Well it's been a long season, but never long enough really is it? We're all pretty complacent in September with 256 games ahead of us, why, it's almost like there's an infinite number of games to watch! January flies around though, and before you know it the dreaded 'D-word' is floundering over the horizon like an Italian cruise liner and we're all rushing around pretending we were watching college football all season and know what the cone drill is actually for... seriously though, the combine is borderline gymnastics - something I'm 100% against.

I'm not going to do a big introduction to this because it's a bit of a ceremonial post in that I'm announcing the winners and losers of the year, so without further ado, here is the best picker in 2012:

*GOLDEN PICK Winner 2012: *Seth Wickersham, ESPN

'Yes, I'm just buying some
LEGO for a prize. Yes, that's it...
a prize...

Yes, it came down to the very last game of the season - as you'd know if you follow me on twitter like most of our experts - and there were two scenarios that could play out: A Dallas victory would have seen The Sizzler Marc Sessler win on a tie breaker as he had the best weekly record, followed by Wickers and The Danish Discerner Chris Mortensen. As it happened though, a Redskins win gave Wickersham a score of 179-77 for the year, a one game advantage over Mort, with Sessler another game back in third.

Wickersham was in pole position two weeks ago but looked to have blown it with an outlandish week 15 in which he picked the Chiefs to win a football game that wasn't played in the face of a huge tragedy. This, as anyone will tell you, is not right.*

As a reward Seth Efrica receives the coveted (by all 6 year olds with a Lego Ninjago set) GOLDEN PICK Trophy. The chances of this making it's way through the mail, customs and security checks that are imposed on any package thicker than a Gnat's left testicle are slim to none, which coincidentally are also the chances of conception for a single-barrelled adult male Gnat. I'm still sending it to you though Seth, so I hope you enjoy it.

On a side note, I'll also be sending your other 'prize' in the post, Barbadian R&B sensation Rihanna. Ri-Ri has had a tough time of things with her on-off love affair with Chris Brown currently (wait, let me check the Daily M*il)... ON! Either way don't get too attached Chris, because Seth's prowess as a swordsman is legendary. Now a lot of people will say 'oh, that Rihanna, she's been around the block a bit, she's had more men than hot dinners, she's not much of a prize!'

And those people would be right.

I'm just going to assume Bieber is involved in this somehow.

Runners up: 2nd Chris Mortensen (ESPN) and 3rd Marc Sessler (NFL.com)

Congratulations and commiserations in equal measure are in order for the rest of our podium. The main thing to remember is that in the end, Pickwatch is only here to point out facts and not try to paint people as anything they're not. Both Mort and Sizzler have been outstanding all year and both were in with a chance to win this competition, so it's safe to say that they know their stuff. Next year it will be interesting to see whether they can continue their good form and win the whole shebang, but whatever happens, they've earned their runner-up prizes: A silver guitar pick and Pop sensation Ke$ha.

I'll be sending Ke$ha to Mort first via airmail, and you can reuse the envelope she arrives in to send her on to Sessler. I won't lie to you - this is a pretty crappy prize, because even though I've never met her, I've always thought she has the look of a girl who stinks. I can imagine her not washing for a few days, smelling of cigarettes and stuff... just a right little skank basically.

Congratulations.

Here's the Top 10 this year in full. Well done to all of those below for a good season:

I'll have the worst of this year in just a bit... rest assured, if you think you'd turn your nose up at Ke$ha, you'd best brace yourself for the assorted body parts that have been assembled at random to create the loser's prize...

* What I'm really worried about is the fact that the Chiefs and Cowboys both won after players died this year, and analysts are forever harping on about how the NFL is a copycat league... all I'm saying is that if there's one owner in all of the NFL** that would have seen the tragic events in KC unfold and thought 'hang on a minute...' it's...
** Now that Al Davis has passed on, this is accurate.