The online brackets for the challenge I did enter.
Are you hot to win that billion bucks from Warren Buffett?
That’s the prize offered in the NCAA Bracket Challenge put out by the union of Yahoo and Quicken Loans.
The games for the field of 64 start a little after noon EDT today.
If you haven’t filled them in at the link above already, though, you’re too late.
The deadline was 1 a.m.
I didn’t go for it. And I have virtually the same chance as winning as anybody that does.
The only way to take home those biggest of bucks, you see, is to have picked every single game correctly, from today and Friday’s total of 32 games right up to the national championship.
There’s been a lot of online chatter about the brackets. Everybody and their cousin agrees that it’s impossible.
The Washington Post states that a stats guy figured out that the odds against it, randomly, are 9.2 quintillion to 1. Yes, that is the first time I’ve ever been called upon to type the word quintillion, so don’t ask me how many zeroes the number has. The expert quoted, though, says fear not. Somebody with a working knowledge of basketball would better the odds to complete a perfect bracket to one in 128 billion.
Let’s see. ESPN has been offering its bracket game since 1998, with more than 30 million entries. The number of perfect brackets is zero.
Not to make Quicken out to be complete schmucks, I must add that the mortgage loan company will pay out $100,000 each to the 20 best bracket pickers.
Me?
I’m sticking to the fun little affair that started with paper brackets back when I worked at the big daily and has graduated to an online format.
My dear wife Karen and I both jump into that pool.
We pick separately, watch together, and root for our favorites.
I selected Florida to win the national championship over Arizona.
I picked the hometown squad, Syracuse, to win two games before falling to Kansas. Oh, how that was altered since the Orange’s fall from a 25-0 start.
I did not have to pick against my alma mater, Maryland, because the Terps were not good enough to qualify for the big dance. Maryland was also ignored, rightfully, by the second-tier NIT.
By the way, it’s pretty sweet when your team wins the big prize. I had a two-year stretch in the beginning of this century that had me yelling triumphantly into the great outdoors. My alma mater beat Indiana for the title in 2002, and my hometown team topped Kansas for the championship in 2003.
I can only hope that neither is a once-in-my-lifetime thing.
Here’s my best advice to you.
Have fun watching the games the next three weekends, brackets at the ready for constant checking for winners and losers.
Consider it as your donation to contemporary American culture.
Have you filled out brackets for the NCAA Tournament? Who do you want to win the national championship?
Mark Bialczak 
I am excited and hope your favorite teams and ones you chose, win! My ex-husband and his son both played basketball so they would buy 2 big poster boards and chart out their choices. I am very familiar with the way it all goes and happy our work break was from 1:45 to 2:00 so I saw a small part of the winning upswing for Dayton! Smiles, Robin
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It is fun to follow and know that so many others are, too, Robin.
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I would of like to try my hand at this though I wouldn’t know what I was doing. A billion bucks what do I have to lose. 🙂
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It’s just really pick-and-dream for anybody, Kim.
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Seeing as I usually win the $1 award for last place, I skipped the billion dollar bracket. I will kick myself if this is my year and the cosmos align:). I picked Louisville . . .
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I think Louisville has a shot, Kay. Gotta like the defending national champ this time around.
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Filled out my brackets and, like every year, I picked Syracuse to win it all. Silly, yes. But I’m dying for a repeat of 2003 when I spent about a month bragging that I picked SU to win! This year was strange because I watched ACC basketball almost exclusively–so my normally Big east-centric favoritism has shifted. Even my bias against west coast and Big Ten teams has softened (w/ SD St. and Mich St. doing well in my brackets.) Oh–and Barack Obama? Screw you buddy. We’re going to kick Ohio St’s butts!
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I appreciate your Orange-colored glasses, Phil. I was always ACC first and Big East second in my heart, so my picking wasn’t altered any. Next year I expect to find myself with a new Big Ten bias!
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Very interesting. It would be great to win that billion dollars – but no, I did’nt fill out brackets.
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So you are the one, PJ …
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i’m really excited and see that obama has picked our instate rival, michigan state, to take the whole thing. i’ve won the last couple of years when in competition for most winning picks with a sports fan friend of mine. my money is on az taking it all, wish i could say it would be michigan, but i honestly don’t think they’ll take it all the way.
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I like the fact that you can competitively pick against your hometown/alma mater squad, Beth. Good job. Have fun watching the tourney.
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well, you know i have my favorites in my heart, and then those favorites who will help me win my bracket and another free victory dinner from dan, my sporty friend who’s been on a bracket losing streak for 2 years in a row. ) both teams are on the court today. mich vs terriers and mi state vs blue hens. and we’ll go from there – )
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Dan’s going to pay for meal three, Beth, I feel it.
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me too! and how about your orange?
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They are looking good in this one at the half, Beth!
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All I know is Jimmy Fallon was talking up Syracuse basketball last night. I thought of you.
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Jimmy is a pretty smarts sports guy, despite the fact that he played a devout Red Sox fan in a movie. Go ‘Cuse!
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