After two years of splendid competition, Ryan Smith’s brainchild, Ask the Experts, returns once again for its third season. As in the past, the competition will consist of editors, the student council president and a fictional chicken choosing the winners of a variety of professional and collegiate sports games. The season will culminate with the Super Bowl, wherein the two players with the best records will make their picks for eternal glory.
In our last season, science and technology editor Holden McGinnis came away with the victory by picking the Giants in the Super Bowl, proving that being a sports editor is not a key to victory. In this season, Holden, now the editor in chief of features, and Clucko the Chicken return alongside a group of newcomers: student council president Dhruv Pillai, science and technology editor Eric Dannenbaum and sports editors Will Zike and Brandon Lapensohn.
Will Holden be able to pull off the remarkable and repeat? Will Clucko the Chicken be able to improve on his 3rd place finish last year despite his humble origins as a quarter in Holden’s pocket? Will Dhruv Pillai be able to dominate the competition as he did the elections? Is there any hope that a pair of new sports editors will be able to fill the vast shoes of graduated editors and perennial top finishers Ryan Smith and Alex Settle? Can Eric Dannenbaum manage to succeed despite editing a section that has absolutely nothing to do with sports?
These questions aside, let the season commence with these picks:
Cowboys at Giants
Holden: Giants
Dhruv: Giants
Eric: Cowboys
Will: Giants
Brandon: Giants
Clucko: Cowboys
Eagles at Browns
Holden: Eagles
Dhruv: Eagles
Eric: Browns
Will: Eagles
Brandon: Eagles
Clucko: Eagles
49ers at Packers
Holden: Packers
Dhruv: Packers
Eric: Packers
Will: Packers
Brandon: Packers
Clucko: Packers
Redskins at Saints
Holden: Saints
Dhruv: Saints
Eric: Saints
Will: Saints
Brandon: Saints
Clucko: Redskins
Colts at Bears
Holden: Bears
Dhruv: Colts
Eric: Colts
Will: Bears
Brandon: Bears
Clucko: Colts
Auburn at Mississippi State
Holden: Auburn
Dhruv: Auburn
Eric: Auburn
Will: Auburn
Brandon: Mississippi State
Clucko: Auburn
#23 Florida at Texas A&M
Holden: Florida
Dhruv: Florida
Eric: Florida
Will: Florida
Brandon: Florida
Clucko: Florida
#6 Georgia at Missouri
Holden: Georgia
Dhruv: Georgia
Eric: Georgia
Will: Georgia
Brandon: Georgia
Clucko: Missouri