College Football Contests Season Challenge 2011-12 Wrap Up
Season Challenge 2011-12 Wrap Up
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Coming off record low scores in last year's contest, the field has begun to reverse a trend of inaccurate season predictions and a big reason why was because of the record high 26% who predicted this year's National Champion Alabama back in September. One of those contestants was this year's Season Challenge champ orangebleed23 who was also the only one to predict that Clemson and TCU would end the season carrying conference crowns. (Photo by Otto Kitsinger III/Getty Images)
Top 25 Season Challenge Results
Last year, we mentioned the increasing difficulty and, thus, consistent downward trend of scores in the Top 25 Season Challenge since the contest began running in 2007. We also made a prediction that such a trend would not continue.
We were right!
OK, we didn't exactly go out on a limb when predicting this year's field would beat last year's all-time low winning score of 47 points or average score of only 22.95 points. This year's champion, orangebleed23, easily topped all contestants with 75 points (out of 136 possible) which marks the third highest winning score in the contest and best since 2008. The average score, however, was still pretty dismal at 32.16 points which only beats last year's all-time low.
The title was orangebleed23's first major one of any kind and received 10,000 CFBPoints, a golden football trophy and a top placing on the Winners Wall.
Conference Champions: orangebleed23 predicted six conference champions, including four from AQ conferences. His six correct league champions were Clemson(3% correct) in the ACC, West Virginia(53% correct) in the Big East, Wisconsin(67% correct) from the Big Ten, Oregon(74% correct) out of the Pac 12, TCU(12% correct) from the Mountain West and Northern Illinois(40% correct) in the MAC. 3rd place finisher Cocomo #8 and 5th place finisher dustinl15 were the only others to predict six conference champions.
Quite obviously, the Clemson fan's decision to go with his favorite team to deliver an ACC title was a big reason he was able to win the contest. Only one other participant opted for Clemson to win the ACC and probably for good reason. The always talented Clemson Tigers had not won the league in 20 years, back in 1991. Predictors needed Clemson to prove it and that they did. With the monkey off the back and the most talented freshman in the country returning next year, expect more to jump on the orange bandwagon next year.
Another major upset for a conference crown was TCU in the Mountain West. orangebleed23 was one of 12% who had to be cheering back on Nov. 12 when the Horned Frogs did the unthinkable and beat Kellen Moore and No. 5 Boise State on the blue carpet, 36-35. The result snapped Boise State's 65-game home winning streak and knocked them out of national and conference races all in one blow.
The upset was a must if TCU was to have any shot at the conference but this was the first (and last) season Boise State had to contend with a new and more difficult Mountain West schedule after moving over from the WAC. That's the most likely reason why orangebleed23 and a hand full of others held off on picking the 8-time WAC Champions -- or maybe it was the all-blue uniform ban imposed by the Mountain West. Either way, 2010 Rose Champion TCU proved to be the biggest obstacle in the new league that ultimately doomed Boise State and 83% of Mountain West predictions.
As surprising as Clemson and TCU were in the ACC and Mountain West, none were more so than Louisiana Tech taking over for Boise State's impressive run in the WAC. Apparently, contestants were so used to picking Boise State in the WAC, they had no idea who might win it in their place. Exactly zero contestants chose Louisiana Tech even though they were picked by the media to finish in the top half of the standings. Most selected Fresno State and Nevada, the two teams that gave Boise State the most trouble during their reign.
Other conference champions included Oklahoma State(2% correct) in the Big 12, West Virginia(53% correct) in the Big East, national runner-up LSU(19% correct) as SEC champs, Southern Miss(12% correct) in C-USA and Arkansas State(5% correct) out of the Sun Belt.
Heisman Winner: Yes, the field has begun to reverse th trend of poor season predictions but that did not include Heisman predictions. For the third season in a row, not one contestant predicted the Heisman recipient.
Last year's excuse was pretty good. Auburn's Cam Newton was an anomaly, a freak, who won the most coveted award in college athletics one year removed from heading up a Junior College team.
This year's excuse wasn't quite as good but, given the recent trend of winners, it's understandable and probably even welcomed for most college football purists. 2011 recipient Robert Griffin III was the first player in nine years to win the award whose team was not playing in the National Championship. So it's no surprise contestants have been reluctant to pick players from teams that aren't expected to compete for a National title and Baylor fell into that category.
As refreshing as it is to see voters actually give the award to the best player and not just the best player on the best team, it might make future predictions that much more difficult. Now participants will have to consider all players and not just those on the top-ranked teams.
National Champion: orangebleed23 was part of the 26% that predicted an Alabama National Championship at the beginning of the season. It was a pick he had to have to win the contest since Cocomo #8 was in the lead prior to the BCS title game and picked LSU to win it. As we know, Alabama thumped LSU on their home turf, 21-0, in the first intra-conference rematch title game in history. Only 7% predicted an LSU title, mostly due to the fact the vast majority predicted Alabama to win the SEC instead of LSU. orangebleed23 was one of them and lucky for him -- he couldn't switch his prediction after knowing a rematch would occur in the Bayou. The 21 points landed orangebleed23 in 1st for good by 17 points over 2nd place finisher MesoCat.
Picking this year's national champion was a win for the collective field. The 26% was the highest to forecast the nation's top team in contest history. It beat 2007's 19% who predicted LSU's most recent National title. Only one participant predicted Auburn's title last year and two predicted Alabama in 2009.
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