Pickem Dash Football

1/17/26 Week 2, Divisional Playoff Updates: 1/13/26 Update: One NFL postseason contest. One winner. Here's your first scoreboard after all Wild Card games have been played. Wildcard Weekend, P-F25 Playoff Challenge Week 1 Shout-outs: RD gets the Week 1 spreadsheet pick sniper award: 83% ATS (hit all but one). Sharp pickin'. GN was the week’s worst picker with only the Texans correct. Note the self-awareness, maybe anticipating poor performance and betting the minimum on every game. MN, possibly the only professional gambler among us, lost the most points after Green Bay let him down. Interesting Observation: The most points were wagered on Texans vs Steelers, which might indicate strong feelings about the Texans… or strong feelings about Aaron Rodgers. Or both. This is a safe space. KS dropped 148 on New England and got paid. KH dropped 144 on the Texans and also got paid. NE and HOU meet in the next round 👀

[PA Chime] This is your captain speaking. As we begin our descent toward the end of the NFL regular season, we asked one final question of the cabin: What went right? Some answers were earnest. Some were defiant. Some were clearly written while staring at the standings in disbelief. All were honest in their own way. A Northmen (AN), Cuernos Largos (CT), Eleven Verticals (ON) +5 , and Shot Callers (RD) all arrived at the same conclusion: The Texans. Or more specifically, the Texans defense. +3 Wookie Cookies (KH) added, "DeMeco." +3 If I could call out some nuance in Eleven Verticals' (ON) response, he put "Consistency, and the Texans Defense," which subtly also called out the the Texans showed the least amount of defensive looks this year while also having on of the best defenses. I wonder if ON was also referring to his own consistent picking (i.e. 2nd lowest standard deviation across weekly scores). Queenbspice (CC) used the exit interview as a therapy session...

[PA Chime] Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second leg of our NCAA Postseason gauntlet, the P-F25 NCAA Bowl Challenge:  A confidence-style game with 35 bowls, but zero playoff games. As a reminder of the rules just changed this year, the CFP Contest + Bowl Contest scores will be weighted 50/50 to determine the overall NCAA Postseason Champion. That means you'll want to do reasonably well at both. TL;DR NCAA Bowl Challenge Begins Pick all 35 bowl winners straight up (CFP games are not on this card). Spreadsheet card → select your team name first. Assign confidence values 1–35 (use each number once). No bonus points used in this contest. CFP + Bowl scores are weighted 50/50 for the overall Postseason Champ. Deadline: Friday 12/13 at 7:00 PM CT — email your completed card to me. Bowl Challenge Rules (Flight Manual Edition) This is a Confidence Contest. Pick the winner of all 35 bowl games. Assign each a confidence value from 1 to 35 (use each number once ). Yo...

[PA Chime] Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’ve reached that time of year when we are reminded that the College Football Playoff committee makes up its foundational rules on the fly. So why shouldn't we? (I feel I have to rewrite the rules because I dominated last year’s bracket so thoroughly that the championship was a victory lap. Also in previous seasons, only one or two teams were still alive by New Year’s. What should we do this year, you ask? We fix that. Or break it worse. We'll see!) Welcome to the P-F25 CFP Bracket Contest , the first half of our NCAA Postseason double-header. A Bowl Confidence Contest will follow shortly. How to Win the NCAA Postseason Contest Simple: score the most points across BOTH contests combined. CFP Bracket Contest (scaled 50%) + Bowl Confidence Contest (scaled 50%) = NCAA Postseason Champion. That’s it. Two contests, one winner. How the CFP Bracket Contest Works You’ll fill out THE ENTIRE bracket now — everyt...

“Give a Turkey Leg Trophy to someone/something/some concept.” [PA Chime] This is your captain speaking. In the spirit of John Madden’s legendary turducken tradition, we asked the cabin to hand out a Turkey Leg Trophy to anyone -- real, fictional, conceptual -- who truly deserved a celebratory drumstick. The results were… well, exactly what you’d expect from a plane full of football fanatics, street philosophers, and one person who fears Vanderbilt Admissions more than any SEC defense. Let’s carve this bird. A Northmen (AN) Turkey Leg → Paul Tagliabue +4 A ceremonial nod to the most overlooked commissioner in NFL history. Somewhere, Tagliabue is hoping you just stop for a picture and not a hug. TEAMNAME (BR) Turkey Leg → “Joe blows” +5 I assume Joe doesn't blow, so this likely goes to all the Joe Blow's out there. [Biggie voice] Yeah… this bonus right here... this bonus i s dedicated to all the Joe Blows out there... a ll the folks who doubted, a ll the people in the...

[PA Chime] This is your captain speaking. As we approached Thanksgiving airspace, we invited passengers to quietly enter what they’re thankful for into a “totally private” box. What followed was obviously an honest, chaotic, and fully on-brand display of gratitude from our fellow pick’em travelers. A Northmen (AN):  My car. +3 Efficient. Practical. Grounded. But does it drive itself? TEAMNAME (BR):  This league. +5 And who can blame him? The spreadsheets, drama, and bonus value. Queenbspice (CC):  Stretchy pants. +4 The true MVP of November. A garment of freedom. 18 National Championships (CG):  Jesus Christ. +4 A sincere and stabilizing force. I'm sure He was there in spirit. Pure Random Cubed (CN):  A bigger coin for playoff season. +4 No mention of penny. RIP. Cuernos Largos (CT):  Pecan pie. +3 A regional treasure that can be a spiritual experience. Swamp Dogs (DR):  My dachshund Otto turns 17 this week. +5 A *very* good Swamp Dog! B...