We rolled through the first four games of the CFP National Championship Tournament this weekend and all seems right in the world. It feels so good to have assembled 84 (yes, 84) brave souls getting stuck in to the greatest holiday football pool in the country. This may be the biggest pool we have ever sponsored and I am so excited to be The Chairman of it. First and foremost, Happy Holidays to all of you. It is the time of year we take stock of the many blessings that we have been given and look to the coming year with anticipation. We are indeed blessed to have such good family and friends to share this experience with.  Maybe even a few new friends can be made via our little family tradition!  

For many of the newcomers, a quick rundown of things – assuming they have not read the rules. We include 25 games in our pool – we pick the winners only (no point spreads). Every game is awarded one point for a win with exceptions being the CFP Semi-Final and National Championship Games. The CFP Semi-Final earns winners a tally of two points and the for picking the winner for the CFP National Championship, contestants garner three points for picking the winner. As you might expect, those wins can turn things upside down pretty quickly. The maximum total points that can be accrued is 29, which has never happened. Maybe this is the year? PPP offers pay outs to first place (75% of total pool), second place (20% of the total pool) and, the very coveted Nana Prize for being at the bottom of the pool (5% of the total pool). In the event of a tie for first or second place, Tie Breaking procedures utilize the Total Points scored in the National Championship game with the winner being the contestant that was closest to the total points WITHOUT GOING OVER. For the Nana Prize, the same rules apply with the exception of being the FURTHEST away from the total points scored.  

So the games of the first round of the CFP had some intrigue but also some expected results.  James Madison put up 34 points on Oregon but could not keep up with the 51 put on them. Same for the Ole Miss – Tulane Game.  Ole Miss showcased the difference between the SEC  and a non-Power 5 conference. I do wonder if they will do away with the non-Power 5 presence in the CFP.  I hope not but we know the NCAA is about one thing and one thing only: $$$.  Miami had zero offense against Texas A&M but the Aggies had even less. That game was like watching paint dry. Oklahoma sold so badly after being up 17 points – no excuses for losing that game.  I am particularly bitter about the latter two games because I did not choose wisely for either one. Such is the life of the Chairman.

As is the tradition, we have a number of players that have shot out of the gate with four huge wins. I am proud of Mrs. Chairman for being one of that crew.  But, the names on that list include some of the most prodigious players from AHFP lore. It is still very early to be sure but a good start puts those players in a great place for longer term success.  Interesting, this is the first time that I can remember where everyone has at least one win after the first run of games. Usually, there is a cellar dwellar that struggles to get a win for a little while.  Kudos to this year’s crop of players to at least get something on the the board early!

So now we have a little less than a week to prepare for the next run of games – both in the CFP and the Old School Bowls. I hope the randomness of the Old School Bowls was entertaining to you – I found it hard to NOT pick a team nicknamed the Mean Green even though I know nothing about the school. We love it – and we love you , our faithful clan of the AHFP. Welcome back!  We wish you the happiest of Holidays and the best of luck on our pool.  Please come back for more insightful thoughts and analysis by your humble Chairman and maybe even get some insight from Chairman Jr. this year? That would be fun. Please share your own thoughts via the blog by clicking on “Comment” on my verbal missive.  It would be amazing to have some fun with you and engage in a little verbal sparring!