Well folks, the competition is over! I have updated the intro post to include the final standings and top placements. It was an interesting final two weeks, with Week 16 providing the most drama as most of the field had an off week (except me hehe). With the universal slide in Week 16, the race got much tighter and I was able to sneak my way into the top 3. Week 17 saw most of the field rebound, particularly tad38's 14-2 and kd24's 13-3, allowing them to slip into 4th and 3rd places, respectively.
Unexpectedly, we ended up having a TIE for the overall winner! Over the final two weeks, Stallion was able to regain 3 games on Somebody and finish with the same 143-81 record (.638), making them both our first place winners! Guess this means DM has to give two ZJs...
In second place, we ended up having a three way tie. WaterBomb, taking advantage of others' mistakes in Week 16, jumped up into a tie with slumping danmantincan. Bungalow Bill managed to recover nicely from his poor Week 16 performance and take the third spot in the 2nd place tie. All three contestants finished with records of 141-83, or a .629 win percentage.
In third place was kd24, not having to share with anyone else due to his impressive 13-3 mark in the final week. He finished at 140-84, a .625 win percentage.
And now for the awards! I will give out a few random awards based on trends I notice in the standings:
Most Improved - After a slow start and spending considerable time at the bottom of the pack, theamericandream38 began a late season charge that dug him out of the depths and landed him all the way in a tie for 4th place. Coincidentally this change in momentum occurred right about the time he stopped predicting the Vikings to win. Irony much? Well done tad38, you're an inspiration to us all.
Most Consistent - This award goes to two people: Somebody and Slyguy46. Somebody had a rather pedestrian start to the season, but picked up momentum in Week 6 and never looked back. He managed to stay at or above .500 in all weeks but one, and was consistently at 10 wins or better for most of the final 8 weeks. As for Slyguy46, he picked his median and stayed as close to it as possible. Mentioned earlier in the season for his unusually long string of 8 win weeks, it's natural that he would win the consistency award.
Best Week - this award also goes to Slyguy46. In Week 11 of the season, Slyguy46 managed a staggering 15-1 record. Honorable mention goes to kd24, the only other contestant to achieve a week with only a single miss (12-1 in Week 9).
Bipolar - This award goes to Fabbles. 0-14, 4-10, 12-4, 11-2, this guy had quite the roller coaster season. However, he stuck with it til the end and never stopped fighting. Great effort Fabbles!
Best Streak - Stallion was the only player to reach 10 wins or better in each of the last 7 weeks of the season. This run in no small part helped him get into 1st place. Honorable mention goes to Slyguy46, who earlier in the season notched 5 weeks in a row with exactly 8 wins. *clap clap clap*
Well that about does it for the awards. Great season guys, and thank you for following the rules and respecting other players. Next year I'll make sure to have this up in time for the first week of the season. I'm toying with the idea of a playoff prediction challenge. Anyone interested?