ALPHA:
1. Stockholm Dynamites (Previous: 1)
-What was said about them: Much improved over last season, biggest contender to take the crown from the Assassins and the two Amsterdam teams as the top team in Alpha. Will the pressure get to them with all eyes turned toward them, or will they follow through and take their conference crown?
-What has changed?: They are better than advertised. Stockholm looks to be the absolute class of not just Alpha but BBB7. That hurting they put on Cologne must have other teams coming up soon shitting themselves.
-Prediction: Conference Champion.
2. Helsinki Hitmen (Previous: 2)
-What was said about them: Odd man out in Alpha last season, was the fourth seed overshadowed by the 3-headed monster in their conference last season. Can they emerge from their shadows to claim the conference as their own? They were able to upgrade their roster without taking the massive chemistry hit that Stockholm did, so that could play into their advantage in week 6 when the two teams meet.
-What has changed?: Nothing really. Very dominating win over South Beach helps solidify their hold on the #2 spot. They're the only team that I think can keep Stockholm from a 16-0 season and that will be a hard task to do.
-Prediction: Conference Championship contender.
3. Athens Devils (Previous: 4)
-What was said about them: If they were in Zeta last year they would have probably been in the playoffs or the first team out. But they were in Alpha, and that wasn't good enough. Have made some solid upgrades this offseason, and look to move into the league's elite. The big question for them is will they be able to game plan well enough to hang with the big boys and reach their potential? Or will they be just another playoff team in season 7.
-What has changed?: They flip flop with Dusseldorf because they dominated an excellent team from Zeta in week one, while Dusseldorf barely beat a lower ranked team. In the end the fact that they beat a team the quality of Berlin will have no affect on playoff seeding, but it still can be used to properly gauge how good the team is.
-Prediction: Top four.
4. Dusseldorf Noobs (Previous: 3)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of their playoff appearance last season, poised to do much more. Decided to not change the roster up between seasons, so will get a bonus early on due to their high chemistry. Unfortunately their games against the conference's elite do not come when they have the massive chemistry advantage.
-What has changed?: Like I said above, their first game was a real head scratcher. Palermo shouldn't have been able to hang with a team like this. I'm gonna chalk it up to a happens-once fluke, but Dusseldorf should really make sure that they don't let lesser teams sneak up on them, there are plenty of good teams in Alpha who could take the coveted fourth seed from them.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
5. Barcelona Dare devils (Previous: 7)
-What was said about them: Finally don't have the Assassins around, so they're the best team representing Barcelona in BBB7. They didn't move much by way of roster, so they are relying on their potential from last season to be fully realized this season. Wish they made some more upgrades though to truly be a great team.
-What has changed?: Two solid wins against solid teams are starting to turn me around on them. We won't know until they play a top Alpha team at home in week five if Barcelona is for real or not. Until then they have two free wins coming up.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
6. Cologne Ghosts (Previous: 5)
-What was said about them: Felt that they got upset in several games last season. That has less to do with the players than with the game planning. They did not change much by way of roster for this season, so their potential for this season rests on how well they have improved their scouting and game planning.
-What has changed?: Nothing really. A good strong win against the Stockholm Lions from Zeta, followed up by a thorough depantsing at the hands of the Stockholm Dynamites from Alpha. They have a couple of cake games ahead, and then a showdown against Helsinki in week five. The teams ranked three through six in Alpha are pretty similar to each other, I wouldn't be surprised to see one emerge from the pack. Can it be Cologne who is able to beat Helsinki and then hold off the other teams?
-Prediction: Top four contender.
7. South Beach Sea Hawks (Previous: 8)
-What was said about them: Well served having a season of experience under their belts, South Beach looks to move from playoff outsider to insider this season. A lot of their home grown talent boosted at the end of season 6, and they look to get back at some of the teams who kept them down for season 7.
-What has changed?: Great win against Reading. Bad loss against Helsinki. A bunch of winnable games coming up, and then an Athens, Barcelona, and Dusseldorf pu pu platter coming up in the middle of the season. Do they emerge from that as 8-1 or 7-2 and hop right into a top four lock? Do they come back 6-3 having knocked one off to solidify their playoff standing? Or do they lose them all and settle in for another season of being an average team?
-Prediction: Playoffs.
8. Glasgow Vultures (Previous: 10)
-What was said about them: Like South Beach and other teams, looking to emerge from the shadow of the 3 Alpha powerhouses from last season and take their playoff spots. I wish they had upgraded more because they could have solidified their situation more.
-What has changed?: Won a great game at Denver, lost a well-played game at home against Barcelona. That tells me that they're ready to at least hang with the big boys, and as the season goes on perhaps knock one or two of them off to help them in the seeding game. I think they'll be there come playoff time. A good game to affirm my thoughts? Dusseldorf tomorrow night.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
9. Liverpool SEA Fusion (Previous: 9)
-What was said about them: Last season's joke, this season's surprise? Could be. Their slow build team has significantly improved since last season. Pretty disappointed that they did not parlay their low payroll into a almost complete lower bowl this season. Could shock a lot of teams late in the season, watch out Cologne and Stockholm!
-What has changed?: Bad loss to Birmingham and a good win against an awful team make me lukewarm about them now. At the same time, the teams below them haven't done anything to make me believe that this team isn't going to be a vast improvement over last season. I still think as the season wears on they will be able to hang with the big boys they will meet in the last two games.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
10. Burlington Blue Devils (Previous: 6)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Owner appears to have experience, and has built a solid club, an excellent addition to the Alpha conference.
-Strengths: Rushing and blocking.
-What has changed?: Laid an egg at Chambersburg. They will have to win back my favor, but it is not going to happen in the next two games with Stockholm and Athens on the plate. Putting a solid amount of points on either of them would impress me with this team.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
11. Norwich Nighthawks (Previous: 11)
-What was said about them: Looking to find their way to the top of the middle of the pack, although their road is tough. Three very winnable games are needed to build team morale heading into the Cologne and Stockholm games back to back. How they perform in the three games they are supposed to win and the two games they will probably lose will be the best barometer of their season.
-What has changed?: Not impressed so far, and there are so many holes that I think it will be hard for them to scrape together enough wins to make the playoffs. It is still early however.
-Prediction: Outside looking in.
12. The Fantasy Helmet Project (Previous: 12)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7, but not a new team. Dropped down from a higher league last season. Slow build team, won't compete this year but could give some people a scare and steal some games perhaps.
-What has changed?: Nothing, and nothing really will for a while. They have a BRUTAL schedule coming up, but will have a chance at the end of the season to show their worth.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
13. Mannheim Spartans (Previous: 15)
-What was said about them: Serious problems here. Had a horrible season last year, but could have built off of it. instead, their GM is inactive for 3 weeks and their owner allowed most of the players to walk, and hasn't built up the stadium at all over 2 seasons. This team is headed for disaster.
-What has changed?: Still a disaster. Their win just shows how horrible Capeside is, tells me nothing about Mannheim other than it may be the only points this team scores all year save for the games against teams like them.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
14. Gonadian Knights (Previous: 14)
-What was said about them: Newly transferred team. Has lots of holes, should see a rough season. Owner did not build stadium up over the offseason, so will have financial as well as on field troubles to deal with.
-What has changed?: Shellacked by two higher level BBB7 teams so nothing really to report. Still facing the prospects of a very tough season.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
15. Flat Packed Monkey (Previous: 16)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Tragically this owner seems like he was inactive when he got his team, and hasn't been online to assemble a roster. Holiday casualty, hopefully he can put something together for next season.
-What has changed?: Formerly the Messina Blazers, the name change seems to be the only thing the owner has done. Their CPU players should actually keep them in a few games against similar level teams though.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
16. Hamburg Vipers (Previous: 13)
-What was said about them: Got slapped around last season bigtime, only winning their game with Liverpool. Did not work to upgrade the roster over the season, so sadly can wave goodbye to the playoffs this season as well.
-What has changed?: The Liverpool game shows how far that they have come and how far Hamburg didn't go. I don't think they are going to go 0-16 and be the worst team in Alpha guaranteed, but you can't score zero points in two games and not be down in the cellar.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
ZETA:
1. Lyon Winemakers (Previous: 1)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of last season's run to the playoffs with a new defense and quality added at many positions. Chemistry is very low, hopefully for them it will not affect early games vs. Reading and Stockholm. Potentially the class of Zeta if the pieces fall together correctly.
-What has changed?: Offensive struggles have me questioning their grip on the top spot, but at the same time the defensive play has been excellent. Should be favored in every game for several weeks, but will have to prove their mettle in their Germany road trip against Berlin and Baden.
-Prediction: Conference championship contender.
2. Baden Bandits (Previous: 6)
-What was said about them: Playoff team who has the ability to take a step up this season. Seems to have solid game plans and a loyal roster, therefore their lack of roster changes over the offseason isn't a major issue, although it would be hard for them to improve upon their standing last season without doing so.
-What has changed?: Started of guns blazing, destroying the two teams that stood in their path. Their Palermo win looks great, but I will need another week or two to judge if my perception of Palermo was based on how good I thought they were or how average Dusseldorf might be. This team, however, is firing on all cylinders and should be able to take Reading and Stockholm when they play in the next two weeks.
-Prediction: Conference championship contender.
3. Berlin Blitz (Previous: 5)
-What was said about them: Strong team to start last season started to taper off toward the end of the season. Will that continue, or will they find their way back to dominance this season? Would have liked to have seen them add to their roster to fill in some minor holes, but overall they are still very solid and hold a chemistry advantage that should come into play on their big first game against Athens.
-What has changed?: Couldn't quite keep up with Athens, but dismantled Denver badly. Have several cakewalk games coming up, but need to make sure they watch out for Chambersburg, lest we forget about last season. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of them competing for the conference championship.
-Prediction: Top four.
4. Atlanta 404 (Previous: 2)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of their playoff run last season, but will they be held back by the players they lost in the offseason? They are well balanced and well run, will contend all season long. Rebuilt defense should be even stronger this year than last.
-What has changed?: Getting smoked at the hands of Stockholm is a forgivable offense. Barely beating Milan, however, won't win you points when you are picked to compete for the championship. This team will have a few chances to re-prove itself to me in upcoming weeks.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
5. Chambersburg Trojans (Previous: 9)
-What was said about them: Trojans pulled off some upsets last season, and made it to the playoffs. This season, they may not be so fortunate, as teams will have a game plan on them, and they did not change their roster in the offseason. Their chemistry bonuses may impact early games with Denver, Berlin, and Lyon, however. No stadium upgrades could be the death of them however.
-What has changed?: I do think that the team is setting itself up to crash and burn next season when it tries to improve its roster but can't afford to. That being said, two great wins for them. They can show the rest of the league that they belong in the top four talk if they beat Birmingham and Denver the next two weeks. I think they can.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
6. Reading Armed Centaurs (Previous: 4)
-What was said about them: Odd man out in Zeta last year, couldn't seem to crack the code of the eight teams that finished ahead of it, although it kept it close against Berlin and Chambersburg. Can their offseason reshuffling be the factor that puts them over those teams? Very possible.
-What has changed?: Got throttled by South Beach whom I thought Reading should have beaten, then came back and really shut down the Lyon offense. I think their defense is very strong, but their offense can not keep up with them. They will be in several low scoring games this year against quality opponents. Can they win any of them, like Baden this week?
-Prediction: Playoffs.
7. Stockholm Lions (Previous: 7)
-What was said about them: Ended the season very strong, capped off by an upset of Berlin and a close loss to Denver. Has not played around with the roster much, although they do still look strong regardless. Would have liked to have seen them work on their defense in the offseason, as well as their stadium. Chemistry advantage could be helpful vs. Lyon early.
-What has changed?: Not much really has changed. Lost the game they were supposed to lose, crushed the team they were supposed to crush. Absolutely LETHAL stretch coming up, with Lyon, Baden, and Atlanta set to butt heads with the Lions. A win in any of them puts them in the conference elite talk. Hanging around in either of them shows that they deserve their seeding. Getting destroyed would show that maybe they need another year to compete in BBB7.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
8. Denver Hounds (Previous: 3)
-What was said about them: 2nd seed in the playoffs last year, but was upset in the first round, ending their chances at promotion. They look to avenge that heartbreaker in the only way they can. Coming back and taking it to the team that beat them in the playoffs, which they have a chance to do in week nine. Lost a lot of their core from season 6, but added a new GM and some players from their other GM's. Early chemistry issues could hurt vs. Berlin and Baden.
-What has changed?: I knew the team had holes, but I also thought they would run the table until their matchup with Atlanta. How wrong I was. Two disasterous losses has me questioning if this team even wants to make the playoffs, when the roster moves and their early game play are taken into account. I am fairly certain that the results of the first two games will not be a trend, but to prove that they will need to show up against Chambersburg next week.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
9. Birmingham Polipocs (Previous: 11)
-What was said about them: Walked all over last season, even though their talent difference was not that far off of the league average. Game planning may be to blame. They recruited heavily to add more talent, did they fix their scouting and planning issues as well? If they did it could combine with their new blood to mean a great season in Birmingham, possibly the most improved in Zeta. If not, it will be another trying season met with failed potential.
-What has changed?: Two great wins are starting to show me that this team is legit. Beating Chambersburg this week would let me drop the "contender" out of their prediction.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
10. Milan Eagles (Previous: 10)
-What was said about them: Pushed around last season, will hope their offseason changes will push them up into the playoff picture.
-What has changed?: Two very respectable losses against much better teams. I like their defense, hopefully their offense blossoms into something that can make some noise. Another tough tough game against Berlin this week, then a couple of winnable games are on the table for Milan.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
11. Luxembourg Lightning Bolts (Previous: 12)
-What was said about them: Much improved since new owner came aboard last season, but how far have they come? They still have several holes to fill, and the offense leaves much to be desired.
-What has changed?: Two wins against teams they should have beaten, although the Norwich win was very nice. Still have some proving to do before I can trust them. Big game against Palermo tomorrow will settle some things.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
12. Palermo Panthers (Previous: 8)
-What was said about them: Under new ownership in season 7. Has some pieces in place, but needs more, especially along the offensive line where he has no starters. Something tells me that the owner will find good players to fill out the rest of the positions, and will be able to compete. How soon he does is the key factor.
-What has changed?: Filled most of the holes, but still has emergency level depth problems in the secondary, which Baden game planned for and used against them to light them up in week two. This ranking will start to tumble if they don't get some cornerbacks very very fast.
-Prediction: Outside looking in.
13. Middlesbrough Mayhem (Previous: 14)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Owner has no GM'd teams so not sure how game planning will go, although he did build the stadium and found some players for his team. Still needs to find some players to fill out his team, but the players he has found now don't seem to have the greatest builds on many of them. Season hinges on an experienced GM being found and signing the rest of the team.
-What has changed?: Beat a slow build team, then got crushed by Chambersburg. Should easily get a win at Capeside tomorrow, then are probably going to be pin cushions for Lyon and Baden.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
14. Southampton Shadows (Previous: 13)
-What was said about them: Another team who was thrown around a lot last season, although this team has taken steps to improve themselves this season and could sneak up on some people. However, to do that, the inexperienced owner needs to make some more moves and bring in some experienced hands to GM the team.
-What has changed?: Keeps getting smoked, no real prospects for the season to improve.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
15. Sexintown Rubbers (Previous: 15)
-What was said about them: Last season's Zeta punchboard could have made some noise when their slow builders got some levels. Unfortunately for them, most of those slow builders were allowed to leave at the end of the season, gutting the roster and leaving the owner scrambling to fill the roster in again. The result is a mishmash of players without starters still in many spots.
-What has changed?: Nothing. Awful.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
16. Capeside Minutemen (Previous: 16)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Not sure where the owner is going here, but has put level 1's at many positions and does not seem to be hunting for players. Seems like a farm team that will get dominated all season.
-What has changed?: By far the worst team in BBB7.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
picks:
Helsinki Hitmen at Flat Packed Monkey
-Prediction: Helsinki 120-0
Gonadian Knights at South Beach Sea Hawks
-Prediction: South Beach 100-0
Norwich Night Hawks at Liverpool SEA Fusion
-Prediction: Liverpool 45-21
Hamburg Vipers at Cologne Ghosts
-Prediction: Cologne 117-0
Burlington Blue Devils at Stockholm Dynamites
-Prediction: Stockholm 84-7
Glasgow Vultures at Dusseldorf Noobs
-Prediction: Dusseldorf 28-21
Mannheim Spartans at Barcelona Dare Devils
-Prediction: Barcelona 100-0
The Fantasy Helmet Project at Athens Devils
-Prediction: Athens 77-7
Middlesbrough Mayhem at Capeside Minutemen
-Prediction: 100-0
Birmingham Polipocs at Chambersburg Trojans
-Prediction: Chambersburg 38-31
Denver Hounds at Southampton Shadows
-Prediction: Denver 54-7
Stockholm Lions at Lyon Winemakers
-Prediction: Lyon 37-7
Berlin Blitz at Milan Eagles
-Prediction: Berlin 48-21
Sexintown Rubbers at Atlanta 404
-Prediction: Atlanta 90-0
Palermo Panthers at Luxembourg Lightning Bolts
-Prediction: Luxembourg 37-17
Reading Armed Centaurs at Baden Bandits
-Prediction: Baden 31-7
1. Stockholm Dynamites (Previous: 1)
-What was said about them: Much improved over last season, biggest contender to take the crown from the Assassins and the two Amsterdam teams as the top team in Alpha. Will the pressure get to them with all eyes turned toward them, or will they follow through and take their conference crown?
-What has changed?: They are better than advertised. Stockholm looks to be the absolute class of not just Alpha but BBB7. That hurting they put on Cologne must have other teams coming up soon shitting themselves.
-Prediction: Conference Champion.
2. Helsinki Hitmen (Previous: 2)
-What was said about them: Odd man out in Alpha last season, was the fourth seed overshadowed by the 3-headed monster in their conference last season. Can they emerge from their shadows to claim the conference as their own? They were able to upgrade their roster without taking the massive chemistry hit that Stockholm did, so that could play into their advantage in week 6 when the two teams meet.
-What has changed?: Nothing really. Very dominating win over South Beach helps solidify their hold on the #2 spot. They're the only team that I think can keep Stockholm from a 16-0 season and that will be a hard task to do.
-Prediction: Conference Championship contender.
3. Athens Devils (Previous: 4)
-What was said about them: If they were in Zeta last year they would have probably been in the playoffs or the first team out. But they were in Alpha, and that wasn't good enough. Have made some solid upgrades this offseason, and look to move into the league's elite. The big question for them is will they be able to game plan well enough to hang with the big boys and reach their potential? Or will they be just another playoff team in season 7.
-What has changed?: They flip flop with Dusseldorf because they dominated an excellent team from Zeta in week one, while Dusseldorf barely beat a lower ranked team. In the end the fact that they beat a team the quality of Berlin will have no affect on playoff seeding, but it still can be used to properly gauge how good the team is.
-Prediction: Top four.
4. Dusseldorf Noobs (Previous: 3)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of their playoff appearance last season, poised to do much more. Decided to not change the roster up between seasons, so will get a bonus early on due to their high chemistry. Unfortunately their games against the conference's elite do not come when they have the massive chemistry advantage.
-What has changed?: Like I said above, their first game was a real head scratcher. Palermo shouldn't have been able to hang with a team like this. I'm gonna chalk it up to a happens-once fluke, but Dusseldorf should really make sure that they don't let lesser teams sneak up on them, there are plenty of good teams in Alpha who could take the coveted fourth seed from them.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
5. Barcelona Dare devils (Previous: 7)
-What was said about them: Finally don't have the Assassins around, so they're the best team representing Barcelona in BBB7. They didn't move much by way of roster, so they are relying on their potential from last season to be fully realized this season. Wish they made some more upgrades though to truly be a great team.
-What has changed?: Two solid wins against solid teams are starting to turn me around on them. We won't know until they play a top Alpha team at home in week five if Barcelona is for real or not. Until then they have two free wins coming up.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
6. Cologne Ghosts (Previous: 5)
-What was said about them: Felt that they got upset in several games last season. That has less to do with the players than with the game planning. They did not change much by way of roster for this season, so their potential for this season rests on how well they have improved their scouting and game planning.
-What has changed?: Nothing really. A good strong win against the Stockholm Lions from Zeta, followed up by a thorough depantsing at the hands of the Stockholm Dynamites from Alpha. They have a couple of cake games ahead, and then a showdown against Helsinki in week five. The teams ranked three through six in Alpha are pretty similar to each other, I wouldn't be surprised to see one emerge from the pack. Can it be Cologne who is able to beat Helsinki and then hold off the other teams?
-Prediction: Top four contender.
7. South Beach Sea Hawks (Previous: 8)
-What was said about them: Well served having a season of experience under their belts, South Beach looks to move from playoff outsider to insider this season. A lot of their home grown talent boosted at the end of season 6, and they look to get back at some of the teams who kept them down for season 7.
-What has changed?: Great win against Reading. Bad loss against Helsinki. A bunch of winnable games coming up, and then an Athens, Barcelona, and Dusseldorf pu pu platter coming up in the middle of the season. Do they emerge from that as 8-1 or 7-2 and hop right into a top four lock? Do they come back 6-3 having knocked one off to solidify their playoff standing? Or do they lose them all and settle in for another season of being an average team?
-Prediction: Playoffs.
8. Glasgow Vultures (Previous: 10)
-What was said about them: Like South Beach and other teams, looking to emerge from the shadow of the 3 Alpha powerhouses from last season and take their playoff spots. I wish they had upgraded more because they could have solidified their situation more.
-What has changed?: Won a great game at Denver, lost a well-played game at home against Barcelona. That tells me that they're ready to at least hang with the big boys, and as the season goes on perhaps knock one or two of them off to help them in the seeding game. I think they'll be there come playoff time. A good game to affirm my thoughts? Dusseldorf tomorrow night.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
9. Liverpool SEA Fusion (Previous: 9)
-What was said about them: Last season's joke, this season's surprise? Could be. Their slow build team has significantly improved since last season. Pretty disappointed that they did not parlay their low payroll into a almost complete lower bowl this season. Could shock a lot of teams late in the season, watch out Cologne and Stockholm!
-What has changed?: Bad loss to Birmingham and a good win against an awful team make me lukewarm about them now. At the same time, the teams below them haven't done anything to make me believe that this team isn't going to be a vast improvement over last season. I still think as the season wears on they will be able to hang with the big boys they will meet in the last two games.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
10. Burlington Blue Devils (Previous: 6)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Owner appears to have experience, and has built a solid club, an excellent addition to the Alpha conference.
-Strengths: Rushing and blocking.
-What has changed?: Laid an egg at Chambersburg. They will have to win back my favor, but it is not going to happen in the next two games with Stockholm and Athens on the plate. Putting a solid amount of points on either of them would impress me with this team.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
11. Norwich Nighthawks (Previous: 11)
-What was said about them: Looking to find their way to the top of the middle of the pack, although their road is tough. Three very winnable games are needed to build team morale heading into the Cologne and Stockholm games back to back. How they perform in the three games they are supposed to win and the two games they will probably lose will be the best barometer of their season.
-What has changed?: Not impressed so far, and there are so many holes that I think it will be hard for them to scrape together enough wins to make the playoffs. It is still early however.
-Prediction: Outside looking in.
12. The Fantasy Helmet Project (Previous: 12)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7, but not a new team. Dropped down from a higher league last season. Slow build team, won't compete this year but could give some people a scare and steal some games perhaps.
-What has changed?: Nothing, and nothing really will for a while. They have a BRUTAL schedule coming up, but will have a chance at the end of the season to show their worth.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
13. Mannheim Spartans (Previous: 15)
-What was said about them: Serious problems here. Had a horrible season last year, but could have built off of it. instead, their GM is inactive for 3 weeks and their owner allowed most of the players to walk, and hasn't built up the stadium at all over 2 seasons. This team is headed for disaster.
-What has changed?: Still a disaster. Their win just shows how horrible Capeside is, tells me nothing about Mannheim other than it may be the only points this team scores all year save for the games against teams like them.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
14. Gonadian Knights (Previous: 14)
-What was said about them: Newly transferred team. Has lots of holes, should see a rough season. Owner did not build stadium up over the offseason, so will have financial as well as on field troubles to deal with.
-What has changed?: Shellacked by two higher level BBB7 teams so nothing really to report. Still facing the prospects of a very tough season.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
15. Flat Packed Monkey (Previous: 16)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Tragically this owner seems like he was inactive when he got his team, and hasn't been online to assemble a roster. Holiday casualty, hopefully he can put something together for next season.
-What has changed?: Formerly the Messina Blazers, the name change seems to be the only thing the owner has done. Their CPU players should actually keep them in a few games against similar level teams though.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
16. Hamburg Vipers (Previous: 13)
-What was said about them: Got slapped around last season bigtime, only winning their game with Liverpool. Did not work to upgrade the roster over the season, so sadly can wave goodbye to the playoffs this season as well.
-What has changed?: The Liverpool game shows how far that they have come and how far Hamburg didn't go. I don't think they are going to go 0-16 and be the worst team in Alpha guaranteed, but you can't score zero points in two games and not be down in the cellar.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
ZETA:
1. Lyon Winemakers (Previous: 1)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of last season's run to the playoffs with a new defense and quality added at many positions. Chemistry is very low, hopefully for them it will not affect early games vs. Reading and Stockholm. Potentially the class of Zeta if the pieces fall together correctly.
-What has changed?: Offensive struggles have me questioning their grip on the top spot, but at the same time the defensive play has been excellent. Should be favored in every game for several weeks, but will have to prove their mettle in their Germany road trip against Berlin and Baden.
-Prediction: Conference championship contender.
2. Baden Bandits (Previous: 6)
-What was said about them: Playoff team who has the ability to take a step up this season. Seems to have solid game plans and a loyal roster, therefore their lack of roster changes over the offseason isn't a major issue, although it would be hard for them to improve upon their standing last season without doing so.
-What has changed?: Started of guns blazing, destroying the two teams that stood in their path. Their Palermo win looks great, but I will need another week or two to judge if my perception of Palermo was based on how good I thought they were or how average Dusseldorf might be. This team, however, is firing on all cylinders and should be able to take Reading and Stockholm when they play in the next two weeks.
-Prediction: Conference championship contender.
3. Berlin Blitz (Previous: 5)
-What was said about them: Strong team to start last season started to taper off toward the end of the season. Will that continue, or will they find their way back to dominance this season? Would have liked to have seen them add to their roster to fill in some minor holes, but overall they are still very solid and hold a chemistry advantage that should come into play on their big first game against Athens.
-What has changed?: Couldn't quite keep up with Athens, but dismantled Denver badly. Have several cakewalk games coming up, but need to make sure they watch out for Chambersburg, lest we forget about last season. I'm starting to warm up to the idea of them competing for the conference championship.
-Prediction: Top four.
4. Atlanta 404 (Previous: 2)
-What was said about them: Looking to build off of their playoff run last season, but will they be held back by the players they lost in the offseason? They are well balanced and well run, will contend all season long. Rebuilt defense should be even stronger this year than last.
-What has changed?: Getting smoked at the hands of Stockholm is a forgivable offense. Barely beating Milan, however, won't win you points when you are picked to compete for the championship. This team will have a few chances to re-prove itself to me in upcoming weeks.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
5. Chambersburg Trojans (Previous: 9)
-What was said about them: Trojans pulled off some upsets last season, and made it to the playoffs. This season, they may not be so fortunate, as teams will have a game plan on them, and they did not change their roster in the offseason. Their chemistry bonuses may impact early games with Denver, Berlin, and Lyon, however. No stadium upgrades could be the death of them however.
-What has changed?: I do think that the team is setting itself up to crash and burn next season when it tries to improve its roster but can't afford to. That being said, two great wins for them. They can show the rest of the league that they belong in the top four talk if they beat Birmingham and Denver the next two weeks. I think they can.
-Prediction: Top four contender.
6. Reading Armed Centaurs (Previous: 4)
-What was said about them: Odd man out in Zeta last year, couldn't seem to crack the code of the eight teams that finished ahead of it, although it kept it close against Berlin and Chambersburg. Can their offseason reshuffling be the factor that puts them over those teams? Very possible.
-What has changed?: Got throttled by South Beach whom I thought Reading should have beaten, then came back and really shut down the Lyon offense. I think their defense is very strong, but their offense can not keep up with them. They will be in several low scoring games this year against quality opponents. Can they win any of them, like Baden this week?
-Prediction: Playoffs.
7. Stockholm Lions (Previous: 7)
-What was said about them: Ended the season very strong, capped off by an upset of Berlin and a close loss to Denver. Has not played around with the roster much, although they do still look strong regardless. Would have liked to have seen them work on their defense in the offseason, as well as their stadium. Chemistry advantage could be helpful vs. Lyon early.
-What has changed?: Not much really has changed. Lost the game they were supposed to lose, crushed the team they were supposed to crush. Absolutely LETHAL stretch coming up, with Lyon, Baden, and Atlanta set to butt heads with the Lions. A win in any of them puts them in the conference elite talk. Hanging around in either of them shows that they deserve their seeding. Getting destroyed would show that maybe they need another year to compete in BBB7.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
8. Denver Hounds (Previous: 3)
-What was said about them: 2nd seed in the playoffs last year, but was upset in the first round, ending their chances at promotion. They look to avenge that heartbreaker in the only way they can. Coming back and taking it to the team that beat them in the playoffs, which they have a chance to do in week nine. Lost a lot of their core from season 6, but added a new GM and some players from their other GM's. Early chemistry issues could hurt vs. Berlin and Baden.
-What has changed?: I knew the team had holes, but I also thought they would run the table until their matchup with Atlanta. How wrong I was. Two disasterous losses has me questioning if this team even wants to make the playoffs, when the roster moves and their early game play are taken into account. I am fairly certain that the results of the first two games will not be a trend, but to prove that they will need to show up against Chambersburg next week.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
9. Birmingham Polipocs (Previous: 11)
-What was said about them: Walked all over last season, even though their talent difference was not that far off of the league average. Game planning may be to blame. They recruited heavily to add more talent, did they fix their scouting and planning issues as well? If they did it could combine with their new blood to mean a great season in Birmingham, possibly the most improved in Zeta. If not, it will be another trying season met with failed potential.
-What has changed?: Two great wins are starting to show me that this team is legit. Beating Chambersburg this week would let me drop the "contender" out of their prediction.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
10. Milan Eagles (Previous: 10)
-What was said about them: Pushed around last season, will hope their offseason changes will push them up into the playoff picture.
-What has changed?: Two very respectable losses against much better teams. I like their defense, hopefully their offense blossoms into something that can make some noise. Another tough tough game against Berlin this week, then a couple of winnable games are on the table for Milan.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
11. Luxembourg Lightning Bolts (Previous: 12)
-What was said about them: Much improved since new owner came aboard last season, but how far have they come? They still have several holes to fill, and the offense leaves much to be desired.
-What has changed?: Two wins against teams they should have beaten, although the Norwich win was very nice. Still have some proving to do before I can trust them. Big game against Palermo tomorrow will settle some things.
-Prediction: Playoff contender.
12. Palermo Panthers (Previous: 8)
-What was said about them: Under new ownership in season 7. Has some pieces in place, but needs more, especially along the offensive line where he has no starters. Something tells me that the owner will find good players to fill out the rest of the positions, and will be able to compete. How soon he does is the key factor.
-What has changed?: Filled most of the holes, but still has emergency level depth problems in the secondary, which Baden game planned for and used against them to light them up in week two. This ranking will start to tumble if they don't get some cornerbacks very very fast.
-Prediction: Outside looking in.
13. Middlesbrough Mayhem (Previous: 14)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Owner has no GM'd teams so not sure how game planning will go, although he did build the stadium and found some players for his team. Still needs to find some players to fill out his team, but the players he has found now don't seem to have the greatest builds on many of them. Season hinges on an experienced GM being found and signing the rest of the team.
-What has changed?: Beat a slow build team, then got crushed by Chambersburg. Should easily get a win at Capeside tomorrow, then are probably going to be pin cushions for Lyon and Baden.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
14. Southampton Shadows (Previous: 13)
-What was said about them: Another team who was thrown around a lot last season, although this team has taken steps to improve themselves this season and could sneak up on some people. However, to do that, the inexperienced owner needs to make some more moves and bring in some experienced hands to GM the team.
-What has changed?: Keeps getting smoked, no real prospects for the season to improve.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
15. Sexintown Rubbers (Previous: 15)
-What was said about them: Last season's Zeta punchboard could have made some noise when their slow builders got some levels. Unfortunately for them, most of those slow builders were allowed to leave at the end of the season, gutting the roster and leaving the owner scrambling to fill the roster in again. The result is a mishmash of players without starters still in many spots.
-What has changed?: Nothing. Awful.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
16. Capeside Minutemen (Previous: 16)
-What was said about them: New to BBB7. Not sure where the owner is going here, but has put level 1's at many positions and does not seem to be hunting for players. Seems like a farm team that will get dominated all season.
-What has changed?: By far the worst team in BBB7.
-Prediction: Bottom third.
picks:
Helsinki Hitmen at Flat Packed Monkey
-Prediction: Helsinki 120-0
Gonadian Knights at South Beach Sea Hawks
-Prediction: South Beach 100-0
Norwich Night Hawks at Liverpool SEA Fusion
-Prediction: Liverpool 45-21
Hamburg Vipers at Cologne Ghosts
-Prediction: Cologne 117-0
Burlington Blue Devils at Stockholm Dynamites
-Prediction: Stockholm 84-7
Glasgow Vultures at Dusseldorf Noobs
-Prediction: Dusseldorf 28-21
Mannheim Spartans at Barcelona Dare Devils
-Prediction: Barcelona 100-0
The Fantasy Helmet Project at Athens Devils
-Prediction: Athens 77-7
Middlesbrough Mayhem at Capeside Minutemen
-Prediction: 100-0
Birmingham Polipocs at Chambersburg Trojans
-Prediction: Chambersburg 38-31
Denver Hounds at Southampton Shadows
-Prediction: Denver 54-7
Stockholm Lions at Lyon Winemakers
-Prediction: Lyon 37-7
Berlin Blitz at Milan Eagles
-Prediction: Berlin 48-21
Sexintown Rubbers at Atlanta 404
-Prediction: Atlanta 90-0
Palermo Panthers at Luxembourg Lightning Bolts
-Prediction: Luxembourg 37-17
Reading Armed Centaurs at Baden Bandits
-Prediction: Baden 31-7
