BTSC Survivor Pool Update: Getting too easy to pick games?

The Behind The Steel Curtain survivor pool finished up its eighth week with every pick which was entered being correct. While technically we started with 592 entries, I have one entry in each league as the commissioner so there were 587 different contestants. Hundreds have entered, but only one can go home with the autographed David DeCastro football. Entering Week 8, there were exactly 100 contestants still alive.

The most common selection for Week 8 was the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Miami Dolphins which led or was tied in four of the six leagues as the choice for 37% of all the remaining entries. The Steelers had a lot of people concerned as they trailed the Dolphins 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. But the Steelers defense forced four turnover and didn’t surrender another point for the 27-14 victory.

Another most popular choice was the Minnesota Vikings over the Washington Redskins on Thursday Night Football. There were 35% of the choices for the Vikings and another 22% who picked the Los Angeles Rams over the Cincinnati Bengals in London. The only other choices were the Lions, Colts, and Seahawks with one selection each. This week saw every team making a selection move on to Week 9. In all, only three people were eliminated across all six leagues.

After eight weeks, 15.7% of contestants still remain since only three people of those who entered Week 8 were eliminated. Since I am still alive in all six leagues, it means we have less than a hundred contestants remaining from the 97 entries still alive. If you are still in the contest, make sure you enter your pick early so you don’t get knocked out due to a lack of selection. In fact, go do it right now if you are still alive!

As the season moves forward, it does become slightly easier to know what a team is supposedly capable of based on their body of work, but the choices become fewer as many contestants have already used the NFL’s top teams. With the Dolphins taking on the Jets this week, the Bengals being on bye, and only a few matchups of teams with winning records facing teams with losing records, who will be the go-to team of choice?

Weekly Update:

Upcoming Week 9 Games of Note:

• Most heavily favored: San Francisco (-10) at Arizona
• Closest match up (other than the Steelers): Houston (-1.5) at Jacksonville
• The Steelers match up: Pittsburgh (-1) at home vs Indianapolis
• On Bye Week: Atlanta, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Los Angeles Rams

(all lines are courtesy of oddshark.com as of 10/29)

So there you have it! Make sure you check back at Behind The Steel Curtain to stay updated on the contest. Even if you did not enter or have already been eliminated, feel free to check in and see how you would have fared each week.