Originally posted by IU Hoosier
I spent some time looking over the new league today and decided to share my initial thoughts on the league. I was hoping to find that the "meat-grinder" as it came to be known, would be a little easier. After reviewing the offseason changes, I can assure you that it is not any easier.
If everything goes as planned, I think 7 playoff spots are spoken for. There should be a hell of a battle for that 8th spot. Discuss:
Zeta Rankings:
1. Mata-Utu Voodoo - Season 9 OPL runner-up with a 17-3 record. Losses coming to WSI, Kingston (beat them in the playoffs though), and Bonzai. Dominating defense with a league leading 61 INT's. Have the 3rd ranked rushing offense and the last ranked passing offense.
2. Bonzai Pipeline 'Nites - 12-5 in OPL season 9 with losses coming from Sea Wasps, So Cal, Osaka, and Kingston (twice). It is hard to ignore the history of this team and I look for them to rebound and be a force in season 10. Their balanced offense is tough to plan for and I look for their defense to improve upon the 29ppg they surrendered.
3. Osaka Buckeyes - 15-4 and advanced to the Zeta title game against MUV. Losses to MUV (twice), Tasmania, and So-Cal. Osaka has one of the better passing games in OPL, but other than that their stats do not jump off the page. They just get it done and pull out wins. It will be interesting to see how they rebound from the offseason Lashontell McJackson drama. 
4. Kingston Uprising - 13-5 with losses coming from Brantford, Osaka, Samoa, MUV, and Brisbane. Kingston is a very versatile team who can get after you in a lot of ways on both sides of the ball.
5. Samoa Gangsters - 13-5 with losses coming from Osaka (twice), MUV, Brisbane, and Bonzai. I will not be shocked if they end up as high as #2 in this poll. Samoa is another team with a lot of balance (roughly 3500 passing and rushing). They really get it done on defense where they come in allowing 18ppg which is the best among returning zeta teams.
6. So Cal BDC - 12-5 with losses coming at the hands of Samoa, Brisbane, Osaka, MUV, and Kingston. Impressive wins over Bonzai and Osaka in the regular season. They have the best returning passing game in the league that is complemented by a more than adequate rushing game. Scored an average of 51 points while only surrendering 24. Their defense gets after your ass with an impressive 55 sacks.
7. Tasmania Tigers - 9-8 in OPL season 9. They are a team with a ton of talent that had trouble recovering from a brutal opening schedule which included WSI from the Alpha side. They did end the year with impressive wins over Osaka and Brisbane before falling in a tighter than expected playoff game to MUV. They didn't create many breaks for themselves with a league low 11 INT's by the defense.
_______________________________________________________________________
8. Olden Swillers - 6-10 in OPL season 9. Olden pretty much beat who they were supposed to and lost to who you would have predicted. They might change their name to the Sydney Swillers as they were able to defeat both teams from Sydney who are second tier contenders. Olden must improve upon the 47 ppg surrendered in S9.
9. Sydney Pelicans - 6-10. Polished Rock always has this group ready to go and it looks like S10 will be no different. They appear to have added some roster improvements. Their S9 record went as expected. Had a loss to Olden and a win over the Wasps as far as second tier teams go.
10. Florida Frenzy - 19-1 Oceania AAA1 champs. Only loss was to the Port Moresby Demons, which was avenged convincingly in the playoffs. It is very hard to rank these new teams, but Florida comes in with a swagger and a reputation of being a solid club. They have been working hard at recruiting and apparently have upgraded their roster a bit. Scored an overwhelming 94 per game, while allowing 16 per game in AAA1.
11. Guadalcanal Gunners - 18-1 in Oceania AAA2 and carried on the tradition of the Wasps and Osaka of going undefeated and failing to seal the deal in the playoffs. Owner johnbarber is a very good one and will have his troops ready for OPL. They have a very impressive starting unit that will compete with the elite of OPL. In season 9 they split with Knox and BDR from OPL Alpha (friendlies), beat the Pelicans and SHK, while losing to the Florida Frenzy. They have added a few roster upgrades along the way. As always the supported one of the finest offenses in all of Oceania with 9000+ yards and 93 points per game.
12. Sydney Sea Wasps - 7-9 in OPL S9. The Wasps are sort of like the Tasmania Tigers in their inconsistency. On one hand they beat Bonzai, Wellington, and Molakai (14-5 in OPL Alpha), played Osaka to 38-31 and Brisbane to 31-28, and then on the other hand they were beaten by the Pelicans and Swillers, along with being blown out by MUV and Kingston. The roster has been fairly stagnant, which may not be a bad thing, and the gameplanning was questionable down the stretch.
13. Knox Nightmares 15-5 and Oceania AAA2 runner-ups. I don't know a lot about Knox, but they do have an impressive history. Offensively they come in as a pass first team that scored 76 per game. They gave up 23 per game, but did have an impressive 30 INT's in S9.
14. Rip City Reign - Formerly Portland Rain - 5-11 in OPL - Likely would have been 4-12 if not for an upset win over Olden. They also played the Pelicans within 4, so this team certainly has the potential to climb into the next tier. Scored a league low 26ppg, while giving up a whopping 63 ppg. Roster is incomplete at this point, so this is a team that could climb.
15. Port Moresby Demons - 16-3 in Oceania AAA1 ¡V It is hard to rank a team this successful all the way down at number 15, but that is the current state of OPL Zeta. Port Moresby has a roster that is below the league median as far as levels, although I am sure they have solid builds judging by their successful history. They did give the Florida Frenzy their lone loss of the season, so once again, we have a team capable of upsets any week. They are a big time offensive threat at 65 ppg, while they surrendered 20 ppg. They are the top returning team in Zeta with an impressive 42 forced fumbles.
16. Brisbane Sun Devils - 12-5 OPL playoff team that has gone CPU.
Teams lost from OPL Zeta S9:
Fiji Stingers (2-14) moved to minors uncapped #19 and gutted
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=2958
Christchurch Nightmares (2-14) demoted to Oceania AAA2. Looks like their roster stayed pretty much intact and I expect to see them return S11.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=2904
Tonga Thunderbirds (0-16) This proud franchise is starting over in the Minors, level 13 cap #1 http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=2905
Wellington Assassins (8-8) They were a solid team last season with wins over Swillers, Pelicans, and Tasmania. They gutted and are now in Minors uncapped #3.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=2943
Hey man, how have the Sea Wasps been, didn't realize you had made it to the pros, lol I wonder if you even remember me
