lions

Just curious as to what others think about this upcoming season, any early predictions for divisional winners, potential playoff teams, that kind of thing.

Since this is my first season, just curious as to which teams are favored to win their divisions, since I don't know anything about any of these teams.

Captain Jack

Season off to a good start at 2-0

gatorfan1

Here is a breakdown of what I have observed so far, and some key games from today.

AC East Looks like a tough battle between the Berinsfield Hornets and the Florida Gators, so far the Gators have the division but it's too early to tell. Three key wins against actives for the Gators, who get a much deserved BOT team to trounce next. Gators so far are defending their Conference title well.

Key game of the day: Berinsfield vs The Northern Riviera II: This game had the makings of a great matchup and was very interesting till the second half, when the Hornets fell 37-14. Key match as the Gators have a 1 game advantage now, keeping it is another story.

AC North Not much going on in the North division, Southeastern is on schedule for a repeat division title, only playing BOT teams thus far.

Key game of the day: None, unless a 108-0 victory counts as a key win. Otherwise it was fun to watch.

AC South Lots of stuff happening in this division. Last gameday the Conference contender from last season, The Creepers, smashed the Dolphins of Pisa, leaving little doubt that they were going for a repeat appearance. That dream appears to have been shattered as The Creepers were smashed by the Torchwood Aliens today.

Key game of the day: The Creepers loss to the Torchwood Aliens was a huge shocker, and had put the Dolphins back on top in the division. Definitely a key game, and The Creepers need to find their rythym again to have a hope of repeating as division champs.

AC West This division is another that features a close race between teams. Both teams are in the hunt for the title and are looking for any chance to take a lead.

Key game of the day: The Lions were smashed by Pocoloco today to the tune of a 55-3 beating. Kinda makes me wonder how they will fare against bigger and better teams like SEU or the Gators. They need to get themselves together and move past this loss or they will be done early.

NC East The Torchwood Timelords are sitting high after smashing a tough Creepers team. They currently own the division and control their own destiny. Time will tell if they truely have earned this early division lead.

Key game of the day: Back to the Timelords victory of the Creepers. This game was a must win for both teams, and the Timelords earned it, bigtime. They stay one step ahead of the Paxtang Black Panthers who are in second place right now.

NC North The Arusha Black Mambas control this division right now. No key games have been played this week though, as they were all against BOT teams, but Arusha is still unbeaten.

Key game: NONE (The Mambas are still dangerous though, watch for some big wins against active teams)

NC South This division is tough! Three teams are racing for the lead in the division currently. The Bobboy Magpies are leading at 3-0, but Pocoloco and Lucretia My Reflection are both sitting at 2-1. This will be a fun division to watch.

Key game of the day: Pocoloco stayed on the right side of .500 with a smashing win over The Creepers. A win like that will certainly give this team some momentum going in to the next few weeks.

NC West This division could become tough, but I don't see The Northern Riviera II losing their grip on the title. A couple good games were played in this division today.

Key game(s) of the day: First of was the Riviera's smacking of the Berinsfield Hornets. Staying 3-0 is always a plus. However, the Alba Patriots fell from the ranks of the unbeaten when they played at home against the Florida Gators, who are on a campain to defend their Conference title. Good game by both teams, though the Gators managed a 37-19 victory.

Some great teams this season, looking forward to some more great games!

Playoff predictions will come after game 8 is played.

lions

"Pocoloco stayed on the right side of .500 with a smashing win over The Creepers."

I think you meant over the Saint Leo Lions, lol. Aside from that, I really liked this breakdown! Very interesting read and nice to see thoughts and predictions! Are you going to post these regularly?

gatorfan1

lol, thanks for the correction, yes I meant a win over the Saint Leo Lions.

and yes, I plan on posting one of these about once a week, which works out to every 3 or 4 games played, with the exception of big games, such as the Creepers vs the Dolphins Pisa, or Gators vs Berinsfield Hornets, big time games will have a dedicated post that week as well as the general overview like this thread

Captain Jack

"Key game of the day: The Creepers loss to the Torchwood Aliens was a huge shocker, and had put the Dolphins back on top in the division. "

Well it was no shock to me but in fact it was the Timelords who won not the Aliens (however you did get it correct in the NC East report ). I thought having different team names would make it easier

Anyway this is great work. I think the big game of this coming week is Torchwood Timelords at Paxtang Black Panthers. I believe that this and the return fixture will determine our divisional winner this season. We split the series 1-1 last season.

Meanwhile the Barossa Vines are improving rapidly. They took one game away from us last season which led to a hasty reappraisal of my playbook. Out went the default and in came some alternate playbooks. The first seemed to have worked well in our first game against the Vines which we won 30-0.

The NC has 14 human teams against 10 in the AC. So we will need to keep on our toes a bit more to make the playoffs.

gatorfan1

Whoops, lol, sorry about that, I'm used to calling your team the Aliens lol.

Good work on your team, definitely a playoff contender in my book, I wouldn't be surprised to see your team in the playoffs this season

gatorfan1

Well, I know I was only going to post every 3 games or so, but today there was a huge, important game played. The Saint Leo Lions defeated the Paris Penguins 36-6 to take first place in the division! The Penguins were 3-0, while the Lions were 2-1, but now both are tied 3-1. This will be a close call as to who wins the division, I look forward to the rematch of these two teams, should be a good game!

gatorfan1

Mid-Season u p d a t e to be released tomorrow.

Also, keep an eye on the SEU-Creepers game tomorrow, should be spectacular as it is a rematch of their Divisional playoff game last season. Both teams have only one loss and are looking to clinch their divisions early this season. Both have top 10 defense and powerful offense, should be a fun game to watch.

gatorfan1

Alright, there were some great games today, as well as some huge surprises. These surprises left me with quite a few questions, which I will address in the Divisional breakdowns.

AC East At the midpoint for the season, the Florida Gators are leading the Berinsfield Hornets by one win, but they have 2 losses each and are meeting on the field next gameday for the first of two meetings this season. This will be a very important game for both teams, as the winner will gain control of the division. The nod goes to the Gators, as they are playing in the Swamp, but with how the Gators played in a loss to Red Square today, they could very well lose.

Key game of the day: The Gators loss at home, to Red Square, is devastating to the Gators. The Gators did not score a touchdown, and was held to just three FG's. If the Gators want to return to the title game, they need to score on offense, and the defense needs to stop opponent's offenses from scoring 20 points in a half. Take away those 2 long touchdown passes on third down, and the Gators would have had this one. Instead, they fall from clear favorite in the division, to a team with more questions than answers. They need a win against the Hornets to clear some doubts away.

Predictions:
Gators: 12-4 Division Title
Hornets: 11-5 With a wildcard slot?
Iron Pigs: 5-11
Wolfhounds: 4-12

AC North No real surprise as Southeastern is still on top of their division. However, their loss to the Creepers today was somewhat of a surprise, as SEU was predicted to win. This does not affect their chances of winning their division though.

Key game of the day: The loss to the Creepers was a tough one to stomach, as they were pounded 33-10. The Fire will need to come back with a vengeance if they want to beat the Dolphins Pisa, who have the highest scoring offense in the Conference. History suggests that the Fire will win, but with the crazy games that have happened lately, they could just as easily lose this one.

Predictions:
Fire: 12-4 Division Title
The rest don't matter, they are too far behind to even consider for playoffs.

AC South The southern division is in a deadlock, as the Dolphins are tied perfectly with the Creepers for the division. Next gameday will be telling, as both teams play worthy opponents. Both teams need to win their next games, as losing at this point could spell disaster for that teams' chance to win the division.

Key game of the day: The Creepers big win over Southeastern University was their third in a row, and just as commanding as their win in the Divisional round of the playoffs last season. The Creepers are definitely playoff worthy this season and have a great shot at back to back division titles, especially if the Dolphins lose to an angry SEU team next game.

Predictions:
Creepers: 14-2 or 13-3 Division Title
Dolphins:13-3 or 12-4 Wildcard
Bombers and Colts: Non issues

AC West Yet another close race for the division, even with both leaders taking multiple losses. Right now Paris Penguins leads the division with a 5-2 record but the Saint Leo Lions are not far behind at 5-3 in their inaugural season.

Key game(s) of the day: The Lions lost a big game against Lucretia My Reflection, 51-13 because their offense faltered until the second half, but it was too late then. The Penguins played a high stakes game against the Tribunal Athletes, and things looked bad for the first half, but then the Penguins sprang to life to win. Next game for the Penguins is against Pocoloco, who is the projected winner, while the Lions have their bye week.

Predictions:
Penguins: 12-4 Division Title
Lions: 11-5 Wildcard?
Black Dragon: 6-9
Tribunal Athletes: 5-11* (Good potential, but started late in the season. Too late to win enough to take the division without a lot of luck, but great chances for next season)

NC East How about a division that excels at surviving close games? That is exactly what happened today, as the Torchwood Timelords edged out Missile Command 30-27 and the Barossa Vines survived 28-24 against the Alba Patriots.

Key games of the day: Both the Timelords and the Vines held their ground against tough opponents and pulled out stunning victories, something the Gators should take some pointers on after their stunning loss today against the upstart Red Square. The Timelords are tied with the Paxtang Black Panthers for the lead in the division, so this is a hard call to make as to which team will get it.

Predictions:
Timelords: 12-4 Division Title
Panthers: 11-5 or 12-4 Wildcard (Just as easily could win division though)
Vines: 10-6 Possible wildcard
Silverbacks: Losing record, no playoff chance

NC North Much like Southeastern, the Black Mambas have no opposition in their division, this is a clear division championship for the Mambas.

No Key game of the day: Division already decided

Predictions:
Mambas: 13-3 Division Title
All other divisional teams: Losing records

NC South This division is clearly BobBoy Magpies', but an impressive stat is that the Eindhoven Lions are on a 5 game winning streak and are tied with Lucretia My Reflection for second place in the division. Either team could easily find itself in the wildcard round of the playoffs. Pocoloco is almost an afterthought right now, but if they can beat the Paris Penguins, they will be right in the thick of the hunt for a wildcard spot.

Key game of the day: Lucretia smashed the Saint Leo Lions to tie Eindhoven for second place. Not only was it important to win, but reflection won big and made a huge statement against the Lions.

Predictions:
Magpies: 15-1 Division Title
Lions: 11-5 Wildcard?
Reflection: 11-5 Wildcard?
Pocoloco: 10-4 or 11-5? Wildcard?

NC West There were some huge ups and downs for this division today. Red Square pulled of a massive upset of the Florida Gators, while Missile Command lost a nail biter against the Torchwood Timelords. The Northern Riviera is hands down divisional winner, with a tight battle for second place and a wildcard spot.

Key games of the day: Both games, Gators loss to Red Square and Command's loss to the Timelords are key games. Red Square kept a tie with Command, which was helped by Command's loss, so now Square leads by one game. The Patriots are down at 3-4, but could spring back into the thick of the hunt.

Predictions:
Riviera: 15-1 Division Title
Square: 11-5 Wildcard?
Command: 10-6 Wildcard?
Patriots: 8-8?

Obviously things happen that are not predicted, so don't take this as an exact record projection, this is just how I think things will go based on how they have gone so far this season and team rankings. Feel free to post your own thoughts and predictions.