Pick’em challenge decided by tiebreaker
What began as a crowded local leaderboard ended with a single winner after the final whistle of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Five participants finished the bracket challenge tied after the first round, quarterfinals and semifinal games. Points were awarded for correctly picking the winner of each game, setting up a tight race heading into the title matchup.
Several of the tied brackets included Indiana reaching the national championship game but not winning it. Had Indiana been selected as the champion, those brackets would have reached six points and potentially claimed the title outright.
One of the most interesting paths belonged to Nick Rose, whose bracket nearly wrapped up the contest before the championship game was even played.
In the quarterfinals, Rose correctly picked the real-life matchup of Miami and Ohio State. Initially, he selected Miami to pull off what would have been a bold upset over the Buckeyes. At the last moment, however, Rose crossed out Miami and switched his pick to Ohio State.
The change proved costly in one sense. Had he stayed with Miami, Rose would have secured the bracket title following the semifinal round, before the championship game ever kicked off.
Instead, the contest went to the tiebreaker.
With five brackets still tied after the semifinals, the winner came down to the national championship score prediction. The actual final score was 27–21.
To determine the winner, the standard bracket method was used, total points difference. The combined total of the final score was 48, and the entry closest to that number would claim the prize.
As fate would have it, Rose’s prediction of 28–21 missed the actual total by just one point, making it the closest of all entries. Another participant came within four points, but the narrow margin was enough to separate first place from the rest.
Rose’s earlier near-miss in the quarterfinals no longer mattered. His near-perfect score prediction sealed the win.
Nick Rose is the 2026 Albany News College Football Playoff Pick’em Challenge champion. He receives a $100 gift card to Goodnight Steakhouse & Saloon and a one-night stay at the newly renovated Hereford Motel.
Nearly 50 people submitted brackets for this year’s challenge. The Albany News thanks everyone who participated and extends appreciation to Goodnight Steakhouse & Saloon for sponsoring the contest.
