Sundown led a record field of 506 Las Vegas Hilton SuperContestants for much of the early 2005 season, then faded into the sunset as the favorites continued to play home.

A more normal year by NFL handicap standards, Sundown shifted gears and saved the best for last, gradually climbing the ladder last month to where he is just one game behind leader Jarhead with two weeks and 10 picks. for the end.

In fact, the leaderboard has gotten very comfortable at the top as Jarhead opened the door with a 2-3 performance.

Now it’s up to those four Christmas icons—Santa Claus(e), Jack Frost, Father Time, and New Year’s Baby—to discuss who’s been bad and good, and who’s going to get Christmas green.

Jarhead are on 50 1/2 points entering Week 16 and Sundown, hot on their trail, are on 49 1/2.

Breathing down their necks are Win Big, who has bounced back nicely after a great week off, and SID, who used a perfect 5-0 run to tie for the lead in a three-week mini-contest that began in the week fifteen.

Each has 49 points.

Just behind them is Jersey Red with 48 1/2 points and Sportsbookside.com 2 and Tony Soprano 2 with 48 each.

Twenty spots will be cashed in to the main event, with the winner receiving $249,600 and the runner-up just under $100,000.

Two prizes of $10,000 (aggregate) are also available, one for any player who achieves a 67 percent or higher winning rate and the other for the entrants with the best record in the mini-contest.

The SuperContest was priced at $1,500 and drew 416 entrants, many of whom dropped out but returned for the three-week event.

They make five pro picks weekly, earning one point for a win and a half point for a draw.

The consensus sided with 10 favorites and five dogs in Week 15, not including the New Orleans-Washington game, won by the underdog Redskins, in which opinions were evenly divided.

It went 11-4 after starting the week on a losing note as San Francisco beat favorite Seattle.

That put the consensus book for the entire season near the 50-50 mark at 108-109-5.

The best bet Green Bay, as determined by the consensus differential between favorites and underdogs, rallied in the fourth quarter to cover against Detroit.

New England, the team of more things, was also a consensus winner.

The best plays are now 10-5 to date.

The SuperContest does not measure the actual number of winning dogs and favourites, but instead offers entrants’ opinions on the sides.