This post was for the season of The Pack and not The Favre.
Read our Great Giveaway post for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

OK, FIRST OFF, most of the information I’m going to tell you here each week can be found on the official Great Giveaway football contest website, which is a cool site with weekly winners/overall stats, comments and pick trends. For example, 73.2% of Great Giveaway participants correctly predicted New York Big Blue would handle Carolina Blue in Week 1. Nailed it! Also, 74.4% of contestants in our Las Vegas football contest said San Diego would beat K.C. Oops! That’s kinda cool to know though, right?

What else should you know before we detail the weekly winners of the Great Giveaway Las Vegas football contest… weekly winners are also posted every Tuesday in the sports books and payouts start on Thursdays in the sports books.

Week 17 Wrap-Up

It’s been a long season – just ask Minnesota pro football fans – but you made it! U’all made your picks every week (right?), many of you won cash during the journey, 17 of yous had a choice of a car or truck, and two of you made it to the mountain and won a $225,000 Dunhill home!

According to the official rules: After the End-Of-Contest winners are announced on January 10, 2011, a seven day waiting period will take place. At the conclusion of this waiting period, the contest will officially end. All prize winners will then be certified and the winning contestants will be eligible to receive their prizes.

So, I can’t say too much right now. I can say that “unofficial” results and records for the end-of-season stuff is now on the Great Giveaway website.

For the final time this year:

Most Wins Week: Three of you went 16-0 with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize and the other two getting $5,000 each. Better late than never.

Most Wins Total: Can’t say yet.

Most Losses Week: Ten players had one just win, at 1-15, with the tie-breaker winner getting the $5,000 and nine other getting $556. Much better late than never.

Most Losses Total: Can’t say yet.

Fiddle in the Middle: Again, this is not official until Jan. 10: but it looks like 1,504 players went 121-121 and will split $200,000!

More end-of-season stuff: If you won, or think you might have won, one of the end-of-season prizes go to the Sports Book or Rewards Center on Monday and ask. Here’s a link to the rules, and keep in mind:

• All prizes must be collected by March 15, 2011 or be forfeited, including end-of-season Free Slot Play prizes.
• Free Slot Play for entry fee(s) (remember, you are only eligible if you make your picks every week and didn’t win anything) starts January 21, 2011

One last thing: We’ll post again on or around next Monday for end-of-season results, when everything becomes official.

Week 16 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: We had six perfect players, at 13-0 (Philly/Minny game got white-outed this week), in this the second to last week of the season with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize (thanks to a way-under-the-total 31 last night) and the five others getting $2,000 each. Nice!

Most Wins Total: It’s crunch time. With one week left, we have one player all alone in first place, with a one-game lead at 155-71, for the $225,000 Dunhill home. There’s a crowd of players breathing down his/her neck. Nine are one game back at 154-72, 13 two back, 16 three back and 33 four back. Gonna be a wild finish for the house. Remember, the tie-breaker is your Week 17 record. See below in the Week 15 Wrap-Up for a little further explanation about the tie-breaker rules. And here’s the link again. Best of luck.

Most Losses Week: Two players went winless, at 0-13, both getting $5,000 apiece. Nicer!

Most Losses Total: It looks like a two-horse race for the $225,000 Dunhill home on the Most Losses side. We got one player in first at 69-157 and one player one game back at 70-156. The next group of six players is four games back at 73-153. Best of luck.

COLLEGE BOWLS LAST-MAN-STANDING CONTEST: Gotta sign up by 7pm today.

Three last things: There’s no Monday night game this week, so this thing is going to be finished after the Sunday night game. Remember, if you made your picks every week this season and haven’t won a thing, got to make them again this last week to get your entry fee back. Oh, and best of luck.

Week 15 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: For the second week in a row no one went undefeated, but 17 players went 14-1 with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize (thanks to a way-over-the-total 54 last night) and the rest of the 16 others getting $625 each. Merry Christmas!

Most Wins Total: It’s getting crowded at the top, as many are making late-season pushes for the house. After Week 15, three players are tied in first at 147-66. Five are one game back at 146-67, 11 are two games back and 19 three games back. (Tie-Breaker explanation and link below). O-M-G!

Most Losses Week: We got a strong trend going here for most weekly losses. For the fourth straight week just one player went winless, at 0-15, to win a Santa sack full of $10,000. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Most Losses Total: Last week, one player was in first with a two-game lead. After Week 15, he/she was caught (maybe passed), as two are now in first, with a two-game lead, at 64-149. Two are two games back at 66-147, one three back and three four back. O-M-G!

Fiddle in the Middle 1,253 players are 106-107. 1,366 are 107-106.

NEW LAST-MAN-STANDING CONTEST: Click on the beautiful poster over here to the right to view info on our Last Man Standing contest for College Bowl season. I don’t know all the details, but it mostly goes like our other LMS contests. Starts with the games on Tuesday, December 28 (Champs Sports and Insight Bowls) and goes 11 days until the championship game or until only one player left. There’s a sheet in the Sports Books with the spreads you have to pick from each day. If you win, you go on. Lose and go home. $25 per entry. Five entries for $100. Ask more in the Book. Good luck.

Tie Breaker for end-of-season prizes explained: You know how a lot of times it pays to be hot at the end of the season for football teams? Well, same thing for Great Giveaway end-of-season prizes. Here’s how it works: if there’s a tie for any of the levels of prizes, the tie-breaker is the best record for Week 17. If Week 17 is a tie, then best record in Week 16 and so on until the winner is decided. So, if two players end up with the same number of wins (or losses) after all this, and Player No. 1 goes 12-4 in Week 17 while Player No. 2 goes 13-3…Player No. 1 wins the house and No. 2 gets $25,000, if we’re talking about a tie at the top for most wins for the season. That’s basically it.

Here’s the Official Tie-Breaker rules

Here’s the Payouts for end-of-season prizes including the houses

One last thing: The Saturday, Christmas Day game isn’t part of Great Giveaway this week (Thursday game neither, of course), so just 14 picks to make.

Week 14 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: First off, the Minnesota/New York game didn’t count this week (insert Farve joke here), so we’re just dealing with 14 games…and nobody went undefeated this week. 53 players went 13-1, with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize (thanks to that INT return in OT of the Monday game no doubt) with the rest of the 52 others getting $193 each.

Most Wins Total: The pack finally reeled him/her back in. We have two players tied for Most Wins for the year at 139-59. Two more are one game back and four more are two back at 137-61. Now, the reason I say “reeled back in” is because we haven’t had a tie atop Most Wins for the house since Week 5 (biggest lead was four games back in Week 8). Making the assumption it has been the same player in first all this time (or at least a lot of the time): well, it’s a whole new ballgame with three weeks left. Good luck to all!

Most Losses Week: Once again (third week in a row) we had one winless player, at 0-14, who gets all 10,000 of the dollars for him/herself. I think the two of you will be very happy together.

Most Losses Total: One player is in first, with a two-game lead, for Most Losses for the house with a record of 57-141. And just one player is two games back, followed by two three back, three four back and four five back at 62-136. My grandpa would call that the Cat Bird’s Seat. Good luck.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: The winner of our Last Man Standing contest for the College Bowl games gets a minimum $15,000. Contest begins December 28. Ask at the Book for details.

Week 13 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: This week, five of you got it, going 14-0, with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize and four others getting $2,500 each. I wrote the same exact thing last week. Go ahead, scroll down and look at it. Congrats!

Most Wins Total: With a record of 131-53, one player is in first for the house. One player is one back, one player is two back and two are three games back…with four weeks left!

Most Losses Week: Let’s call this repeat week, because once again we have one winner for most weekly losses. Once again only one person went winless. Once again he/she gets the whole $10,000. And once again, it’s not me.

Most Losses Total: With a record of 54-130, one is in first for the house. One player is one back and one player is two games back…with four weeks left!

Fiddle in the Middle: 1,282 players are 92-92.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: We got both (college and pro) our winners, but we now have a Last Man Standing for the College Bowl games coming up. Ask at the Sports Book for details.

Week 12 Wrap-Up

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: We got a winner in LMS Pro! It’s a man. His home Book is over at Texas Station (haven’t been given permission to release name). He picked Minnesota this week. He outlasted nearly 4,000 entries for the winner-takes-all prize of $80,350. Man, you’re so the money…and now you know it. Seriously, that is so difficult. You are: The Last Man Standing!

Most Wins Week: What a difference a week makes. Last week: 38 undefeated records. This week, five of you got it, going 13-0, with the tie-breaker winner taking the top prize and four others getting $2,500 each. If you’d like, I can get you five the address of that Buffalo wide receiver so you can write him a personal letter thanking him for your perfect week. Congrats!

Most Wins Total: This is going to be good. One player sits on top with a record of 120-50. Four are one game back, then two more two games back and two more at 117-53. In other words, nine players are within three games. Like the game of football, Great Giveaway is all about December. You gotta fight through injuries. Stick to your strengths. Keep doing what got you this far. OK, that was my pep talk. I need to go lie down now.

Most Losses Week: You’re No. 1. One single, lone, all by him/herself player got all the monies. That’s $10,000 folks. This also happened back in Week 8 when we had only one winner for most losses for the week. Wow!

Most Losses Total: It’s the same exact scenario for the house for most losses for the season. One on top, at 51-119, and eight others (two one game back, two two back, and four three back), making it nine within three games. Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale.

Fiddle in the Middle: 1,288 players are 85-85. Remember, FITM splits up $200,000.

Extra Points: What a week! $80,000 winner. Two $10,000 winners. Four $2,500 winners. One more thing: we’re holding a new Last Man Standing for the College Bowl season. Ask details at the Sports Book.

Week 11 Wrap-Up

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: Two dropped the ball. Last Man Standing Pro is down to three, as two players lost this week. I just checked and if all three players lose next week, or if more than one player in any of the upcoming weeks, the contest ends and the cash gets split equally. Best of luck…sincerely.

Most Wins Week: It’s all about timing. Last week only one player went undefeated for the week and took the whole prize. This week 38 players went 15-0. 38! Thank you N.Y. Green! So, that leaves the tie-breaker winner (a very-close-to-the-total 49 Monday night) with the top prize and 37 others getting $271 apiece. Hey, it’s a little extra cash for the holiday weekend.

Most Wins Total: The lead is two games. Our first-place player holds a two-game lead, at 113-44 (my desktop abacus says that’s a 71.97 win percentage), over one other at 111-46. Three players are three games back. MEASURING STICK: Last year’s winner for Most Wins for the season went 183-62 (74.69 win percentage).

Most Losses Week: Four of you nailed it, going 0-15, with the tie-breaker winner taking the $5,000 and the other three getting $1,167 each. Way back in the Week 6 Wrap-Up I wrote how winning Most Losses for the week was less competitive than winning Most Wins for the week. Well, I’m not the kind of guy who says told you so…but…told you so. We (my imaginary friend and I) also talked (back in Week 9) about doing the “double up,” where you pick your winners for the week on one card then pick the opposite on another card. Well, doesn’t look like any of the 38 “undefeateds” doubled-up this week.

Most Losses Total: One, all by him/herself, sits atop at 47-110 (a 29.93 win percentage/70.06 lose percentage). Two of you are one game back at 48-109. MEASURING STICK: Last year’s winner for Most Losses for the season went 63-182 (74.28 “lose” percentage).

Extra Points: You guys/gals are good, but we’re behind the pace of last year’s Great Giveaway grand-prize winners at this stage. THANKSGIVING FOOTBALL!

Week 10 Wrap-Up

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: This is going to be a grudge match. All five players remaining in the LMS Pro contest won this week. We just confirmed that the cash payout for LMS Pro is more than $80,000. On to Week 11!

Most Wins Week: It happen! One player did it. No tie-breaker needed this week. One player went undefeated at 13-0 and won his/her choice of the whole $20,000 or the car or truck. You somehow had Dallas. You got two overtime wins. Your prayers were answered with that Hail Mary in the Jacksonville game. Amen!

Most Wins Total: The lead is down to one. Our first-place player now holds a one-game lead, at 101-41, over two others at 100-42. One other player is two back at 99-43 and two more are three back at 98-44. Keep fighting!

Most Losses Week: Three of you hit it, going 0-13, with the tie-breaker winner taking the $5,000 and the other two getting a cool $2,500 each. Same deal with the Hail Mary, I guess. Congrats.

Most Losses Total: One player is back on top, all alone at 44-98. Two of you are one game back at 45-97. Keep on losing!

Extra Points: Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee…

Week 9 Wrap-Up (Halftime)

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: We have a winner in the Last Man Standing for College…and it’s a woman! Congratulations “Ms./Mrs. Football” (Haven’t been given permission yet to give name. Hoping for a photo next week.), who outlasted the field, picking Oklahoma State this week, and taking the whole enchilada of $38,375. In the pro LMS contest, we still have five standing. Interesting side note for the guys: one of the winners of last year’s Pro LMS was also a woman. Might need to rename this contest.

Most Wins Week: Apparently, this was the easiest week yet. And apparently, many of you now have a great feel for pro football at the midway point in the season. We had a record-for-the-season 24 players have a perfect week, going 13-0, with the winner of the tie-breaker getting the top prize and the rest (all 23 of you) getting $435 each. You all saw right through New England. Good. You pulled out Minnesota AND Oakland AND New York Green AND Pittsburgh. Lucky. Good + Luck = Cash.

Most Wins Total: The lead has been cut in half. Our first-place player now holds at two-game lead at 93-36 (last week it was four) over two others at 91-38 and two more others three games back at 90-39. So, quick math: our leader has averaged a little better than 10 wins per week for the first half of the season.

Most Losses Week: Nine of you went 0-13 with the tie-breaker winner taking the $5,000 and the other eight getting $625 each. I did a quick check, and it doesn’t appear anyone did a “double-up.” Meaning no one player went “undefeated” for both wins and losses this week. Do you do that when you make your picks? Do you pick your winners on one card, then pick the opposite on another card, and try to hit both? It appears not. Did I just answer my own question? Yes I did. I did it again.

Most Losses Total: Two players are in first with 39-90 records. The lead for most losses for the season has swung rather dramatically all season…it’s going down to the wire…for sure…I’m not going to get crazy excited until December.

Extra Points: What a week! In the first eight weeks we had a combined 16 perfect weeks (11 for wins; 5 for losses). This week alone we had 33. Understatement: you all are on it, but this week belongs to “Ms./Mrs. Football.” Congrats again!

REMINDER: The Thursday night game this week, and the rest of the season, isn’t part of  the Great Giveaway contest.

Half way to the houses!

Week 8 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: Per-fec-tion! Six players went 13-0 with the winner of the tie-breaker (a very-close-to-the-total 47 on Monday night) getting the top prize and the other five taking home $2,000 each. You should get nicely rewarded for a perfect week, right? (See Most Losses Week below for more!)

Most Wins Total: The lead remains at four. Last week the top record for most wins for the season had a four-game lead over one other player. Well, same this week at 85-31 versus 81-35. Assuming it’s the same player at the top, he/she only went 8-5 this week (was 77-26 last week), but lost no ground.

Most Losses Week: One player hit it! He/she went winless, 0-13, was the only player to do so, and got the whole $10,000. Wow! Wow! Wow! One more: Wow!

Most Losses Total: This field really tightened back up. Last week one player was in first, all alone. Now, nine players are tied at 38-78 with 10 players one game back, 18 players two games back, 44 players three games back, and 67 (at 42-74) just four games back. It’s not even halftime yet, so I’m saying you alls are very much in it to win it. As we get closer to the finish, we’ll review tie-breaker scenarios.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: Nail-biting time! Pro is down to 8 entries and College has 6 left. We have confirmed that one player is NOT still alive in both, so we won’t have a $200,000 prize for one person winning both…but we could have a $75,000 and/or $25,000 winner next week. I’m nervous.

Extra Points: Congratulations to the “undefeateds” this week! I hate you all. Just kidding. Sort of. I’m very jealous.

Week 7 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: It had to be the Saints! 17 players went 13-1 with the winner of the tie-breaker (closest to the very “over” total of 76 on Monday night) getting the top prize and the other 16 taking home $625 each. According to Pick Trends on the Great Giveaway website, 80.4% picked the Saints to win. Another possible spoiler? 71.3 of you picked Orange Mush over the Silver and Black. The closest matchup of the week was Minnesota (picked by 50.4%) versus Green Bay.

Most Wins Total: The gap is widening. One player sits at the top with a record of 77-26, four up on the one player in second at 73-30. Last week, the lead for the first-place player (making the assumption it’s the same player) was just two games.

Most Losses Week: 14 of you went 1-13 with the tie-breaker winner taking the $5,000 and the other dozen getting $385 each. Congrats.

Most Losses Total: One player also leads the most losses for the season with a record of 32-71, but his/her lead is only one game with four others at 33-70.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: We could have a winner soon. After Week 7, Pro is down to 14 entries and College has 19 left. You guys/gals are clutch!

Extra Points: I’m kind of glad that the Minnesota and Dallas quarterbacks might be out because I’m tired of picking their teams and losing.

Stay strong!

Week 6 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: It finally happen! It took six weeks, but we had five players nail the perfect 14-0 weekend with the winner of the tie-breaker getting the top prize and the other four taking home $2,500 each. Well, well done.

Most Wins Total: WOW! Like a Tour de France bike race (or some other awkward sports analogy), the lead pack is pulling away as one player now leads by two games at 66-23. One player is at 64-25 and one three back at 63-26. Way too early for a magic-number-type countdown, but it’s the first time this year we have seen more than a one-game spread at the top.

Most Losses Week: Two of you went 0-14 and split the $10,000 weekly for most losses with $5,000 apiece. That will make your week! We also had two perfect records for losses back in Week 1.

Most Losses Total: Three at the top with the record of 27-62. Remember, most losses for the season also wins a house!

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: Both fields took another big hit this week. After Week 6, Pro is down to 34 entries and College has 37 who remain standing. REMINDER: Last year, the winner of LMS Pro made it to Week 10 and College made it to Week 8. Keep it up!

Extra Points: It’s interesting (to me) that the winners of the most weekly losses got more cash (excluding the top winner) than the most-wins crew. And if you look down this blog post, that’s true for four of the six weeks so far. I mean, both are equally difficult to do – picking all the winners and/or picking all the losers – but it seems to me that picking all the losers is less “competitive.” Meaning that, on a weekly basis, I assume, at this point in the contest, that more people are still trying to pick winners rather than losers so that means you are competing against more people for wins than losses…and losses pays more weekly! To back this up further, if you add up the entries for the top most wins and top most losses on the Great Giveaway website for Week 6, here’s what you find:

BOTTOMLINE: If you aren’t going to win the season for most wins then I propose that winning most losses weekly is less competitive and pays more! Does that make sense or I’m I just rambling because I can’t get close to going undefeated? Do you try for wins, losses, middle or take a shot at all three?

Until next week!

Week 5 Wrap-Up

Most Wins Week: Seven players had just one loss at 13-1 with the tie-breaker winner getting the top prize and the other 6 picking up $1,667 apiece.

Most Wins Total: We have a King of the Mountain! After five weeks, one player is alone in first place with a record of 55-20. Three players are at 54-21 and five are two back in the loss column at 53-22. The cream is rising.

Most Losses Week: Fourteen players had one win (1-13) with the tie-breaker winner getting $5,000 and lucky 13 others getting $385 each.

Most Losses Total: Six are tied at 23-52 with nine one loss back at 24-51.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: It was a tough week on the field. After five weeks, there are 64 remaining in the Pro contest and 58 standing in College. Scroll down to Week 4 and look at last week’s entry for LMS. If you do the math, 103 (from 167 to 64) dropped out of the Pro and 56 (from 114 to 58) fell off in College…just this week! The herd is thinning.

Extra Points: Color me impressed that one loss won it again this week. I can see picking Tampa Bay, or Arizona, or Tennessee, or Oakland, but picking them all on one card is first-class. Congrats. We also are going to count down the Last Man Standing contest here every week.

Lesson Learned: The standard has been set: the minimum to be a weekly winner so far is one loss (or one win).

Week 4 Wrap-Up (End of the 1st Quarter)

Most Wins Week: Twenty players had just one loss at 13-1 (was the ticket-killer Indianapolis, who 77.4% of players picked?) with the tie-breaker winner getting the top prize and the other 19 picking up $527 apiece.

Most Wins Total: After four weeks, three players are tied for first with a 46-15 record.

Most Losses Week: Five players had one win (1-13) with the tie-breaker winner getting $5,000 and four others getting $1,250 each. WORTH MENTIONING AGAIN: the tiebreaker for most weekly losses is the player who makes their picks first!

Most Losses Total: Nine players are now tied with a record of 17-44. This is interesting because just last week one player was leading at 11-36, so he/she picked too many winners in Week 4 and came back to the pack.

LAST-MAN-STANDING STANDINGS: After four weeks, there are 167 remaining in the Pro contest and 114 still standing in College.

Extra Points: After four weeks we have yet to have a perfect week for wins. We did have two perfect records for losses (0-15) back in Week 1.

I’m in trouble for the houses. My records through the 1st Quarter of the season: Card 1: 32-29. Card 2: 38-23. Card 3: 33-28. I hate when you have a bad week on your best ticket and a good week on your worst ticket. Fiddle in the Middle here I come!

Let the 2nd Quarter begin!

Week 3 Wrap-Up

Most Wins: Ten players went 15-1 to split the $20,000 in cash. Or, the winner of the tie-breaker got the top prize and nine others got $1,112 each.

Most Wins Total: After three weeks, 2 players are tied for first with a 37-10 record.

Most Losses: 20 players went 2-14, with the winner of the tie-breaker getting $5,000 and the other 19 getting $264 apiece.

Most Losses Total: We have a frontrunner, as one player stands alone at 11-36.

Extra Points: Something tells me the kickers from New Orleans and Oakland had a lot to do with this week’s outcome.

No bye week here…on to Week 4

Week 2 Wrap-Up

Most Wins: Six entries went 15-1 to split the $20,000 in cash. No word yet on which prize the top winner selected.

Most Wins Total: After two weeks, 16 players stand atop at 25-6. So, if this pace continues you can only average three losses a week to win this thing! Pretty tough.

Most Losses: Like last week, two entries split the $10,000 evenly, this time both going 1-15.

Most Losses Total: One player stands alone at 5-26.

Extra Points: According to the Great Giveaway website, the biggest consensus pick that won in Week 2 was Green Bay, selected by 79.9% of contestants. The biggest consensus that lost: Dallas, selected by 72.7%, followed closely by the 72% who picked Minnesota.

Lessons Learned: The “Star” is struggling. The star may be fading on the 40-year-old QB. And you gotta picks some upsets to be a weekly superstar!

Until Week 3!

Week 1 Wrap-Up

Most Wins: 14 entries went 14-1 to split the $20,000 in cash. The top winner (via tiebreaker) elected to take the Chevy Silverado Work Truck as the grand prize for the week.

Most Losses: Two entries went 0-15 to split $10,000 evenly. FYI: If more than two people tie for the most weekly losses, the first person who turned their picks in gets the $5,000 and the other $5,000 is split equally among the other tied contestants. Good to know.

Good luck in Week 2!n