HotRod Muscles Ahead

Ferris Mueller Can Still Take Off

Alexander Looks To Tame Bucephalus

Badgerland Runner Hopes For Bronze

When he submitted his picks, HotRod (Rodney Dawson) all but guaranteed he would win this year’s Challenge to earn the “coveted”—his words—Grand Prize T-Shirt. After the round of 16, he is in the driver’s seat to do just that thanks to wins by Oregon and Notre Dame that pushed him ahead of BadgerHoopla for good. The worst HotRod can do now is 16th place, guaranteeing him his 5th top 21 finish in seven seasons.

HotRod won’t be satisfied with 16th place, however. He wants that t-shirt and all the glory that comes with it, but he still has a tough road ahead. He will have to fend off 13 other players who still have a shot for the title. Each game from here on out will determine who stays on the path to victory and who crashes and burns.

One of those players still with a title shot is Ferris Mueller. The 7th-year player has never finished better than 31st, and he’s currently in 98th. But, amazingly, if Virginia beats Oregon, Kansas beats Villanova, and Notre Dame beats North Carolina—he wins!

The Notre Dame vs. North Carolina matchup Sunday will also be of particular interest to the girlfriend/boyfriend tandem of Alexander the Great and her trusty steed, Bucephalus (the legendary horse of Alexander the Great).

Both Alexander and Bucephalus have a chance to win the title, but Alexander—a/k/a “The Bronco Buster”—needs the points from a Notre Dame victory, and Bucephalus will come up lame for the 16th year in a row if North Carolina loses. Needless to say, Bucephalus will be cheering hard for the Tar Heels to keep his title hopes alive—and to keep pace with The Bronco Buster.

A North Carolina win would also be helpful to Badgerland Runner (Chris Schiemann), who is having his best Challenge ever. Currently in 4th place, the best Schiemann can hope for is 3rd, since he chose Michigan State to win it all. Still, third is better than 30th, which is Schiemann’s best finish in eight prior seasons. And who wouldn’t want a fridge magnet?