The Smoking Musket College Pick 'Em Gauntlet Week 13 Results, Plus Staff Predictions For WVU vs Iowa State

The contest lead is still being held by wvpark, while JP Fanshawe holds on to the overall (and staff) lead. WVUfanMG wins the week with 12 points (of 17 available for the week). The both the staff and overall contests are shaping up for photo finishes.

Because it's a cumulative score game, you can miss a week or two and catch up. Here are the top eleven (with ties):

Here is the Week 13 breakdown:

Official Rules (PDF document link)

Our game, as in the past, will be hosted by Yahoo! Fantasy. GAME LINK

Group Name: The Smoking Musket

Group ID: 10575

Group password: westbygod

We have 23 games to pick this week, starting with Friday at Noon ET. Make sure you at least have your tie breakers in by then. Deadline for each game pick is 5 minutes before kickoff.

Also, as a way to change things up a bit this year, we will also be featuring staff predictions for the weekly WVU game (or game of interest on the off-weeks). Here are the staff predictions for the WVU/Kansas St. game (in Gauntlet ranking order with total score in parentheses):

JPFanshawe (143)

WVU 49, ISU 13

We have some frustrations...another November swoon. I would say this one was more unexpected than its predecessors. This does not bode well for Iowa State. I know it is the Riot Bowl and all, but I have this feeling that Trickett doesn't play due to multiple uncalled penalties, and Howard lights up the scoreboard like he is a great, big, mobile QB pinball-wizard, and our five-touchdown win over Iowa State leaves a bunch of us wondering what might have been from the second half of the TCU game on.

SmithFire13 (139)

WVUIE97 (138)

I WANT MY TROPHY BACK PAWWWWWWL!!

JohnRadcliff (136)

Dana and Paul get arrested for DUI the night before the game and no one will bail them out. Mark Mangino and Tony Gibson agree to wrestle at midfield instead of playing the game to decide who gets the W. Things look grim for Gibson for most of the match as Mangino uses his weight advantage to wear Gibson down. When things look bleak for the Mountaineers and Mangino is about to pin Gibson, Dustin Garrison leaps out of the student section and hits Mangino over the head with a foreign object while the refs aren't looking. (Of course the refs aren't looking at the most critical time. These are Big 12 refs.) Garrison rolls a dazed Gibson on top of the unconscious Mangino and the refs slap the turf three times for the Mountaineer win.

I guess that would be WVU-1 ISU-0

whirsch_wvu2014 (136)

WVU 27 ISU 20

Skyler Howard starts and plays a full game for WVU. He performs well but has to deal with some struggles. He makes it through them with the help of the WVU defense.

WVUfanMG (131)

WVU 35 ISU 17

Howard picks up where he left off and runs an efficient offense while limiting mistakes. The defense rides the momentum of not having to bail out the offense after a million turnovers and holds up their end of the bargain. Meanwhile, WVU fans will be left to wonder "what if" in the wake of Howard's performance.

D White (130)

WVU 24, Iowa State 23

Mountaineers win an ugly game to guarantee a plus .500 record for the year.

MKirchner12 (89)

Abpriddy (49)

WVU 33 Iowa State 23

Skyler Howard ignites the Mountaineer offense to its best showing in a month. Kevin White scores for the second straight game and Mario Austin logs another productive outing. Dreamius Smith gets 10 carries. Again. We've given up trying to understand this. The WVU defense is its typical spectacular self and Josh Lambert makes a final push for the Lou Groza Award with 4 field goals. It's off to the Liberty Bowl for the Mountaineers and a three hour drive for me. See you in Memphis!