Sweet mother of mercy! I thought I had some angry people on my hands last time, JUST WAIT until you see these new rankings! There will be a number of individuals who disagree with me this time, at least that's my initial thought as I go through my initial thoughts. Feel free to yell at me (I'm a big boy, I can take it I promise), and as long as there are no comments towards any relatives of mine (especialy female), I won't be taking it personally so feel free to do so. Ok, here goes.
1.) South Texas Rattlesnakes:
"(T)he Rattlesnakes seem destined to cruise into the playoffs undefeated." That is a quote from last time's rankings and boy do I apologize for jinxing the Rattlesnakes. Not that the Looters didn't earn the victory, but how many times do I need to be proven wrong before I just keep my outh shut?!? Anyway, it was a very close game but I still feel South Texas is the team to beat, maybe even more so than Philly who I had originally thought would be my favorite going into the playoffs. The Ocho is becoming very wide open as the games and season progress, and that's very exciting for everyone.
2.) Bridge City Trolls:
LA says your welcome. Seriously, I understand Vegas has been less than advertised as of late (for the most part), but is anyone else as excited as I am for the Trolls-Lightning matchup in a few days? :crickets: Oh well, just me, but the Ratlesnakes' loss definitely closes the gap between one and two. While Bridge City did draw competitive opponent from the East, their game against Las Vegas should have HUGE implications for these rankings, playoff positioning, home field advantage...Wow. They have been impressive, almost as much as South Texas, but they are not quite there yet IMHO.
3.) L.A. Looters:
First off, thanks for the donuts. Not like I really need the extra sugar but they sure were delicious. Back to business, this is what happens when you beat the big boss, you shoot up Byron's rankings. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, simply justify my ranking, but I had been saying for awhile to watch out for the Looters, and then they go and shock everyone by taking down the big bad Rattlesnakes. They still have some big games to go, and could very possibly not have a home playoff game, but they deserve to be ranked where they are.
4.) Las Vegas Lightning:
The South Texas loss might have been slightly acceptable, but not by so many points (and don't forget the shutout). The San Antonio loss was a big disappointment (no offense to the Heat), and the win over the Continentals was a huge breath of fresh air, temporarily stoping the downward spiral. Bridge City and Riverhead still await on the schedule, and I know the loss to the Heat was very recent, but the Lightning stand third in the standings, fourth and my book, and despite the circumstances, still manhandled the Looters like no one else will this season.
5.) Philadelphia Continentals:
Philly seems to be in a bit of a funk, has a number of its players already boosted (although definitely not all of them), and has the two scariest teams this side of the Ocho for its next two opponents. Their room for error has disappeared, and the time to boost everyone might be coming in order to help with playoff seeding. Both of their next two games might be the games of the "week" to watch. Don't get me wrong, the Continentals are still a solid team and by no means should expect to lose to anyone in this league, but the old "Federer Factor" has escaped them recently. Two quick wins would go a long way to getting it back.
6.) Riverhead Blue Waves:
Quite possibly the strongest "sixth best" team in a conference in all of BBB. I have been underestimating these guys for quite some time, but they have been flying under the radar for a bit too long now. Big matchup against Philly could obviously see them jump a bit in the rankings, the Blue Waves had an early win over the Looters but also were upset by the Devil Dogs, leaving them with the ranking they currently find themselves with. Their defeat of the Heat (yea, I rhymed that one on purpose) was a big win to help solidify their chase for a home playoff game. Vegas awaits at the end of the conference schedule, might be a huge matchup with big playoff implications.
7.) San Antonio Heat:
San Antonio has the most to complain about. They beat the number four team, then lost to the team right in front of them in the rankings, and arguably are an AI curiousity away from beating Philly and taking their place as one of the three 8-3 teams. The Heat still have a game against the Looters to change my mind (easier said than done), but I still stand by my ranking of them despite the tight win over the Lightning. It's not like they can overlook their trip to Dayton either, but the Heat have more than something to prove to everyone still, at least according to where they currently stand on my list.
8.) Dayton Devil Dogs:
Don't forget about these guys. They still have South Texas and San Antonio at home to try and cause a little chaos. Everyone seems to have a quality win, and Dayton's most definitely is their mid-season triumph over the Blue Waves. Add that to the fact that they still have yet to matchup with the Heat, and the Devil Dogs seem to hold their playoff destiny/seeding in their own hands. My current eight seed hung right with both the Looters, and most recently the Trolls. The worst thing to do would be for anyone to underestimate these guys and think they don't have the capability of finishing season five at 12-4. Bold, but I still don't see it as impossible.
9.) Gotham Crusaders:
I forgot how rough these guys have it when it comes to the end of their schedule. Still, they are not out of the playoff hunt mathematically, although it may not look so good considering past results around the league. This is still a solid team, has good ownership and a decent amount of cash currently, and has definitely established itself as the strongest "non-playoff team" IMHO.
10.) Phoenix Blue Jays:
These guys don't really get a break either!!! Just like Gotham, the end of their schedule is absolutely brutal. Still, their opening day loss to the Crusaders puts them behind Gotham, along with their record in the standings.
11.) Springfield Patriots:
12.) Minnesota Eagles:
13.) The Replacements:
14.) Victoria Longhorns:
15.) Indy Hellcats:
16.) Fredericksburg Cavaliers:
1.) South Texas Rattlesnakes:
"(T)he Rattlesnakes seem destined to cruise into the playoffs undefeated." That is a quote from last time's rankings and boy do I apologize for jinxing the Rattlesnakes. Not that the Looters didn't earn the victory, but how many times do I need to be proven wrong before I just keep my outh shut?!? Anyway, it was a very close game but I still feel South Texas is the team to beat, maybe even more so than Philly who I had originally thought would be my favorite going into the playoffs. The Ocho is becoming very wide open as the games and season progress, and that's very exciting for everyone.
2.) Bridge City Trolls:
LA says your welcome. Seriously, I understand Vegas has been less than advertised as of late (for the most part), but is anyone else as excited as I am for the Trolls-Lightning matchup in a few days? :crickets: Oh well, just me, but the Ratlesnakes' loss definitely closes the gap between one and two. While Bridge City did draw competitive opponent from the East, their game against Las Vegas should have HUGE implications for these rankings, playoff positioning, home field advantage...Wow. They have been impressive, almost as much as South Texas, but they are not quite there yet IMHO.
3.) L.A. Looters:
First off, thanks for the donuts. Not like I really need the extra sugar but they sure were delicious. Back to business, this is what happens when you beat the big boss, you shoot up Byron's rankings. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, simply justify my ranking, but I had been saying for awhile to watch out for the Looters, and then they go and shock everyone by taking down the big bad Rattlesnakes. They still have some big games to go, and could very possibly not have a home playoff game, but they deserve to be ranked where they are.
4.) Las Vegas Lightning:
The South Texas loss might have been slightly acceptable, but not by so many points (and don't forget the shutout). The San Antonio loss was a big disappointment (no offense to the Heat), and the win over the Continentals was a huge breath of fresh air, temporarily stoping the downward spiral. Bridge City and Riverhead still await on the schedule, and I know the loss to the Heat was very recent, but the Lightning stand third in the standings, fourth and my book, and despite the circumstances, still manhandled the Looters like no one else will this season.
5.) Philadelphia Continentals:
Philly seems to be in a bit of a funk, has a number of its players already boosted (although definitely not all of them), and has the two scariest teams this side of the Ocho for its next two opponents. Their room for error has disappeared, and the time to boost everyone might be coming in order to help with playoff seeding. Both of their next two games might be the games of the "week" to watch. Don't get me wrong, the Continentals are still a solid team and by no means should expect to lose to anyone in this league, but the old "Federer Factor" has escaped them recently. Two quick wins would go a long way to getting it back.
6.) Riverhead Blue Waves:
Quite possibly the strongest "sixth best" team in a conference in all of BBB. I have been underestimating these guys for quite some time, but they have been flying under the radar for a bit too long now. Big matchup against Philly could obviously see them jump a bit in the rankings, the Blue Waves had an early win over the Looters but also were upset by the Devil Dogs, leaving them with the ranking they currently find themselves with. Their defeat of the Heat (yea, I rhymed that one on purpose) was a big win to help solidify their chase for a home playoff game. Vegas awaits at the end of the conference schedule, might be a huge matchup with big playoff implications.
7.) San Antonio Heat:
San Antonio has the most to complain about. They beat the number four team, then lost to the team right in front of them in the rankings, and arguably are an AI curiousity away from beating Philly and taking their place as one of the three 8-3 teams. The Heat still have a game against the Looters to change my mind (easier said than done), but I still stand by my ranking of them despite the tight win over the Lightning. It's not like they can overlook their trip to Dayton either, but the Heat have more than something to prove to everyone still, at least according to where they currently stand on my list.
8.) Dayton Devil Dogs:
Don't forget about these guys. They still have South Texas and San Antonio at home to try and cause a little chaos. Everyone seems to have a quality win, and Dayton's most definitely is their mid-season triumph over the Blue Waves. Add that to the fact that they still have yet to matchup with the Heat, and the Devil Dogs seem to hold their playoff destiny/seeding in their own hands. My current eight seed hung right with both the Looters, and most recently the Trolls. The worst thing to do would be for anyone to underestimate these guys and think they don't have the capability of finishing season five at 12-4. Bold, but I still don't see it as impossible.
9.) Gotham Crusaders:
I forgot how rough these guys have it when it comes to the end of their schedule. Still, they are not out of the playoff hunt mathematically, although it may not look so good considering past results around the league. This is still a solid team, has good ownership and a decent amount of cash currently, and has definitely established itself as the strongest "non-playoff team" IMHO.
10.) Phoenix Blue Jays:
These guys don't really get a break either!!! Just like Gotham, the end of their schedule is absolutely brutal. Still, their opening day loss to the Crusaders puts them behind Gotham, along with their record in the standings.
11.) Springfield Patriots:
12.) Minnesota Eagles:
13.) The Replacements:
14.) Victoria Longhorns:
15.) Indy Hellcats:
16.) Fredericksburg Cavaliers:
Last edited Oct 12, 2008 20:05:01
