Starch Madness: Round of 64 Voting

Snacks Region

(1) Potato Chips VS (16) Frozen Pizza Rolls 

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The odds on favorite to make it out of the Snacks Region is the one-seed Potato Chips. These bad boys are so popular, Lays pays out a million dollars to people who come up with new flavors. Try to think of another food that can pull that off. In what some consider the weakest of the four regions, Potato Chips could have a relatively smooth ride to the Final Four.

Their first round matchup shouldn’t be much of a challenge as Frozen Pizza Rolls won the Frozen Foods Conference tournament which featured a pretty weak field overall. Getting to the dance is a great story for these mini calzone-meets-egg roll treats. However all this will be is a nice story.

(2) Tortilla Chips VS (15) Combos

While the 1-Vs-16 matchup in the Snacks Region could be a blowout, the 2-Vs-15 matchup in this portion of the bracket could get very interesting. As great as Tortilla Chips are served with guacamole, salsa, and a number of other dips they could be in trouble. They will surely lose some of their

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thunder from Nachos, a strong 4-seed from the Appetizers/Sides Region and they actually face some tough competition.

Combos are by nature an underrated Snack food, and this format could be the perfect opportunity to get some recognition. They pack the flavors of several of our favorites in Starch Madness into small bite-sized morsels of goodness. Could Combos be coming out with a Cinderella flavor in 2014?

(3) Bagels VS (14) Popcorn

Bagels were almost slotted into the Entrees Region of Starch Madness, but the committee made an interesting ruling. Their thought was that Bagels when standing alone are more of a snack food than a meal. However, by adding more than just cream cheese you could easily call these a meal. The

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versatility of having flavors for everyone including Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, and even nouveau flavors like Bacon Cheddar.

Their competition meanwhile is a snack through and through. Popcorn is to movies as Peanut Butter is to Jelly. And we all know how much people love their movies. Extra butter on a movie theatre Popcorn is the crowd favorite, but don’t count out sweet treats like Kettle Corn and Caramel Corn, they fall under the popcorn umbrella as well.

(4) Cookie Dough VS (13) Saltines 

While the Starch Bracket features several cookies in their cooked form, Cookie Dough is a different beast. Whether it is the the last little bit from the bowl of homemade chocolate chip or the store bought dough versions there is something different about it raw. Some people may think it’s gross, but those people just haven’t seen the light, yet.

The opponent for Cookie Dough is about the opposite in terms of flavor. Even the name Saltines says a lot. While these salty crackers are somewhat bland, they are a multi-purpose cracker that works well with cheese, jelly, in soups, and in recipes. Saltine could make a run, but there is some uphill sledding.