Better late than never, let's get under way with this week's preview. A few interesting matchups but there shouldn't be many surprises this week.
Alpha Conference:
Warsaw GoW vs Sioux City: The Gods should hold on to their top spot easily against the number 12 Bandits. With no top contenders remaining on their schedule, Warsaw will lock up the number one seed.
Vilnius vs P-burg: The Raptors are sitting pretty at second, and won't have any trouble dealing with the Players. Stalingrad and Vorkuta will give them a run for their money in the final two games, each looking to improve their spot in the tournament. The Ironmen especially will be looking to knock Vilnius out of position, although it would favor Portland more than themselves.
Stalingrad vs St. Petersburg: The Ironmen will cruise to victory over the Piranhas as they prepare for a big home game against the Velociraptors. They'll be cheering for the Yellowhammers to help them retake the number two spot.
Tallinn vs Skopje: Losses to Vilnius, Stalingrad, and the GoW have made the Nightmare's position more difficult to move up from, but they could still get some help in the coming weeks with enough upsets. The Kardinals won't be playing like the Cardinals this week, as the Nightmare bring the darkness upon them.
Pecs of Steel vs Black Sea: The Pecs have an easy pair of games to keep them in the top eight, and should jump to seven after P-burg drops their last three. The Players will hang on to make the playoffs at eight despite the tough end of season schedule.
Saratov vs Bayside: This easy win for the Blaze will not help them get into the tournament. Even if they were to miraculously defeat Tallinn in Week 15, the Players' victory against the Blaze should make it impossible to overtake them in the standings.
Warsaw Stampede vs Yugoslavian: The Roid Pushers will drop another one this week, but Warsaw is so far behind the others that no late season success will help them. The Stampede should be able to take two of their last three, and build on that going into next season.
Alpha Game of the Week - Portland vs Vorkuta: The Niners face a tough and unpredictable opponent in the Vorkuta Yellowhammers. The Yellowhammers' three losses were determined by four points, then three points, and finally a one point differential against the number one Gods of War. Portland has only lost two, one a tough overtime loss to the Butchers, and the other a one point surprise to Vilnius. The Niners won't be willing to lose another. Vorkuta has brought their chemistry up to respectable levels, but will still have some issues in this closely matched game. With huge implications for several teams, the Niners will gameplan heavily to keep the status quo intact and defeat Vorkuta.
Zeta Conference:
South City vs Berlin: The number two seeded Chiefs take on the Crusaders at home before traveling to Secretville for the challenge to determine the true number two. Berlin will find themselves dropping to eighth place this week, but should bounce back when the Syndicate drop their final two games.
Secretville vs Nizhny: The Offtopics get a chance to recuperate after a brutal loss to the Butchers. They will need the time to regroup and prepare themselves for South City to come to their house, and the Vetz provide an easy opponent for them to take out their frustration upon.
Dresden vs Chernobyl: An easy win against the Mariners helps Dresden to maintain their position, and the remaining schedule for them will take them to 12-4. Depending upon the outcome of Warsaw's remaining games, the Doomsday may find themselves moving up to fourth seed over the Wolfpack.
Italy vs Gateshead: The Guardians lost important position when they lost to Dresden last week. The Gargoyles give them an opportunity to regain some lost ground, but they must defeat the Wolfpack if they want to remain a serious conference contender.
Sooner vs Edinburgh: This will be the final easy game for the Syndicate, and likely their final win. Despite the growth of this team over the course of the season, the fact remains that they are still a one-man build of min-maxers without a single veteran. They will look great next season.
Southeast vs Gothenburg, Dayton vs Sicilia: The teams with no wins will continue to post no wins, as the Silverbacks and Outlaws keep them in the basement.
Zeta Conference Game of the Week - Bratislava vs Warsaw: The undefeated Butchers face one more challenge to their perfect regular season in the Warsaw Wolfpack. It would be easy for Bratislava to look past this game after all of the hype and anticipation of the Offtopics game, but they are taking the Wolfpack seriously. Not a single Butcher wants to defeat the undefeated only to lose to a 10-3 team. Warsaw wants this win badly, since it would keep them firmly positioned in fourth place, and give them bragging rights over the entire conference for beating the previously unbeatable (The Niners might argue that point, but in answer, all I can say is, do you really think we were going to show you a real game plan in a scrimmage the day before the biggest game of our season? Seriously, think about it). Warsaw has not looked pretty in any of their losses, however, and the chemistry problems they still face will compound an already daunting task. Bratislava will win, and post their first undefeated regular season.
That's the preview for Week 14, with plenty of football still remaining before what looks to be a fantastic postseason. The playoff picture is still out of focus for quite a few teams, but we will see more of them clarify their position after tomorrow's games.
Alpha Conference:
Warsaw GoW vs Sioux City: The Gods should hold on to their top spot easily against the number 12 Bandits. With no top contenders remaining on their schedule, Warsaw will lock up the number one seed.
Vilnius vs P-burg: The Raptors are sitting pretty at second, and won't have any trouble dealing with the Players. Stalingrad and Vorkuta will give them a run for their money in the final two games, each looking to improve their spot in the tournament. The Ironmen especially will be looking to knock Vilnius out of position, although it would favor Portland more than themselves.
Stalingrad vs St. Petersburg: The Ironmen will cruise to victory over the Piranhas as they prepare for a big home game against the Velociraptors. They'll be cheering for the Yellowhammers to help them retake the number two spot.
Tallinn vs Skopje: Losses to Vilnius, Stalingrad, and the GoW have made the Nightmare's position more difficult to move up from, but they could still get some help in the coming weeks with enough upsets. The Kardinals won't be playing like the Cardinals this week, as the Nightmare bring the darkness upon them.
Pecs of Steel vs Black Sea: The Pecs have an easy pair of games to keep them in the top eight, and should jump to seven after P-burg drops their last three. The Players will hang on to make the playoffs at eight despite the tough end of season schedule.
Saratov vs Bayside: This easy win for the Blaze will not help them get into the tournament. Even if they were to miraculously defeat Tallinn in Week 15, the Players' victory against the Blaze should make it impossible to overtake them in the standings.
Warsaw Stampede vs Yugoslavian: The Roid Pushers will drop another one this week, but Warsaw is so far behind the others that no late season success will help them. The Stampede should be able to take two of their last three, and build on that going into next season.
Alpha Game of the Week - Portland vs Vorkuta: The Niners face a tough and unpredictable opponent in the Vorkuta Yellowhammers. The Yellowhammers' three losses were determined by four points, then three points, and finally a one point differential against the number one Gods of War. Portland has only lost two, one a tough overtime loss to the Butchers, and the other a one point surprise to Vilnius. The Niners won't be willing to lose another. Vorkuta has brought their chemistry up to respectable levels, but will still have some issues in this closely matched game. With huge implications for several teams, the Niners will gameplan heavily to keep the status quo intact and defeat Vorkuta.
Zeta Conference:
South City vs Berlin: The number two seeded Chiefs take on the Crusaders at home before traveling to Secretville for the challenge to determine the true number two. Berlin will find themselves dropping to eighth place this week, but should bounce back when the Syndicate drop their final two games.
Secretville vs Nizhny: The Offtopics get a chance to recuperate after a brutal loss to the Butchers. They will need the time to regroup and prepare themselves for South City to come to their house, and the Vetz provide an easy opponent for them to take out their frustration upon.
Dresden vs Chernobyl: An easy win against the Mariners helps Dresden to maintain their position, and the remaining schedule for them will take them to 12-4. Depending upon the outcome of Warsaw's remaining games, the Doomsday may find themselves moving up to fourth seed over the Wolfpack.
Italy vs Gateshead: The Guardians lost important position when they lost to Dresden last week. The Gargoyles give them an opportunity to regain some lost ground, but they must defeat the Wolfpack if they want to remain a serious conference contender.
Sooner vs Edinburgh: This will be the final easy game for the Syndicate, and likely their final win. Despite the growth of this team over the course of the season, the fact remains that they are still a one-man build of min-maxers without a single veteran. They will look great next season.
Southeast vs Gothenburg, Dayton vs Sicilia: The teams with no wins will continue to post no wins, as the Silverbacks and Outlaws keep them in the basement.
Zeta Conference Game of the Week - Bratislava vs Warsaw: The undefeated Butchers face one more challenge to their perfect regular season in the Warsaw Wolfpack. It would be easy for Bratislava to look past this game after all of the hype and anticipation of the Offtopics game, but they are taking the Wolfpack seriously. Not a single Butcher wants to defeat the undefeated only to lose to a 10-3 team. Warsaw wants this win badly, since it would keep them firmly positioned in fourth place, and give them bragging rights over the entire conference for beating the previously unbeatable (The Niners might argue that point, but in answer, all I can say is, do you really think we were going to show you a real game plan in a scrimmage the day before the biggest game of our season? Seriously, think about it). Warsaw has not looked pretty in any of their losses, however, and the chemistry problems they still face will compound an already daunting task. Bratislava will win, and post their first undefeated regular season.
That's the preview for Week 14, with plenty of football still remaining before what looks to be a fantastic postseason. The playoff picture is still out of focus for quite a few teams, but we will see more of them clarify their position after tomorrow's games.
Last edited Jan 27, 2009 19:59:14
