rocklee711 asked if I'd do these for the West last season as he did them for the East. I never got around to it then, so I'm trying to make up for it now.
That said, it's still only Season 20, Day 47. There's another day left before rollover and then 8 more days of preseason...so don't read too much into things. Having a full roster certainly helps the rankings below and may account for why some teams are ranked higher than others, when they might otherwise not be. Hopefully I'll have the time to update this thread as we approach Day 0 and things are a bit more in focus. Until then...Enjoy!
Playoff Teams w/first-round home games... _______________________________________________
1) Queensland Exiles • Until some other team proves otherwise, they're the #1 team in the West. They finished the regular season 16-0 and should've gone on to face the (now departed) Dallas Longhorns in the Season 20 Conference Championship Game, but an inexplicable upset by the Salty Dogs has them back in Canada Pro as the top contenders from the West. With a full roster and chemistry on the mend, look out for the Exiles again in Season 21.
2) Montreal Rulers • This team lost two games last season...a regular season contest to the aforementioned Exiles and a playoff game to the Longhorns. They too have a nearly full roster (54) and their chemistry is ahead of where Queensland's is at this moment. With rocklee711 and ep3388 running the show, this team is limited only by the effort they're able to put into it.
3) Get Off Our LAWN!!! • Look out. They were a little over-matched last season with some dots too deep into decline, but with this season's roster full of first-year declining dots...they should be contenders. They'll face an uphill battle early because of their poor chemistry, so they'll hope that teams like Queensland and Montreal fall in the second half of their schedule. This will be a team nobody else wants to face in the playoffs.
4) MIAMI ROADFROGS • Last season they finished 8-8, good enough only for 9th place and an outside view of the playoffs. How'd they respond? By bringing in some veteran dots hungry for a trophy. Their chemistry suffered for it, but it's no worse than many of their counterparts. Without a single dot under 439 days old, this team isn't built to look forward...they want to win now!
Playoff Teams w/first-round away games... _______________________________________________
5) Fighting Big Dookies • See the team in second place? This is another of EP & Rock's teams...a pretty good group of younger dots. I certainly don't see them contending for a CPL Championship this season, but they could easily sneak up and steal a few wins against even the "big boys" in the conference. A full roster and great chemistry are pluses.
6) Arnprior Muskrats • A return to CPL for the Muskrat Nation! They've been here before with Cobden, so they certainly know the lay of the land. From only a quick glance at the roster, I'd pencil them in as a playoff team...but I'm not sure they'll be fighting for home field advantage.
7) St. John's Salty Dogs • A perennial contender in CPL West, they won the Mountie Bowl in Season 17. This season's roster isn't (yet) what they had assembled then and they'll need to score some prime recruits if they want to sustain their past success this season.
8) Detroit Pyromaniacs • Wound up in 6th place in CPL West last season with a 9-7 record. Unfortunately they only have 48 dots on their roster and a long way to go if they hope to better themselves from where they ended last season.
Non-Playoff Teams, the outside looking in... _______________________________________________
9) Saskatchewan Roughriders • This is another fairly young team...but with a complete roster. They won't be contenders this season, but still have a lot of growing up to do and could easily make some noise once they have another season under their belts.
10) Jetnation Dream Team • These guys are young, but have been together for a while. They'll be in the bottom half of the conference with an outside shot at the playoffs this season. If they stick together they could easily make some noise over the next few seasons.
11) Houston Vikings • They've been around CPL West for quite a few seasons now, but it's been several long seasons since they've put together a winner. Their chemistry is in the tank as they've tried to rebuild...but they've still got a long way to go.
12) Rancho Cucamonga Quakes • They have only 45 players and none younger than 474 days old. They'll have to make quite a recruiting push very late in the game to make any noise.
Non-Playoff Teams, looking to avoid demotion... _______________________________________________
13) Quebec War Eagles
14) Beantown Bastards
15) Philadelphia Philanthropists
16) Edmonton Apaches
That said, it's still only Season 20, Day 47. There's another day left before rollover and then 8 more days of preseason...so don't read too much into things. Having a full roster certainly helps the rankings below and may account for why some teams are ranked higher than others, when they might otherwise not be. Hopefully I'll have the time to update this thread as we approach Day 0 and things are a bit more in focus. Until then...Enjoy!
Playoff Teams w/first-round home games... _______________________________________________
1) Queensland Exiles • Until some other team proves otherwise, they're the #1 team in the West. They finished the regular season 16-0 and should've gone on to face the (now departed) Dallas Longhorns in the Season 20 Conference Championship Game, but an inexplicable upset by the Salty Dogs has them back in Canada Pro as the top contenders from the West. With a full roster and chemistry on the mend, look out for the Exiles again in Season 21.
2) Montreal Rulers • This team lost two games last season...a regular season contest to the aforementioned Exiles and a playoff game to the Longhorns. They too have a nearly full roster (54) and their chemistry is ahead of where Queensland's is at this moment. With rocklee711 and ep3388 running the show, this team is limited only by the effort they're able to put into it.
3) Get Off Our LAWN!!! • Look out. They were a little over-matched last season with some dots too deep into decline, but with this season's roster full of first-year declining dots...they should be contenders. They'll face an uphill battle early because of their poor chemistry, so they'll hope that teams like Queensland and Montreal fall in the second half of their schedule. This will be a team nobody else wants to face in the playoffs.
4) MIAMI ROADFROGS • Last season they finished 8-8, good enough only for 9th place and an outside view of the playoffs. How'd they respond? By bringing in some veteran dots hungry for a trophy. Their chemistry suffered for it, but it's no worse than many of their counterparts. Without a single dot under 439 days old, this team isn't built to look forward...they want to win now!
Playoff Teams w/first-round away games... _______________________________________________
5) Fighting Big Dookies • See the team in second place? This is another of EP & Rock's teams...a pretty good group of younger dots. I certainly don't see them contending for a CPL Championship this season, but they could easily sneak up and steal a few wins against even the "big boys" in the conference. A full roster and great chemistry are pluses.
6) Arnprior Muskrats • A return to CPL for the Muskrat Nation! They've been here before with Cobden, so they certainly know the lay of the land. From only a quick glance at the roster, I'd pencil them in as a playoff team...but I'm not sure they'll be fighting for home field advantage.
7) St. John's Salty Dogs • A perennial contender in CPL West, they won the Mountie Bowl in Season 17. This season's roster isn't (yet) what they had assembled then and they'll need to score some prime recruits if they want to sustain their past success this season.
8) Detroit Pyromaniacs • Wound up in 6th place in CPL West last season with a 9-7 record. Unfortunately they only have 48 dots on their roster and a long way to go if they hope to better themselves from where they ended last season.
Non-Playoff Teams, the outside looking in... _______________________________________________
9) Saskatchewan Roughriders • This is another fairly young team...but with a complete roster. They won't be contenders this season, but still have a lot of growing up to do and could easily make some noise once they have another season under their belts.
10) Jetnation Dream Team • These guys are young, but have been together for a while. They'll be in the bottom half of the conference with an outside shot at the playoffs this season. If they stick together they could easily make some noise over the next few seasons.
11) Houston Vikings • They've been around CPL West for quite a few seasons now, but it's been several long seasons since they've put together a winner. Their chemistry is in the tank as they've tried to rebuild...but they've still got a long way to go.
12) Rancho Cucamonga Quakes • They have only 45 players and none younger than 474 days old. They'll have to make quite a recruiting push very late in the game to make any noise.
Non-Playoff Teams, looking to avoid demotion... _______________________________________________
13) Quebec War Eagles
14) Beantown Bastards
15) Philadelphia Philanthropists
16) Edmonton Apaches
