In an effort to give some people something to talk about (mainly how much Byron doesn't have a clue wtf he is talking about), and with a little free time on my hands at the moment, I've decided to put together some power rankings for the Eastern Conference. These aren't done with any formula, and are simply my initial thoughts on how the conference looks. Please do us all a favor and comment, whether or not you agree. You can call me a moron, or anything else you can come up with, I promise you won't hurt my feelings. I'll try and keep up with these over the course of the season if people want, but I won't make any promises. With that in mind, let's get on with things.
1.) Sportsrant.com Stalkers
Last year's #4 seed saw the top three seeds get promoted, making them the initial team to beat in USA A#2. A close regular season contest saw them take down MM by four, but the Masterminds exacted some revenge in the playoffs. Now Kolpaz & Co. return for Season 9 looking to improve on an impressive 13-3 Season 8 campaign and get more than one home playoff game.
2.) Minneapolis Masterminds
The levels don't scare you but the results just might. MM was discarded by the eventual champion* Bootleggerz last season in the second round, and like Sportsrant, return from a 13-3 record a season ago. Some claim that this may be their year, but I'm not so quick to jump on the bandwagon. Minneapolis is my pick to challenge the top seed in these rankings for their conference crown and home playoff games.
3.)Pensacola Dolphins
With an impressive roster littered with level 50s to go along with exacting revenge over Motor City for their only regular seaosn loss, the Dolphins get the nod here for the best newcomer. No doubt their most recent victory gives them the slight edge, but they may very well be the measuring stick for how well the newcomers adjust to life in one of the better USA A leagues.
4.)Motor City Madmen
Well these guys clearly cannot be happy with how last season ended. In the season that will forever be remebered for the SI Slam, MCM just lit teams up through the air! Opposing secondaries beware, these guys will throw on you and dare you to stop them. And needless to say, they are looking forward to their rematch with Pensacola sometime in the near future.
5.)St. Louis Sidewinders
Good news: St Louis got promoted and I love their name. Bad News: They still have to deal with Pensacola and Motor City, plus a bunch of other opponents that they are currently unfamiliar with. Still, this team can score on anybody, or at least that was the case last season as they scored at least 38 in every game last season.
6.)O'ahu Night Marchers
Would I be surprised if O'ahu ended up much higher than six by the time Season 9 is all said and done? Hell no, but they fall here for now in my rankings and are more than welcome to state why they disagree. They played MM and Sportsrant both very tight last season, and look to beat up on some of the newcomers as well as exact some revenge in an attempt to take some home playoff games. But the Night Marchers always seem to just miss, so I have them here for now.
7.)Rutgers Silent Willies
Regular season finale loss to O'ahu has them just behind at number seven. Another team that could end up much higher than my initial ranking, last seaosn they beat all the teams they should have handily, but did not have a signature win that proved that they were for real. This season, thorpemark looks to prove me wrong and establish RSW as a contender once again.
8.)Cincinnati Norris Ninjas
After a one-season hiatus from the playoff picture, Cincy looks to get back on the winning track and get themselves a spot in the postseason. The Ninjas saw some teams leave but also find themselves trailing some of the newcomers in terms of quality of roster. They will need to pull off some superior gameplans if they wanna contend with the big boys this upcoming season.
9.)Corona Del Mar Cougars
The Cougars we a good amount behind Cincy, the proof coming from their 17-point loss near the end of the regular season. It's gonna take some work on their part to close the gap and sneak into one of the final playoff spots. PLus, they still have the new guys to contend with. A favorable Week 1 interconference matchup would go a long way.
10.)Tampa Bay Krakens
20-0 is impressive, but the levels just make me think the Krakens are gonna have a really hard time making it up at the next level. Part of me thinks slow-build, but if that's the case then they are in for a rude awakening from a conference that has been dealing with that type of gameplan for multiple seasons. Either way, Tampa looks to prove me wrong and shock a lot of people by making some noise this upcoming season.
11.)Detroit Rampage
Detroit lost to Tampa twice last season, so if I think that the Krakens are gonna have a tough time this season, I definitely think the Rampage will be having some difficulties. The levels seem to be there, but I think they might have a tough time adjusting to the next level. I would be more than pleasantly surprised were they to prove me wrong.
12.)Orange County Farmers
OC's demotion puts them in a much better position to be competitive this season. While I admit to not knowing much about their ability to gameplan or how their builds seem to look, an initial check at their levels shows that the potential is there for them to surprise some people. Do they make the playoffs? I personally don't think so, but they are my pick to change the outlook of the playoff seedings for some unsuspecting team at some point during Season 9.
13.)North Texas Cowboys
Are these guys better than I think they are? Perhaps, but they still have to prove it to me this season. Last season they were the best of the "bad" teams, and were only a win behind Corona. Unfortunately, they also lost to the Cougars 99-3. However, the Cowboys are another team not to be underestimated that's battling with OCF to see who shakes up the bottom seeds the most.
Rebuilding
14.)San Antonio
15.)Florida
16.)Seattle
1.) Sportsrant.com Stalkers
Last year's #4 seed saw the top three seeds get promoted, making them the initial team to beat in USA A#2. A close regular season contest saw them take down MM by four, but the Masterminds exacted some revenge in the playoffs. Now Kolpaz & Co. return for Season 9 looking to improve on an impressive 13-3 Season 8 campaign and get more than one home playoff game.
2.) Minneapolis Masterminds
The levels don't scare you but the results just might. MM was discarded by the eventual champion* Bootleggerz last season in the second round, and like Sportsrant, return from a 13-3 record a season ago. Some claim that this may be their year, but I'm not so quick to jump on the bandwagon. Minneapolis is my pick to challenge the top seed in these rankings for their conference crown and home playoff games.
3.)Pensacola Dolphins
With an impressive roster littered with level 50s to go along with exacting revenge over Motor City for their only regular seaosn loss, the Dolphins get the nod here for the best newcomer. No doubt their most recent victory gives them the slight edge, but they may very well be the measuring stick for how well the newcomers adjust to life in one of the better USA A leagues.
4.)Motor City Madmen
Well these guys clearly cannot be happy with how last season ended. In the season that will forever be remebered for the SI Slam, MCM just lit teams up through the air! Opposing secondaries beware, these guys will throw on you and dare you to stop them. And needless to say, they are looking forward to their rematch with Pensacola sometime in the near future.
5.)St. Louis Sidewinders
Good news: St Louis got promoted and I love their name. Bad News: They still have to deal with Pensacola and Motor City, plus a bunch of other opponents that they are currently unfamiliar with. Still, this team can score on anybody, or at least that was the case last season as they scored at least 38 in every game last season.
6.)O'ahu Night Marchers
Would I be surprised if O'ahu ended up much higher than six by the time Season 9 is all said and done? Hell no, but they fall here for now in my rankings and are more than welcome to state why they disagree. They played MM and Sportsrant both very tight last season, and look to beat up on some of the newcomers as well as exact some revenge in an attempt to take some home playoff games. But the Night Marchers always seem to just miss, so I have them here for now.
7.)Rutgers Silent Willies
Regular season finale loss to O'ahu has them just behind at number seven. Another team that could end up much higher than my initial ranking, last seaosn they beat all the teams they should have handily, but did not have a signature win that proved that they were for real. This season, thorpemark looks to prove me wrong and establish RSW as a contender once again.
8.)Cincinnati Norris Ninjas
After a one-season hiatus from the playoff picture, Cincy looks to get back on the winning track and get themselves a spot in the postseason. The Ninjas saw some teams leave but also find themselves trailing some of the newcomers in terms of quality of roster. They will need to pull off some superior gameplans if they wanna contend with the big boys this upcoming season.
9.)Corona Del Mar Cougars
The Cougars we a good amount behind Cincy, the proof coming from their 17-point loss near the end of the regular season. It's gonna take some work on their part to close the gap and sneak into one of the final playoff spots. PLus, they still have the new guys to contend with. A favorable Week 1 interconference matchup would go a long way.
10.)Tampa Bay Krakens
20-0 is impressive, but the levels just make me think the Krakens are gonna have a really hard time making it up at the next level. Part of me thinks slow-build, but if that's the case then they are in for a rude awakening from a conference that has been dealing with that type of gameplan for multiple seasons. Either way, Tampa looks to prove me wrong and shock a lot of people by making some noise this upcoming season.
11.)Detroit Rampage
Detroit lost to Tampa twice last season, so if I think that the Krakens are gonna have a tough time this season, I definitely think the Rampage will be having some difficulties. The levels seem to be there, but I think they might have a tough time adjusting to the next level. I would be more than pleasantly surprised were they to prove me wrong.
12.)Orange County Farmers
OC's demotion puts them in a much better position to be competitive this season. While I admit to not knowing much about their ability to gameplan or how their builds seem to look, an initial check at their levels shows that the potential is there for them to surprise some people. Do they make the playoffs? I personally don't think so, but they are my pick to change the outlook of the playoff seedings for some unsuspecting team at some point during Season 9.
13.)North Texas Cowboys
Are these guys better than I think they are? Perhaps, but they still have to prove it to me this season. Last season they were the best of the "bad" teams, and were only a win behind Corona. Unfortunately, they also lost to the Cougars 99-3. However, the Cowboys are another team not to be underestimated that's battling with OCF to see who shakes up the bottom seeds the most.
Rebuilding
14.)San Antonio
15.)Florida
16.)Seattle
