"All those people picking Seattle? Bubble's gotta burst one of these weeks." [KC] --Siegel

Or maybe not. After a typical madcap start to the 2005 season, we have settled into a calm stretch of very predictable weeks. Not only did the bubble avoid bursting, it ballooned to unprecedented size, as the top eight picks were all winners, allowing the 88-strong leader-board to remain completely unchanged.

"Seahawks? Since when are they a lock? Go Titans!" [Tennessee] --VanZandt~L

Only those scrambling below the leaders found their efforts to out-strategize the favorite picks led to a sprinkle of losses. 24 to be exact, producing a 95% success rate for the week. Sort of...

"I picked Carolina twice. I wish it wasn't true, but it is..." --Rudofsky~J (RIP)

This week, Rudofsky and Stein turned themselves in for a repeat pick and both were eliminated as a result. A word to the wise: Don't let this happen to you. It's easier than you think. And since we're on the topic, I don't check for repeat picks, so if you make one, you may get away with it for quite some time. Rest assured, though, that as the season draws to a close and you are one of the leaders, someone will check your picks to make sure you followed the rules all year long. Ask Uliana. His bubble burst a week before the Superbowl when someone found a repeat pick from Week 16. Needless to say, it was a sad, sad day in Uliana-land. That being said...

Current standings...
00 LOSS -- 88 Blimps
01 LOSS -- 233 Hot Air Balloons
02 LOSS -- 135 Helium Balloons
03 LOSS -- 82 Hindenbergs

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