We’re halfway through the first round of the National Park Playoff and just doubled the number of upsets. Another monument featuring a stone carving of Abraham Lincoln fell to a lower seed, this time with #4 Mount Rushmore falling to #13 Voyageurs in a 19-13 nailbiter. And while “Death Valley” is a name often ascribed to difficult places for college football teams to play, #13 Redwood had little trouble dispatching #4 Death Valley in a 23-10 win. In the East, the #4 seed romped, as Acadia trounced Biscayne 29-6. And in the Southwest, Utah parks continued their success as #4 Bryce Canyon knocked out #13 Great Sand Dunes 23-12. The winners of these contests will face the winners of today’s 5/12 matchups a week from Saturday, on May 16th.
In line with the biggest day of upsets so far, predictive brackets had their roughest day as well, scoring just 67% correct picks. Unsurprisingly, Mount Rushmore was the biggest hill to die on, with 12 of 19 brackets incorrectly choosing the favorite. Death Valley followed with five selections, and Great Sand Dunes and Biscayne scored four each. Just four brackets were perfect (not including the previously perfect bracket, so everyone has at least one blemish so far) and one bracket missed all four picks.
5/12 matchups are famous for upsets in the NCAAs. Will the same hold true today? Watch and vote on Twitter!