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Two cats, two ungulates, a service member, spiritual enemy, mechanical wonder, and a bird.

Bobcats, Wildcats, Lopers, Red Devils, Bison, Midshipmen, Rockets, and Cardinals remain.

Thank you, voters, for such a fun Helmet Bowl III National Championship. We break down the Regional Championships below. By Monday, we will have our Fantastic Fabulous Final Four.

Voting Leaders

We are stunned at how close each of these teams are in voting. Tens of thousands of votes cast, and yet just a relative handful of votes separate these final eight teams.

The Kansas State Wildcats led all vote-getters in Round 3.

Navy Midshipmen: 207 less than the K-State

Dickinson Red Devils: 142 less than Navy

Gallaudet Bison: 25 less than Dickinson

Louisville: 44 votes less than Gallaudet

Divisional Breakdown

DI FBS – Four teams remain (5 teams in Round 3, 8 teams in Round 2, 10 teams in Round 1)

DI FCS – Zero teams remain (3 teams in Round 3, 6 teams in Round 2, 14 teams in Round 1)

DII – The Nebraska Kearney Lopers remain. (3 teams in Round 3, 10 teams in Round 2, 15 teams in Round 1)

DIII – Two teams remain (4 teams in Round 3, 5 teams in Round 2, 20 teams in Round 1)

NAIA – The St. Thomas Bobcats remain (1 team in Round 3, 3 teams in Round 2, 4 teams in Round 1)

Seeding

Amazing how the votes in Conference play, which determined the national tournament seeding, had little to do with how teams have performed in the National tournament.

With one exception: The East. In the East, the #1 Seed Dickinson Red Devils face the #2 Seed Navy Midshipmen – just like the voters predicted.

Meanwhile, the North features a #5 Seed (Louisville Cardinals) vs a #13 (Toledo Rockets).

In the West, #5 K-State face #11 Nebraska Kearney Lopers.

And, as everyone knows, in the South, the #16 (SIXTEEN!) St. Thomas Bobcats face #2 Gallaudet Bison.

So very much fun.

Regional Championships

Remarkable run and comeback by the St. Thomas Bobcats. A Play-in team which did not win their conference, the ‘Cats won a four team contest to be ranked #16 in the South Region.

Now, they face the Helmet Bowl I National Champion (this team will ALWAYS be the first winner of Helmet Bowl) Gallaudet Bison. The Bison have, for an always-favorite) sort of snuck (sneaked) through the contest and now perch (can a Bison perch?) on the cusp of a Regional Championship.

This will be fun.

South Region

Let's stay right here.

The Bobcats won by FIVE VOTES (!) against the surging Samford Bulldogs. Samford brought a clean, attractive helmet to the contest and, unknown until a few weeks ago, sprinted. They beat the Campbell Fighting Camels, then we thought we would have to say “so long” when they faced the unique helmet of Austin Peay. Nope. They beat the Monopoly Man, collected $200, and moved on.

The contest in Round 3 between the Bulldogs and Bobcats was a seesaw and so fun to watch. We are sorry to see Samford leave the contest and look forward to their run in Helmet Bowl IV.

Meanwhile, Gallaudet faced a strong and getting stronger Richmond Spider helmet. The Spiders waltzed through the National Championship and had a shot at Round 4. The Bison outpaced them, just by 100 and a handful of votes.

As we look now, the Bison are leading the Bobcats by 12 votes! Twelve.

North Region

Two surprises.

The Louisville Cardinals put forth a chrome red helmet with an angry bird head. They took on an experienced Lake Erie Storm helmet, but dismissed them by hundreds of votes. Yes, we were surprised.

The Toledo Rockets, now, yes, the Rockets' graduated helmet from yellow to black with the art deco-ish spaceship blasting forward, has grown on us. It's a nice helmet – it really is. The Toledo team took on a hungry Indiana State Sycamore helmet with its history of winning its conference and knowing how to make a run in the National Championship. The Rockets won by a hundred and a handful of votes.

This is a an interesting matchup – the strong recognizable Cardinals versus the relatively unknown Toledo team. Either Louisville will flex some might or the Rockets will jetson one stage and ignite another. The Cardinals lead, right now, by exactly 50 votes.

West Region

Yes, we admit falling hard for the Nebraska Kearney Lopers blue helmet overlayed with the gold antelope bust. It's cool. It's different. It's attractive. The Lopers faced a long-time Helmet Bowl favorite in the UT Permian Basin Falcons and beat them by just 109 votes – less than 2 percent.

They face Helmet Tracker friends Kansas State Wildcats. We've spent a lot of time in the Bill Snyder Family Stadium and always thought the ‘Cats could make a run at a Helmet Bowl National Championship. The EMAW folks just never got behind their helmet. Then, everything changed. The Wildcats changed their helmets mid-week a few weeks ago and things took off for them. They beat a strong Texas State Bobcat helmet, then took on #1 Seed Clarmont-Mudd-Scripps Stags – a heavy favorite. Well, K-State just destroyed the Stags and outpaced the rest of the field in voting last round. Wow.

Now, a great West Region battle. The Wildcats lead the Lopers by 17 votes as we checked just now.

East Region

These are the big guys.

Defending Helmet Bowl National Champion Dickinson Red Devils face the Navy Midshipmen. These two teams racked up more votes in Round 3 than any other two teams in the National Championship.

One has to go.

The Red Devils rely on the football Moms' network. The Midshipmen awoke a few weeks ago and pile on the votes. Navy leads, right now anyway, by just 22 votes.

Dickinson beat a very VERY strong Maryland Terrapin helmet to get here. Navy more than doubled up a nice Alvernia Golden Wolves helmet.

If you watch one contest this week of Christmas (who are we kidding? We know you won't watch just one contest here) watch this one.

Thank you for taking the time to read up on the Helmet Bowl III National Championship. We wish you a very Merry Christmas. Don't forget – you can vote every day. Enjoy your gifts, have fun with your family, then vote.

Now, 16 teams remain. It's the Fantastic Four in each of the four regions. We break it down for you.

For those of you keeping track, what we have left:

DI FBS – five teams remain (8 teams in Round 2, 10 teams in Round 1)

DI FCS – three teams remain (6 teams in Round 2, 14 teams in Round 1)

DII – three teams remain (10 teams in Round 2, 15 teams in Round 1)

DIII – four teams remain (5 teams in Round 2, 20 teams in Round 1)

NAIA – one team, the St. Thomas Bobcats, remains (3 teams in Round 2, 4 teams in Round 1)

South Region

Very little drama in South Region voting in Round 2. That is about to change. in a very big way. Round 3 promises drama.

St. Thomas Bobcats – These guys understand Helmet Bowl and keep rolling up the votes. A 16 Seed in the quarterfinals! Whoo. They defeated the University of Alabama at Birmingham who rolled out a great Blazer helmet adorned with a fire-breathing dragon. Hate to see you go.

The Bobcats now face a surging Bulldog helmet.

Samford Bulldogs – the Bulldogs ran away from the strong Austin Peay helmet festooned with the Monopoly man on a chrome red helmet. Great helmet. But they are done. The Bulldogs need to step it up to advance a week from now.

Gallaudet Bison – the Helmet Bowl I National Champion keeps winning though we expect the Bison voting team has not shifted into high gear as of yet. They beat a strong Ole Miss team, threw some fun shade at the Rebel's new coach, and now face a Spider team whose voters tallied nearly the same number of votes as the Bison in Round 2.

This is a great matchup to watch this week.

Richmond Spiders – The Spiders faced a strong voting Limestone Saints team and emerged the winner. With nearly as many votes as the powerful Gallaudet Bison, the Spiders are a force to be reckoned with if they remain in the contest next week.

North Region

The North Region is easily the underdog region now. Look, when we set up the regions, we spread out the top vote-getters as much as we could. But in the North, the #1, #3, and #4 seeds have bowed out. If there is anything we've learned, though, is that teams who can harness some momentum and then build on it have the potential to surge through the Helmet Bowl National Championship.

Toledo Rockets – This #13 seed won a squeaker over the Ashland Eagles. We love the art deco-ish rocket blasting through the yellow to black gradient – a unique helmet. They face the highest remaining North Seed.

Indiana State Sycamores – This is an experienced Helmet Bowl team. They repeated their Conference win and then started knocking off teams in the national contest. They were about a dozen behind the St. Olaf Oles with an hour and a half left in Round 2, but won. The Terre Haute-based voters know what they are doing.

Lake Erie Storm – Another well-experienced Helmet Bowl voting block. The cartoon tornado with its dukes up will be difficult to stop in this region. This helmet defines uniqueness.

Louisville Cardinals – the Cardinals put forth a gorgeous red chrome helmet festooned with a grimacing cardinal head in white. It's a good helmet and the Cards could push it to the national Fantastic Four.

East Region

Currently, the East Region is the strongest of the four regions – by a wide margin. Unless the winner of another Region figures out how to pile up the votes when students are home for Christmas, the National Champion may very well come from the East.

Dickinson Red Devils – We just cannot start writing about the Red Devils without saying “the defending champions.” And we won't here. The defending champions are showing their metal. They had the most votes in Round 2 in the entire contest (by a slim margin) and know how to pile up more when necessary. However, necessary is now. The Maryland Terrapins will compete.

Maryland Terrapins – We've said it before – the Terrapin helmet caught our attention when we put together Helmet Bowl I. Voters have caught up to this magnificent helmet and have a chance to stake a claim with a win over the Red Devils. Possible? Yes, possible.

Alvernia Golden Wolves – Man o man we wish the Golden Wolves folks would send us a new image. It's a fine helmet, but hard to see through all the fuzz. The route Alvernia has taken through this tournament seems easy – but that's only because the wild canines have destroyed their opponents.

Navy Midshipmen – Well, they sure handed it to Army over the weekend on the field, then nearly doubled up a fine St. Augustine Falcons lid in Round 2 of the Helmet Bowl National Championship. These guys have the steam up and are full ahead. The Midshipmen could win this region and then the whole thing.

West Region

These four helmets. Wow. If voters were asked which Region has the best quarterfinal group, how could they not vote for this quad? The team that emerges from this Region looks to have the most growing momentum as voting numbers continuously climb for these teams.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags – one of two #1 Seeds remaining, the Stags swept aside the Southeast Oklahoma Savage Storm (a Helmet Bowl II quarterfinalist) after beating a strong Redlands Bulldogs helmet. Now they face the most improved voting team in the contest.

Kansas State Wildcats – these guys are always hovering around. And WOW. Between Round 1 and Round 2 they DOUBLED their voting total. Then, they were the only team, so far, who switched out their helmet image. Watch out Stags. This is a big team at a big school with big votes now.

Nebraska Kearney Lopers – we just love this team, the helmet, and the deep dive they are taking in this contest. They've not been challenged and so our suspicions that the Lopers could be a sleeper may be proven out this week.

UT Permian Basin Falcons – This is another helmet we've watched for a couple of years. The Falcons soared through Round 1, but then faced a strong effort by the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers. They met the challenge and now face the Lopers. We'll be watching.

We have eliminations, upsets, and surges!

Half of the National Championship teams now sit back and watch. Vote? Yes, please continue voting. We have entered the Round of 32.

First, the upsets.

It's not often in sports that a #16 Seed beats a #1 Seed but that's just what happened in the first round of Helmet Bowl III. In fact, it happened twice.

Both of these #16 Seeds may have taken advantage of a momentum boost from the two-week play-in round in November.

In the North Region, the William Paterson Pioneers emerged the New Jersey Athletic Conference Champions after battling the New Jersey Lions for the title. The amount of conference voting pushed them to the number 1 Seed, but the Lions didn't follow their conference cohorts with any sort of voting. The Idaho State Bengals took advantage and won by nearly 100 votes.

Now they face veteran Helmet Bowl voters from the Lake Erie Storm who pushed their team out front early in Round 2.

It wasn't that close in the South Region where the St. Thomas Bobcats nearly tripled up the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders. The Cru did a number on the American Southwest Conference, but didn't pull those voters with them either for the national contest. Now the Bobcats battle the Blazers of the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Round 2. Great match-up.

Divisions

Helmet Bowl includes every Division, every Conference, every team, every helmet. This makes Helmet Bowl unique. We don't tell you what helmets are the best. You tell us.

Helmet Bowl is the Greatest College Football Helmet Contest Ever!

Teams qualify for the National Championship bracket one of two ways. First, win your Conference Championship and be one of the top 60 conferences in voting and you are in. Second, be selected for one of four playoff contests and win two rounds in your contest to secure a #16 Seed.

Here's how many teams from each Division made it into Round 1, and how many advanced to Round 2.

D1 – FBS – 10 teams in Round 1, 8 teams to Round 2 – 80 percent advance

D1 – FCS – 14 teams in Round 1, 6 teams to Round 2 – 43 percent advance

DII – 15 teams in Round 1, 10 teams to Round 2 – 67 percent advance

DIII – 20 teams in Round 1, 5 teams to Round 2 – 25 percent advance

NAIA – 4 teams in Round 1, 3 teams to Round 2 – 75 percent advance

Independent – The Thomas More Saints were defeated in Round 1

Round 2 – A Look

Sixteen match-ups will determine the Spectacular Sixteen in The Helmet Bowl III National Championship. Voting concludes at noon Monday, December 16 CST.

East Region

The first team to 100 votes early Monday afternoon was the reigning Helmet Bowl Champions Dickinson Red Devils. They face a simple but attractive helmet from Salve Regina. The Seahawks are the #10 Seed and could pull off an upset if they can get the student body to break from studying for finals and vote daily.

The East Region is strong, very strong. Three of the top four vote-getters from Round 1 are East Region teams.

One of those is the Maryland Terrapins, who face a strong and surging West Virginia State Yellow Jackets. This is a great match-up and should provide a back and forth kinda week for us all to enjoy.

The other top team is the Navy Midshipmen. With the retired and current servicemen and women, this helmet could sail right to the championship. First though, they must defeat the Saint Augustine Falcons.

The other match-up features the surprisingly powerful Alvernia Golden Wolves vs the Fitchburg State Falcons

North Region

We've told you above about the amazing upset the Idaho State Bengals performed last week.

Also in the North, the #5 Seed Louisville Cardinals and the #14 Seed Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats are a good match. They both swept aside their opponent in Round 1 and both put forth a decent and mildly attractive lid.

The other two match-ups, the Toledo Rockets vs Ashland Eagles, and the Saint Olaf Oles vs the Indiana State Sycamores will have to provide unexpected fireworks to challenge either emerging opponent in Round 3.

South Region

Can the upstart St. Thomas Bobcats be beat in this region? They upset the #1 Seed and have the most votes in Round 1 in this region, by far. However, if there is a team to challenge in Round 2, it is the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers. The Blazers, as of this writing, trail by just 20 votes.

Now the South is packed FULL. Look here: The Austin Peay Governors – great helmet. Samford Bulldogs voters – fire! Richmond Spiders – such an attractive helmet. The Limestone Saints – coming off a great win with momentum.

And we haven't even mentioned the Gallaudet Bison – Helmet Bowl I National Champions. These guys prove they are legit every week. But Champions are always in the crosshairs and this week it is Ole Miss who is currently locked up with the Bison. Wow. So fun.

West Region

The Clarmont-Mudd-Scripps Stags caught our attention more than a year ago and it's taken those dozen months or so for the Stags fans to notice us. Now, the votes are piling up. They face HB2 National Quarterfinalist Southeastern Oklahoma Savage Storm.

Meanwhile, the Kansas State Wildcats – EMAW – face the upstart Texas State Bobcats. Could be an epic finish.

Now, voters, pay attention here. The story in the West Region is the Nebraska Kearney Lopers. Great helmet. Votes in the high atmosphere. The Lopers have the second highest vote totals in Round 2 in the entire contest so far. Watch out West. Watch out, HB3. The Dakota Wesleyan Tigers will have to, ah, we don't know. They will have to do something new and dramatic to challenge.

Lastly, we present a couple of superb helmets – two of the most eye-catching lids in the contest. The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers have a loaded down burro clutching a stick of dynamite in its teeth. They face the very cool UT Permian Basin Falcons. Voters cannot be disappointed, regardless of the outcome of this match-up.

The Dickinson Red Devils emerged from nowhere a year ago to sweep through Helmet Bowl II and claim the National Championship. Can they do it again?

At the beginning of Round 1 of Helmet Bowl III, the Wooster Fighting Scots rode the wave of their #16 Seed play-in position to challenge the champs. Sadly for them, the effort has waned as the week continued. With 72 hours remaining, it appears the Scots will retire with the North Coast Athletic Conference Championship in hand, experience that may helmet them for HB4, but little else.

We have watched, and as Helmet Bowl fans of yesteryear know, the Navy Midshipmen faltered in HB1 and HB2 under false high hopes. This helmet, and others the Academy team don, deserves deep runs in this contest. Is this the year? They drew #15 Worcester Poly Technic's unique goathead helmet and we all wondered. Now, though, they have more than twice the votes of the Engineers and, more importantly, have the third most votes in all of Helmet Bowl. However, the #1 and #2 vote-getters are also in the East Region, so they still must step up their game to make a play here.

Maryland is another team with a top-notch helmet that surprisingly failed to make noise in the contest in years past. Not anymore. The Terrapins (dang, we misspelled it above) have the second most votes in Helmet Bowl and are dismissing the Bentley Falcons nice looking shield helmet in Round 1.

Meanwhile, Fitchburg State has about 100 votes more than the Bates Bobcats and are set for the upset (#13 beating #4 here). Of course, there are about three days left, so either team could simply kick it up a notch and take the round. We are watching closely.

A NOTE: Due to some engineering errors, the Helmet Bowl bracket shows the winner of the #1 v #16 match play the winner of the #2 v #15 in Round 2. We've found a way to reset and will take a few minutes at the conclusion of Round 1 (at noon Monday) to do so. Now, the Round 2 match-ups will look like this:

Winner of 1v16 plays winner of 7v10

Winner of 5v12 plays winner of 3v14

Winner of 4v13 plays winner of 6v11

Winner of 8v9 plays winner of 2v15

Voting will be paused at noon Monday for about 15 minutes or so while we take care of this. Thank you for your patience.

The DII West Virginia Yellow Jackets are handing it to the Ivy League's Princeton Tigers in Round 1. But look out: The Alvernia Golden Wolves have doubled up a very attractive Hobart Statesmen helmet and put a lot of votes in the ballot box. Looking at voting totals and looking at the new bracket grid, the Wolves could advance deep in this region, gaining momentum as they do.

Another note: Look, we are going to let you in on a little something here about this contest. Helmet Bowl II took in well more than a half-million votes, but that can be a bit deceiving. Remember, the conference and national contests go for several weeks and start with nearly 800 teams. What does it take to win a single round? Hard to say. Depends on who you play and how deep into the contest you ask about. However, we will tell you that if you pop your head into a freshmen English class – you know, the one with 300 students crammed into an auditorium – and ask them to vote a few times a week for your helmet, you'll most likely emerge a winner most weeks. We know, we know – winning most weeks won't get you the championship. Start somewhere, get a thousand votes a week, and you'll soon see the winning pile up. Here's some ideas.

Currently, bot these match-ups measure just about a 100 vote difference. We like the Salve Regina Seahawks helmet for its bright colors and unique way of combining the S and R. If they can figure out how to double their voting in the next week, they could challenge the mighty Terrapins, mentioned above.

In the other match-up, the Falcons are rightly beating the Robert Morris Colonials. The chrome feathers are attractive and powerful. The patriots could come back to beat them, but the winner much implement a strong strategy in Round 2 verses Navy to challenge. Which team has it in them?