With just 1 hour to go before the Regional finals (aka Elite 8, aka national quarterfinals) begin, some separation has begun at the top of the standings. Susan kay susan, with 82 points, and a reader who thinks that our 6-foot tall senior reporter and producer Carly DeMarque resembles a giraffe, have jumped out to the lead. There are 3 players currently tied for 3rd place, though have no fear Rhonda Campbell and nicole – CarrrrrrlyD is in fact that same Carly DeMarque, and she isn’t eligible for prizes.
All put one of the top 12 teams have their choices for national champion still in the running.
Who do our best prognosticators to this point think will win the national title? Surprisingly, not the #1 overall seed Penn State – which was only chosen by 1 of the top 12 so far. Stanford and Nebraska were the most popular choices with 4 each – remember that Nebraska already swept Penn State once this year. If both of those teams win today, they’d play in the national semi-finals next week.
Picks for National Champion among top 12 players so far:
| #5 Nebraska (26-4) | 4 |
| #3 Stanford (26-3) | 4 |
| #1 Penn State (29-1) | 1 |
| #2 Florida (25-1) | 1 |
| #8 Washington (24-7) | 1 |
| #4 Kentucky (26-3) | 1 |
What this also means, though, is that this contest is far from over, with the top 3 players being eligible for prizes. If Penn State wins the title, CarlyIsAGiraffe will be in the best position for a prize, followed by a tight grouping at 76 points – 5 of whom have picked Penn State.
The grand spoilers could be Michigan State or 10th-seeded USC. They’re the only of the 8 remaining team in the tournament that weren’t picked by a single contestant to win the title.
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