In the RR, Illinois, Michigan and Maryland played on 13 common rounds. On those rounds, they compiled a record of 39-0. Given an average margin of victory and standard deviation, we could predict the likelihood that all three would lose on the same round. That probability would have to be considerably less than 1% or even 0.01%. Then consider that Chicago A (w. Andrew Yaphe would have also gone undefeated in the RR and lost on that round. The tournament occurrence was so statistically impossible that it cannot hardly have been caused by a Random Variation. Penn created and set up a situation where the consensus #1-4 teams in the nation would go undefeated in the RR and ALL lose an opening playoff round to teams well outside the top ten, and with less than 10% of the votes that the #1-4 teams recieved in QB polls. Why did Penn select that round for the first playoffs when it could have been in the RR. Because, if the upsets occurred in the RR, the #1-4 teams could still win the tourney and Penn didn't want those schools to win. Either that, or the PB staff was simply too incompetent to furnish four playoff rounds that were of reasonable similarity in form and content to the 15 RR packets. After the first playoff round, the tournament reverted to expected form with the favorites advancing in most cases with some minor upsets. (#10 Yale defeating #7 Princeton) The other finalist was #19 Cornell, the highest seed in its half of the draw after the #1 seeds were removed. It is not coincidental that all 3 of the Nation's top 4 in attendance lost on that round - to teams the others had decimated in the RR. It was an "upset special" placed in that position by the PB9 staff to favor the #4 seeds over the #1's and maximize the likelihood of defeat. Having read the paacket in advance, seeing the preliminary statistics, and seeing the playoff pairings, only a fool would have bet on any of the #1 seeds to survuve the first round. Want Chicago lose. Make literature Ph.D candidate Andrew Yaphe play on a round where all the literature questions are "children's lit" - A.A. Milne and the Chocolate War. Sadly for the PB9 staff, Mr. Yaphe did not go and Duke let them down against Princeton, thus preventing a first- round sweep of undefeated teams. Well. There's always next year.
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