Ladies, gentlemen, and everything else in between, we have reached that point of the year where I ask if you are ready for some *&^*@%* football.
I can only assume the answer is yes, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.
I am once again humbled to announce that SportsChump will be hosting its 13th annual NFL over/under pick ‘em contest. This year, we are even offering up a fancy new prize, courtesy of Press Box Publicity. That’s right, folks. We have kicked it up a notch. Simply choose more over/unders correctly that the other participants and a glorious copy of Gregg Ficery’s recently released Gridiron Legacy: Pro Football’s Missing Origin will be all yours. I’ve seen it. It’s gorgeous. You can thank me later. All you have to do to earn it is just win, baby!
Before we get to the rules, which you already know by this point, let’s recap last year’s surprises and results.
One of 2022’s biggest surprises, according to Las Vegas, was the Philadelphia Eagles, who made it all the way to the Super Bowl. They were only projected to win 9.5 games but finished the season with 14. The only other team that finished over four games above its projected total was the Minnesota Vikings. You like that?!?
Now let’s get to the Debbie Downers, the teams Vegas thought would be good but soiled the proverbial ice bath. The Rams, Broncos, Cardinals, and Colts all finished five-and-a-half games under their projected win total. That’s why three of those teams have a new coaching staff and the fourth gets a Super Bowl ring pass. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Bucs, Packers, and Bears, who all finished three-and-a-half games under their projected win total. The good news for all those underachievers is that a new season is upon us, and they can’t do any worse. Or can they?
That’s for you to decide.
Before we get to the rules of this year’s contest (which are the same as the twelve years prior), let’s review last year’s results in order of worst to first. What we’ve found by looking at least year’s results is that nobody ran away with this thing. In fact, out of a possible 55 points (10 out of 10 right), 37 points won this thing with only 6 out of 10 futures guessed correctly. But who was it….
9th place: BCole, 18 points. We’ll let her slide since she’s by far the best-looking participant in this contest.
8th place: Heavy D, 21 points. Took a big whiff on his Colts finishing over their total. They didn’t. Let’s see if he puts that much faith in them again this year now that they’re led by rookie Anthony Richardson.
7th place: Bruce, 30 points (24-point tiebreaker). Not a bad total for only picking four out of ten correctly.
6th place: KP, 30 points (27-point tiebreaker). Got his ten-pointer but missed his 9, 8 and 7!
5th place: SportsChump, 30 points (26-point tiebreaker). Despite my fifth-place finish, I’m giving myself honorable mention for nailing the tiebreaker on the number. The Bucs, Jags and Dolphins combined to win exactly 26 games.
4th place: J-Dub, 33 points (19-point tiebreaker). Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. And you thought Dennis Rodman looked bad in a wedding dress!
3rd place: Dr. Milhouse, 33 points (23-point tiebreaker). Don’t worry, sweetheart. You can still take my wagers any time.
2nd place: David Wade, 35 points. Dwade was on a roll, picking his 10, 9, 8 and 7 teams correctly… then whiffed on his next five.
Which brings us to our winner, who now joins both me and KP as the only two-time winners of this contest.
BNRMOOSE!!!!
Moose didn’t do great (37 points) but he did enough to win and that’s more than I can say about the rest of us. I think I can dig up a SportsChump t-shirt somewhere, Moose, if you don’t already have a collection of them lining your closet.
But enough with the celebration. The rules of this year’s contest are as follows…
Every season, Las Vegas releases its projected over/under totals for team wins. Your job is to select ten of those teams and assign them confidence points (ten being the most, one the least) based on whether you think they will achieve that win total. Be so kind as to list your predictions clearly in the comments section below. Remember, folks, there are 17 games once again this season.
You MUST get your picks in by kick-off of the first game, which is the evening of September 7. As always, include your tiebreaker with your picks, which is the total wins combined by all three Florida teams.
By looking at the numbers below, you’ll notice that all projections have been set to a half number, removing any possibility of pushes.
Don’t forget to check back for updates and to verify that I’ve entered your picks correctly. Until then, my courageous readers, happy football season!
Cincinnati Bengals: O/U 11.5 wins
Kansas City Chiefs: O/U 11.5 wins
Philadelphia Eagles: O/U 11.5 wins
Baltimore Ravens: O/U 10.5 wins
Buffalo Bills: O/U 10.5 wins
San Francisco 49ers: O/U 10.5 wins
Cleveland Browns: O/U 9.5 wins
Dallas Cowboys: O/U 9.5 wins
Detroit Lions: O/U 9.5 wins
Jacksonville Jaguars: O/U 9.5 wins
Los Angeles Chargers: O/U 9.5 wins
Miami Dolphins: O/U 9.5 wins
New Orleans Saints: O/U 9.5 wins
New York Jets: O/U 9.5 wins
Atlanta Falcons: O/U 8.5 wins
Denver Broncos: O/U 8.5 wins
Minnesota Vikings: O/U 8.5 wins
New England Patriots: O/U 7.5 wins
New York Giants: O/U 7.5 wins
Pittsburgh Steelers: O/U 8.5 wins
Seattle Seahawks: O/U 8.5 wins
Carolina Panthers: O/U 7.5 wins
Chicago Bears: O/U 7.5 wins
Green Bay Packers: O/U 7.5 wins
Tennessee Titans: O/U 7.5 wins
Houston Texans: O/U 6.5 wins
Indianapolis Colts: O/U 6.5 wins
Las Vegas Raiders: O/U 6.5 wins
Los Angeles Rams: O/U 6.5 wins
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: O/U 6.5 wins
Washington Commanders: O/U 6.5 wins
Arizona Cardinals: O/U 4.5 wins
How do we get our picks in to you?
Just list ’em here in the comments section, brother.
How would you know what I look like in a wedding dress if I’ve never been a bride? Leave the jokes to the professionals.
Speaking of jokes, here’s this year’s eventual laugher…
10 – Indianapolis Colts: O/U 6.5 wins UNDER
9 – Cleveland Browns: O/U 9.5 wins UNDER
8 – Detroit Lions: O/U 9.5 wins OVER
7- Houston Texans: O/U 6.5 wins UNDER
6 – New York Giants: O/U 7.5 wins OVER
5 – Pittsburgh Steelers: O/U 8.5 wins OVER
4 – Atlanta Falcons: O/U 8.5 wins UNDER
3 – Green Bay Packers: O/U 7.5 wins UNDER
2 – San Francisco 49ers: O/U 10.5 wins OVER
1 – Carolina Panthers: O/U 7.5 wins UNDER
Tie-Breaker: 23
Chris, good to see we’re back for another year here! My picks:
10 – Rams Under 6.5
9 – Lions Under 9.5
8 – Cowboys Over 9.5
7 – Falcons Under 8.5
6 – Commanders Under 6.5
5 – Seahawks Over 8.5
4 – Bills Over 10.5
3 – Buccaneers Under 6.5
2 – Cardinals Under 4.5
1 – Titans Under 7.5
Florida Teams Combined Wins – 23
SC:
I’m back again!
Picks………
1 – Commanders 6.5 Under
2 – Bears 7.5 Under
3 – Bucs 6 .5 Under
4 – Jets 9.5 Under
5 – Falcons 8.5 Under
6 – Giants 7.5 Over
7 – Steelers 8.5 Over
8 – Rams 6.5 Under
9 – Chiefs 11.5 Over
10 – Eagles 11.5 Over
10 – Atl under 8.5
9 – Car under 7.5
8 – Hou under 6.5
7 – Balt over 10.5
6 – Buff over 10.5
5 – Dallas over 9.5
4 – Cle under 9.5
3 – Ind under 6.5
2 – Chic under 9.5
1 – LV over 6.5
Florida wins — 26
10 Vikings OVER 8.5
9. Bills OVER 10.5
8. Titans OVER 7.5
7. Jets OVER 9.5
6. Commanders OVER 6.5
5. 49ers OVER 10.5
4. Chargers OVER 9.5
3. Panthers UNDER 7.5
2. Texans UNDER 6.5
1. Packers OVER 7.5
Tiebreaker – 24
Cheers – KP (TWHS)
Pingback: 2023 NFL Season Predictions: Top Ten Over/Under Win Total Bets - The Wife Hates Sports
Alright, here goes nothing…
10 points on Buffalo finishing OVER 10.5 wins
9 points on Jacksonville finishing OVER 9.5 wins
8 points on Chargers finishing OVER 9.5 wins
7 points on Vikings finishing OVER 8.5 wins
6 points on Packers finishing UNDER 7.5 wins
5 points on Panthers finishing UNDER 7.5 wins
4 points on Saints finishing OVER 9.5 wins
3 points on Raiders finishing OVER 6.5 wins
2 points on Steelers finishing OVER 8.5 wins
1 point on Rams finishing OVER 6.5 wins
Tiebreaker: Dolphins, Bucs and Jags will win a combined 27 games
I appreciate the sentiments regarding my participation xoxo
Anywho, here are my picks…..
10. Rams under 6.5
9. Chargers under 9.5
8. Bills over 10.5
7. Jets under 9.5
6. Falcons under 8.5
5. Saints under 9.5
4. Dolphins over 9.5
3. Bears over 7.5
2. Cowboys under 9.5
1. Bucs over 6.5
Tiebreaker: 28
I know I’m late but I typed this and forgot to hit send in the box. (Trust me on this lol) Needless to say i have re typed and taken out the chiefs and lions as possible options. If you willing to except as a submission great but if not then can you post here for posterity sake. I don’t expect to end up anywhere but bottom of the pack as usual. Also Glad to have the Moose back in action!
10) Ravens over 10.5
9) Eagles over 11.5
8) Bills over 9.5
7) Vikings over 8.5
6) Cardinals under 4.5
5) Falcons under 8.5
4) Saints over 9.5
3) bucs under 6.5
2) Raiders over 6.5
1) Jaguars over 9.5