Confidential Survivor Pool Update
Well, with a double-elimination format, nobody was eliminated in Week 1. Of the 36 participants, all move on to Week 2.
Still, a few folks suffered their first loss. Three entrants thought that Virginia was a safe bet against FCS neighbor Richmond (more on Virginia here), but suffered a first strike. And one entrant took the risk of selecting Notre Dame in its opener against Texas.
As we move on to Week 2, here is an interesting chart as to which teams have been used or not used:
| Team | Survivors Who Haven’t Picked This Team |
|---|---|
| 1. Syracuse (1-0) | 22 |
| 2. Wake Forest (1-0) | 29 |
| 3. Duke (1-0) | 31 |
| 4. Virginia (0-1) | 33 |
| 5. Georgia Tech (1-0) | 34 |
| 6. No Carolina St. (1-0) | 34 |
| 7. Virginia Tech (1-0) | 35 |
| 8. Louisville (1-0) | 35 |
| 9. Notre Dame (0-1) | 35 |
| 10. Miami Fla (1-0) | 36 |
| 11. Boston College (0-1) | 36 |
| 12. Pittsburgh (1-0) | 36 |
| 13. North Carolina (0-1) | 36 |
| 14. Florida St. (1-0) | 36 |
| 15. Clemson (1-0) | 36 |
Nobody has used Miami, BC, Pitt, North Carolina, FSU, or Clemson yet. UNC, Florida State, and Clemson are wise abstains, as they were playing SEC foes (going 2-1!!!). And BC opened against Georgia Tech–a difficult first game. Not sure why nobody opted for Miami or Pitt though.
As we move to Week 2, it will be interesting to see how many folks will strategically opt for non-elite schools Georgia Tech (Mercer) and Boston College (UMass) in games that obviously should be wins. Recall that Georgia Tech has had some close calls in recent years–in the 2014 Orange Bowl victory season, the Yellow Jackets beat Wofford 38-19, beat Tulane 38-21, and then only eked by Georgia Southern 42-38. In contrast, the Yellow Jackets opened up the 2015 season by beating up on Alcorn State and Tulane, only to finish the season 3-9 (also losing to Virginia along the way). Boston College, meanwhile, thumped UMass 30-7 in their last matchup.
Anyway, the strategy is yours. Saving Florida State for Week 10 is great, but being eliminated in Week 4 is not going to help that cause.
Good luck to everyone in Week 2!
The Confidential 