The Death of the Locks Has Been Severly Exaggerated - 2010 O/U NFL Challenge

We're back!  Welcome to the new look Absolute Locks, I Think.  After what can only be described as a warped, morbid experiment, the Locks has emerged from an 8-month gambling exile.  And just what has the Locksmith been up to in 2010?  Let's just say we've completed an unprecedented intelligence upgrade which has elevated our sports prognostication abilities to a realm unoccupied by other humans.  What does that mean for you?  More winners, more often.  More money, more unsolicited attention from attractive women.  Essentially a dramatic improvement over your current ho-hum Johnny Lunch-Pail existence.  Oh, and we redesigned the site as well.

It should not be taken as a coincidence that the Locks is back on the eve of action-packed college football and NFL seasons.  And to kick things off, we're running the 2nd Annual Absolute Locks NFL Over/Under Challenge.  All combatants are invited to enter the ring in this battle of wits and this year we'll be fighting for something more tangible than bragging rights.  That's right, we're adding a monetary component to the challenge in 2010.  So without further ado, here are the ground rules:

In the left column of your screen are the Vegas lines for the number of games each NFL team is predicted to win during the upcoming regular season (does not include post-season).  The Colts and Chargers lead the way with an expected 11 wins each, while the Rams and Lions are once again bottom feeders with a more modest prediction of 5 Ws.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to select three teams from the list that you think will have more wins than predicted (your "over" group) and three teams that you think will have less wins than predicted (your "under" group).  We'll then track each person's 6-team Over/Under entry throughout the year with the person with the most correct predictions taking home the pot.  There are no ties for any predictions.  You will either pick the team to be over or under the Vegas number.  If the Vegas number is right on the money then you lose that pick since it will be neither over or under.

Speaking of ties, there is a likelihood that more than one person in this pool will tie with the best record at the end of the season.  In order to break these ties, we'll have a point system to account for just how "over" or "under" your picks perform.  You'll get one point for each game your correct picks are on the right side of the number and lose one point for each game your incorrect picks are on the wrong side of the number.  For example, the Falcons number is 9.  If you select the Falcons to go over and they end up winning 13 games, then your pick of the Falcons is correct and it is worth 4 tiebreaker points.  If they win 7 games, then your pick is incorrect and is worth -2 tiebreaker points.  In the event of a tie, an individuals' total tiebreaker points will be determined by adding the tiebreaker points for all six of their picks.  Whichever of the teams that tied with the best record has the most tiebreaker points will be crowned the victor.

Entry in the pool will cost $10 with winner taking all.  If you are interested in participating, please send me an email at tbrons@vidacommunication.com to let me know.  Final selections will be due by Wednesday, September 8 at 11:00 p.m. Pacific time.  Please feel free to invite any colleagues who you think will fatten the pot with dead money.

For those of you who don't trust your own analytical abilities, the Absolute Locks will be presenting their Over/Under picks for all 32 NFL teams in the coming weeks.  You can simply piggyback off of our selections.

It is great to be back in action and the Locks thanks you all for your support.  We're looking forward to wildly successful college and pro seasons and hope you'll all jump aboard and make money with us.  And we're off........