It's time to fill out those Brackets!!!

With Spring Break now in full swing, that only means one thing: Championship Week is over and March Madness is about to officially begin.

At least, that's what it means to me. I don't know about those of you just getting up at two in the afternoon and are reading this blog half buzzed, but Spring Break for me since high school has fallen right in the middle of the NCAA Tournament.

First off, a congratulations to Alabama State for being the only school from the state to make the "tournament." I say it that way because Morehead State could knock them out of the true field in the play-in game on Tuesday.

Anyways, over the next three days, everyone in America (at least, it should be everyone in America) will be filling out their brackets. The same questions will arise as they always do: Will all the number one seeds make it to the Final Four? Who will be this year's Cinderella? Who is my 12/5 upset?

While some of us will take hours to fill out the brackets, others have used a more simple approach over the years. So, for anyone looking to just get it done and hit the Natty Lights again, here are some simple alternatives to filling out your bracket.

Mascot Challenge. This one may take a little work, but it is quite enjoyable and informative to do. What you do is take the mascot of both teams and ask yourself, "Who would win in a fight?" Of course, the inanimate objects always lose out in the first round, that is, unless you are Purdue, then you steamroll right into the Final Four...that is if Duke and the Power of Sin don't stand in your way. The only downside to this bracket is that Duke almost always wins being the Blue Devils, but whenever Mississippi Valley State makes the field of 65, you at least know your championship game.

Mascot Popularity Contest. This is similar to the first one, but it depends even more on the person filling it out. Once again, match up the two mascots of the two teams, and then just pick your favorite. Sadly enough, there was a girl at my high school who did this and lead our pool up until the Final Four. She thought the Bruins were cute. Nonetheless, there is some stability to stand on if you choose to fill out a bracket in this fashion.

Color Favoritism. This is what most sorority girls will relegate to if they know nothing about basketball. Here's how the conversation will go:

Girl: Hey, babe, what are BYU's colors?
Boy: Blue and White.
Girl: Ok, and what about Texas A squiggly M?
Boy: Who?
Girl: You know, that school that the football coach you told me not to like went to?
Boy: Oh, Texas A&M. Yea, they are Maroon and White.
Girl: Ok, well I'm going with Utah State cause our colors are blue and white, too. Hehe.
Boy: What? Are you nuts? BYU comes from a crap conference who somehow got as many bids as the SEC, and you are picking them over an A&M team from the Big 12 and who has made the tourney the last five seasons?
Girl: Hmp. That wasn't nice at all. Where are my Ugh boots, I'm leaving.

Once again, take all the way to the Final Four and pick a winner.

What's in a name? This one is so easy, even Stephen Hill could do it. Just pick which school name sounds more appealing to you. Every now and then, you will run into an Akron vs. Gonzaga that will make you think, but remember, King James is from Akron, and the Trash 'Stache went to Gonzaga. That will make things a lot easier.

Geographical Proximity. Once again, easy. Pick anywhere in the U.S., and then pick your winners by how close they are to that city. Fargo, North Dakota is out for this year as North Dakota State is making their first appearance ever in the tournament.

So, now you have some help in filling out your brackets so they all don't end with UConn or North Carolina winning all five that you fill out.

To give you a platform to participate in some bracket fun, In the Nic of Time is once again sponsoring its own group on ESPN.com for college sports fun. To get into the group, click on Tournament Challenge and search for the group In the Nic of Time. The password is ITNOT, and then go crazy in filling out your brackets.

I will have previews of all four regions first-round match-ups up before they all tip, so continue to check back all week for those.