Heading into the final Leg of the Play Haters Preakness, every Analyst remains within striking distance of the leader. There are too many scenarios to consider in full, but here are the most likely:
The Strategist wins if she gets a perfect hater trifecta (3 points).
If The Strategist earns a partial hater trifecta (2 points), she will reach four points and eliminate all Analysts except Little Tuna. If Little Tuna earns a perfect hater trifecta (3 points), the Preakness then will be determined by tiebreakers. If The Strategist picks her Rams, she will likely own the third tiebreaker over Little Tuna due to turnover production (currently 3.5 per game). If not, Little Tuna will win the tiebreaker with 2 Home Team selections.
If the Strategist does not reach 4 trifecta points total, then Little Tuna or the Bookie can win with a perfect hater trifecta. Little Tuna holds the tiebreaker over The Bookie in case of a tie.
If the Preakness is won with 3 trifecta points total, then there are many options. Those Analysts with zero trifectas currently must pick perfect hater trifectas (3 points). In that case, the Analysts in best position to win the Preakness are:
Little Tuna — If she picks a partial hater trifecta with the Patriots (2 points) in Leg 4, she will win the tiebreakers with 3 correct Home Team selections and outright over The Bookie. Without the Patriots in her trifecta, she may lose on tiebreakers to Minds Blank or The Strategist.
Minds Blank — If the Packers beat the Broncos, her Home Team will have vanquished three other steeds and given her an edge in Home Team Selections and turnovers per game.
The Strategist – If she takes the Rams in a one point trifecta, she will have two correct Home Team selections and win on tiebreakers with turnovers per game. Without the Rams, she will win most tiebreakers on turnovers per game.
Big Tuna — If the Broncos beat the Packers, he will have the first tiebreaker over Minds Blank and likely the third tiebreaker (3 turnovers per game) over most Analysts.
The Bookie — If the Bookie takes the Colts, she may be able to force a tiebreaker with turnovers, but will need help.
The rest of the Analysts are breathing dust and need most Analysts to wipe out rather than end in a tie.
If the Preakness is won with two points, the possibilities are too many to consider!
Don’t forget about Box Outs! If two or more Analysts have the same picks, an Analyst with a lead effectively boxes out and defeats the other Analyst(s) before the games are played. The three Analysts with points have that additional advantage over the nil point nags. It is a game of skill, you know, not chance!
No Analyst correctly picked a trifecta in Leg 3. The Strategist holds her lead over Little Tuna and The Bookie. The rest of the Analysts have yet to leave the starting gate of the Preakness, although tiebreakers give Minds Blank a slight edge over the rest of the nags. Wise Orangutan has butchered his Home Team to recover value from the glue and tiger meat.
Trifecta Points
Standings after Leg 3 of the Player Haters Preakness 2015-16
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Leg 3 of the Player Haters Preakness, 2015-16
In Leg 2 of the Preakness, The Strategist and Little Tuna overtake The Bookie for first and second place, respectively. The correct player hater pick was Lions, Panthers, and Patriots/Packers/Broncos, as four of the seven active Home Teams loss in head-to-head competition or hate.
The Strategist played the player hater trifecta to perfection in Leg 2, earning two trifecta points and sole lead after Leg 2 of the Preakness. Little Tuna, who played it safe with two Home Teams and the Panthers, moves into second place as her Patriots defeat The Bookie’s Colts in head-to-head competition.
At the back of the pack, five Analysts have yet to register a trifecta in the Preakness. Minds Blank, however, is building a body of tiebreaker advantages with two head-to-head wins over The Strategist and Orangutan) and two correct Home Team picks. The Big Tuna has one correct Home Team selection and the turnovers per game lead.
The other Analysts better get-to-step-step-steppin’ in Leg 3 of the Preakness!
Trifecta Points
Standings after Leg 2 of the Player Haters Preakness II
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Leg 2 of the Player Haters Preakness, 2015-16
Seven of eight Analysts suffered a black eye as hate misguided our experts in the first week. The only winning combinations was Steelers, Bengals, and a Home Team — which no Analyst picked.
The Bookie played it safe with two Home Teams and the Bengals, to take a slender lead after the first leg of the Preakness.
Minds Blank built a tiebreaker over The Strategist with the Packers’ win. Blank and B-Reezy are the only Analysts to pick their Home Teams correctly, which may prove to be precious tiebreakers in the tight contest that is the Preakness this year.
Trifecta Points
Standings after Leg 1 of the Player Haters Preakness II
Tiebreakers
Tiebreakers after Leg 1 of the Player Haters Preakness, 2015-16
The Bookie: Patriots/Bengals/Broncos
The Big Tuna: Steelers/Bengals/Chiefs
Little Tuna: Texans/Bengals/Chiefs
Wise Orangutang: Chargers/Bengals/Chiefs
The Strategist: Broncos/Texans/Chiefs
Kal Krome: Sea Hawks/Packers/Steelers
Minds Blank : Packers/Texans/Raiders
B-Reezy: Bears/Steelers/Raiders
The results:
The Bookie: Patriots/Bengals/Broncos
The Big Tuna: Steelers/Bengals/Chiefs
Little Tuna: Texans/Bengals/Chiefs
Wise Orangutan: Chargers/Bengals/Chiefs
The Strategist: Broncos/Texans/Chiefs
Kal Krome: Seahawks/Packers/Steelers
Minds Blank : Packers/Texans/Raiders
B-Reezy: Bears/Steelers/Raiders
All Analysts have decided to stick with their Home Teams for the 2015-16 Player Haters Preakness. The line up is:
The Analysts and their Home Teams for the Preakness
Slate of Games
The Slate of Games for the Player Haters Preakness, 2015-16
The slate of games for the Player Haters Preakness II includes four head-to-head contests this month (again, the first tiebreaker). Minds Blank’s Packers face The Strategist’s Rams (Leg 1), Wise Orangutan’s Chargers (Leg 2), and Big Tuna’s Broncos (Leg 4). Also in Leg 2, Little Tuna’s Patriots travel to The Bookie’s Colts. REMINDER: No bonus points can be won for picks in head-to-head contests.
Home teams owned by an Analyst are in bold. The team at the left is the visiting team; the team at the right is the host (playing at home). There are several featured games: three Thursday night, two Sunday night, and two Monday night games. The Rams are on a bye in Leg 2, while the Bears, Broncos, and Packers are on a bye in Leg 3.
With four head-to-head contests AND four Bye weeks, the 2015-16 Player Haters Preakness features a narrow slate of games (5 games) in Leg 2 and Leg 3. In Leg 2, only three games feature un-owned opponents that can yield bonus points!
Picks
Remember: Every Analyst has a bias for his or her Home Team and may not pick the sponsored team to lose. Analysts do not have to pick his or her Home Team to win, but the second tiebreaker remains the number of correct Home Team selections. See the Preakness Rules for more.
Email three picks to The Bookie before each leg (week) of the Race. The first picks are due on Thursday, October 8.
Three Analysts remained in contention after the early games: 1) Big Tuna, winner of the first PC-Fecta Derby, 2) Minds Blank, and 3) Wise Orangutan. For the first time in World Football Trifecta Leagues, a tie game in professional football could have determined the outcome of a Race:
Final Game Scenarios for Season I – Player Haters Preakness
The Winner Is…
Wise Orangutan!
The final results in the first Player Haters Preakness are Wise Orangutan (7), Big Tuna (6), and Minds Blank (5) by a nose over Kal Krome (5) by virtue of second tiebreaker (home team selections).
In October, the Rams, Bears, Titans, and Falcons served up plenty of Player Hater goodness to the opposing Analysts! For home team selections, Minds Blank and The Orangutan tied. Minds Blank led in the third tiebreaker as the Packers forced two turnovers per game.
Final Results
Final Results for Season I – Player Haters Preakness
