12/21/24
November 27, 2014
CFL Playoff Pick 'Em, Grey Cup Edition: Big blowouts on the field push the favourites into the big game. But in our little contest, there are no favourites: we have six players within two points of first place. Break out your spreadsheets to calculate your tiebreaker (I have a feeling you'll need it), and make your picks inside.
posted by DrJohnEvans to fantasy at 01:41 PM - 14 comments
Also! Want to watch the game? Here's how.
In short: TSN in Canada, ESPN2 in the States, streaming on TSN GO.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 01:43 PM on November 27, 2014
Calgary by 21
Mitchell
Under
555 (yardage or metres in Canada?)
posted by owlhouse at 08:11 PM on November 27, 2014
Calgary by 18
Mitchell
Over
590 yards
posted by DrJohnEvans at 02:36 PM on November 28, 2014
It's Saturday night, and I finally have a bit of time to breathe. This has been a busy week. I was baking pies for Thanksgiving all day Wednesday, went out late Wednesday night to blow about 6 inches of heavy, wet, white crap off my driveway and front walk, and drove to my wife's sister's place in CT for dinner on Thursday. This last involved about 7 hours of driving round trip from NH to Wilton, CT. Still, it was fun to get together with family and friends. Friday was the Celtics vs Bulls, then after that shopping for bird feeding supplies, groceries, and some Thai food at a new place in town. Today I had to assist as a lay minister at a funeral - sad time when a 48-year-old mother of two passes suddenly - then cooked an early supper so our son and his girlfriend could get out on time to meet some friends who were home for the holidays.
All this leads to making a pick for the Grey Cup. For this entire CFL season I've been operating under "the blind squirrel finds the occasional acorn" theory. This must have been a mast year for the oaks, for I have finished near the top in the regular season, and I'm in contention in the playoffs. So once again I will put on my gray suit with the bushy tail and see if I can do this again.
The game: The "experts" give Hamilton the defensive nod and Calgary the edge on offense. This would seem to make the offensive/defensive phases a wash, and would put the game in the hands of the special teams. Nay not so, say I. It will come down to a battle between the big ugly guys who populate the front end of each team, and if that war proves to be a draw, then whoever makes the fewer mistakes will win. I say Stampeders seem to be more likely to hold together for the longer time. Will it be a tight game coming down to the last possession, or will it turn into a blowout? I say the score will indicate a clear superiority by one team, but the game itself will be much closer than the score indicates. Calgary by 13.
MVP: With 3 downs to make gain, a longer and wider field, deeper end zones, and pre-snap motion allowed, the CFL is a passing league. Nonetheless, an exceptional running back can be the difference. I see the winning QB also being the MVP. My pick is Mitchell.
Points: The game will not be played in adverse weather conditions, but each side has a stout defense. 52.5 is not a lot of points to be scored by 2 powerful offenses; 28 - 25 would be enough. In this one, the total score will exceed the over.
Passing yardage: This will go over 500 yards, but how much over? I figure I moved about 650 square feet of 6 inch deep snow on Wednesday. This gives me 325 cubic feet moved. At 62.4 pounds per cubic foot of water, and a water content of about 30% (3 inches of water per 10 inches of snow), I moved about 6000 pounds. Let 10 pounds of snow equal 1 yard of passing, and adding 1 yard for good measure, the 2 QBs will throw for a total of 601 yards.
posted by Howard_T at 09:43 PM on November 29, 2014
Perfect score so far!...
Hamilton by 7
Madu
Under
583
posted by bender at 12:47 AM on November 30, 2014
Howard T you certainly have a gift of gab & great story analogy. lol
Now, stamps will prevail by 9.
Mitchell
over
567
posted by argoal at 11:20 AM on November 30, 2014
Big second quarters from the home teams put both games out of reach early. Hamilton rides its special teams to a convincing win over Montreal, and Calgary rides the arm of Bo Levi Mitchell, who throws for 4 TDs to send the Esks packing.
In bonus action, the aforementioned Bo Levi edges Jonathan Crompton for the yardage crown, while Edmonton's three sacks carry the day (if not the win).
The on-field games may have been blowouts, but here in the Pick 'Em we're all about keeping it close. A tie for first, and a three-way tie for third. Nothing's been settled yet!
And here we go!
THE 102nd GREY CUP
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-9) @ Calgary Stampeders (15-3) (Sunday, November 30)
I could talk about a lot of things in previewing this game. I could talk about Calgary's deep offence or Hamilton's tough defence. I could talk about Calgary's sterling record in a tough division despite suffering through serious injuries, or Hamilton battling back from a tough start to just barely make the playoffs. But for me, this game comes down to one thing: two great young quarterbacks, Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros, getting a chance to ply their trade indoors, in the biggest game of the year.
CFL.ca Grey Cup Preview »
MVP Bonus
Pick the MVP of the Grey Cup.
Over/Under
The points-scored O/U for the Grey Cup is currently set at 52.5. Will the total points scored be over or under that total?
Tiebreaker
Pick the total yardage thrown by all quarterbacks in the Grey Cup. This is worth no points and will be used only in case of a tie.
Example pick: Hamilton by 21, Cornish, Under, 500.
Good luck!