2011 Candy Championship

The NCAA Tournament is upon us again, and that is fantastic.  I'm sure all of you are crunching numbers trying to figure out which teams to pick.  Well, this is a little variation of the NCAA Tourney, but an American classic, nonetheless.  I'm sure you've seen the Reese's commercial with the bracket by now.  If not, here is the link.

Reese's Commercial

Yep, that's what this post is based off of.  16 treats/candies are put to the test, to see which one truly is the best.  These candies have been seeded (1-16) by the Candy Selection Committee (CSC), consisting of:  

Committee Members:      Mr. Peanut
                                      Pillsbury Dough Boy 
                                      The M&M's
                                      The Gingerbread Man 
Committee Chair:           Aunt Jemima


Another difference from the NCAA Tournament is the analysts who cover the tourney.  Typically you see Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale and Bob Knight predicting the brackets.  You now have Prince Fielder, Charles Barkley and Jonah Hill.  Along with the analysts comes the "genius" that prematurely predicts the brackets prior to the tournament.  John Kruk replaces Joe Lunardi as Head Bracketologist.

Basketball Bracketologist: Joe Lunardi

Candy Bracketologist: John Kruk

The Committee Has Spoken

1. Chocolate
Bid: Automatic - Cocoa Conference
Outlook:  Chocolate is the clear favorite entering this tournament.  With an undefeated regular season, this very athletic squad looks to continue their reign over the candy industry.  But beware of chocolate's tendency to melt under pressure.


2. Peanut Butter
Bid: Automatic - Nut Family Conference 
Outlook: PB brings an experienced unit that isn't afraid to attack the throats of opponents.  Peanut Butter dominated the Nut Conference this season behind the leadership of Coach, George Washington Carver.


3. Caramel
Bid: Automatic -Chewy Conference 
Outlook: Caramel came on late in the season; with big bubble-wins over Gummy Bears and their rivals, Caramel Apples.  Caramel is a flexible treat that puts their opponents in sticky situations.


4. Cookies
Bid: Automatic - Homebaked Conferece 
Outlook: Cookies comes into this tournament fresh out the oven, they held on to beat Brownies in the Homebaked Conference Tournament Final in a close one.  Cookies has a very diverse team with transfers from Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Raisins and Oatmeal.


5. Pretzel
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: Pretzel is definitely the surprise team of this year's field, I actually had to Take 5 and check to make sure their bid was accurate.  This team reached their peak around the Holiday Tournament where they merged with Almond Bark to create a festive treat to be reckoned with.


6. Mint
Bid: Automatic - Natural Treats Conference 
Outlook: Mint has been overlooked all season, but has continued to win big games.  Mint boasts a great resume.  Senior leader, York, has been waiting for this opportunity his whole career.  Some experts are concerned about the their 20 hour flight from the Andes.



7. Raisins
Bid: Automatic - Fruit Conference 
Outlook: The best team from the West Coast this season capped a good campaign by winning the Fruit Conference (Season & Conference Tournament) Championship.  I have a gut feeling they may dry out and prune at this late phase in the season.



8. Wafer
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: This is Wafer's first tournament appearance.  A versatile group lead by the twin brothers, Kit and Kat, could catch a break this year and win some games.  Head Coach, Nilla, runs a crisp program.


9. Coconut
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: Not a whole lot of upside with this healthy treat.  They will have a long flight from Hawaii to take on Wafer in the Opening Round.  Their star player, AJ (Almond Joy) has been dismissed from the team after possessing 2 Pina Coladas during a recent bar raid.


10. Nougat
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: A lot of people have Nougat making a deep run in this tournament.  It'll be very hard for opponents to halt their Fast Break.  Nougat boasts some quality road wins late in the season (Graham Cracker &  Sprinkles), but they also have an ugly loss against Pez.



11. Marshmallow
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: A veteran Marshmallow team limps into this year's tournament.  Head Coach Snap is in the hospital with complications from Type II Diabetes, so Assistants Crackle and Pop will share the duties this March. Many experts feel that the Mallows are just too soft and fluffy to compete with tougher teams.

12. Vanilla
Bid: Automatic - Extract Conference 
Outlook: Vanilla will need a miracle to make a run in this tourney.  With an entirely white roster, they will face many tough upcoming challenges.  Their systematic motion offense may give their opponent fits, but in the long run, they're just too bland.


13. Cherry
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: Cherry has had a lot of off-field issues this season.  Incidents with the law, as well as recruiting violations put a chocolate covered cloud on this year's tournament as well as future seasons.  Sources say that their lengthy Center, Twizzlers was illegally contacted during it's stay on the shelves of Walgreens.



14. Pecan
Bid: At- Large 
Outlook: Pecan was highly touted coming into the 2010-2011, but dropped off late in the year.  Their star, Turtle, could lead them to an unheralded Cinderella story though. Their fan base does tend to travel well, and is synonymous with going nutty.



15. Toffee 
Bid: Automatic - Grandparent's Candy Conference 
Outlook: Toffee comes from a mid-major (GCC), and faces an uphill challenge in this year's tourney.  5th year Senior, Heath, would like nothing more than to avenge his terrible display he put on in last year's tournament and give his team a victory in 2011.



Play-In Game
16. Walnut
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: Walnut has been tagged as a poor man's Pecan, don't be expecting anything spectacular out of this nut.

16A. Butterscotch
Bid: At-Large 
Outlook: Butterscotch was outraged with it's draw in the tournament.  An early exit in the Grandparent's Candy Conference Tournament drastically hurt their chances of making a run in the tourney.

2011 Candy Championship

Here is the unfilled bracket.  Please make your picks and comment on the bottom of this post. 

Or at least fill out...
Champion:
Runner-Up:
Cinderella:
Bust:

Pick Me! I'm rather healthy.

Can the Marshmallows rally together without Snap?

* In case you were wondering about whether or not there is a Girls Candy Bracket, well such thing does exist.  But, their tournament is a One-Game Playoff between Granola & Croutons.