Without (further) preamble....
Offical World League postulations and prognostications regarding the important events that follow day 32, but precede day 40.
Alpha
Lincoln Navigators 12-0-0
Lincoln has shown no mercy on the Alpha conference, pounding the ball with Big Shirley and lobbing an amazing amount of TD passes with the extraordinary Riverboat Gambler. No team has really played them close, with Belfast (surprisingly) being their toughest game...a 12 point win. Add to that the fact that they demolished current Zeta leader 3KW in week one, and you have to admit that these guys currently appear unstoppable.
MEM, Marblehead and Mayan all have a shot at ruining the first ever perfect WL season, but the odds are looking pretty long for an upset at this point.
We will see if they have any gas-pedal left for playoff mode.
Mayan Prophecy 12-0-0
Mayan had a mildly impressive 8-0 record at the halfway point, but hadn't played teams that knew much about winning.
That all changed in week 11 with a surprising (to many at least) 44-41 victory over MEM.
They still have a very difficult road ahead with Marblehead, Haliblack, Cincy and Lincoln to close out the season.
I don't think we know just how good these guys are yet, but it seems clear that they are a *lot* better than most folks thought just a few days ago.
SLAP, imo.
Haliblack Explosionaries 10-2-0
The traditional mix of lulz and uber-dots with a dash of Darth Axheme has had continued success this season, and they look to have an excellent chance of defending their WL title on days 37 and 39. They were dismantled by Lincoln in the regular season, but they have always shown the ability to step things up for the playoffs.
Monmouth Evil Monkeys 10-2-0
Another strong regular season showing for MEM, though the recent loss to Mayan may point to a little less dominance than we are used to seeing from the Monkeys. They will send a message to the league in tomorrow's game vs Lincoln, but will that be a primal roar of face fucking, or the whimper of a whipped cur?
Either way, it's tough to see how they could fall further than 13-3.
Cincinnati Shockers 8-4-0
8 in the pink and 4 in the stink is anatomically improbable, but at least it's in the right ratio. The Shockers do not appear as sharp as previous Cincy teams as they offered little to no resistance against MEM or Lincoln, and have dropped games against Singapore and HHW as well. Even Pa Dong played them tough.
With Haliblack and Mayan still to go, these guys will be hard pressed to find a path towards a home playoff game. Nevertheless, these folks know their dotball and could cause trouble in the playoffs.
Korb Destroyers 6-6-0
Singapore Flames 6-6-0
Marblehead Longhorns 6-6-0
These teams currently have the pole position for a season 13 encore performance, but the difference in strength of schedule for remaining games is remarkable.
Singapore should coast through the next 4 without too much danger, while Korb and Marblehead each play Mayan, Lincoln and each other. Week 15 could be very significant, as either of these two teams could get caught from behind.
Sofia Spiders 5-7-0
Angola Spider Monkeez 5-7-0
Belfast Commandos 4-8-0
These folks are hoping for the best, but they all need some help from the rest of the league if they want to see the dream continue.
Angola probably has the inside track, with a little more generous final 4 games.
Prediction:
Lincoln, Mayan, MEM and Haliblack all host first round games, and day 37 will be a mighty struggle between Haliblack and Lincoln with the outcome too close to call.
Zeta
(to be continued)
