Much has happened since the last update of the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge: New teams have joined the ranks and new leaders have taken over. Four collegiate teams have joined in on the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge: Virginia Tech, Southern Illinois, Kansas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Now with 11 teams taking part in the challenge, the game has become much more competitive. Two of the new teams, Virginia Tech and Kansas State, have now taken the top two spots!
Four Elite Series events have taken place since our last update of the challenge, bringing the scores to new heights. The new schools taking part in the challenge have shown their talent when it comes to picking the top Elite Series anglers for each event. These newcomers have found themselves atop the leaderboard.
The last four Elite Series events were ones to remember, the winners unexpected and the Fantasy picks that much more difficult. It was Brandon Palaniuk taking the TroKar Quest on Bull Shoals and Jeremy Starks squeezing out a victory on Douglas Lake. Brent Chapman who enjoys fishing in tough conditions took the trophy at the Toledo Bend Battle, and finally, Todd Faircloth took the Mississippi River Rumble far, far from his home state of Texas. Each event was difficult to pick for the most talented Fantasy Fishing player.
Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing is unique in its angler pools, always changing and challenging the players. In order to be a top player in Fantasy Fishing, a player must be able to pick not only the favorites for each event but also the underdogs looking to make their name known. The collegiate teams taking part in the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge know this all too well; some have overcome while others have fallen short.
The most recent event, the Mississippi River Rumble, we see a new leader. Virginia Tech players took over with sizable lead showing their knowledge of the Elite Series anglers. Virginia Tech leads the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge with 20,006 points from its best three players. In second is Kansas State, another newcomer to the challenge breathing down Virginia Tech’s neck with 19,941 points. Currently in third place is Indiana University with 18,768 points, followed by Texas Tech with 18,469 points. We can see how the rest of the field is doing below.
| Rank | Name | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Tech University | 20,006 |
| 2 | Kansas State | 19,941 |
| 3 | Indiana University | 18,768 |
| 4 | Texas Tech University | 18,469 |
| 5 | LSU | 18,442 |
| 6 | Clemson University | 17,823 |
| 7 | Southern Illinois | 17,632 |
| 8 | Tarleton State | 14,755 |
| 9 | TAMU-Corpus Christi | 11,888 |
| 10 | Southern Alabama | 9,390 |
| 11 | Central Missouri | 5,457 |
My university, Texas Tech has fallen out of the lead, but we are not out of contention. Virginia Tech leads by a slim margin over Kansas State. LSU has slipped from second place to fifth. Indiana University has held steady in third place.
Anything can happen in the College Fantasy Fishing Challenge; it takes a team effort to win and stay in contention.
If your school has a Bassmaster Fantasy Fishing group and you want in on the fun, simply change your group name to “College” followed by your university’s name and I will update the leaderboard with your school.
As always, good luck with your picks! Remember, it is a team effort, so everyone must keep picking the best lineups.