Bracketology: Greatest Game in LOC History (1st 64, part 1)

For the offseason series this year, I thought I'd do something a little fun. We've obviously been playing fantasy together for a long time now. Six full seasons, 438 competitive games played in total, and a lot of history made. The question this offseason series seeks to answer is, out of every game played, competitive and non-competitive, what is the greatest game in LOC history? I and the new Executive Director of the LOCCA put together a shortlist of 64 games in a bracket, tournament style knockout, to determine what the greatest game in history is. Today, we'll be looking at the first 8 match ups on the left side of the bracket.

(7) Got a Point? Vs. (30) Colin Kaepernick Who?
"Got a Point?" pitted B against AS. Both were struggling, AS hadn't won a game while B were 2-3. It was neck & neck. The game finished with a .38 point difference. AS won their first game of the season & their history.
"Colin Kaepernick Who?" was the debut game of Coach Simpson. In the same way as Kaepernick that season, Coach Simpson came in & led TS to the title game. The result was obviously a lot better for Coach Simpson.

Winner: Got a Point?
Reason: "Colin Kaepernick Who?" wasn't that interesting, just a key point in LOC history.


(49) Order is restored, Corona Bowl V Rematch Vs. (15) Corona Bowl II Rematch
"Order is restored" was the rematch between B & TTU after Coach Burdett embarrassed Coach Merritt in Corona Bowl V. It was the first time Coach Burdett had ever bested Coach Merritt. This rematch didn't come close to the excitement of the title game, but The Tuckfards did get back to winning ways.
"Corona Bowl II Rematch" was juicy. The 1st two champions of the LOC facing off for the first time since the title game. It was also another instalment of the Father Son Bowl. It was a close game for a long time, but BN pulled away in the Sunday night game & GG couldn't catch up.

Winner: Corona Bowl II Rematch
Reason: The Corona Bowl II match up was a close one


(27) Corona Bowl III Rematch Vs. (39) Wrong End of the Stick
"Corona Bowl III Rematch" featured TTY against GG. A gritty game, no team could take a decisive advantage. In the end, TTY would reaffirm their title victory & hold on to win.
"Wrong End of the Stick" was the 2nd game in a row ADRZ was close to winning, but came up short. ADRZ fell way behind, but rallied back to take the lead. They couldn't hang on though, and FF pipped them late in the Monday night game.

Winner: Wrong End of the Stick
Reason: It had drama, a story line, & was close to the end. What more do you want?


(44) Passing is Overrated Vs. (9) 2 in a Row
"Passing is Overrated" was the first playoff game between TTU & IKNAN in 2013, aka the game where Jamaal Charles got 50 points (hence the name). TTU dropped 160 points on IKNAN & rolled to the title game.
"2 in a row" was between IKNAN & GG in 2010. It was the 1st playoff game, but the second game in a row where they played each other. GG won, but it wasn't a great game (IKNAN only got 57 points).

Winner: Passing is overrated
Reason: Come on.


(28) Down to the wire Vs. (18) The Meltdown
"Down to the wire" was a close one between TDT & ADRZ. Close doesn't do it justice, it was tight the whole game & the winner only won by 1.92 points. What made this so interesting? ADRZ had a player in the Monday night game, but came up just short.
"The Meltdown" was the 1st game in a string of 5 games where ADRZ lost. They were in prime position for a playoff spot in their first season. They had a nice 96 point outing, but were 21 points short of TS.

Winner: Down to the wire
Reason: This was a thrilling game...for those not involved.


(55) Stopping the Rot Vs. (21) Chiquitos
"Stopping the Rot" marked the game where FF finally got a win in a close game against JS. It finished 93-91 & was back and forth all game, but Coach Leach edged it out.
"Chiquitos" was a great game. GG faced off against B, both in a race for a wildcard spot. As the name suggests, a lot of the LOC was at Chiquitos for Coach Stubbs' 18th. He was getting teased all night (despite it being a tight game) but managed to win it 115-109.

Winner: Chiquitos
Reason: Its got everything, excitement, lead changes, and Mexican food


(32) Corona Bowl IV Vs. (5) Corona Bowl I Rematch
"Corona Bowl IV" had a great plot to it. A Rookie fantasy coach without a year under his belt, going against the LOC's winningest team (& also most hated). It was close early on, but TS won outright (and everyone thanked them for it).
"Corona Bowl I Rematch" was the first rematch of a title game between BN and B. It was an ok game, fairly close in the season opener, but nothing special.

Winner: Corona Bowl IV
Reason: Nothing beats the magic of a Corona Bowl


(12) Cutting it close Vs. (53) The Underdog
"Cutting it Close" was the first of many close games. B took on TTY in the 2nd game of the season & it was a good one. 132-129 to TTY in the end, Coach Burdett was trying to defend a lead but Coach Barnes lead a long sustained come back to steal it.
"The Underdog" had a lot to it. GG struggling for a 3rd straight season, TDT looking like the champions through just 4 weeks. It looked like Coach Nathwani would win, but in true GG style they lead a comeback capped off on Monday night.

Winner: The Underdog
Reason: This was the toughest yet. The thing that swayed it was the story line behind "The Underdog"