Is this basically my S69 Rookie rankings re-written with fancier words and better formatting? You betcha. Here's my pre-season rankings for all of the S70 Prep teams that matter.
#01 Hawaiian Kings
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 16-0, league champion, Rookie Tourney runner-up
When you go totally undefeated in your league, destroy almost everyone you play, and end up 33 seconds away from winning your age-group's Tourney, you are the best team. And when you keep your roster intact heading into the following season, you remain the best team.
#02 Palm Bay Palookas
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 12-4, league champion
(Full disclosure: this is my team, so I may be biased.) Started out slow, but got hot for the playoffs and showed how dangerous they can be by notching 2 double-digit playoff victories and a playoff win over Brew Crew for their only meaningful loss of last season. Palm Bay's roster is largely-intact from last season as well.
#03 Jersey Mets
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals, finished #3 in Rookie Tourney
The Mets outclassed most of their league last season, but they seemed to regress a bit every time they faced the Hawaiian Kings and never figured out how to dethrone them. But their 60-point win over the Jazz Cats for 3rd place in the Rookie Tourney showed how good they can be.
#04 New Orleans Jazz Cats
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals, finished #4 in Rookie Tourney
The Jazz Cats started out hot last season, but then suffered a 42-point drubbing from Brew Crew, followed by upset losses to the Sydney Sharks and the New Orleans Golden Kangaroos. They got their revenge over the Sharks in the playoffs, but then lost to the Kangaroos by 35 in the semi-finals and got thumped by the Hawaiian Kings and the Jersey Mets in the Rookie Tourney. But their roster returns nearly-intact, and last year showed how dangerous they can still be despite their flaws.
#05 Monmouth Evil Monkeys
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 12-4, lost in the playoff semi-finals
Monmouth held their own in a tough conference last season, taking care of business against lesser opponents with ease. But they never could figure out how to beat the top teams in their league: Hawaii, Jersey, or Cairns City.
#06 ECE Respawn
Last Season: Rookie League #3 - 15-1, league champion
Rookie League #3 had only 4 truly competitive teams last season, but ECE was one of them and emerged on top, and while that doesn't mean much, it still means something. But their 45-point loss to Hawaii in the Rookie Tourney shows they have a ways to go, and they'll have to overcome lower Chemistry after doing some roster retooling this offseason.
#07 All-American Crimson Lancers
Last Season: Rookie League #4 - 15-1, league champion
Rookie League #4 was even weaker than League #3 last season with only 3 competitive teams. The Lancers were the best of them, but in their one chance to show they were legit in the Rookie Tourney, instead they lost by 49 to the Jersey Mets. And like ECE Respawn, they've also done some roster retooling this offseason and will have to overcome lower Chemistry as well.
#08 Montlake Huskies
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 9-6-1, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Montlake struggled to break through in a killer league last season, but they looked competitive against the top teams in their league. In the Rookie Tourney, they scored an upset victory over the New Orleans Golden Kangaroos before getting walloped by Brew Crew. But this season they're buried in Prep League #3 with only one other decent team, and their opportunities to show what they're truly capable of will be very limited.
#09 Adriatic Sea Wasps
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 10-6, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Adriatic was solidly at the top of the league's second-tier last season and gave Palm Bay two close games in the regular season, but they were never able to beat any of the teams at the top and lost their playoff matchup with Palm Bay by 45. Still, they're no pushovers, and anyone who underestimates Adriatic could get a nasty sting.
#10 Jersey HighRollers
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 9-7, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
The best game for the HighRollers last season was an overtime loss to Montlake. Other than that, they lost badly to every good team they played against. They'll do better this season in Prep League #2, but with only 2 other teams capable of challenging them, the HighRollers won't get much of a chance to learn or grow this season.
#11 Sydney Sharks
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 9-7, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Sydney's high-water mark last season was their 14-10 upset of the Jazz Cats, but Sydney never came close to duplicating that performance in any other games. Some off-season roster changes have dinged their Chemistry this season, and with their placement in the weak Prep League #2, they won't get many chances to show how sharp their bite can be.
#12 Paris Smexies
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 8-8, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Paris gave the Jazz Cats a scare early in the season, but also split their games with Sydney, nearly lost to a team with a mostly-CPU roster, and lost their playoff game by 32, all while giving up a lot of points on defense. And being stuck in Prep League #3 means they'll have precious-few chances to work on improving their weaknesses.
#13 Hood Rich Dotballers
Last Season: Rookie League #4 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals
While Hood was one of only 3 legit teams in League #4 last season, they never notched a win against the other two, losing a combined 4 games to Moments Musicaux and All-American Crimson Lancers. They may have a hard time of things in Prep Competitive #1 this season.
#14 The 4th Street Gang
Last Season: Rookie League #3 - 13-3, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Though the Gang won their Conference last season, the cracks in their foundation were evident in their big regular-season losses to Queensland, ECE (by 84 points!), and Ubu Jary. And then they lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the 4th-seeded mostly-CPU Rhode Island Red Wolves. And on top of it all, this season they'll be playing in Prep Competitive #1 with their Chemistry bar barely half-full.
#15 Plainview Bulldogs
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 3-13, did not reach the playoffs
As a one-owner non-boosting team, Plainview struggled all season long in Rookie League #1. They may do a little better in Prep League #2 this season, but it's going to be hard for them to do much with non-boosting players.
#16 LA Halos
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 8-7-1, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Sadly, the owner of this single-agent squad, Mightyhalo, posted the following note to his team page last season: "I’m dying so one day soon I’ll go inactive again. Good luck and I hope all of your dreams come true." Mightyhalo has been inactive since September 22nd, so it's safe to assume the worst at this point. His team will continue on until his contracts and team ownership run out, and the Halos were still surprisingly feisty last season despite their dormant state, but they'll fall further and further behind over time and will struggle even in Prep League #3.
#17 Huntsville Rockets
Last Season: played in Rookie League #3 with a different name, owner, and roster
Huntsville spent last season as the Rhode Island Red Wolves and actually made it all the way to the League #3 title game mostly on dumb luck. Since then, they've been sold, then re-bought and re-named, but with only 21 human dots on the roster at the moment, they'll face an uphill battle in Prep Competitive #1.
#18 Ubu Jary
Last Season: played in Rookie League #3, lost in the playoff semi-finals
After a reasonably successful Rookie season in a weak league, Ubu Jary has suddenly emptied their roster and seems destined to be nothing but cannon fodder this season. Still, if they can re-populate their roster, they may have a chance to move up this list based on their performance last season.
NON-COMPETITIVE TEAMS
Teams that are either CPU-owned, or human-owned with mostly-CPU rosters:
Norway Vikings
College Station Aggies
Evil Empire Termination Force
'Merica Fuk Yeah
Rob Dog's Tigers of Clemson
Wild Animals
Slim Jimbos
Carthage Clash
Ridgeville Reapers
Voodoo Daddies
Miami X-Factor
Winston Red Tails
Victoria Legends
Lafayette Ragin Acadiens
Atlantic City Gamblers
Voodoo Warriors
Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels
Warsaw Gods of War
#01 Hawaiian Kings
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 16-0, league champion, Rookie Tourney runner-up
When you go totally undefeated in your league, destroy almost everyone you play, and end up 33 seconds away from winning your age-group's Tourney, you are the best team. And when you keep your roster intact heading into the following season, you remain the best team.
#02 Palm Bay Palookas
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 12-4, league champion
(Full disclosure: this is my team, so I may be biased.) Started out slow, but got hot for the playoffs and showed how dangerous they can be by notching 2 double-digit playoff victories and a playoff win over Brew Crew for their only meaningful loss of last season. Palm Bay's roster is largely-intact from last season as well.
#03 Jersey Mets
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals, finished #3 in Rookie Tourney
The Mets outclassed most of their league last season, but they seemed to regress a bit every time they faced the Hawaiian Kings and never figured out how to dethrone them. But their 60-point win over the Jazz Cats for 3rd place in the Rookie Tourney showed how good they can be.
#04 New Orleans Jazz Cats
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals, finished #4 in Rookie Tourney
The Jazz Cats started out hot last season, but then suffered a 42-point drubbing from Brew Crew, followed by upset losses to the Sydney Sharks and the New Orleans Golden Kangaroos. They got their revenge over the Sharks in the playoffs, but then lost to the Kangaroos by 35 in the semi-finals and got thumped by the Hawaiian Kings and the Jersey Mets in the Rookie Tourney. But their roster returns nearly-intact, and last year showed how dangerous they can still be despite their flaws.
#05 Monmouth Evil Monkeys
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 12-4, lost in the playoff semi-finals
Monmouth held their own in a tough conference last season, taking care of business against lesser opponents with ease. But they never could figure out how to beat the top teams in their league: Hawaii, Jersey, or Cairns City.
#06 ECE Respawn
Last Season: Rookie League #3 - 15-1, league champion
Rookie League #3 had only 4 truly competitive teams last season, but ECE was one of them and emerged on top, and while that doesn't mean much, it still means something. But their 45-point loss to Hawaii in the Rookie Tourney shows they have a ways to go, and they'll have to overcome lower Chemistry after doing some roster retooling this offseason.
#07 All-American Crimson Lancers
Last Season: Rookie League #4 - 15-1, league champion
Rookie League #4 was even weaker than League #3 last season with only 3 competitive teams. The Lancers were the best of them, but in their one chance to show they were legit in the Rookie Tourney, instead they lost by 49 to the Jersey Mets. And like ECE Respawn, they've also done some roster retooling this offseason and will have to overcome lower Chemistry as well.
#08 Montlake Huskies
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 9-6-1, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Montlake struggled to break through in a killer league last season, but they looked competitive against the top teams in their league. In the Rookie Tourney, they scored an upset victory over the New Orleans Golden Kangaroos before getting walloped by Brew Crew. But this season they're buried in Prep League #3 with only one other decent team, and their opportunities to show what they're truly capable of will be very limited.
#09 Adriatic Sea Wasps
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 10-6, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Adriatic was solidly at the top of the league's second-tier last season and gave Palm Bay two close games in the regular season, but they were never able to beat any of the teams at the top and lost their playoff matchup with Palm Bay by 45. Still, they're no pushovers, and anyone who underestimates Adriatic could get a nasty sting.
#10 Jersey HighRollers
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 9-7, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
The best game for the HighRollers last season was an overtime loss to Montlake. Other than that, they lost badly to every good team they played against. They'll do better this season in Prep League #2, but with only 2 other teams capable of challenging them, the HighRollers won't get much of a chance to learn or grow this season.
#11 Sydney Sharks
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 9-7, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Sydney's high-water mark last season was their 14-10 upset of the Jazz Cats, but Sydney never came close to duplicating that performance in any other games. Some off-season roster changes have dinged their Chemistry this season, and with their placement in the weak Prep League #2, they won't get many chances to show how sharp their bite can be.
#12 Paris Smexies
Last Season: Rookie League #2 - 8-8, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Paris gave the Jazz Cats a scare early in the season, but also split their games with Sydney, nearly lost to a team with a mostly-CPU roster, and lost their playoff game by 32, all while giving up a lot of points on defense. And being stuck in Prep League #3 means they'll have precious-few chances to work on improving their weaknesses.
#13 Hood Rich Dotballers
Last Season: Rookie League #4 - 13-3, lost in the playoff semi-finals
While Hood was one of only 3 legit teams in League #4 last season, they never notched a win against the other two, losing a combined 4 games to Moments Musicaux and All-American Crimson Lancers. They may have a hard time of things in Prep Competitive #1 this season.
#14 The 4th Street Gang
Last Season: Rookie League #3 - 13-3, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Though the Gang won their Conference last season, the cracks in their foundation were evident in their big regular-season losses to Queensland, ECE (by 84 points!), and Ubu Jary. And then they lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the 4th-seeded mostly-CPU Rhode Island Red Wolves. And on top of it all, this season they'll be playing in Prep Competitive #1 with their Chemistry bar barely half-full.
#15 Plainview Bulldogs
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 3-13, did not reach the playoffs
As a one-owner non-boosting team, Plainview struggled all season long in Rookie League #1. They may do a little better in Prep League #2 this season, but it's going to be hard for them to do much with non-boosting players.
#16 LA Halos
Last Season: Rookie League #1 - 8-7-1, lost in the opening round of the playoffs
Sadly, the owner of this single-agent squad, Mightyhalo, posted the following note to his team page last season: "I’m dying so one day soon I’ll go inactive again. Good luck and I hope all of your dreams come true." Mightyhalo has been inactive since September 22nd, so it's safe to assume the worst at this point. His team will continue on until his contracts and team ownership run out, and the Halos were still surprisingly feisty last season despite their dormant state, but they'll fall further and further behind over time and will struggle even in Prep League #3.
#17 Huntsville Rockets
Last Season: played in Rookie League #3 with a different name, owner, and roster
Huntsville spent last season as the Rhode Island Red Wolves and actually made it all the way to the League #3 title game mostly on dumb luck. Since then, they've been sold, then re-bought and re-named, but with only 21 human dots on the roster at the moment, they'll face an uphill battle in Prep Competitive #1.
#18 Ubu Jary
Last Season: played in Rookie League #3, lost in the playoff semi-finals
After a reasonably successful Rookie season in a weak league, Ubu Jary has suddenly emptied their roster and seems destined to be nothing but cannon fodder this season. Still, if they can re-populate their roster, they may have a chance to move up this list based on their performance last season.
NON-COMPETITIVE TEAMS
Teams that are either CPU-owned, or human-owned with mostly-CPU rosters:
Norway Vikings
College Station Aggies
Evil Empire Termination Force
'Merica Fuk Yeah
Rob Dog's Tigers of Clemson
Wild Animals
Slim Jimbos
Carthage Clash
Ridgeville Reapers
Voodoo Daddies
Miami X-Factor
Winston Red Tails
Victoria Legends
Lafayette Ragin Acadiens
Atlantic City Gamblers
Voodoo Warriors
Las Vegas Runnin' Rebels
Warsaw Gods of War
Edited by Novus on Nov 3, 2018 00:56:11
Edited by Novus on Nov 3, 2018 00:52:23