This crap is getting harder to figure out. The last round of picks showed that if it weren't for the gutted teams I'd probably be lucky to break even on predictions. A lot of upsets going around as teams start making adjustments to their game plans and spending skill points as their players level up. So here's the way I see today's games, not that it matters.
Blow-outs:
Teikoku @ Thundertown - Teikoku
Yancy Street @ Bronx - Yancy Street
Port Moody @ Atlanta - Port Moody
More Interesting:
Hartford @ Hunstville - Hartford surprised me last game, but the Rockets are not the BeachDogZ. A win here would be a real shocker and would force me to reconsider my rankings, though I just don't see it happening. Huntsville should be considered as a top 2 favorite to win the conference in everyone's book. I won't make make any predictions about Huntsville's offense after missing the mark both times I have tried, but it won't matter as their defense is going to be too much for Hartford's offense even if the Rockets don't move the ball as well as they should.
Bayou @ Rochester - We play our first team without a 0 in the wins column since I started doing these predictions so this is the first time I've had to comment on one of our games. Rochester had a stunning game passing the ball against Reno, and they are going to need another if they want to beat us. That's all you'll get out of me other than my prediction, Bayou will win. If we don't then I might have to leave work early before someone reports me for excessive profanity again. Apparently you're not supposed to swear loudly in a call center.
Cleveland @ Battle Creek - Cleveland slipped a little in their loss to Maryland. Their offense had been really impressive in all their previous games. On other hand, Battle Creek's defense has been solid the last 2 weeks. They will probably have a decent showing against Cleveland but I doubt they will manage to win if only because I don't think Cleveland will lose 2 in a row. I see them finishing in the top 5 this season and a loss today would not bode well for their chances.
Reno @ Florida - Both teams are coming off games they lost but could have won. They are pretty evenly matched and this one should be exciting given the likely playoff ramifications. Reno has more impressive victories, but they also rely more heavily on their defense to create lots of turnovers and set the offense up with good field position. If they don't get multiple turnovers against Florida then I don't like their chances that much. Rochester may have exposed a weakness in Reno's pass defense last game and I suspect Florida is going to try and take advantage of it. If they do, then Reno's Mikeyy McKenzie is going to have to come up big if Reno wants to to win (note: as a Louisiana native and long-time Saints fan I get this uneasy feeling anytime I think about them having to rely on big their DBs to make clutch plays in a big game. I hope Mikeyy will not share the curse of his namesake.) If Reno hadn't lost to Rochester I'd have them as easy favorites, but losing a game in which they returned a kick for a TD and had 3 turnovers and still can't get it done makes me nervous. I think they will learn their lesson and bounce back, but maybe that's just because I'm reading too much into their early wins against Cleveland and Orlando. Those two games had me riding the Reno band wagon and a win here would help justify it. I say Reno gets a win.
Game of the Week:
Maryland @ Orlando - This should be one Hell of a game. I guarantee one of these teams is going to get a home playoff game this season and it is possible both will depending on how Cleveland finishes. Orlando has the better offense despite poor offensive depth while Maryland has the better defense despite poor defensive depth. Go figure. Normally I'd say Maryland only having 3 CBs on their roster would create a match up problem, but Orlando only has 3 WRs and 1 is a CPU. The Soul have been one of the most dangerous passing teams this season even with only 2 human WRs so I look forward to seeing how they deal with this challenge. Orlando will probably see more QB pressure than they have all season, especially since they might be forced to pass a lot as Maryland has only allowed 1 team to get 100 yards rushing on them. If Maryland can shut down the pass like they did last game against Cleveland then I think they should win. I've been picking against Maryland based on poor depth to back up great starters, but now that they have proven me wrong and face a team also with a shallow roster I have to go with them in a game that could very well be a preview of a playoff match up.
Blow-outs:
Teikoku @ Thundertown - Teikoku
Yancy Street @ Bronx - Yancy Street
Port Moody @ Atlanta - Port Moody
More Interesting:
Hartford @ Hunstville - Hartford surprised me last game, but the Rockets are not the BeachDogZ. A win here would be a real shocker and would force me to reconsider my rankings, though I just don't see it happening. Huntsville should be considered as a top 2 favorite to win the conference in everyone's book. I won't make make any predictions about Huntsville's offense after missing the mark both times I have tried, but it won't matter as their defense is going to be too much for Hartford's offense even if the Rockets don't move the ball as well as they should.
Bayou @ Rochester - We play our first team without a 0 in the wins column since I started doing these predictions so this is the first time I've had to comment on one of our games. Rochester had a stunning game passing the ball against Reno, and they are going to need another if they want to beat us. That's all you'll get out of me other than my prediction, Bayou will win. If we don't then I might have to leave work early before someone reports me for excessive profanity again. Apparently you're not supposed to swear loudly in a call center.
Cleveland @ Battle Creek - Cleveland slipped a little in their loss to Maryland. Their offense had been really impressive in all their previous games. On other hand, Battle Creek's defense has been solid the last 2 weeks. They will probably have a decent showing against Cleveland but I doubt they will manage to win if only because I don't think Cleveland will lose 2 in a row. I see them finishing in the top 5 this season and a loss today would not bode well for their chances.
Reno @ Florida - Both teams are coming off games they lost but could have won. They are pretty evenly matched and this one should be exciting given the likely playoff ramifications. Reno has more impressive victories, but they also rely more heavily on their defense to create lots of turnovers and set the offense up with good field position. If they don't get multiple turnovers against Florida then I don't like their chances that much. Rochester may have exposed a weakness in Reno's pass defense last game and I suspect Florida is going to try and take advantage of it. If they do, then Reno's Mikeyy McKenzie is going to have to come up big if Reno wants to to win (note: as a Louisiana native and long-time Saints fan I get this uneasy feeling anytime I think about them having to rely on big their DBs to make clutch plays in a big game. I hope Mikeyy will not share the curse of his namesake.) If Reno hadn't lost to Rochester I'd have them as easy favorites, but losing a game in which they returned a kick for a TD and had 3 turnovers and still can't get it done makes me nervous. I think they will learn their lesson and bounce back, but maybe that's just because I'm reading too much into their early wins against Cleveland and Orlando. Those two games had me riding the Reno band wagon and a win here would help justify it. I say Reno gets a win.
Game of the Week:
Maryland @ Orlando - This should be one Hell of a game. I guarantee one of these teams is going to get a home playoff game this season and it is possible both will depending on how Cleveland finishes. Orlando has the better offense despite poor offensive depth while Maryland has the better defense despite poor defensive depth. Go figure. Normally I'd say Maryland only having 3 CBs on their roster would create a match up problem, but Orlando only has 3 WRs and 1 is a CPU. The Soul have been one of the most dangerous passing teams this season even with only 2 human WRs so I look forward to seeing how they deal with this challenge. Orlando will probably see more QB pressure than they have all season, especially since they might be forced to pass a lot as Maryland has only allowed 1 team to get 100 yards rushing on them. If Maryland can shut down the pass like they did last game against Cleveland then I think they should win. I've been picking against Maryland based on poor depth to back up great starters, but now that they have proven me wrong and face a team also with a shallow roster I have to go with them in a game that could very well be a preview of a playoff match up.
Last edited Oct 6, 2008 03:56:52
