The Marathon of the Ass

A simple race for the Analyst whose mind goes blank when estimating the number of *bonus* Trifecta Points that can be won during the four majors, the Analyst of the Year Award rewards the Analyst with the foresight to pick three winners week in and week out. Based on nothing more than the total number of winning Trifectas (pick threes), the prestigious award and a share of the annual Purse is won by the Analyst with the best showing over the course of the racing season (all 17 weeks).

Race Rules

Each week, Analysts predict three teams to win from the slate of games that include at least one Home Team. An Analyst may pick any team EXCEPT the opponent of the game that includes their own home team. Correctly picking three winners earns an Analyst the *base* Trifecta Point for the week.

Trifecta Point System

In the Analyst of the Year competition, the *base* trifecta for correctly picking three teams to win their respective games is worth one point each week, for all 17 weeks of the season. The Analyst with the most most Trifecta Points at the end of the regular racing season wins the Award and the accompanying Purse.

Race Tiebreakers

If the Analyst of the Year competition ends in a Trifecta Point tie between two or more Analysts, the winner of the competition will be determined by one of three tiebreakers in the following order:

1. Total number of correct picks over the course of the 17 weeks (including those from weeks that did not result in a winning trifecta).
2. A playoff of pick threes during the professional football league post-season.
3. Coin flip.

Analyst of the Year Scoring Example

In the final week of the year, Minds Blank is far out of contention in the Seeders’ Cup, but she holds the lead in the Analyst of the Year competition. Rather than grasping for a win in the Seeders’ Cup, she safely picks three teams who seem most likely to win in the final week of the season. Her plan fails when a playoff contender stumbles and The Orangutan moves into a first place tie with Minds Blank. Per the first tiebreaker rule, The Orangutan correctly picked more games over the entire season: The Orangutan wins the coveted Analyst of the Year Award!