USC’s Caleb Williams after his final college game in Los Angeles.
Ryan Sun/AP
The best thing about filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket is the feeling that washes over you without fail: This is the year!
But then it isn’t. Of course it isn’t.
In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the site formerly known as Twitter, we wanted to know when the last time was that your bracket was the last one standing in a pool.
“When Florida repeated [in 2006 and 2007],” @Snak_Attack18 commented. “I was in high school.”
“When I had hair,” @YaleSox66 wrote.
Next, we asked how closely you’re following the goings-on at spring training.
“I only follow the Sox close enough to see one disaster after another,” @FatDudeRunning wrote. “Why, Jerry Reinsdorf?”
Last, we asked a totally new question. OK, fine, an old one. Who’s your QB for the Bears, Justin Fields or Caleb Williams? That question, and your votes, became moot as soon as the Bears traded Fields on Saturday.
On to the polls:
Poll No. 1: When was the last time you won an NCAA Tournament bracket pool?
It’s time for this week’s “Polling Place.” Let us hear from you! Selected comments will appear in Saturday’s paper.
Poll No. 1: When was the last time you won an NCAA Tournament bracket pool?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 14, 2024
Upshot: It’s hard to win even a small pool — let alone one with a lot of entrants — without correctly picking at least a couple of Final Four teams and probably the national champ, too. And then there are all the early upsets, which are delightfully fun but brutal on the ol’ bracket. You should try having yours published in the paper sometime.
Poll No. 2: How closely are you following Cubs and/or White Sox spring training?
Poll No. 2: How closely are you following Cubs and/or White Sox spring training?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 14, 2024
Upshot: Here’s spring training in a nutshell. These guys over here are in the best shape of their careers. Those guys over there fixed their swings. And the dudes over in the corner, they all have been noodling around with new pitches they’re thinking of using in games. Yada yada, Opening Day comes and we forget about all of it.
Poll No. 3: For the last time (OK, we might ask again), whom are you hoping to see at quarterback for the Bears in Week 1?
Poll No. 3: For the last time (OK, we might ask again), whom are you hoping to see at quarterback for the Bears in Week 1?
— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) March 14, 2024
Upshot: That’s a lot of love for a soon-to-be rookie who’s about three and a half years younger than Fields, especially given all the moves the Bears are making this offseason. They are looking to win now. Can Williams hit the ground running and help make sure that happens? If he does, he’ll own this city.