I am totally thrown off by the Alpha/Zeta Conference change. What happened to the lolEast? Why am I in the same conference as the past two seasons conference champs? My preliminary look is that the Zeta Conference is weaker top to bottom (6 LU and 1 CPU), but it is top heavy. I think head to head top 4 vs. top 4 might be a sweep for Zeta. Anyway, enough with that and on to the rankings.
Alpha Top 8
1)RD: RD might have gained the most from MN's move to Zeta. They have been knocked out of the playoffs by the Fillies in 2 of the last 3 seasons. They went 14-2 last season including a regular season win over the MN. They have the 2nd highest effective level and perennially, have been at the top of the Elite rankings. Week 1's draw will be interesting as they sport 79 chemistry right now.
2) NHG: Rome is glad they don't have NHG's in their division as they have not beaten them in 5 playoff and 6 regular season games. NHG had the second best team in the East last season losing only to ECT twice. However, they are stuck with second for now as they lost to RD last season in a tournament.
3) RMO: RMO fell asleep in the middle of last season losing 3 straight games. However, they do own a 26-0 beatdown of RD. They couldn't get past Melissa though as they dropped 2 (not really competitive games) to MN. They do have 2 wins over PCJ including a 33-0 drubbing in the playoffs.
4) PCJ: PCJ finished 5th in the uber competitive West last season. They own a solid victory over HK, who beat RB (see #5), so they get the nod here. They also have the 6th highest effective level (also above RB). They did fall asleep in the playoffs for the second straight year scoring a combined 6 points in those games. I still expect a good regular season showing from PCJ.
5) RB: Elite #1 welcomes back the Rising Brownies, who expect to play a major role in the playoff picture. Their first venture into elite proved to be a learning experience, but they have added some talent and now have the 8th highest effective level ranking. They did go 20-0 last season in #2, so they were unlucky to have been demoted (or lucky if they wanted that .gif).
6) Hood: Joe's going to be pissed about his 6th ranking, but this might even be too high. Hood did well to earn a 10-6 record and the 8 seed in the West last season. They continuously talk about how they have the 3rd highest effective levels and how the sim is broken and about how they should ragequit. However, the fact is that they ignored ST and it kills them. ST is 1/3 of the game and they lose that 3rd every season. Don't get me wrong, they are no '10-'11 Chargers (1st in total offense and defense and miss the playoffs) as their O and D aren't quite the best in the league, but they are solid.
7) UD: I struggled with UD. They also finished 10-6 and even lost to Hood, but they earned the 6 seed in the West. They are also a non-boosting team, but they have managed to find success at this level every season. Will they finally be out-leveled by too much? I don't think so. Arayel is too good of a coordinator and is too competitive of an individual.
8) DW: As much as I hated to put Mr. DRE in the rankings, I feel as though his team deserves it. They reeled off 19 straight before losing in the finals. They have the 13th highest effective level. I do think that they will encounter several bumps before finding their way in Elite #1. The 77 chemistry will hurt initially too.
Zeta Top 8
1) MN: Yeah yeah yeah. They fourgasmed last season. 'Nuff said.
2) ECT: Back to back finals losses to MN. Well, this is simple enough....
3) DN: DN comes into this season with 94 chemistry instead of something ridiculous like they did last season. They suffered a lot of early season losses, but really proved to be one fo the best teams with their 38-7 win over ECT. However, that was with a mini-helmet day. In the playoffs on the road, ECT proved to be too much for DN. I expect that game to be a real grudge match this season.
4) RR: Rome finished 14-2 and 3rd in the East last season with their only ranked losses to ECT and NHG. It's hard to tell how good they actually are coming into this season, but the effective levels are 7th. Only time will tell if they are a contender or a pretender, but the 66 and dropping chemistry is sure to hurt early on. *Praying for back loaded schedule....
5) Gotham Enforcers (GE): Could've been anyone here. Great season last season, but the playoffs proved they aren't close to RB level, so what does that mean? They won't be able to compete with the "Big 4".
6) Yakima Yellow Jackets (YYJ): 50 overall chemistry will kill this team, but they have some talent and have a LOT of holes to fill. Really too early to tell on this team, but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt with recruiting.
7) Fayettenam Vets (FV): Played Gotham tight last season. Still won't be able to compete with the Big 4.
8) Shiner Bock (SB): I didn't want to pick a LU team, because I think the level difference will be too great this season, but that leaves me with SB. I should probably go pick the best LU teams and mix them into 5-8, but I'm lazy.
Overall Top 10
1) MN -Zeta
2) ECT -Zeta
3) RD -Alpha
4) DN -Zeta
5) NHG -Alpha
6) RR -Zeta
7) RMO -Alpha
8) PCJ -Alpha
9) RB -Alpha
10) Hood -Alpha
Alpha Top 8
1)RD: RD might have gained the most from MN's move to Zeta. They have been knocked out of the playoffs by the Fillies in 2 of the last 3 seasons. They went 14-2 last season including a regular season win over the MN. They have the 2nd highest effective level and perennially, have been at the top of the Elite rankings. Week 1's draw will be interesting as they sport 79 chemistry right now.
2) NHG: Rome is glad they don't have NHG's in their division as they have not beaten them in 5 playoff and 6 regular season games. NHG had the second best team in the East last season losing only to ECT twice. However, they are stuck with second for now as they lost to RD last season in a tournament.
3) RMO: RMO fell asleep in the middle of last season losing 3 straight games. However, they do own a 26-0 beatdown of RD. They couldn't get past Melissa though as they dropped 2 (not really competitive games) to MN. They do have 2 wins over PCJ including a 33-0 drubbing in the playoffs.
4) PCJ: PCJ finished 5th in the uber competitive West last season. They own a solid victory over HK, who beat RB (see #5), so they get the nod here. They also have the 6th highest effective level (also above RB). They did fall asleep in the playoffs for the second straight year scoring a combined 6 points in those games. I still expect a good regular season showing from PCJ.
5) RB: Elite #1 welcomes back the Rising Brownies, who expect to play a major role in the playoff picture. Their first venture into elite proved to be a learning experience, but they have added some talent and now have the 8th highest effective level ranking. They did go 20-0 last season in #2, so they were unlucky to have been demoted (or lucky if they wanted that .gif).
6) Hood: Joe's going to be pissed about his 6th ranking, but this might even be too high. Hood did well to earn a 10-6 record and the 8 seed in the West last season. They continuously talk about how they have the 3rd highest effective levels and how the sim is broken and about how they should ragequit. However, the fact is that they ignored ST and it kills them. ST is 1/3 of the game and they lose that 3rd every season. Don't get me wrong, they are no '10-'11 Chargers (1st in total offense and defense and miss the playoffs) as their O and D aren't quite the best in the league, but they are solid.
7) UD: I struggled with UD. They also finished 10-6 and even lost to Hood, but they earned the 6 seed in the West. They are also a non-boosting team, but they have managed to find success at this level every season. Will they finally be out-leveled by too much? I don't think so. Arayel is too good of a coordinator and is too competitive of an individual.
8) DW: As much as I hated to put Mr. DRE in the rankings, I feel as though his team deserves it. They reeled off 19 straight before losing in the finals. They have the 13th highest effective level. I do think that they will encounter several bumps before finding their way in Elite #1. The 77 chemistry will hurt initially too.
Zeta Top 8
1) MN: Yeah yeah yeah. They fourgasmed last season. 'Nuff said.
2) ECT: Back to back finals losses to MN. Well, this is simple enough....
3) DN: DN comes into this season with 94 chemistry instead of something ridiculous like they did last season. They suffered a lot of early season losses, but really proved to be one fo the best teams with their 38-7 win over ECT. However, that was with a mini-helmet day. In the playoffs on the road, ECT proved to be too much for DN. I expect that game to be a real grudge match this season.
4) RR: Rome finished 14-2 and 3rd in the East last season with their only ranked losses to ECT and NHG. It's hard to tell how good they actually are coming into this season, but the effective levels are 7th. Only time will tell if they are a contender or a pretender, but the 66 and dropping chemistry is sure to hurt early on. *Praying for back loaded schedule....
5) Gotham Enforcers (GE): Could've been anyone here. Great season last season, but the playoffs proved they aren't close to RB level, so what does that mean? They won't be able to compete with the "Big 4".
6) Yakima Yellow Jackets (YYJ): 50 overall chemistry will kill this team, but they have some talent and have a LOT of holes to fill. Really too early to tell on this team, but I am giving them the benefit of the doubt with recruiting.
7) Fayettenam Vets (FV): Played Gotham tight last season. Still won't be able to compete with the Big 4.
8) Shiner Bock (SB): I didn't want to pick a LU team, because I think the level difference will be too great this season, but that leaves me with SB. I should probably go pick the best LU teams and mix them into 5-8, but I'm lazy.
Overall Top 10
1) MN -Zeta
2) ECT -Zeta
3) RD -Alpha
4) DN -Zeta
5) NHG -Alpha
6) RR -Zeta
7) RMO -Alpha
8) PCJ -Alpha
9) RB -Alpha
10) Hood -Alpha
Edited by Davis grizzard on Oct 18, 2011 09:18:13