Preview

Following an epic Tecmo VII featuring heart-stopping overtimes, countless upsets, endzone-to-endzone JJ’s at game’s end, and several career-altering fumbles, what can we expect at this year’s tournament? We’re glad you asked. Here are just a few of this year’s storylines:

• Can Jimmy B and his ambitious aerial pursuits do the impossible—win this tournament a third time;
• Will Mort advance to a third straight Final 4, or will the Gods dole out punishment after last year’s good fortune;
• Will BestinWorld, the second most decorated player in tournament history, return to avenge last year’s Final 4 loss;
• Can Chet H (holzy11), the two-time defending Ohio champ and 2010 Chicago champ, finally shed the demons of Madison tournaments’ past;
• Are The Rickster and James T (skunkerofbestinworld), stalwarts of Team Neenah’s winning Ryder Cup squad, now ready to capture that elusive first championship;
• Will Josh H (sonofpatbeach), after a disappointing Sweet 16 exit a year ago, finally secure a second championship;
• Now that relative unknowns Seth B and Travis R have reached the Final 4/Elite 8, can they do it again with targets on their backs;
• After a shocking failure to advance from Group Play last year, will Jay H return to his winning ways;
• After vowing to rededicate himself to Tecmo, can Kevin M (buzzsaw) recapture past glory, or have preparations begun for his burial plot in the Tecmo graveyard;
• Following a fairly successful Ryder Cup, will garbagetsbplayer’s incessant entourage ignite a deep tournament run;
• After a mysterious disappearance, does Joeygats emerge from seclusion at Tecmo VIII;
• Will anyone from “the 513,” a self-proclaimed Tecmo hotspot in Ohio, appear;
• Will the Tecmo Broadcasting Union resolve its labor dispute with management in advance of this year’s tournament, or will Knobbe, QB-Browns, and Toolie be relegated to tournament participation only;
• Is there a total unknown out there with the skills necessary to charge into the epicenter of the Tecmo universe and emerge victorious;
• Is this the year that Bruddog, longtime critic of tournament participants and purported Tecmo aficionado, finally boards a Madison-bound plane from California?