WiggumFan267*
ZeroSignal620*

Level 1
5tarscream
baubeta*
Cody11533
cyan1001
dowolf*
Emeraldegg
Evil_REmade
FBike1*
foxhead84*
HanOfTheNekos*
HBJDubs
kevwaffles*
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
MartinFF7
mccheyne
Menji
Paratroopa1*
pronouncemyname*
Reg*
Runemistress
terpaholic
th3l3fty
thekitchensink
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee
Wizardsfan1000
Xuxon*

* - Bonus points
---

LGM

First things first....

GoldSlime35 posted...

Just an idea as an outside observer....

Have the first 4 or 5 levels (probably up to the high/low points one) be set for everyone, then let people do the remaining levels in any order they want. Everyone can choose their own path and attempt the more difficult levels in the order of their preference. If anybody gets "stuck" they can always attempt one of the other options. Also adds some strategy in deciding which order to go, or deciding week by week based on matchups. If nothing else, you'll likely learn how everybody ranks the difficulty of the levels, if you want to go back to a fixed order in the future. Or if it works, you could expand the order choice to cover all levels.

I'd like to know more people's opinion on this. It does kind of change the foundation of the contest, but I don't think that's really a problem.

A few ground rules:
-Please say which level you are on when you post your pick. In most cases it will probably be obvious, but this makes it easier for me to record the picks.
-The deadline to make a pick is at the start of the second set of games on Sunday afternoon (4:25 PM ET). That means no SNF/MNF picks after most all the games have started or finished. You cannot pick a game that has already started.
-The deadline to answer the bonus question is at the start of games on Sunday (1 PM ET).

Explanation of Levels:

Level 1: Pick a winner. Simply pick one team to win their game. If they win, you go on to level 2.

Level 2: Pick an Underdog to win. You must pick a team that is an underdog to win their game. Underdogs will always be the team listed second.

Schedule: (Favorites listed first; home team in CAPS)
Thursday, September 13th
Baltimore at MINNESOTA

Sunday, September 16th
WASHINGTON vs Indianapolis
ATLANTA vs Carolina
Minnesota at GREEN BAY
LA Chargers at BUFFALO
Houston at TENNESSEE
PITTSBURGH vs Kansas City
NY JETS vs Miami
Philadelphia at TAMPA BAY
NEW ORLEANS vs Cleveland
LA RAMS vs Arizona
SAN FRANCISCO vs Detroit
New England at JACKSONVILLE
DENVER vs Oakland
DALLAS vs NY Giants

Monday, September 17th
CHICAGO vs Seattle

Bonus Question: How many underdogs will win this week?
---

LGM

Ravens
---

LGM

Level 2
Arti*
Camden
Cokes*
crazyisgood*
Crescent-Moon
davidponte
DilatedChemist*
DpOblivion*
Dr_Football*
fortybelowsummer
guffguy89
Jukkie*
KCF0107*
KommunistKoala*
Meow1000*
Mewtwo59*
MZero11*
Ringworm
SpikeDragon
StifledSilence*
theawesomestevr
Whiskey_Nick
WiggumFan267*
ZeroSignal620*

Level 1
5tarscream
baubeta*
Cody11533
cyan1001
dowolf*
Emeraldegg
Evil_REmade
FBike1*
foxhead84*
HanOfTheNekos*
HBJDubs
kevwaffles*
KingBartz*
Korayashi*
MartinFF7
mccheyne
Menji
Paratroopa1*
pronouncemyname*
Reg*
Runemistress
terpaholic
th3l3fty
thekitchensink
TheKnightOfNee*
TsunamiXXVIII*
turbopuns2
Vengeful_KBM*
Wicklebee
Wizardsfan1000
Xuxon*
---

LGM

Well I deserved this.
---

LGM

neonreaper posted...

WiggumFan267 posted...

neonreaper posted...

I've seen Red Sox and Yankees fans travel well, taking over low-populated stadiums in Baltimore, Tampa, Atlanta, etc. But I've never seen them do anything like what Cubs did in 2010 and took over Fenway, during that sellout streak. Fenway was Wrigley East for a weekend. That was stunning, and those fans were almost all very good (though they seemed like they would rather lose forever than get new ownership).

I'm sure there are bandwagon Cubs fans like any championship team.

BTW you should see what happens at Fenway on 9/15

I've been to Mets games at Fenway, it's NBD comparatively

We're gonna be in a group of over 1,600 Mets fans in the rightfield corner that game.
---

LGM

KCF0107 posted...

Also Dp, I picked the Vikings. Post #7

Oh yeah, there were 2 on the Vikings. I tallied them on paper but forgot to include them in the post.

GoldSlime35 posted...

Just an idea as an outside observer....

Have the first 4 or 5 levels (probably up to the high/low points one) be set for everyone, then let people do the remaining levels in any order they want. Everyone can choose their own path and attempt the more difficult levels in the order of their preference. If anybody gets "stuck" they can always attempt one of the other options. Also adds some strategy in deciding which order to go, or deciding week by week based on matchups. If nothing else, you'll likely learn how everybody ranks the difficulty of the levels, if you want to go back to a fixed order in the future. Or if it works, you could expand the order choice to cover all levels.

This is an intriguing idea. Anyone else have thoughts on this?
---

LGM

Pick distribution:

Saints - 21
Packers - 14
Steelers - 6
Lions - 3
Patriots - 3
Ravens - 2
Rams - 1
Broncos - 1
Chiefs - 1
Bills - 1
---

LGM

0-1 whoops
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals
Tennessee Titans
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City Chiefs
Denver Broncos
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Los Angeles Rams
---

LGM

All right, let's get this out of the way early.

Linos
---

LGM

bump
---

LGM

Nearly forgot to do this. Well, fuck it....

Falcons
---

LGM

Level 1: Patriots
Bonus: Yes
---

LGM

The Ellie nominations are making me happy. Good job, guys.
---

LGM

Hail Cao Cao.

We did a great job getting Lu Bu into the last contest, and we went with him because he was the most popular, but it's time to nominate the true hero, the leader of Wei, the man who paved the way toward uniting China, Cao Cao.

Do it. You can nominate Lu Bu as well, if you want. Also Ellie from The Last of Us, that's a good choice too.
---

LGM

Nominated Lu Bu and Cao Cao.
---

LGM

bump
---

LGM

Korayashi posted...

DpObliVion posted...

I mean, I won't stop you from nominating Cao Cao, Kora.

>_>

Hmm do I want to randomly make a Cao Cao rally? Hmmmm

I would support a Cao Cao rally.
---

LGM

I mean, I won't stop you from nominating Cao Cao, Kora.
---

LGM

I have decided that my nomination will be: Victor Sullivan from Uncharted.

But make sure Ellie gets in, too, okay, thanks.
---

LGM

LusterSoldier posted...

DpObliVion posted...

Ellie we haven't seen before and would definitely like to, but she probably doesn't need help either...or does she?

I don't think she needs any help, because she's already an auto-fill option on the nomination form.

Another character I have in mind also shows up on the auto-fill option even though he's never made a contest before. He has been eligible though, so he probably needs that extra push; Ellie being first-time eligible probably makes the auto-fill more relevant.

So basically what it comes down to is Ellie would be my first choice, but if I assume she's safely in without the help, I could go with my second choice.
---

LGM

Also I'm playing Ori and the Blind Forest right now and loving it, but I don't want to be persuaded by recency bias. Although I see there's a sequel in the works, so that's cool. Eh, that's more a game thing than a character thing anyway.

This is too much pressure.
---

LGM

Something I meant to had: I was hoping to see how many characters were going to be in the contest as that could maybe sway me on some borderline characters. But I don't see that anywhere. I guess we'll assume there will be ample characters in the contest?
---

LGM

I'd been meaning to make a topic for nomination discussion but I've been super lazy. Basically, my boring, unoriginal choices that I could think of were Crash Bandicoot, Ellie (TLoU), and Lu Bu (or a different Dynasty Warriors person).

Crash generally doesn't need any help getting in, but with the trilogy remaster bringing him back into relevance, I definitely need to see my favorite character back in action. Ellie we haven't seen before and would definitely like to, but she probably doesn't need help either...or does she? As for DW, I've rallied hard for a DW character in the past, and Lu Bu finally made it in last time, so I could still go that route (maybe Cao Cao, or even Dian Wei as a biased choice), but it's less pressing.

I don't even have any obscure characters that I feel like nominating. Maybe Cadence from Crypt of the NecroDancer? I don't know, my gaming experience is pretty lackluster and boring compared to most on the board. Who let me win Guru anyway?
---

LGM

uhhhh......

ummmmm.......
---

LGM

bump.
---

LGM

bump
---

LGM