First off, let me say thanks again to the league in general. It's been a heckuva fun season and despite me having to do a good bit of looking up at some better teams, I can honestly say this has been my most enjoyable season with Wallachia (ok maybe the 20-0 season was the MOST fun but this is the most fun I've had getting my tail kicked on occasion). Now on to the rankings.
1) Kiev (14-0) - What can be said that hasn't already been said? There's talk the Dynamo will change their name to the Kiev Chris Browns and start referring to Elephant as the Rhianna division but this is just an unfounded rumor as Rhianna put up a much better fight than anyone else in Elephant this season. Really interested in seeing that game with the Fish in week 16.
2) Pretoria (13-1) - Still hard to see who the top team is in Lion as they all just seem to beat each other up. Still, these guys are gonna cruise to 15-1 and losing only one game in Lion is saying something.
3) Sahara (13-1) - Another matchup I'd love to see and I think there's a good chance of it in the Elephant finals is the Storm/Dynamo rematch. Kiev dominated the first meeting but I keep looking at scores and stats and I really think those teams are a lot closer than that first score indicated.
4) Bamako (12-2) - OK I'm drinking the Kool Aid. That opening loss to Kiev aside, the Magic has been the most consistent team in Lion. They are solid all the way around and only have to get by Wallachia in week 16 to secure the 2nd seed.
5) Taipei (12-2) - I'm convinced these guys are for real....however I'm not convinced they should be this high. I don't think they can beat Kiev but then I've underestimated them before. They'll have the chance to prove their mettle in 2 games (although with 3rd seed wrapped up, do they tip their hand?)
6) Ironton (12-2) - I have them ahead of Thompson simply because they looked more impressive than the Hunters in their narrow loss to Bamako and their beatdown of Wallachia. Stat will have these guys ready for the playoffs.
7) Thompson (11-3) - Still think you can flip a 4 headed coin in Lion and not be wrong no matter how it lands. They're as good as Pretoria....and Bamako.....and Ironton....on any given week. It does look like that opening week loss to the Fish means they will have to face Wallachia in round 1 and that was a whale of a game the first time.
8) Wallachia (10-4) - Dangerous offensive team that has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball which is what appears to separate them from the big 4 in Lion. It appears they'll get a chance at a rematch with the Hunters in the playoffs provided they don't overlook the streaking Samoans (ugh I just had an image of naked wrestlers).
9) Darfur Depopulators (9-5) - One of the hottest teams in either conference winning 9 of their last 10 games. There matchup this week with the Little Fish looks to be a good one and if Taipei is looking ahead to Kiev, the genocidists could make things tough for the Fish.
10) Lake Opeta (10-4) - I readily admit I'm ignorant of these guys but on a talent basis, I think there are several teams not listed that are stronger teams. But they have managed to pull out some close games against quality teams so whether it's luck or just kick ass coordinating, they are winning the close ones so they deserve a top 10 ranking.
Honorable Mention: Samoan(I knew these guys would be making noise by this time of the year), Fat Jaws, Zimbabwe, Samoli
GOTW Lion:
Wallachia vs Samoan: Man this is a game I wish Wallachia got to play early in the season when Samoan had like negative 21 chemistry. The Madness is on a winning streak and I'm pretty sure if they ran into Somali and Uganda again right now, there's a good chance the outcome would be different. Samoan brings their conference leading rushing attack to Wallachia to face a schizophrenic Wamphryii defense. The Wamphryii meanwhile boast the
top aerial attack in Lion and will look to mount a full scale blitz of the Madness secondary. In the end, I think Wallachia will prove too much to contain but I'm pretty certain the Madness will get in plenty of licks. Wallachia 48-34
GOTW Elephant:
Taipei vs Darfur: Taipei can totally establish themselves as one of the elite with a dominating performance against the very hot Depopulators. On the flip side, Taipei can go 0-2 and still be 3rd seed. Mathematically there's still a chance for the Fish to slip into the 2nd seed, the chances of them winning out and Sahara losing their last two is almost as small as the chance that Clay Aiken's rectum has never had latex friction burns. Meanwhile, Darfur can nail down the 5th seed and a shot at what appears to be the most winnable road playoff game in Elephant by finishing out the year 2-0. I can see this one going either way but I've bet against the Fish enough this year so I'll guess Taipei 20-16.
1) Kiev (14-0) - What can be said that hasn't already been said? There's talk the Dynamo will change their name to the Kiev Chris Browns and start referring to Elephant as the Rhianna division but this is just an unfounded rumor as Rhianna put up a much better fight than anyone else in Elephant this season. Really interested in seeing that game with the Fish in week 16.
2) Pretoria (13-1) - Still hard to see who the top team is in Lion as they all just seem to beat each other up. Still, these guys are gonna cruise to 15-1 and losing only one game in Lion is saying something.
3) Sahara (13-1) - Another matchup I'd love to see and I think there's a good chance of it in the Elephant finals is the Storm/Dynamo rematch. Kiev dominated the first meeting but I keep looking at scores and stats and I really think those teams are a lot closer than that first score indicated.
4) Bamako (12-2) - OK I'm drinking the Kool Aid. That opening loss to Kiev aside, the Magic has been the most consistent team in Lion. They are solid all the way around and only have to get by Wallachia in week 16 to secure the 2nd seed.
5) Taipei (12-2) - I'm convinced these guys are for real....however I'm not convinced they should be this high. I don't think they can beat Kiev but then I've underestimated them before. They'll have the chance to prove their mettle in 2 games (although with 3rd seed wrapped up, do they tip their hand?)
6) Ironton (12-2) - I have them ahead of Thompson simply because they looked more impressive than the Hunters in their narrow loss to Bamako and their beatdown of Wallachia. Stat will have these guys ready for the playoffs.
7) Thompson (11-3) - Still think you can flip a 4 headed coin in Lion and not be wrong no matter how it lands. They're as good as Pretoria....and Bamako.....and Ironton....on any given week. It does look like that opening week loss to the Fish means they will have to face Wallachia in round 1 and that was a whale of a game the first time.
8) Wallachia (10-4) - Dangerous offensive team that has been inconsistent on both sides of the ball which is what appears to separate them from the big 4 in Lion. It appears they'll get a chance at a rematch with the Hunters in the playoffs provided they don't overlook the streaking Samoans (ugh I just had an image of naked wrestlers).
9) Darfur Depopulators (9-5) - One of the hottest teams in either conference winning 9 of their last 10 games. There matchup this week with the Little Fish looks to be a good one and if Taipei is looking ahead to Kiev, the genocidists could make things tough for the Fish.
10) Lake Opeta (10-4) - I readily admit I'm ignorant of these guys but on a talent basis, I think there are several teams not listed that are stronger teams. But they have managed to pull out some close games against quality teams so whether it's luck or just kick ass coordinating, they are winning the close ones so they deserve a top 10 ranking.
Honorable Mention: Samoan(I knew these guys would be making noise by this time of the year), Fat Jaws, Zimbabwe, Samoli
GOTW Lion:
Wallachia vs Samoan: Man this is a game I wish Wallachia got to play early in the season when Samoan had like negative 21 chemistry. The Madness is on a winning streak and I'm pretty sure if they ran into Somali and Uganda again right now, there's a good chance the outcome would be different. Samoan brings their conference leading rushing attack to Wallachia to face a schizophrenic Wamphryii defense. The Wamphryii meanwhile boast the
top aerial attack in Lion and will look to mount a full scale blitz of the Madness secondary. In the end, I think Wallachia will prove too much to contain but I'm pretty certain the Madness will get in plenty of licks. Wallachia 48-34
GOTW Elephant:
Taipei vs Darfur: Taipei can totally establish themselves as one of the elite with a dominating performance against the very hot Depopulators. On the flip side, Taipei can go 0-2 and still be 3rd seed. Mathematically there's still a chance for the Fish to slip into the 2nd seed, the chances of them winning out and Sahara losing their last two is almost as small as the chance that Clay Aiken's rectum has never had latex friction burns. Meanwhile, Darfur can nail down the 5th seed and a shot at what appears to be the most winnable road playoff game in Elephant by finishing out the year 2-0. I can see this one going either way but I've bet against the Fish enough this year so I'll guess Taipei 20-16.
Edited by ScullyDawg on Mar 7, 2010 08:39:22
