2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational: Top 10 Players in 33 Statistical Categories

With this entry, we come to the end of the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational.  As with the Top 10 Team article, this entry is short on words but gives you the Top 10 Player results in 33 different statistical categories which were tracked over the course of this year’s project.  Read on to see which players performed at the highest (and lowest, in terms of statistics like turnovers) level over this year’s 35 Bowl Games!

2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational: Top 10 Teams in 30 Statistical Categories

On this, the final day of entries for the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational, we’re going out with few words but plenty of statistical reporting to consume.  This entry gives you the Top 10 Team results in 30 different statistical categories which were tracked over the course of this year’s project.  Read on to see which teams performed at the highest (and lowest, in terms of statistics like turnovers) level over this year’s 35 Bowl Games!

2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational Final Results & Bowl Blitz Invitational Champion

With the conclusion of Bowl Season last night and the Alabama Crimson Tide’s victory over Notre Dame in the BCS National Championship Game, the game article portion of the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational has finally come to a close.  That said, the project continues on this week, and we will be sharing multiple articles recounting all of the statistical data that has been collected over the 35 Bowl Games played over the past month.

The first matter of business, however, is to analyze the “game within a game” here at the Bowl Blitz Invitational; each game is given a “Game Score” based on how close the NCAA Football 13 playthrough score came to the actual real-life result.  The person responsible for playing the game with the lowest “Game Score”—the lower the score, the closer the game came to matching the real-life final—is crowned “Bowl Blitz Invitational Champion,” a largely ceremonial title to recognize whoever managed to most closely replicate reality in the wholly unscientific process of playing a video game.

Last year, Eric Veneziano became the inaugural “Bowl Blitz Invitational Champion” with a Gator Bowl result that earned a “Game Score” of 2; read on to find out who emerged victorious this year!

2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy Midshipmen vs. Arizona State Sun Devils

The 2012 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl features a matchup of the Navy Midshipmen (8-4) and the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12). gschwendt of The Gaming Tailgate took the reins of the Navy Triple Option attack to see if he could take down the Pac-12 foe.

Welcome to the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational

Almost exactly one year ago, a wild idea was hatched here at STAT BOX STORIES to get people to volunteer to play EA SPORTS NCAA Football 12 and report on every match-up of the college Bowl Season.  When that project started, there were no guarantees that it would be successful; when the BCS National Championship Game was played on January 9^th, 2012 between Alabama and LSU and all 35 Bowl Games had been successfully completed, it was an unexpected achievement.  The efforts of so many people who had nothing to gain from their participation but to say that they were part of something helped the Bowl Blitz Invitational become a project worth repeating, and it is now just about time for the sophomore year to start.

This year, the core goals remain the same: volunteers have been gathered, Bowl Games have been claimed, and gaming consoles around the country are booting up NCAA Football 13 to play the games and report the results.  Game statistics are being tracked in real-time, and as the real-life games are contested every play-through on the site will be matched up against those results to see which participant was able to most closely mirror reality.

One difference readers will notice is an emphasis on reporting each game as though it were an actual football game being contested; not just a video game played on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.  Volunteers have been encouraged to report even more statistical tidbits than last year, building from the editorial template of ESPN.com’s college football game summaries to bring about a more consistent theme in the writing across this year’s 35 entries.  Along with this new format, the familiar box scores, scoring summaries, team statistics, and player statistics will be present, along with screenshot and video highlights captured both using the in-game tools offered by NCAA Football 13 as well as through more sophisticated avenues such as HD video recorders.

With increased development in the ability to track statistics as the games are played this year, readers can look forward to an even more robust series of entries after the BCS National Championship Game is played between Alabama and Notre Dame on January 7^th, 2013.  With statistics and statistical analysis such a large part of what inspired the creation of STAT BOX STORIES in the first place, the goal for the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational is to improve upon every aspect of the statistical breakdowns offered in last year’s project.  For the next month and a half (and beyond), you won’t want to miss a single day of content as we celebrate college football and the 70 teams which have been invited to play a part in writing the story of the 2012-2013 Bowl Season.

The games begin this Saturday, December 15^th, with the Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Nevada versus Arizona) and the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Toledo versus Utah State).  Our coverage here at STAT BOX STORIES for the Bowl Blitz Invitational begins Friday morning, December 14^th, with the posting of the write-up for the 2012 Gildan New Mexico Bowl.  Here is the rest of the content schedule (all entries will be uploaded by 8:00AM ET on the date specified):

Saturday, December 15^th

• Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Toledo versus Utah State)

Thursday, December 20^th

• San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (BYU versus San Diego State)

Friday, December 21^st

• Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl (UCF versus Ball State)

Saturday, December 22^nd

• R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (East Carolina versus Louisiana-Lafayette)
• MAACO Bowl Las Vegas (Washington versus Boise State)

Monday, December 24^th

• Sheraton Hawai’I Bowl (Fresno State versus SMU)

Wednesday, December 26^th

• Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (Western Kentucky versus Central Michigan)

Thursday, December 27^th

• Military Bowl (San Jose State versus Bowling Green)
• Belk Bowl (Cincinnati versus Duke)
• Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl (Baylor versus UCLA)

Friday, December 28^th

• Advocare V100 Independence Bowl (Ohio versus Louisiana-Monroe)
• Russell Athletic Bowl (Rutgers versus Virginia Tech)
• Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Minnesota versus Texas Tech)

Saturday, December 29^th

• Armed Forces Bowl (Rice versus Air Force)
• Pinstripe Bowl (West Virginia versus Syracuse)
• Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (Navy versus Arizona State)
• Valero Alamo Bowl (Texas versus Oregon State)
• Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (TCU versus Michigan State)

Monday, December 31^st

• Music City Bowl (NC State versus Vanderbilt)
• Hyundai Sun Bowl (USC versus Georgia Tech)
• AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Iowa State versus Tulsa)
• Chick-fil-A Bowl (LSU versus Clemson)

Tuesday, January 1^st

• TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl (Mississippi State versus Northwestern)
• Heart of Dallas Bowl (Purdue versus Oklahoma State)
• Outback Bowl (South Carolina versus Michigan)
• Capital One Bowl (Georgia versus Nebraska)
• Rose Bowl (Wisconsin versus Stanford)
• Discover Orange Bowl (Northern Illinois versus Florida State)

Wednesday, January 2^nd

• Allstate Sugar Bowl (Louisville versus Florida)

Thursday, January 3^rd

• Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (Oregon versus Kansas State)

Friday, January 4^th

• AT&T Cotton Bowl (Texas A&M versus Oklahoma)

Saturday, January 5^th

• BBVA Compass Bowl (Pittsburgh versus Ole Miss)

Sunday, January 6^th

• GoDaddy.com Bowl (Kent State versus Arkansas State)

Monday, January 7^th

• Discover BCS National Championship Game (Alabama versus Notre Dame)

We sincerely hope that you are as excited as we are here at STAT BOX STORIES for the start of Bowl Season and the 2012-2013 Bowl Blitz Invitational; be sure to visit the “official” discussion thread at The Gaming Tailgate (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?6217-Introducing-the-2012-2013-Bowl-Blitz-Invitational) to follow along with the results as they are made available, and be sure to keep coming back to STAT BOX STORIES as the games get played!

Bowl Blitz Invitational Update — 9 Games Remain Unclaimed

For anyone who may just be stumbling onto the site today, right now we are just about a week into the STAT BOX STORIES project known as BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL.  The goal of this project is to have gamers play all 35 FBS Bowl Games for the 2011-2012 season in NCAA Football 12, recording statistics, photos, and videos from their time with the game to accompany a write-up of the game experience here at the site.

Through today, six Bowl Games have been played.  Here are the links, just in case you haven’t seen them yet:

• 2011 New Mexico Bowl: Temple Owls at Wyoming Cowboys
• 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Ohio Bobcats at Utah State Aggies
• 2011 New Orleans Bowl: San Diego State Aztecs at Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns
• 2011 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl: Florida International Golden Panthers at Marshall Thundering Herd
• 2011 Poinsettia Bowl: TCU Horned Frogs at Lousiana Tech Bulldogs
• 2011 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas: Arizona State Sun Devils at Boise State Broncos

Tomorrow will see the posting of the 2011 Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl between the Nevada Wolf Pack and Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and many Bowl Games going forward have been claimed and prepared for posting already.  However, there still remain nine games to be claimed, and that’s where you come in!

Do you want to be a part of the BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL and help us play out all 35 Bowl Games in NCAA Football 12?  Hit up the forum sign-up at The Gaming Tailgate now to stake your claim for one of the following unclaimed match-ups:

• 2011 Holiday Bowl: Cal Golden Bears at Texas Longhorns
• 2011 Music City Bowl: Mississippi State Bulldogs at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
• 2011 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas A&M Aggies at Northwestern Wildcats
• 2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois Fighting Illini at UCLA Bruins
• 2011 Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati Bearcats at Vanderbilt Commodores
• 2011 Chick-fil-a Bowl: Virginia Cavaliers at Auburn Tigers
• 2012 Gator Bowl: Ohio State Buckeyes at Florida Gators
• 2012 Cotton Bowl: Kansas State Wildcats at Arkansas Razorbacks
• 2012 BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU Mustangs at Pittsburgh Panthers

If we can cover all 35 Bowl Games from this college football postseason–with each game completed and submitted at least a day before the game is played in real life so that it can be posted the day of the Bowl Game–then the person whose playthrough of the game in NCAA Football 12 most closely matches the final score of the real-life game will be the inaugural winner of the BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL and take home a to-be-determined prize for their efforts.  Before that can happen, however, all 9 of the above games must be claimed!

Tell your friends and family today, and help the STAT BOX STORIES BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL achieve its goal of 35 featured Bowl Games!

#30: 2011 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas — Arizona State @ Boise State in NCAA Football 12

Spurred on by the contributions of guest writers here at STAT BOX STORIES for the BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL, I am excited to share the tale of my second Bowl Game using NCAA Football 12 today: the 2011 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas, set to be played between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Broncos of Boise State.  Though Boise State has to be disappointed to settle for a lower-tier Bowl Game instead of getting into a BCS Bowl Game after a one-loss season, Arizona State is a team in turmoil as they face the coming installation of a new head coach and likely changes for the program.  With a significant rating disparity between the two teams, it was an easy decision to suit up in the new uniforms of the Sun Devils as they took the field against a team in the BCS Top Ten.

Even though I had yet to lose a game of NCAA Football 12 for STAT BOX STORIES since the beginning of the blog series, this was a game that I knew would be an incredibly tough contest when the game booted up.  Could I win against all odds?

Week 7 Recap & Week 8 Preview

With the close of STAT BOX STORIES Week 7, a lot of exciting things are happening here at the blog.  The beginning of the week saw the announcement of the BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL, a community project organized by this site to try and get entries for every single Bowl Game of the 2011-2012 NCAA bowl season.  For more information–and to see which Bowl Games are still looking for contributors to cover them–visit the organizing forum post at The Gaming Tailgate here.

As a result of the beginning of the BOWL BLITZ INVITATIONAL, we got more entries than usual.  Here’s the quick recap:

Monday, December 12th: Vancouver Canucks at Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL 12

Tuesday, December 13th: Aston Villa hosts Liverpool in FIFA 12

Wednesday, December 14th: 2011 New Mexico Bowl — Temple Owls at Wyoming Cowboys in NCAA Football 12

Thursday, December 15th: Pittsburgh Steelers at San Francisco 49ers in Madden NFL 12 Online Team Play

Friday, December 16th: Bowl Blitz Invitational #1: 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl — Ohio Bobcats @ Utah State Aggies in NCAA Football 12

Saturday, December 17th: Bowl Blitz Invitational #2: 2011 New Orleans Bowl — San Diego State Aztecs @ Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in NCAA Football 12

Expect the coming weeks to be just as busy here at STAT BOX STORIES as Bowl Games continue to be played both in real life and in NCAA Football 12 by members of this blog project community.  Next week will be the last “normal” week of entries here at the site, as the week of December 25th, 2011 and the week of January 1st, 2012 will be solely filled with entries using NCAA Football 12.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves; here’s a look at Week 8 in STAT BOX STORIES:

Monday, December 19th

USA hosts Mexico

Tuesday, December 20th

2011 MAACO Las Vegas Bowl

Arizona State at Boise State

Wednesday, December 21st

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

Thursday, December 22nd

Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators

Be sure to come back next week for another set of STAT BOX STORIES entries as we get into the 8th week of this series!  This promises to be one of the busiest weeks of the blog project so far, so you won’t want to miss a single day of the action!