here's a taste of what you might be getting in USA Pro...
a crazy week last week saw all three 10-1 teams in the western conference go down and made the race for home playoff games even tighter with 1/4 of the season still to go.
i didn't do picks, but rochester pulled the most shocking upset of the week, defeating the lesbians on a touchdown with 4 seconds left. a few gutjobs have sprinkled around the conference, making my job easier. in addition to the lue, we're gonna throw california and ESL onto the scrap heap of GLB history.
our GOTW is...
Houston Toros at Tallahassee Seminoles
Houston tries to keep up with Anchorage and Laredo, who both have easier times this week. IMO the Toros should have their eyes on the prize after getting knocked out in round 1 last season. The promotion process isn't fair, as it depends too much on random playoff sims and not proven regular season success. Case in point, Cleveland's Buckeyes are stinking up USA Pro East at 1-11, only ahead of the gutted Steel. Is there any doubt Houston, the best team last season, should be in that spot? They'd be doing better IMO. The Seminoles are lurking, but they need to prove they can beat a top team in the conference, losing to rochester and portland recently. Selfishly, I'm gonna go with Tallahassee in the UPSET. They figure it out this week, 24-20
other matchups include:
Lesbians at Gold
in their only previous meeting, Laredo dominated, and Kona doesn't look very much improved this season after running through AA 16-0. You do NOT, ever, FOREVER ever, Forever ever(?) want to play Laredo after they lose, especially when it's a fluke like last week to Rochester on the last play of the game.
Longhorns and Vendetta
two of the biggest surprises meet up. Any team that can knock off Laredo has to be mentioned with the best, while Austin has crushed a weak schedule to get back in the 7th position. Playtime is over however, and the vendetta get the V this time, 42-31 in a GOTW contender
Vikings and Bucks
the Vikings unexpectedly got crushed by Kona in the matchup of regular season and playoff AA champions, and Laredo would be wise to study how it happened. Columbus is on the fringe of the playoff race, and to get in, they may have to beat someone
they're not supposed to. I'm gonna call another UPSET, as Columbus uses their +5s for a team they can beat and sacrifices the Laredo game that they have no chance of winning anyway. Bucks 31-30
Ninjas and Stoners
the biggest West disappointments meet, as the Ninjas have a manageable slate to possibly run the table, but did they lose one too many? every game counts and the only one they need that they won't get IMO is Rochester. Meanwhile the losers from the 'Nati will stay in AAA due to gutjobs, but they're not gonna be an attractive destination, especially on an eight game losing streak that took them from 4-0 flying high to a crash and burn at 4-8. Ninjas 56-3
a crazy week last week saw all three 10-1 teams in the western conference go down and made the race for home playoff games even tighter with 1/4 of the season still to go.
i didn't do picks, but rochester pulled the most shocking upset of the week, defeating the lesbians on a touchdown with 4 seconds left. a few gutjobs have sprinkled around the conference, making my job easier. in addition to the lue, we're gonna throw california and ESL onto the scrap heap of GLB history.
our GOTW is...
Houston Toros at Tallahassee Seminoles
Houston tries to keep up with Anchorage and Laredo, who both have easier times this week. IMO the Toros should have their eyes on the prize after getting knocked out in round 1 last season. The promotion process isn't fair, as it depends too much on random playoff sims and not proven regular season success. Case in point, Cleveland's Buckeyes are stinking up USA Pro East at 1-11, only ahead of the gutted Steel. Is there any doubt Houston, the best team last season, should be in that spot? They'd be doing better IMO. The Seminoles are lurking, but they need to prove they can beat a top team in the conference, losing to rochester and portland recently. Selfishly, I'm gonna go with Tallahassee in the UPSET. They figure it out this week, 24-20
other matchups include:
Lesbians at Gold
in their only previous meeting, Laredo dominated, and Kona doesn't look very much improved this season after running through AA 16-0. You do NOT, ever, FOREVER ever, Forever ever(?) want to play Laredo after they lose, especially when it's a fluke like last week to Rochester on the last play of the game.
Longhorns and Vendetta
two of the biggest surprises meet up. Any team that can knock off Laredo has to be mentioned with the best, while Austin has crushed a weak schedule to get back in the 7th position. Playtime is over however, and the vendetta get the V this time, 42-31 in a GOTW contender
Vikings and Bucks
the Vikings unexpectedly got crushed by Kona in the matchup of regular season and playoff AA champions, and Laredo would be wise to study how it happened. Columbus is on the fringe of the playoff race, and to get in, they may have to beat someone
they're not supposed to. I'm gonna call another UPSET, as Columbus uses their +5s for a team they can beat and sacrifices the Laredo game that they have no chance of winning anyway. Bucks 31-30
Ninjas and Stoners
the biggest West disappointments meet, as the Ninjas have a manageable slate to possibly run the table, but did they lose one too many? every game counts and the only one they need that they won't get IMO is Rochester. Meanwhile the losers from the 'Nati will stay in AAA due to gutjobs, but they're not gonna be an attractive destination, especially on an eight game losing streak that took them from 4-0 flying high to a crash and burn at 4-8. Ninjas 56-3
