2020 FALAFEL Draft Location Madness - Final Four Results

Final Four thought:

• This one seems over unless we have some staunch KC supporters who want to outline a weekend that overcomes the convenience and flexibility of the Poconos.

2020 FALAFEL Draft Location Madness - Elite Eight Results

Elite Eight Thoughts:

• Down go the 1 seeds! 
• Pittsburgh continues to always be the bridesmaid and can't even get a Final Four run out of what looked like an easy region.
• Despite Belfer's persuasive email, the convenience of the Poconos was too strong for Asheville.
• While I didn't think Portland was a huge favorite in the overall bracket, I'm pretty surprised to see it get stomped by KC.
• Nashville vs. Kansas City
• I've heard literally no verbal support about KC, but it ran train on Portland and took down Austin so there must be someone who's passionate about it. Let's hear some chatter. Looking at you Reap (#2 pick) and Billy (#3 pick).
• We all know what we're getting with Nashville, and the only reason I'm remotely interested in a repeat city is that we stayed in a hotel last time and there are probably some pretty solid houses available.
• Seattle vs. Poconos
• I don't think we have two more different contenders, which could lead to literally any outcome in this one. 
• If there is a time to go to Seattle, this might be the year. Flights are under $300 round trip from NYC, and it will have had the most time to recover of any city in the country.
• That said, the Poconos are so easy and require no air travel, so I can see this one going 15-1 against Nick.

Gambling Corner - NFL Draft Edition

• Jeffrey Okudah - Drafted by Lions (-125)
• Isaiah Simmons - Giants 1st Pick (+275)
• Tristan Wirfs - Giants 1st Pick (+250)
• CeeDee Lamb - Under Pick 12.5 (-180)
• 49ers First Pick - Offense (-180)
• K'Lavon Chaisson - Under Pick 16.5 (+120)
• Kenneth Murray - Drafted Before Patrick Queen (-155)
• Vikings First Pick - Defense (-110)
• Josh Jones - Under Pick 25.5 (-105)
• Seahawks First Pick - Defense (-175)
• Chiefs First Pick - Defense (-175)
• ACC Players - Under 2.5 in 1st Round (+300)
• Alabama Players - Over 5.5 in 1st Round (+110)
• Cornerbacks - Over 4.5 in 1st Round (-155)
• Offensive Linemen - Over 6.5 in 1st Round (-165)
• Wide Receivers - Under 5.5 in 1st Round (+135)
• Rams First Pick - Offense (+110)
• Colts First Pick - Offense (-190)
• Jake Fromm - Over Pick 61.5 (+140)

2020 FALAFEL Draft Location Madness - Sweet Sixteen Results

Thoughts on the Sweet Sixteen:

• The top-left region has been dominated by the top two seeds, with double digit votes in each round. Pitt has been the #1 overall seed for a few years in a row, and has usually been upset by a niche location along the way. I don't see a repeat location in Nashville taking it down this year.
• Albuquerque continues its Cinderella run to the Elite Eight, thanks largely to Bennett hate. Seattle is a haul for pretty much everyone, so we could see the first ever 8-seed make a Final Four appearance if a long flight and some NiJo hate combines to get 9 votes.
• Belfer's email pretty much dictated the bottom-right region, with Asheville and the Poconos easily advancing past more urban midwestern cities. 
• Two close matchups in the bottom-left region lead to an interesting Portland vs. KC matchup in the Elite Eight. I don't think we have any strong proponents of either city, but I think both would make for a great draft city.
• I have a feeling that we see an all-Pennsylvania final, with the convenience and social distancing of the Poconos taking on (and taking down) the presumptive favorite in Pittsburgh.

2020 FALAFEL Draft Location Madness - First Round Results

Thoughts on Round 1:

• Only four upsets, two of which were 5-over-4, but Key West going down shows that Bennett hate is alive and well.
• If that hate applies to Round 2, we can easily see Albuquerque making a Cinderella run to the Elite 8, and potentially the Final Four if the allure of a Breaking Bad tour is enough to take down another random Cincy run or making the weekend convenient for Nick. All from Billy's 5th seeded entry.
• Two of the other upsets were in Pittsburgh's region, paving the way for a long overdue draft in the Steel City. I can't see an upset there until at least the Final Four.
• The bottom regions went chalk, which give us the best Sweet Sixteen matchups. 
• I like Asheville in theory, but the ballots were split between the city itself and the forest nearby, I'd like some specifics there because Minneapolis seems a lot more convenient.
• Poconos/Chicago is a similar situation, but a Lake House/Casino weekend is easy to organize and get to compared to rural North Carolina.