PEERLESS PURPLE PENGUIN PROGNOSTICATIONS (PPPP): WEEK EIGHT!!!
OK, back by popular demand, heeeeeere’s the Violet Visionary, the Magenta Magician, the Lavender Legend…..…….the PURPLE PENGUIN!!!!!
<crickets chirping>
Uh, yah. Well, thanks for that.
I’m going on vacation tomorrow, so this will be an abbreviated edition, but I hope to resume my fearless forecasting when I return….
Season Results: 26-5-1
Week Six Results: 7-1
Louisville at Cleveland Prediction: LOU 42-0 Actual: LOU 44-0
River City (aka Baton Rouge) at Las Vegas Prediction: LV 31-9 Actual: LV 19-9
South Bend at Richmond Prediction: SBD 28-13 Actual: SBD 80-0
Jax Beach at Appalachian Prediction: APP 36-3 Actual: APP 23-13
Houston at Niagara Prediction: NIA 34-21 Actual: NIA 18-10
Charlotte at Texas Prediction: TEX 34-10 Actual: TEX 16-13
Red Bank at Saginaw Prediction: SAG 24-20 Actual: RBK 20-0
Atlanta at Lincoln Prediction: ATL 24-17 Actual: ATL 12-3
(8) Richmond Empire (0-7) at Jax Beach Juggernauts (2-4-1)-----Frankly, I’m not inclined to spend a lot of time analyzing any game involving Richmond, however, two points bear mentioning. First, Jax Beach is really coming on. After starting 0-3, this team is 2-1-1 with its only loss coming to the very powerful Appalachian Lycans. Those who simply glance at the W-L record and dismiss this club as a cupcake are bound to be bitterly disappointed on game day. Second, it is interesting that the schedule works out in such a way that a team almost always plays Lincoln after playing Richmond. Does running up the score on the Empire leave teams too tired to face the Freedom Warriors? I don’t know…I’m just sayin’……..JAX BEACH-60 RICHMOND-0
(7) Cleveland Buckeyes (1-6) at The State of Texas Domination (3-3-1)-----Cleveland has found that even moving down to BBB has not made the road much easier. At many positions, the Buckeyes often find themselves a bit outmanned and this week is no exception. Texas has been inconsistent, but still has the talent to not only win, but dominate, on any given Sunday. Unfortunately for Cleveland, this week the game is being played on “Any Given Sunday”……..TEXAS-48 CLEVELAND-16
(6) Houston Armageddon (3-4) at The River City Ransom (1-6)-----River City is another team whose talent is not well indicated by its record. They’ve already played Lincoln, Las Vegas, Niagara and Appalachian and Atlanta is next week. Too much damage may have been done to think about a playoff berth, but spoiler?…..oh yeah!!!! Houston is an enigma. They play juggernauts like Louisville and Lincoln to within ONE POINT, but can only escape Cleveland by a TD. Go figure……’cause I certainly can’t. This is a toss-up to me, but I’m guessing that the Armageddon realize that if they want playoffs, the future is now………..HOUSTON-27 RIVER CITY-24
(5) Charlotte Panthers (3-4) at Saginaw Spirit (2-5)-----The Saginaw coach is hopping mad and he’s not gonna take it anymore!!! The Spirit have performed disappointingly and aim to finish out the first half of the season on a winning note. The Panthers need to pick up the “W” here as they look forward in their schedule and see Lincoln, Las Vegas, Niagara and Atlanta. If they plan on making the playoffs, winning this game is nearly a necessity. It’s anybody’s guess which team has the greater sense of urgency, so I’ll have to go with the team with the best talent and let the chips fall where they may……..SAGINAW-30 CHARLOTTE-13
(4) South Bend ShamRockers (1-6) at Las Vegas Outlaws (4-3)-----South Bend looks to be getting it together as they’ve played well in their last two games, dominating Richmond and giving one of the Conference’s top dogs, the Lincoln Freedom Warriors, a run for their money last week. Las Vegas has yet to post a win against a team with a winning record. I’ve done well with picking favorites over the course of the season, but this week, the upsets come out! All the hard work the ShamRockers did in the off season begins to come together now---right as rumors are beginning to develop about the sale of the team!……….SOUTH BEND-23 LAS VEGAS-17
(3) Red Bank Thundercats (4-3) at Lincoln Freedom Warriors (6-1)-----The Thundercats have built a respectable record by beating who they should beat, but unfortunately losing to who they should lose to. While they are certainly capable of scratching out a win at Lincoln, I think the Freedom Warriors are a bit too focused after their close shave against South Bend to get caught napping. Red Bank just seems a step behind the elite teams in the league, and Lincoln will be more than happy to demonstrate that fact to them…………LINCOLN-38 RED BANK-6
(2) Louisville Baby Kittens (7-0) at Appalachian Lycans (5-2)-----Louisville is one of two undefeated teams at this juncture, but their cumulative opponents’ winning percentage is 0.367 (actually it’s technically 36.7%, but we’ll go with traditional sports terminology) and they have yet to play ANY of the top 6 teams in the Conference. OTOH, Appalachian has been battle tested against Niagara and Atlanta and has climbed back into the upper ranks of the league. Both teams are well coached, but Appalachian has the edge in talent with 8 starters at or above Level 20. What may seem like an upset to some would not be a surprise here in Penguin Central……..APPALACHIAN-18 LOUISVILLE-13
(1) GAME OF THE WEEK: Niagara Rapids (6-1) at Atlanta Purple Penguins (7-0----- Well, here it is! The Game of the Century----at least for this week! (Déjà vu all over again!) The Purple Penguins have squeaked through the last two contests, eking out wins over Lincoln and Las Vegas (how I wish Niagara started with an “L”!). Both Lincoln and Las Vegas faced a gap in talent and played terrific games but fell just short. Lincoln has made it known that their strategy has been to boost late to allow them to be even more effective in the playoffs. If so, the talent gap between them and the Penguins will be erased, and any future contest should be a Whopper! Las Vegas may be in a similar position. However, at this stage of the season, no team matches up better against the Atlanta squad than the Rapids. Player for player, they are a formidable unit, their chemistry is good, and their coaching is impeccable. Atlanta has to count on its staunch defense that held Conference rushing leader Rikky Danner to 15.5 yds (with a little help from the Outlaws game plan which gave him only 4 chances) but allowed jason starks to pass for 2 TDs and nearly 200 yds. Niagara counters with a team that, after encountering a bump in the road against Lincoln, rebounded smartly and has won 3 straight. Their offense centers around All_Star QB Joe Goodberry and stellar receivers Wide Open, Ken Noisewater, Al Tand TE Bucky Bergeron… Atlanta’s depth won’t be an advantage here, so their only hope is to outscore the Rapids but the Penguins are not exactly explosive on offense. And so, reluctantly, the Purple Penguin Pick is……….NIAGARA-24 ATLANTA-10 (but I’ll be booing the whole time!!!)
Well, there’s another week of Predictions in the books! Thanks for the words of encouragement from many of you. I will be gone for vacation for the next week, so it may be a while before I can post one of these again, but I’ll get one up as soon as I can!!! Everyone have a Happy 4th!!!
OK, back by popular demand, heeeeeere’s the Violet Visionary, the Magenta Magician, the Lavender Legend…..…….the PURPLE PENGUIN!!!!!
<crickets chirping>
Uh, yah. Well, thanks for that.
I’m going on vacation tomorrow, so this will be an abbreviated edition, but I hope to resume my fearless forecasting when I return….
Season Results: 26-5-1
Week Six Results: 7-1
Louisville at Cleveland Prediction: LOU 42-0 Actual: LOU 44-0
River City (aka Baton Rouge) at Las Vegas Prediction: LV 31-9 Actual: LV 19-9
South Bend at Richmond Prediction: SBD 28-13 Actual: SBD 80-0
Jax Beach at Appalachian Prediction: APP 36-3 Actual: APP 23-13
Houston at Niagara Prediction: NIA 34-21 Actual: NIA 18-10
Charlotte at Texas Prediction: TEX 34-10 Actual: TEX 16-13
Red Bank at Saginaw Prediction: SAG 24-20 Actual: RBK 20-0
Atlanta at Lincoln Prediction: ATL 24-17 Actual: ATL 12-3
(8) Richmond Empire (0-7) at Jax Beach Juggernauts (2-4-1)-----Frankly, I’m not inclined to spend a lot of time analyzing any game involving Richmond, however, two points bear mentioning. First, Jax Beach is really coming on. After starting 0-3, this team is 2-1-1 with its only loss coming to the very powerful Appalachian Lycans. Those who simply glance at the W-L record and dismiss this club as a cupcake are bound to be bitterly disappointed on game day. Second, it is interesting that the schedule works out in such a way that a team almost always plays Lincoln after playing Richmond. Does running up the score on the Empire leave teams too tired to face the Freedom Warriors? I don’t know…I’m just sayin’……..JAX BEACH-60 RICHMOND-0
(7) Cleveland Buckeyes (1-6) at The State of Texas Domination (3-3-1)-----Cleveland has found that even moving down to BBB has not made the road much easier. At many positions, the Buckeyes often find themselves a bit outmanned and this week is no exception. Texas has been inconsistent, but still has the talent to not only win, but dominate, on any given Sunday. Unfortunately for Cleveland, this week the game is being played on “Any Given Sunday”……..TEXAS-48 CLEVELAND-16
(6) Houston Armageddon (3-4) at The River City Ransom (1-6)-----River City is another team whose talent is not well indicated by its record. They’ve already played Lincoln, Las Vegas, Niagara and Appalachian and Atlanta is next week. Too much damage may have been done to think about a playoff berth, but spoiler?…..oh yeah!!!! Houston is an enigma. They play juggernauts like Louisville and Lincoln to within ONE POINT, but can only escape Cleveland by a TD. Go figure……’cause I certainly can’t. This is a toss-up to me, but I’m guessing that the Armageddon realize that if they want playoffs, the future is now………..HOUSTON-27 RIVER CITY-24
(5) Charlotte Panthers (3-4) at Saginaw Spirit (2-5)-----The Saginaw coach is hopping mad and he’s not gonna take it anymore!!! The Spirit have performed disappointingly and aim to finish out the first half of the season on a winning note. The Panthers need to pick up the “W” here as they look forward in their schedule and see Lincoln, Las Vegas, Niagara and Atlanta. If they plan on making the playoffs, winning this game is nearly a necessity. It’s anybody’s guess which team has the greater sense of urgency, so I’ll have to go with the team with the best talent and let the chips fall where they may……..SAGINAW-30 CHARLOTTE-13
(4) South Bend ShamRockers (1-6) at Las Vegas Outlaws (4-3)-----South Bend looks to be getting it together as they’ve played well in their last two games, dominating Richmond and giving one of the Conference’s top dogs, the Lincoln Freedom Warriors, a run for their money last week. Las Vegas has yet to post a win against a team with a winning record. I’ve done well with picking favorites over the course of the season, but this week, the upsets come out! All the hard work the ShamRockers did in the off season begins to come together now---right as rumors are beginning to develop about the sale of the team!……….SOUTH BEND-23 LAS VEGAS-17
(3) Red Bank Thundercats (4-3) at Lincoln Freedom Warriors (6-1)-----The Thundercats have built a respectable record by beating who they should beat, but unfortunately losing to who they should lose to. While they are certainly capable of scratching out a win at Lincoln, I think the Freedom Warriors are a bit too focused after their close shave against South Bend to get caught napping. Red Bank just seems a step behind the elite teams in the league, and Lincoln will be more than happy to demonstrate that fact to them…………LINCOLN-38 RED BANK-6
(2) Louisville Baby Kittens (7-0) at Appalachian Lycans (5-2)-----Louisville is one of two undefeated teams at this juncture, but their cumulative opponents’ winning percentage is 0.367 (actually it’s technically 36.7%, but we’ll go with traditional sports terminology) and they have yet to play ANY of the top 6 teams in the Conference. OTOH, Appalachian has been battle tested against Niagara and Atlanta and has climbed back into the upper ranks of the league. Both teams are well coached, but Appalachian has the edge in talent with 8 starters at or above Level 20. What may seem like an upset to some would not be a surprise here in Penguin Central……..APPALACHIAN-18 LOUISVILLE-13
(1) GAME OF THE WEEK: Niagara Rapids (6-1) at Atlanta Purple Penguins (7-0----- Well, here it is! The Game of the Century----at least for this week! (Déjà vu all over again!) The Purple Penguins have squeaked through the last two contests, eking out wins over Lincoln and Las Vegas (how I wish Niagara started with an “L”!). Both Lincoln and Las Vegas faced a gap in talent and played terrific games but fell just short. Lincoln has made it known that their strategy has been to boost late to allow them to be even more effective in the playoffs. If so, the talent gap between them and the Penguins will be erased, and any future contest should be a Whopper! Las Vegas may be in a similar position. However, at this stage of the season, no team matches up better against the Atlanta squad than the Rapids. Player for player, they are a formidable unit, their chemistry is good, and their coaching is impeccable. Atlanta has to count on its staunch defense that held Conference rushing leader Rikky Danner to 15.5 yds (with a little help from the Outlaws game plan which gave him only 4 chances) but allowed jason starks to pass for 2 TDs and nearly 200 yds. Niagara counters with a team that, after encountering a bump in the road against Lincoln, rebounded smartly and has won 3 straight. Their offense centers around All_Star QB Joe Goodberry and stellar receivers Wide Open, Ken Noisewater, Al Tand TE Bucky Bergeron… Atlanta’s depth won’t be an advantage here, so their only hope is to outscore the Rapids but the Penguins are not exactly explosive on offense. And so, reluctantly, the Purple Penguin Pick is……….NIAGARA-24 ATLANTA-10 (but I’ll be booing the whole time!!!)
Well, there’s another week of Predictions in the books! Thanks for the words of encouragement from many of you. I will be gone for vacation for the next week, so it may be a while before I can post one of these again, but I’ll get one up as soon as I can!!! Everyone have a Happy 4th!!!
Last edited Jun 24, 2008 21:43:04
