RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht secures Week 14 victory as overall race heats up

The fourteenth week of action in the Tri-City Record’s Armchair Quarterback contest continued our tradition of challenging our “superfans,” as our knowledgeable diehards attempted to pick the winners in six collegiate and four professional football games. Regarding the final records from our contest last week, five of our accomplished scholars passed their weekly examination and this educator feels confident that the test was a challenge!

Looking back at week fourteen games, all six of our local teams played during the stretch. It was a successful holiday weekend for the Bears, Broncos, Fighting Irish, and Spartans, who all secured victories, giving their fans an extra reason to be thankful and celebrate. Last week, we wrapped up the high school football playoffs and the college football regular season, meaning that our weeks together are beginning to wind down. However, there is still time to root for your favorite teams, as bowl season and nine weeks of professional games remain.

When the final seconds counted down and the scores were verified, three of our armchair quarterbacks battled to matching 7-3 records, forcing us to use our tiebreaker to determine our weekly podium. This week’s battle for top dog honors pits Greg Krell, RoxAnn Rodney-Isbrecht, and Maureen Ovington against each other in a fight that features members from all three communities.

Because of the tie in the weekly standings, we had to rely on our tiebreaker scenario. The total points scored in the Michigan-Ohio State matchup concluded with a total of 36 points. Based on their highly educated guesses, the closest anyone came was six points, with RoxAnn claiming the top step of the podium, with her projection of 42 points. Maureen, with her projection of 45 points, grabbed runner-up honors while Greg, with his projection of 51 points, will have to settle for third.

The remainder of the finishing order saw Rodney Lynch and Bill Whitney battle for fourth and fifth place, with matching 6-4 records; Bill would win the tiebreaker with his projection of 44 points, coming closer than Rodney’s 49 points. Sadly, for overall leader Mike Banic, he had a disappointing week ending with a 5-5 record and a sixth-place finish, cutting into his tenuous overall lead.

In case you are new to our newspaper, or need a refresher on how this contest works, let’s take a moment to bring you up-to-speed. Each fall, our newspaper enlists the help of six local football fanatics, who really should be deemed “superfans.” Each week, our six-person panel is given a list of pre-selected games from the local high school, collegiate, and professional scenes and is given the daunting task of trying to select the winners of every game.

Weekly records are kept from week one of the football season through Super Bowl Sunday, with each week’s edition of the newspaper reporting on the progress of each panelist. After the season concludes, the panelist who has the best overall record will earn the right to wear the 2025-26 Tri-City Record Armchair Quarterback hat, claiming bragging rights until next season comes around.

Each week, if there are multiple panelists with the same record, their place in the standings will be determined by a tiebreaker game. In addition to trying to pick the winners of each week’s slate of games, they will also predict a total score from a specially selected game, which typically stands out on a local or national level. The panelist who predicts closest to the actual number of points scored by both teams will receive the higher position in the standings.

Our season continues this week, as week fifteen of our contest is in the queue. This week’s game schedule includes five collegiate conference championship games and five professional matchups as we begin to separate the best teams from the just good. With action set to be lit on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday, and just ten games separating first through sixth in the overall classification, who will put their best foot forward? Guess you’ll have to read about it next week!

Be sure to check back each week, as our panel of ardent, loyal pigskin pickers weave their way through the football season in pursuit of their own “one shining moment.” Now, here are week fifteen games:

Alabama vs. Georgia (Sat)

(SEC Championship Game)

BYU vs. Texas Tech (Sat.)

(Big 12 Championship Game)

Duke vs. Virginia (Sat.)

(ACC Championship Game)

Indiana vs. Ohio State (Sat.)

(Big 10 Championship Game)

Miami(OH) vs. Western MI (Sat.)

(MAC Championship Game)

Dallas Cowboys at

Detroit Lions (Thu.)

Chicago Bears at

Green Bay Packers (Sun.) *

Indianapolis Colts at

Jacksonville Jaguars (Sun.)

Miami Dolphins at

New York Jets (Sun.)

Pittsburgh Steelers at

Baltimore Ravens (Sun.)

* tiebreaker