jim harbaugh gif tournament 2016
By a final margin of 3,016 votes to 2,364, the winner of the inaugural Jim Harbaugh GIF Tournament is...
...the juggernaut known as Spring Game Grin, which cruised through the Final Four after the titanic grin-off with Harbaugh As Grinch. I've already described these GIFs several times over, but I think Louisville Wolverine best captured why this one won out.
It isn't solely the sentimentality of SGG that makes it a winner, thought that is a compelling aspect of it. It is the latent potential that it holds for everything that would eventually come after it.
All the other gifs exist there. It is the spring event from which the river of entertaining moments flow.
The tourney will return next spring with an entirely new field. Harbaugh is already off to a tremendous start on this year's crop.
Thirty GIFs down, one to go.
We've eliminated some bona-fide contenders, including all four one-seeds. For the second straight round, a vote came down to the final minutes. Without further ado, your Final Four results:
#2 Spring Game Grin: 2,299 (65%)
#3 Pfffffffhahahaha: 1,238 (35%)
#3 WELL OKAY: 1,751 (50%)
#2 Punt Demo: 1,766 (50%)
It all comes down to this.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP
(2) Spring Game Grin vs. (2) Punt Demo
Def. Fist Pump 76% to 24% in the first round.
Def. "You're Really Good" 70% to 30% in the Sweet Sixteen.
Def. Harbaugh As Grinch 50% to 50% (14-vote margin) in the Elite Eight.
Def. Pfffffffhahahaha 65% to 35% in the Final Four.
The sentimental favorite. In addition to capturing the moment returning to Michigan seemingly sunk in for Harbaugh, this is an ideal reaction GIF.
Def. What's The Call 86% to 14% in the first round.
Def. Harbaugh's Huddle 65% to 35% in the Sweet Sixteen.
Def. Dr. Harbaugh 70% to 30% in the Elite Eight.
Def. WELL OKAY 50% to 50% (15-vote margin) in the Final Four.
You can tell by the hat's uncertain perch on Harbaugh's head that he's already mid-freakout when this GIF begins. All eyes are on Harbaugh as everyone expects something spectacular; to say the least, he delivers. As a bonus, this GIF is eminently photoshoppable.
Voting will run through the weekend. The champion will be crowned on Monday afternoon.
I expected the grin-off to be close. In one corner, there was Harbaugh at the spring game, soaking in the emotions from his return home and smiling at the prospect of a bright future. In the other corner, there was Harbaugh after the bowl victory, unable to contain his joy after his team fulfilled the potential he saw in the spring.
I did not anticipate it would be this close.
I refreshed the poll more times than I care to admit over the last few days; I don't believe either GIF had more than a 20-vote lead at any point. A mini-surge in the final minutes before this afternoon's cutoff produced a winner. The full Elite Eight results:
THE GOOD TIMES
#1 Harbaugh As Grinch: 2,096 (50%)
#2 Spring Game Grin: 2, 110 (50%)
THE BAD TIMES
#1 Rage Stripping: 1,696 (47%)
#3 WELL OKAY: 1,892 (53%)
HARBAUGH IN ACTION
#1 Dr. Harbaugh: 1,055 (30%)
#2 Punt Demo: 2,434 (70%)
MISCELLANEOUS HARBAUGH
#1 Good Shit, Jedd: 1,113 (33%)
#3 Pffffffhahahaha: 2,245 (67%)
Just like that, not a single one-seed remains.
THE FINAL FOUR
(2) Spring Game Grin vs. (3) Pffffffhahahaha
This has to be the odds-on favorite after emerging victorious from the grin-off.
Then again, this is the first time the Spring Game Grin has come up against a GIF of Harbaugh sideline antics.
(3) WELL OKAY vs. (2) Punt Demo
If there's going to be a Cinderella run of sorts, it's going to come from this GIF, which knocked off Bad Times region favorites Rage Stripping and Slow-Motion Meltdown to earn its spot here. WELL OKAY has had, without a doubt, the toughest path to the Final Four.
That path isn't exactly getting any easier. Punt Demo demolished Dr. Harbaugh by a margin that caught me completely off guard. Either GIF in this matchup would be a worthy champion.
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