51��Ʒ��Ƶ

��

The final vote is set

Garnering over 6,400 each throughout the four rounds, ROC and Sweet Caroline are both heavy hitters, so there’s only one question remaining: Which do you think is the most “51��Ʒ��Ƶ”? Make your voice heard on Friday, March 29.

Athletics fandom reigns supreme

Each contestant in the Eternal Eight was related to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ sports in some fashion; No. 1 ROC won against No. 8 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Sports Teams, the No. 13 Backyard Brawl narrowly beat out No. 12 Oakland Zoo, and No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ trounced No. 11 Victory Lights. But no amount of nose rubs brought good luck for the No. 2 Panther Statue, which ended up being upset by “,” 51��Ʒ��Ƶ football fans’ No. 7 seeded rallying song.

No. 1 ROC continues dominant run with victory over No. 13 Backyard Brawl

The Backyard Brawl’s Cinderella run came to a close in the Fitzgerald Four, where it on juggernaut No. 1 seed ROC. 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s beloved mascot faced his closest margin yet in this matchup — ROC has won at least 60% of the vote in all four rounds so far, attaining 79% in his largest victory, over Hammocks in the Salk Sixteen.��

No. 7 Sweet Caroline takes down No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ in closest matchup yet

In a surprising upset, No. 7 “Sweet Caroline” continues on to the final by defeating No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ. The battle of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s two most common rallying cries finished in the classic song’s favor in the tournament’s closest vote yet. Sweet Caroline won just 50.50% of the vote over Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ, a difference of a mere 27 votes.

��

It's time for the Eternal Eight

Top three seeds going strong

The top three seeds of the tournament are all going strong. The No. 2 seed Panther Statue had the biggest win of the tournament, prevailing over No. 31 Spotted Lanternfly by a margin of 95% to only 5%.

No. 1 ROC and No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ also won in the first round by similar margins. ROC took down the now-departing-51��Ʒ��Ƶsburgh Kenny Pickett by winning 70% of the vote while Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ emerged victorious against “Walk sign is on” by winning 71% of the vote.

And all three won once again in the second round, with the smallest margin of victory being Panther Statue’s impressive 72% over the very building it stands before, the William 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Union. ROC and Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ both had massive victories over No. 16 Hammocks and No. 14 Heinz Chapel to proceed to the Eternal Eight.

To move on to the Fitzgerald Four, each of the top three faces their hardest matchup yet against, respectively, No. 4 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Sports Teams, No. 7 Sweet Caroline and No. 11 Victory Lights (more on them later).

First round mostly chalk, except Forbes Avenue

In a stunning upset, there was no party on Fifth Ave. in the first round of the bracket. Forbes overtook Fifth as the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ community’s chosen avenue in a vote that finished 64% to 36%. More than 1,400 voters chose the No. 28 seeded Forbes Avenue over No. 5 Fifth Avenue. That opened up the opportunity for the No. 12 Oakland Zoo to win in the Salk Sixteen, putting them into the Eternal Eight, in a matchup with our next choice to watch.

No. 13 Backyard Brawl upsets No. 4 Blue and Gold

51��Ʒ��Ƶ fans clamored for more than a decade for the return of the Backyard Brawl, and that fervor translated into a nice Cinderella run for them. The Backyard Brawl was heavily favored in the first round and had one of the tournament’s largest victories, winning 89% of the vote against The Eatery. Then, the rivalry’s surprise win over No. 4 Blue and Gold, with 65% of the vote, moved it into the Eternal Eight. 51��Ʒ��Ƶ fans face a tough question of choosing between the Oakland Zoo and the Backyard Brawl when voting for the Eternal Eight begins; this matchup could go either way.

No. 11 Victory Lights on a roll

The No. 11 Victory Lights might have to shine for their own victory if they keep up this performance. After sneaking out a close first round victory against Therapy Dog Tuesdays by bringing in 59% of the vote, the Victory Lights pulled off an upset against the No. 6 Cathy vs. Cathedral Debate by a margin of 66% to 34%. They face a hard matchup in Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ in the Eternal Eight; if they manage to pull off another surprise in a closely contested vote, however, we could see this double-digit seed make the Fitzgerald Four.

��

The Madness begins

@51��Ʒ��ƵOfficial this week announced a bracket challenge to determine what the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ community sees as the “most 51��Ʒ��Ƶ” thing about the University.

A team of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-bracketology experts who assembled the challenge accepted more than 100 entries and narrowed down the most submitted options to this exclusive field of 32 competitors.

Here, I’ll run down the four top seeds, point out some underdogs to keep in mind for your bracket and then finish up with my Nick’s Picks for the Fitzgerald Four.

The favorites

Four heavy hitters are the obvious front-runners.

ROC is as timeless as 51��Ʒ��Ƶ itself, with the Panther serving as 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s mascot since 1909. Named after 51��Ʒ��Ƶ football great Steve “The Rock” Petro, ROC is a formidable No. 1 seed for this tournament.

This is then followed by the panther statue outside the William 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Union. Sculpted by Miriani Guido in Parma, Italy, the statue was placed outside the union to celebrate the new millennium in late 2001. It has since become a tradition for fans to rub the statue for good luck prior to athletic events.

Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ is a common chant for 51��Ʒ��Ƶ fans, as well as a customary closing signature in correspondence between alumni. Inspired by the “Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ” fight song, the chant is a defining part of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s culture both on and off the field — and makes our No. 3 seed a dangerous contestant.

Finally, blue and gold are, of course, 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s defining colors. Even if their exact shades have changed over time (and been a hotly contested debate), 51��Ʒ��Ƶ is as synonymous with blue and gold as the surrounding city is with black and gold.

The underdogs

The No. 12 Oakland Zoo and No. 23 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Band are both some of the most dedicated groups on campus, serving as symbols of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ to the outward athletic world. The renowned ferocity with which the Zoo cheers on their teams is known nationwide, and the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Band has a plethora of talent both currently in their ranks and among their alumni. So don’t be surprised if either of those groups show up well and vote for themselves.

The Backyard Brawl is a timeless rivalry that defined entire generations of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ fans — most notably for the football team. For the longest time, a Panthers team’s success could be defined by one question: “Did they beat West Virginia?” And now that it has returned, Panthers fans hope to never miss out on this No. 13 seed again.

[Read Nick's brief history of the��contentious matchup]

As for the No. 26 seed, 51��Ʒ��Ƶ's peregrine falcons … well, how can anyone resist a cute animal? If the internet’s love for animals can overcome the tough first round matchup that is No. 7 “Sweet Caroline,” everyone’s favorite winged residents of the Cathedral of Learning may be in for a deep run through the tournament.

Nick’s Picks for the Fitzgerald Four

No. 13 Backyard Brawl over No. 17 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Script

This writer may or may not be heavily influenced by nostalgia. It’s hard not to be when one grew up on some of the most legendary Backyard Brawl moments in the rivalry’s history, such as 2007’s legendary 13-9 upset, the amazing performance of Dion Lewis in the 2009 nail-biter 51��Ʒ��Ƶ loss to WVU and the 2011 matchup that many assumed would be the rivalry’s finale.

This writer may also have a very personal love for the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ Script, with a childhood fondness for the logos that preceded his time and an appreciation for the uniforms from the days of Dorsett and Marino.

But even in that matchup, it’s tough to not go with the Backyard Brawl. Thus, this Fitzgerald Four matchup is a biased choice, but one I stand by.

No. 2 Panther Statue vs. No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ

These choices are a bit more chalk, but there are perhaps no greater symbols of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ, other than the grand old Cathedral in the center of campus, than the Panther statue and Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ. This is certainly a close matchup, and I could see things going either way. For my money, though, Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ just has a greater spread as something you can share anywhere — whether shouting, texting or writing, you can H2P — so I’d give it the very slight edge.

No. 13 Backyard Brawl over No. 3 Hail to 51��Ʒ��Ƶ

Is this choice yet again influenced by this writer’s own biases? Of course. But I’d gladly accept any reality in which we never go another year without this rivalry, let alone a decade, and instead get to see it played out for the rest of time. For me, nothing defines 51��Ʒ��Ƶ better than the tough-nosed football these games represent, and the dedication and love of 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s fans filling Acrisure Stadium to record attendances for the return to this historic rivalry.

But those are just my picks. Why not make your own voice heard and help decide what truly defines 51��Ʒ��Ƶ by voting yourself? You can vote in the Round of 32 by visiting the and checking the Stories on March 11. Voting for the following rounds will then occur on March 15 for the Salk Sixteen, March 19 for the Eternal Eight and March 22 for the Fitzgerald Four. The final vote is on March 29.

��

— Nick France