Intraconference play begins tomorrow with Week 2 of season 8. So far only six teams are posting winning records, but that is not surprising considering the level of competition in Alpha. As closely matched as Zeta is, Alpha is even a little tougher. However, until the league championships, it doesn't really matter much whether they are better, worse, or the same. Therefore, on with the Zeta Conference preview.
Berlin Hounds from Hell vs Prague Beersteins: Prague hasn't shown much yet this season, having lost both of their preseason games and their season opener vs Brøndby and Valbys Bengals. The Date-Ra....uh,sorry....Hounds are pretty confident about their chances this season, already boasting that they will win out the league. Few of the contenders in the conference have the power to knock them off of their perch, so their confidence may not be misplaced. The run starts in Prague, we'll have to wait and see how far Berlin can go without a loss.
Jefferson City Bucks vs South City Chiefs: The Bucks are a serious team that feel good about their chances to take it into the postseason. The Chiefs will have a tough time with them, so far not matching up well against opponents with a higher overall rating, or against the Ironmen, a former EEA4 Alpha powerhouse that matches up closely with South City. The Chiefs are likely facing an 0-2 start to the season, and it doesn't look much better for week 3 with Kazakhstan on the horizon.
Mombasa Wombats vs Kazakhstan Dragons: Despite starting the season with a loss to the EEA4 League Champion Vilnius Velociraptors, the Dragons hope to be a serious contender within the conference. So far the Wombats have been a hit and miss team, performing well against the Raptors in a preseason loss, but also losing to the much more evenly matched Bengals. The Dragons will likely come away with the win in this game.
Macedonian Lions vs Maribor Triforce: The honorable mention for Zeta game of the week pits the Lions against the only team that beat them last season. The Lions have already proven their point once against the Triforce, defeating them in the playoffs on the way to winning the EEA3 League Championship. Maribor has a bit of pride at stake in this game, but so far have only one preseason win to their credit. Granted, they had the ugliest luck of the draw against Alpha one could ask for, losing to a superior Falkirk team once in the preseason and again in week 1. The Lions should put the issue to a rest when they hand Maribor a home defeat this week.
Secretville Offtopics vs Warsaw Wolfpack: These two EEA4 teams must be starting to feel a little outmatched after their promotions, as neither team has yet to post a win. Secretville was one of only four teams to defeat the Wolfpack last season, and proved to be the better team overall by season's end. This will be the first test for Warsaw's improved roster, but without better offensive gameplanning, they will not be up to the task.
Hill Valley Deloreans vs Cypriot Freedom: Why, oh why, must I have Huey Lewis songs play in my head every time I look at the Deloreans' page. "Gotta get back in time..." Anyway, Hill Valley gets the first gimme game this week as they host Cypriot for an unfortunate stomping of Freedom. They'll need it to boost their morale after a tough preseason and week 1. Freedom fans gaze with longing at week 16 when they finally get their gimme game against the Artist formerly known as Cosa Nostra.
WhatsaMatta U Fighting Elk vs Maladorous Football Beavers: Speaking of the devil, the Beavers give up to the Elk in a forest massacre this week. Maladorous, which I assume was meant to be Malodorous, which means stinky, slowly builds the Hitmen ver 2.0 on their way to 0-16.
Zeta Conference Game of the Week - Czechoslavakia Mates vs Bratislava Butchers: Let me note for the record that this game is not the game of the week because it is my team, but because it is the only game between two 1-0 teams this week. These two teams match up very well against each other, with deep rosters full of capable talent ready to perform when needed. The Mates suffered two close preseason losses, but the second matchup against Alpha's Transylvania Grim Reapers went more in their favor. I suspect the Mates nerfed their AI for the preseason matchup in the hopes of tricking the Reapers. If not, they showed themselves capable of adapting their gameplan to get the win, learning from their mistakes. The Butchers so far have won three close games, each by less than a touchdown. Endgame heroics and a defense that holds teams to field goals at key points in the game, with a little luck thrown in for good measure, have enable the Butchers to continue to succeed in their new league so far. Since I am a player and GM on the Butchers, I will not predict the winner, because obviously I am going to say that Bratislava will win.
There's the matchups for Week 2 in Zeta Conference. As always, all comments/criticisms/narcisms/negativisms/colloquialisms are welcome and encouraged.
Berlin Hounds from Hell vs Prague Beersteins: Prague hasn't shown much yet this season, having lost both of their preseason games and their season opener vs Brøndby and Valbys Bengals. The Date-Ra....uh,sorry....Hounds are pretty confident about their chances this season, already boasting that they will win out the league. Few of the contenders in the conference have the power to knock them off of their perch, so their confidence may not be misplaced. The run starts in Prague, we'll have to wait and see how far Berlin can go without a loss.
Jefferson City Bucks vs South City Chiefs: The Bucks are a serious team that feel good about their chances to take it into the postseason. The Chiefs will have a tough time with them, so far not matching up well against opponents with a higher overall rating, or against the Ironmen, a former EEA4 Alpha powerhouse that matches up closely with South City. The Chiefs are likely facing an 0-2 start to the season, and it doesn't look much better for week 3 with Kazakhstan on the horizon.
Mombasa Wombats vs Kazakhstan Dragons: Despite starting the season with a loss to the EEA4 League Champion Vilnius Velociraptors, the Dragons hope to be a serious contender within the conference. So far the Wombats have been a hit and miss team, performing well against the Raptors in a preseason loss, but also losing to the much more evenly matched Bengals. The Dragons will likely come away with the win in this game.
Macedonian Lions vs Maribor Triforce: The honorable mention for Zeta game of the week pits the Lions against the only team that beat them last season. The Lions have already proven their point once against the Triforce, defeating them in the playoffs on the way to winning the EEA3 League Championship. Maribor has a bit of pride at stake in this game, but so far have only one preseason win to their credit. Granted, they had the ugliest luck of the draw against Alpha one could ask for, losing to a superior Falkirk team once in the preseason and again in week 1. The Lions should put the issue to a rest when they hand Maribor a home defeat this week.
Secretville Offtopics vs Warsaw Wolfpack: These two EEA4 teams must be starting to feel a little outmatched after their promotions, as neither team has yet to post a win. Secretville was one of only four teams to defeat the Wolfpack last season, and proved to be the better team overall by season's end. This will be the first test for Warsaw's improved roster, but without better offensive gameplanning, they will not be up to the task.
Hill Valley Deloreans vs Cypriot Freedom: Why, oh why, must I have Huey Lewis songs play in my head every time I look at the Deloreans' page. "Gotta get back in time..." Anyway, Hill Valley gets the first gimme game this week as they host Cypriot for an unfortunate stomping of Freedom. They'll need it to boost their morale after a tough preseason and week 1. Freedom fans gaze with longing at week 16 when they finally get their gimme game against the Artist formerly known as Cosa Nostra.
WhatsaMatta U Fighting Elk vs Maladorous Football Beavers: Speaking of the devil, the Beavers give up to the Elk in a forest massacre this week. Maladorous, which I assume was meant to be Malodorous, which means stinky, slowly builds the Hitmen ver 2.0 on their way to 0-16.
Zeta Conference Game of the Week - Czechoslavakia Mates vs Bratislava Butchers: Let me note for the record that this game is not the game of the week because it is my team, but because it is the only game between two 1-0 teams this week. These two teams match up very well against each other, with deep rosters full of capable talent ready to perform when needed. The Mates suffered two close preseason losses, but the second matchup against Alpha's Transylvania Grim Reapers went more in their favor. I suspect the Mates nerfed their AI for the preseason matchup in the hopes of tricking the Reapers. If not, they showed themselves capable of adapting their gameplan to get the win, learning from their mistakes. The Butchers so far have won three close games, each by less than a touchdown. Endgame heroics and a defense that holds teams to field goals at key points in the game, with a little luck thrown in for good measure, have enable the Butchers to continue to succeed in their new league so far. Since I am a player and GM on the Butchers, I will not predict the winner, because obviously I am going to say that Bratislava will win.
There's the matchups for Week 2 in Zeta Conference. As always, all comments/criticisms/narcisms/negativisms/colloquialisms are welcome and encouraged.
