Buffalo Football Pick 'Em - BRuWPeG is back for 2015

Now you know it's really UB football season: Bull Run's BRuWPeG is back.

For the uninitiated and new readers, that jumble of letters is our shorter word for "Bull Run Weekly Pick-em Game." Now old enough that it's as much of an institution as Bull Run itself, last year we expanded the game to basketball season, and it's back for football in 2015.

There are now more ways to enter than ever before, as we've broadened our reach and readership in the last year:

1) Leave a comment on this post, which will be stickied near the top of the site until kickoff against Albany.
2) Make your prediction on the appropriate thread on UBFan.com, the original home of Bulls fans on the internet and BRuWPeG itself.
3) Tweet at us (@ubbullrun) with your score prediction and the hashtag #bruwpeg.

It's easy to get started, and there's no penalty for missing a week. Whatever predictions you make go to your seasonlong score with no penalties.

Understanding the scoring system and actually beating out the dozens of pickers in any one week, or in the yearlong competition, is significantly harder. Here's how we divvy up points:

Hit UB or opponent score perfect: 3 points
Within three of UB or opponent score: 1 point
Hit total combined score perfect: 3 points
Within six of total combined score: 1 point
Pick correct winner: 1 point
Perfect pick: 6 point bonus

A perfect score, then, is 16 points: 3 points for UB's score right-on, 3 points for the opponent's, 3 points for the total score right-on, 1 point for the correct winner, and a 6-point bonus. Typically, a weekly winner scores 4-7 points, and though we've have a handful of perfect scores over the years, the best pickers rack up at least two points a week.

Tiebreakers often come into play. There are only two:

1) Preference is given to pickers who post here on Bull Run
2) You are strongly encouraged to add a little flavor to your pick. This is usually a more in-depth prediction of how you came to your pick or a specific player's statline, but could also be some inspired trash talk or just a fun fact about the current week's opponent. Albany Bull is the current champion of the extra pick trash talk.

This table will update over the course of the week as picks roll in. Remember, we're always happy to add names in even if you haven't participated before or start picking midway through the season.

In recent years a number of new names have joined the year-over-year top pickers on the leader boards. Can Matt Cohen, ArborHill and Bills Backer Bob once again challenge Zigo230, dbburns, and ukbro00 for pick-em supremacy? Will former champion Dave Brand, having handed over the reigns, return to the game he made an institution? Who will succeed yours truly as the leader among the Bull Run editorial staff?

Results are posted on the morning following each week's game, and the new predictions post later that evening. Victory speeches are customary.

Of course, BRuWPeg is also about the songs of the week. (The results post features a song that sums up the game behind us.) This is the one part of tradition I am most concerned to be taking over for Dave. This week, it's easy. Start Me Up from the Stones.