I think that one of the strengths of
single-elimination play is that it allows for upsets. The certain
degree of randomness and uncertainty make the game more
fun. Such as when, thanks to very favourable packets,
my less-than-championship-calibre GW B team beat a
much stronger Hopkins squad and was within a tossup of
Cornell at PennBowl. These may not be good examples, but
the point is still salient. It's nice to see teams
other than Maryland-CP and Michigan in tournament
finals, and this can only happen with single-elimination.
Emmet Tuohy
Georgetown/GW