Parts Unknown (DP--Disassociated Press): The start to this year's divisional races got off with a mind-boggling bang, but it was a kooky and an unconventional one that was unexpectedly fueled by a tremendously captivating outing from this year's Challenge field in which it rattled off one of the top best-bet performances in the history of the competition. The field entered this past weekend with an eight-week start to this season in which the overwhelming majority of its weekends have been littered with mostly miserable handicapping. In fact, the field headed into this past weekend with only one outing that ended with a winning best-bet record, which occurred back in week #5, but even in that outing the field still struggled and barely managed to eke out a combined 14-13-1 best-bet tally. The field also headed into this past weekend without producing a PERFECTA outing, of which the handicapping futility had the field chasing an all-time record for starting out a competition with the most consecutive weekends without a PERFECTA (the all-time record is 14 straight outings w/o a PF to start off a competition that was set by the field from Challenge year #3). This past weekend, however, that all changed, if only for one weekend, when out of the blue, the Challenge field erupted for a season-high 47 points that was spearheaded by three 6-point parlay hits, of which two ended up in PERFECTA weekends, and also a dazzling 22-5-0 best-bet tally that factored out to an otherwordly .815 winning percentage. On the whole, it was a combined handicapping performance that has been a long time coming for this year's roster of handicappers, and it was so spectacular of an outing that it enabled the field to metaphorically slap a retributive smackdown, or a stinging comeuppance for better words, upon the Vegas Crocodiles for having had their way with most of the Bookie Challenge handicappers for the better part of this season. All in all, however, it was a few outstanding handicapping outings this past weekend by several of the competition's handicappers that directly affected the start to this year's divisional races in ways never seen before in any of the previous starts to divisional races in the history of the Challenge competition.

To start off with, it has been pointed out many times in previous weekly reviews that no yearly Bookie Challenge competitions are ever the same. They're all different, with each and every one taking on a unique life of its own. But this year's competition is such a different animal, and in such an unprecedented way, that its overall handicapping machinations have had a rare and early impact upon the onset of this year's divisional races. Specifically, after this past weekend's handicapping action went into the books, this year's Bookie Challenge competition is starting to shape up to be the most competitive handicapping contest in the history of the Bookie Challenge. Generally, as it concerns the starts of yearly divisional races, and because the number-one and number-two top seeds from a divisional seeding begin their respective divisional races with the largest leads in total points, it takes a good many weeks before their divisional leads are overtaken, that is, if they are overtaken at all. Case in point, in the history of the competition, only once before has an overall number-one top seed from a divisional seeding failed to win a divisional title (DIRTYBIRDS in Challenge yr #11). Conversely, because the number-three and number-four top seeds from a divisional seeding start their respective divisional races with significantly smaller divisional leads, it's not a big surprise that divisional lead changes occur a lot earlier in its divisional races than they do when compared to the lead changes that transpire within the top-two seeded divisions. Accordingly, because the lowest-seeded division from a divisional seeding starts off its divisional race with a good portion of its handicappers in a virtual total-points gridlock atop its divisional point standings, it's highly understandable to see why the only divisional lead changes to have taken place in all the previous Bookie Challenge competitions after just one weekend of a divisional race have occurred in the lowest-seeded divisions.

For the record, as it pertains to those aforementioned divisional lead changes that took place after just one weekend to kick off divisional races, it might come as a surprise that those divisional lead changes have only happened TWICE before in the history of the competition. In Challenge year #4, in that year's lowest-seeded division, the Sneaky Pete division, divisional leader jcvike28 was surpassed by both moemonie and Bomber7 after the first weekend of that year's divisional races. Likewise, in Challenge year #10, in that year's lowest-seeded division, the Corozal division, the Biased Nihilist usurped Driveline for the Corozal divisional lead after the first weekend of that year's divisional races. But in a statistical anamoly that will surely amaze nearly every participant in the league, when taking into account the overall history of divisional lead changes that have taken place, it is hard to imagine that those lead changes do not happen as often as one might think. In all of the previous Bookie Challenge competitions, of all the divisional leaders who have started off all the previous yearly divisional races in the history of the competition, at least half or more of them have gone on to win respective divisional races in every prior competition. When applying the math, that factors out to a rate of at least 50 percent or higher that divisional leaders from every past divisional race have held on to win respective divisional championships. Even more astounding is that in two previous competitions, those of Challenge years' #4 and #10, all five divisional leaders to emerge from that year's divisional seeding all won divisional titles. As already mentioned in this weekly review, in Challenge year #4, jcvike28 had lost his divisional lead in the first weekend after that year's opening round of the divisional races. However, jcvike eventually retook the divisional lead weeks later in his divisional race and then held on to win that year's Sneaky Pete divisional title, which his comeback to win his division capped off the first time every divisional leader that started off a divisional race all won their respective divisional championships. The second time it happened (Challenge yr #10), meaning when all divisional leaders from a divisional seeding all won divisional titles, turned out to be more intriguing after every divisional leader to start off their respective divisional races from that season all went wire-to-wire to win their respective divisional championships.

But, after this past weekend, as it pertained to that rock-steady statistical model which has best epitomized the propensity of past divisional leaders from past divisional seedings to capture divisional titles at a 50 percent clip or higher--well--that statistical model is about to get blown up to smithereens, or at least the possibility for the fireworks appears to be on the near-distant horizon. Morever, in what can be deemed as an emerging brain-teaser that arose in the wake of this past weekend's handicapping action, there now exists an oddball set of circumstances that can set in motion the distinct scenario in which, for the first time ever, none of the divisional leaders from a divisional seeding will win a divisional title, of which is an unprecedented foreboding this season that can become a reality just as sure as one of Nostradamus' omens from one of his quandrants have arguably come to fruititon. The impetus that has triggered the possibilty for such a fantastical situation to occur in this year's divisional races originated after Blitzkrieg, jcvike28, and Vikings17 each produced brilliant handicapping performances. Both Blitzkrieg and jcvike28 erupted to connect on the first PERFECTA outings of this year's competition, while rookie Vikings17 registered his first-ever 7-point outing of his Bookie Challenge career. Even more eye-popping as it concerns Vikings17's 6-point parlay hit from this past weekend is that it was his second-straight 6-point parlay winner, of which the successive parlay hits are a fascinating accomplishment for a rookie to pull off in his greenhorn debut. Also impressive were the PERFECTA performances from both Blitzkrieg and jcvike28, for their PERFECTA outings put to rest any chances of this year's Challenge field to break the all-time record for the most consecutive weeks to start off a competition without a PERFECTA outing. Amazingly, Blitzkrieg was able to collect a crucial week-won after he complemented his 8-point PERFECTA with a 1-point exact-score hit to finish his outing with nine total points. Blitzkrieg was able to compile his 9th point after he nailed down a 1-point exact-score hit by correctly predicting the Chargers would score 27 points against the Jets on this past Monday night (Chargers won 27-6).

But the most important consequence to have manifested itself this past weekend after the combined performances by Blitzkrieg, jcvike28, and Vikings17, is the significant role those combined outings played when it came to converting this year's divisional races--TO MEAN EVERY DIVISIONAL RACE!--into free-for-all battles to win divisional championships. To be more specific, because Blitzkrieg's 9-point outing sliced Theopholis' previous 10-point divisional lead in the top-seeded Corozal division to a meager three points, and because jcvike's 8-point PERFECTA outing tied him in total points (21 pts) with catman23 for the overall lead of the second-seeded Hail Mary division, and because Vikings17's 7-point outing in the Run-&-Shoot division enabled him to climb over TCU and finish his outing in second place in the division's point standings and just two points away from DawgPound's divisional lead, the first round of this year's divisional races concluded with every divisional race being highly contested and with every respective divisional leader clinging on to slim divisional leads. Never before in the history of the Bookie Challenge's divisional races has a weekend of divisional races concluded in divisional-leading point differentials of three points, two points, one point, and a tie in total points, not ever has it happened and not at any point, to mean any weekend, of any previous divisional race. So, with all the above in mind, it can be clearly seen that with 10 more weekends still left to handicap in this year's regular season, this year's handicapping brawls to seize divisional titles, not to forget about the battle to caputure this year's regular-season championship, are all presently mired in a never-before-seen state of unpredictability that it will be anyone's guess as to which handicappers will still be standing in the eventual aftermath of the inevitable handicapping pandemonium that is sure to define the end of this year's divisional races.

Other takeaways from this past weekend included some off-the-wall scoring totals by a few handicappers. The rare 9-point outing by Blitzkrieg was just one of a handful of quirky point totals that were registered this past weekend, of which the offbeat point totals came about in large part after five handicappers combined to correctly predict seven 1-point exact-score winners. Apart from Blitzkrieg's 9-point tally, the other crooked point totals from this past weekend included respective 3-point outings by moemonie, DawgPound, and the Hall of Fame City Kid. And in one last unusual scoring total that was tallied this past weekend, the Biased Nihilist scored four overall points for his outing after he connected on both of his best bets and also after he recorded 1-point exact-score hits in each of the two exact-score games from this past weekend.

• ALL-IN-THE-FAMILY THEATRICS! UNCLE AND NEPHEW TANDEM OF BLITZKRIEG AND JCVIKE28 EACH SLAM OUT SEASON-CHANGING PERFECTA OUTINGS: Both Blitzkrieg and jcvike28 were this past weekend's top-two scorers after each handicapper landed respective PERFECTA outings (worth 8 total pts). As mentioned earlier, Blitzkrieg won the weekend outright after he added a 1-point exact-score hit to his PERFECTA to conclude his outing with nine total points. But of more significance, both handicappers drastically reduced the respective divisional leads of their respective divisional leaders within their divisions. Specifically, in the top-seeded Corozal division, Blitzkrieg finished his weekend still in second place in the division's point standings but just three points behind Theopholis's divisional lead of 23 points. Meanwhile, jcvike also finished his outing still in second place in the second-seeded division, the Hail Mary division, but unlike Blitzkrieg, jcvike forced a tie in total points (21 pts) with catman23 for the divisional lead. However, because both handicappers finished the weekend with identical best-bet records (8-10-0), it fell to the league's second tiebreaker, most parlay wins within one's combined parlay combos on the season, to unlock the deadlock in total points between catman and jcvike. And because the Tomcat from Handicapping Alley has more parlay wins within his combined parlay combinations than jcvike has (17 vs 14), he technically held on to the divisional lead. However, each passing weekend over the span of the last-three weekends, to include this past weekend, catman has slowly and gradually seen his once-promising season get away from him. He saw his overall lead of the competition slip away one week before this year's divisional seeding, but he subsequently won the overall number-two top seed after the divisional seeding took place. And now, just after one week of this year's divisional races, catman's outright 7-point divisional lead of the Hail Mary division has evaporated, which doesn't bode well for him when considering that jcvike has four divisional titles under his belt, is a one-time Bookie Challenge champion, and is a hungry handicapper who this season has rekindled his parlay-hitting game. Conversely, catman23 has never won a divisional title, so it's hard to imagine how he's going stave off jcvike for the remainder of the Hail Mary divisional race.

  Over in the top-seeded Corozal division, Theopholis' previously propitious divisional lead of 10 points to start off this year's divisional races represented the largest divisional lead in the competition before the first round of this year's divisional races got underway. But Theo's huge 10-point divisional lead got drastically reduced this past weekend after Blitzkrieg fired off the first major salvo within the Corozal divisional race, and as a result, Blitzkrieg has turned Theo's previous 10-point divisional lead into a now precarious three-point edge. Worse yet for Theo is that Blitzkrieg easily holds the league's first tiebreaker edge over Theo should the two handicappers in the near future wind up in a tie in total points for the divisional lead. Blitzkrieg's tiebreaker advantage will more than likely carry the day should a tie in total points indeed materialize any time soon, because Blitzkrieg presently leads the league in best-bet winners with 12 wins overall, while Theo presently has 10 best-bet winners tallied on the season. In essence, Blitzkrieg's sudden surge up the Corozal division's point standings serves as a notice to Theo, and in a fashion that best mimics the warnings of a former Atlanta Falcons' head coach, a one Jerry Glanville. As a die-hard Falcons' fan, Blitzkrieg would want to paraphrase Glanville's most iconic phrase and warn Theo that "if you're a number-one top seed handicapping the NFL, and if you don't get your shit together, your divisional lead will be NFL, as in Not For Long". To note further, after this past weekend, Theopholis is now in serious jeopardy of becoming the second number-one top seed from a divisional seeding to not win a divisional title.

  There are some interesting takeaways that arose from the PERFECTA outings by Blitzkrieg and jcvike this past weekend. For starters, Blitzkrieg's PERFECTA continued his career-long streak of at least registering a PERFECTA in each of his handicapping seasons, of which he is the only handicapper to have so far pulled off the outstanding handicapping feat. As already touched open in the main article of this weekly review, the PERFECTA outings by Blitzkrieg and jcvike snapped an 11-week drought in which the Challenge field last produced a PERFECTA outing. For the record, the last regular-season PERFECTA came in last year's competition, when in week #15 Driveline registered a PERFECTA outing. Furthermore, in a Bookie Challenge season, meaning this year's competition, that has seen one major handicapping coincidence after another seemingly occur on a regular basis, this past weekend saw yet another major coincidence materialize. Specifically, the last time the Bookie Challenge field produced two PERFECTAs on the same weekend occurred back in last year's competition, in week #6 to be precise. So take a guess as to who were the two handicappers who were responsible for the last time the Challenge field registered two PERFECTAs on the same weekend. Give yourself a gold star if you guessed that the two handicappers who teamed up to hit those two PERFECTAs in week #6 of last year's competition were the same two handicappers who pounded out PERFECTAs this past weekend--yep--Blitzkrieg and jcvike!



• WEEKLY TICKER........This past weekend, the Biased Nihilist correctly predicted the exact score of the Steelers' final scoring total (20 pts) in this past Thurday night's exact-score game and also correctly predicted the Chargers' final tally (27 pts) in this past Monday night's exact-score game. In doing so, the Nihilist became the 2nd handicapper this season to connect on 1-point exact-score hits in both exact-score games of a weekend (moemonie was the other participant to accomplish the feat this season)........The 6-pt parlay hit by Blitzkrieg this past weekend left the Biased Nihilist, Driveline, and moemonie as the only three handicappers this season who have yet to connect on respective 6-pt parlay winners........THE OVER/UNDER BRAWL--TCU VS VIKINGS17: TCU only submitted one best-bet this past weekend, but it was an over/under selection that he lost. Conversely, Vikings17 selected two over/under picks this past weekend of which he broke even after going 1-1-0 with the selections. As a result, despite only placing one best-bet selection for the past weekend, Too Tall Tommy still maintained his slight edge over Vikings17 for this year's top over/under record between the two handicappers..........SWAMI WATCH: This year's battle to be honored with this season's Swami award took on a different complexion after Blitzkrieg won both of his best bets and has started to pull away from the other contenders for this year's Swami award. Blitzkrieg ended the weekend with a league-leading 12-5-1 best-bet tally that factored out to an astonishing .688 winning percentage. Interestingly, however, dbucc surpassed Theo for the league's 2nd top BB record (9-6-1/Win% .600 vs Theo's 10-7-0/Win% 588) and in doing as much he placed himself in a familiar situation, that of annually vying for a yearly Swami award, of which dbucc has already been honored with a league-high of 3 Swami awards........ROOKIE RACE RIVALRY: Forget about it! The Purple People Eater (aka Vikings17) has become the clear-cut front-runner to be honored with this year's Rookie-of-the-Year award after he banged out his 2nd-straight 6-pt parlay hit this past weekend. As it stands today, the up-and-coming Vikings17 now has more total points than the HOF City Kid (20 pts vs 13 pts) and also has a better best-bet record (7-10-1/Win% .412 vs 5-12-1/Win% .294).........The reason the results of the Red Zone divisional race after the opening round of this year's divisional races were not mentioned in the main article of this weekly review was because there were hardly any changes in the point differentials among the four divisional handicappers. All four handicappers--DIRTYBIRDS (21 pts), 7mick7 (20 pts), dbucc (17 pts), and the HOF City Kid (13 pts)--all won both of their respective best bets this past weekend. But in the case of last-place HOF City Kid, he added a 1-pt exact-score hit to his two best-bet winners and thus ended the weekend with 3 points scored, while the rest of his divisional counterparts finished their respective outings with 2 pts scored apiece for the past weekend.........