St. Petersburg Red Army Regulars vs. Stalingrad Gryphon Army
A7 vs Z2
Honestly I see SGA winning this one big, they will probably heavy run it like they do in games that they think they can easily win. RAR hasnt really shown anything this season to tell me that they can keep it close with a team of SGA's caliber or I might be nicer.
Playoff Implications: Zeta, none, SGA cant move up. Alpha, unlikely because USSR is unlikely to beat Prague and Demon Brigade is unlikely to lose to Scotch .. or lets say this, it would be the biggest surprise ever if they did.
Chernobyl Mutants vs. Minsk Koats
Z9 vs A9
You will get to see the difference between what it means to be a 9th seed in each conference in this game, Chernobyl will smoke Minsk. Wins over USSR and Washington arent so bad, but these are two teams on different levels.
Playoff Implications: None likely, Chernobyl would have to lose, then Minsk MIGHT make the playoffs, as I expect the RARs to lose, as well as the Goons. But both of them also have points on Minsk, so Minsk would have to score 50 more than USSR and and win. Unlikely.
Silesia Miners vs. Sarajevo Reapers
Z14 vs A12
The places dont really tell the whole story, Sarajevo was an Alpha playoff team before I got their team Repo'd and all of their players scattered to the wind, most of them landing on the Greek Fire and Chernobyl Mutants, now I get to play my long time rivals twice per season. Silesia will win this game, they have a few players still and this will be their last hurrah before getting demoted finally to A level or something like that, after years of being just good enough not to get demoted, but not good enough to recruit or really field a team.
Playoff Implications: None, neither team has a chance.
Vilnius Maulers vs. Lafayette Ragin Cajuns
A2 vs Z3
This should be a really interesting game, Im particularly interested to see this. LRC is a good team, Vilnius is also very solid, so Im curious about this as a comparison game.
Playoff Implications: Vilnius has the tiebreaker on GCP and no one can make Alpha 2 a three way tie so it goes to points, so nothing in Alpha can happen. Same deal in Zeta, even if by some miracle RAR beats SGA and LRC wins, SGA still has the tiebreaker.
New York Knights CPU vs. Greek Fire
A14 v Z6
Greek is going to win, by a lot .. 200+ probably, they are a really good team and Deebo is going to feast like he usually does .. on cupcakes.
Playoff Implications: None, Greek has the tiebreaker on Demoniak .. if Demoniak wins, which I think that they will. Those two spots in Zeta 6 and 7 should end up as they are now.
Washington Chairmen vs. Demoniak Piggies
A10 vs Z7
Piggies are an active team that has a large number of good players and decent depth. Washington has whittled away to being a 2 man team, and neither of them recruit. Demoniak wins this one, being a 10 in Alpha means that you beat up on really bad teams and beat no one, hell .. Washington lost to Minsk, a team that would be at least 3 places lower in Zeta.
Playoff Implications: None, as stated in the Greek playoff thing, both Z6 and 7 stay where they are.
Barger Hill Burglars CPU vs. Croatian Sensations
A16 vs Z11
Of course Croatian will win, they will win big, they are a solid AAA level team and will pound a CPU team.
Playoff Implications: None
Gen. Patton's Demon Brigade vs. Scotch Cocks
A6 vs Z16
What can I say? Beating Malachorn's revenge isnt hard, hell not scoring 255 is the hard part, they have the TE/LB that does everything and not much else on that team. But almost the entire team of Demon Brigade is inactive and it has been going in the toilet for a long time, but you can be an inactive team, that doesnt gameplan and have just a little talent and be an Alpha 6 seed.
Playoff Implications: This easy game allows Demon Brigade to hold their 6th seed and a 1st round game with GCP, which they will lose. Whee for them.
Dubai Lightning vs. The Geriatric Couch Potatoes
Z4 vs A3
Another very interesting game, Dubai airs it out, there is no doubt about that, but GCP is a more balanced team. They are both very good and so this like any good game is all about the sim and luck.
Playoff Implications: With a win Dubai holds 4 in Zeta, if not they move to 5, that means very little, other than momentum, morale and home field. If GCP wins, they hold 3 in Alpha, if they lose they are tied with NFL but have the head to head tiebreaker, so nothing changes.
Budapest Soviets vs. Wroclaw Wolverines
Z13 vs A11
Actually only 3 of the Wolverines games have gotten really out of hand this season, they are a somewhat bright spot in the depths of the Alpha mess. The same cannot be said for Budapest, who have been blown out in every game against an opponent with a pulse. Wroclaw wins this game, probably big and shows they have a pulse and are still fighting.
Playoff Implications: None, neither team has a chance, but it shows how far up in Zeta a real mess goes.
Leningrad Iron Fists CPU vs. Kazan Golden Horde
Z10 vs A5
So I got Leningrad repo'd yesterday and a large percentage of their players are already off the team, I personally would have rode it out until the offseason, because as an owner I wouldnt sign anyone right now, chem is really wacky, sometimes it means and lot and sometimes not, but Id hate to lose a playoff game right now by taking on a new player. Anyways, Kazan whips some ass in this game and stays in 5th.
Playoff Implications: None, Kazan cant move out of 5th in Alpha and will play NFL in the 1st round no matter what.
Dogdandy Dragons vs. Dubrovnik Destroyers
Z5 vs A15
So Dogdandy gets a cupcake, can rack up some stats and thats about it. They win this game big.
Playoff Implications: With a Dubai loss, they jump over Dubai. If Dubai wins, then everything stays like it is because Dubai has the tiebreaker, simple enough.
Solntsevskaya Bratva vs. Amsterdam Hallucinations
Z12 vs A13
Solntsevskaya isnt a bad team, they are more like Wroclaw, they havent let many games get completely out of hand, but at the same time, they just dont have the team to compete at this level. Amsterdam on the other hand, just isnt very good, they are another step down from Solntsevskaya, because they have lost to any team with a pulse, not blown out by EE Pro blowout standards of like 100 points, but still 60 or 50 point losses instead of 30 are a big difference. Solntsevskaya wins this one most likely.
Playoff Implications: None
NFL Fanatix vs. Helsinki Hell Raisers
NFL runs up the score, tries for some passing/receiving trophies and yet it doesnt matter.
Playoff Implications: They are locked into 4th no matter what and will play Kazan in the 1st round. They beat Kazan earlier in the season and with Kazan having a tougher opponent and possible W16 loss, NFL might have a good chance of beating Kazan in round 1, before they have to face Detroit in Round 2.
Prague Punishers vs. U.S.S.R. Goons
Z1 vs A8
One of the three most powerful teams in EE Pro versus an Alpha team that continues to get better, maybe even the Goons belong in EE Pro next season, maybe. But thats not enough to beat Prague. Prague rolls, we are looking to do something specific and its highly unlikely that a team without elite talent can stop us.
Playoff Implications: IF somehow Minsk upset Chernobyl, which is highly unlikely, then Minsk would be the Alpha 8th seed, as they beat the Goons early in the season before the Goons had it together. Luckily for USSR, it wasnt only them that met up with a tougher Zeta team and they will likely hold their 8th seed, to get pummeled by Detroit in the 1st round. I guess facing Prague is a good warmup for facing Detroit.
Detroit Cheetahs vs. Cincinnati Tigers
A1 vs Z8
Lets be realistic, Detroit is an elite team and Cincinnati actually improved their talent this season, its unlikely that they can hang with Detroit. Particularly because Kenyon does really gimmacy things to attempt to beat superior teams, which results in Cincinnati having LESS of a chance of beating teams, THOUGH it almost worked against SGA, its just that at the end of that game Cincinnati got tired, had bad luck and imploded. Its interesting to note that the two best teams in EE Pro dont have always the best scouting bars (SGA, Prague). There must be something to that.
Playoff Implications: There are none, Cincinnati has the tiebreaker over Chernobyl, so even with a Chernobyl win, Cincy wins the tie and is the 8th seed and gets to play Prague in round 1. Similarly to USSR, they warm up with the top seed from the other conference, but Cincy has a better chance against Detroit than USSR does against Prague.
For those keeping score at home
Zeta 9
Alpha 5
Toss Up 2
A7 vs Z2
Honestly I see SGA winning this one big, they will probably heavy run it like they do in games that they think they can easily win. RAR hasnt really shown anything this season to tell me that they can keep it close with a team of SGA's caliber or I might be nicer.
Playoff Implications: Zeta, none, SGA cant move up. Alpha, unlikely because USSR is unlikely to beat Prague and Demon Brigade is unlikely to lose to Scotch .. or lets say this, it would be the biggest surprise ever if they did.
Chernobyl Mutants vs. Minsk Koats
Z9 vs A9
You will get to see the difference between what it means to be a 9th seed in each conference in this game, Chernobyl will smoke Minsk. Wins over USSR and Washington arent so bad, but these are two teams on different levels.
Playoff Implications: None likely, Chernobyl would have to lose, then Minsk MIGHT make the playoffs, as I expect the RARs to lose, as well as the Goons. But both of them also have points on Minsk, so Minsk would have to score 50 more than USSR and and win. Unlikely.
Silesia Miners vs. Sarajevo Reapers
Z14 vs A12
The places dont really tell the whole story, Sarajevo was an Alpha playoff team before I got their team Repo'd and all of their players scattered to the wind, most of them landing on the Greek Fire and Chernobyl Mutants, now I get to play my long time rivals twice per season. Silesia will win this game, they have a few players still and this will be their last hurrah before getting demoted finally to A level or something like that, after years of being just good enough not to get demoted, but not good enough to recruit or really field a team.
Playoff Implications: None, neither team has a chance.
Vilnius Maulers vs. Lafayette Ragin Cajuns
A2 vs Z3
This should be a really interesting game, Im particularly interested to see this. LRC is a good team, Vilnius is also very solid, so Im curious about this as a comparison game.
Playoff Implications: Vilnius has the tiebreaker on GCP and no one can make Alpha 2 a three way tie so it goes to points, so nothing in Alpha can happen. Same deal in Zeta, even if by some miracle RAR beats SGA and LRC wins, SGA still has the tiebreaker.
New York Knights CPU vs. Greek Fire
A14 v Z6
Greek is going to win, by a lot .. 200+ probably, they are a really good team and Deebo is going to feast like he usually does .. on cupcakes.
Playoff Implications: None, Greek has the tiebreaker on Demoniak .. if Demoniak wins, which I think that they will. Those two spots in Zeta 6 and 7 should end up as they are now.
Washington Chairmen vs. Demoniak Piggies
A10 vs Z7
Piggies are an active team that has a large number of good players and decent depth. Washington has whittled away to being a 2 man team, and neither of them recruit. Demoniak wins this one, being a 10 in Alpha means that you beat up on really bad teams and beat no one, hell .. Washington lost to Minsk, a team that would be at least 3 places lower in Zeta.
Playoff Implications: None, as stated in the Greek playoff thing, both Z6 and 7 stay where they are.
Barger Hill Burglars CPU vs. Croatian Sensations
A16 vs Z11
Of course Croatian will win, they will win big, they are a solid AAA level team and will pound a CPU team.
Playoff Implications: None
Gen. Patton's Demon Brigade vs. Scotch Cocks
A6 vs Z16
What can I say? Beating Malachorn's revenge isnt hard, hell not scoring 255 is the hard part, they have the TE/LB that does everything and not much else on that team. But almost the entire team of Demon Brigade is inactive and it has been going in the toilet for a long time, but you can be an inactive team, that doesnt gameplan and have just a little talent and be an Alpha 6 seed.
Playoff Implications: This easy game allows Demon Brigade to hold their 6th seed and a 1st round game with GCP, which they will lose. Whee for them.
Dubai Lightning vs. The Geriatric Couch Potatoes
Z4 vs A3
Another very interesting game, Dubai airs it out, there is no doubt about that, but GCP is a more balanced team. They are both very good and so this like any good game is all about the sim and luck.
Playoff Implications: With a win Dubai holds 4 in Zeta, if not they move to 5, that means very little, other than momentum, morale and home field. If GCP wins, they hold 3 in Alpha, if they lose they are tied with NFL but have the head to head tiebreaker, so nothing changes.
Budapest Soviets vs. Wroclaw Wolverines
Z13 vs A11
Actually only 3 of the Wolverines games have gotten really out of hand this season, they are a somewhat bright spot in the depths of the Alpha mess. The same cannot be said for Budapest, who have been blown out in every game against an opponent with a pulse. Wroclaw wins this game, probably big and shows they have a pulse and are still fighting.
Playoff Implications: None, neither team has a chance, but it shows how far up in Zeta a real mess goes.
Leningrad Iron Fists CPU vs. Kazan Golden Horde
Z10 vs A5
So I got Leningrad repo'd yesterday and a large percentage of their players are already off the team, I personally would have rode it out until the offseason, because as an owner I wouldnt sign anyone right now, chem is really wacky, sometimes it means and lot and sometimes not, but Id hate to lose a playoff game right now by taking on a new player. Anyways, Kazan whips some ass in this game and stays in 5th.
Playoff Implications: None, Kazan cant move out of 5th in Alpha and will play NFL in the 1st round no matter what.
Dogdandy Dragons vs. Dubrovnik Destroyers
Z5 vs A15
So Dogdandy gets a cupcake, can rack up some stats and thats about it. They win this game big.
Playoff Implications: With a Dubai loss, they jump over Dubai. If Dubai wins, then everything stays like it is because Dubai has the tiebreaker, simple enough.
Solntsevskaya Bratva vs. Amsterdam Hallucinations
Z12 vs A13
Solntsevskaya isnt a bad team, they are more like Wroclaw, they havent let many games get completely out of hand, but at the same time, they just dont have the team to compete at this level. Amsterdam on the other hand, just isnt very good, they are another step down from Solntsevskaya, because they have lost to any team with a pulse, not blown out by EE Pro blowout standards of like 100 points, but still 60 or 50 point losses instead of 30 are a big difference. Solntsevskaya wins this one most likely.
Playoff Implications: None
NFL Fanatix vs. Helsinki Hell Raisers
NFL runs up the score, tries for some passing/receiving trophies and yet it doesnt matter.
Playoff Implications: They are locked into 4th no matter what and will play Kazan in the 1st round. They beat Kazan earlier in the season and with Kazan having a tougher opponent and possible W16 loss, NFL might have a good chance of beating Kazan in round 1, before they have to face Detroit in Round 2.
Prague Punishers vs. U.S.S.R. Goons
Z1 vs A8
One of the three most powerful teams in EE Pro versus an Alpha team that continues to get better, maybe even the Goons belong in EE Pro next season, maybe. But thats not enough to beat Prague. Prague rolls, we are looking to do something specific and its highly unlikely that a team without elite talent can stop us.
Playoff Implications: IF somehow Minsk upset Chernobyl, which is highly unlikely, then Minsk would be the Alpha 8th seed, as they beat the Goons early in the season before the Goons had it together. Luckily for USSR, it wasnt only them that met up with a tougher Zeta team and they will likely hold their 8th seed, to get pummeled by Detroit in the 1st round. I guess facing Prague is a good warmup for facing Detroit.
Detroit Cheetahs vs. Cincinnati Tigers
A1 vs Z8
Lets be realistic, Detroit is an elite team and Cincinnati actually improved their talent this season, its unlikely that they can hang with Detroit. Particularly because Kenyon does really gimmacy things to attempt to beat superior teams, which results in Cincinnati having LESS of a chance of beating teams, THOUGH it almost worked against SGA, its just that at the end of that game Cincinnati got tired, had bad luck and imploded. Its interesting to note that the two best teams in EE Pro dont have always the best scouting bars (SGA, Prague). There must be something to that.
Playoff Implications: There are none, Cincinnati has the tiebreaker over Chernobyl, so even with a Chernobyl win, Cincy wins the tie and is the 8th seed and gets to play Prague in round 1. Similarly to USSR, they warm up with the top seed from the other conference, but Cincy has a better chance against Detroit than USSR does against Prague.
For those keeping score at home
Zeta 9
Alpha 5
Toss Up 2
