Fourth-and-Goal (Div 4) – Week 8
16-03-2013 12:00 AM
We’re winding down. I’m really excited about the play of the division as the competition heats up. Here’s to hoping that we’ve only just touched upon it, and there’s a whole lot more excitement to come.
Power Rankings
1. The Incredibles – 30 TDs spread amongst 3 receivers. A defense that has allowed just under 30 TDs as well. Is there any doubt that they should be anywhere but first?
2. Toute Garnie – It looks like if all goes according to plan, and barring any hiccups along the way, we’ll be in for a treat when The Incredibles and Toute Garnie meet in the semifinals. All Dressed have had past inconsistencies (either on offense or defense) but it seems that everything has been ironed out this time around.
3. Gators – The Gators seem to be in the habit of making statement wins, toppling the perceived top-dogs whenever presented with the opportunity.
4. Mustangs du Gridiron – They’ve got an arsenal of capable players, and show up to win every time.
5. The Commission – I like seeing The Commission playing spoilers. They’ve had three 2-point wins in crunch time against three top-ten teams. This may be an indication of what The Commission are capable against the top dogs.
6. Sea Assassins – A loss last week hurt them, but it seems to be the most difficulty they’ll see until playoff time. They’ve got the opportunity to go back to their winning ways and iron out any of the problems that remain.
7. La Sauce – Well, looks like this dry spell is over. With the return of Francois Raymond, this might just be the lowest spot on the power rankings that La Sauce will see.
8. Spartans – A deadly one-two punch of a hard-hitting offense and an incredibly nimble and quick quarterback. They might be the team that surprises one of the top seeds.
9. Broccasion – Broccasion look to have an average record, until you take notice and see that they’ve faced a lot of the playoff-bound teams of their conference. While it’s different for them being a darkhorse team rather than a frontrunner, here they are.
10. Bruizers – Strong, but not contenders just yet. They look solid, but have fallen apart in games where they face experienced teams. They’ll get an opportunity to prove me wrong this week.
Playoff Projection
Well, I’m guessing that a good 90% of my readership (at least what remains of it) are here solely to see where their team sits in relation to everyone else in the conference. So, I’ve indulged. For those few of you who are actually here to see my opinion on things, here it is:
I’m really interested in the amount of movement that has been going on at the top of Conference B and the lack thereof in Conference A. I predicted in the preseason that the future Division 4 champions would come from Conference A, and it doesn’t seem to be disappointing (mostly evidenced by the fact that the top four teams seem to be sitting there comfortably (at least for now). In all honesty, having two undefeated teams in Conference A really does make it a lot tighter for the other teams, whereas it’s going to be a photo-finish for even the top dogs of Conference B.
Conference A Points Wins +/- Divisional
1 The Incredibles 16 8 216 3-0
2 Toute Garnie 16 8 168 3-0
3 La Sauce 12 6 63 3-0
4 Sea Assassins 12 6 80 1-2
5 #NoRegard (+3) 12 6 23 2-1
6 Park-X-Streets (+4) 10 5 -4 3-0
7 Clockwork (-2) 10 5 46 2-1
8 FTP 2.0 (+3) 10 5 -1 2-1
9 Falcons (-3) 10 5 -17 2-1
10 69ers (+2) 10 5 35 1-2
11 Knights (-4) 10 5 6 1-2
12 Patriotes (-3) 8 4 17 2-1
–
13 Cool Kidz 7 3 -36 0-2-1
14 Rogues (+3) 7 3 -21 3-0
15 Yari’s Autonomics (+3) 6 3 -40 3-0
16 Dark Side (+3) 6 3 16 1-2
17 Outlaws (-3) 6 3 -6 1-2
18 Green Nation (+3) 6 3 -38 1-2
19 Discount Double Check (-4) 6 3 -88 1-2
20 Marauders (-4) 6 2 -56 0-2-1
21 Underrated (-1) 4 2 -48 0-3
22 Pitbulls 2 1 -58 0-3
23 Vis Motus 0 0 -126 0-3
24 Thunder 0 0 -131 0-3
Conference B Points Wins +/- Divisional
1 Mustangs du Gridiron (+2) 14 7 127 3-0
2 Les Buddays 13 6 108 2-0-1
3 Smokin’ Aces (-2) 13 6 140 2-1
4 Ball Busters (+2) 10 5 -34 2-1
5 The Commission (-1) 12 6 38 2-1
6 Gators (-1) 12 6 49 3-0
7 Spartans (+1) 10 5 76 2-1
8 Bruizers (+1) 10 5 79 1-2
9 Broccasion (-2) 9 4 25 2-0-1
10 No Punt Intended (+2) 8 4 74 3-0
11 Certified Flyguyz (+4) 8 4 21 2-1
12 The Family (+2) 8 4 38 2-1
–
13 Gunslingers (+5) 8 4 6 1-2
14 Backyard Bullies (-4) 8 4 -45 0-3
15 Sphinx (-4) 7 3 -36 1-2
16 Coyotes (-2) 6 3 -7 2-1
17 Past Our Prime (-1) 6 3 -21 1-2
18 Football Old Timers Club (-1) 6 3 -56 1-2
19 SWCP Bulldogs 6 3 -44 0-3
20 Longhorns 5 2 -80 1-2
21 KGP Lite 5 2 12 0-3
22 Channel 4 News Team 4 2 -60 1-2
23 Nutcrackers 4 2 -153 1-2
24 Maccabi 0 0 -257 0-3
Teams that need to watch out:
Knights: They’ve fallen four spots, have a weak divisional record (1-2) and are on the cusp of falling out of the playoff race.
Patriotes: Have one point on the Rogues who are 3-0 and closing fast. Their next two games are must-win for them, and will be VERY gritty.
Backyard Bullies, Sphinx: Two teams that have been inconsistent throughout the season and have both dropped FOUR spots each to have them (as of now) lose their playoff spots.
Teams to watch out for:
Dark Side: They lost their first four, and are now four wins in a row on fire. I also have firsthand experience on exactly how good Leon Holder can be when he catches fire.
Gators: They’re 3-0 divisionally, and have the tiebreaker on Smokin’ Aces if they falter in one of the two next games.
Park-X Streets: Similar boat as the Gators. Two winnable games coming up and are currently 3-0 in their division as well, with the tiebreaker on Sea Assassins.
The thoughts
Here’s where I think that things get interesting. Conference B has a five-way tie for the last three spots, and Conference A has a SIX way tie for spots 6-11. HOWEVER, I don’t think that we’re going to see a lot of movement. I think that the top twelve have already established their presence throughout the weeks, and they’re there to stay. So I’m going to make a bold prediction and say that, aside from internal movement, I think that the 24 that are in the running are going to be there to stay. If there is ONE team that will make the jump in, it’s going to be Dark Side.
Quick Picks
Well, I persevere. I’m covering a division that is not my own, and I’m doing my utmost to keep up. Well, if I’m going to be wrong, I might as well do it in style.
Football Old Timers Club vs. Gunslingers
Marauders vs. Underrated
Coyotes vs. Backyard Bullies
Cool Kidz vs. #NoRegard
Falcons vs. Thunder
Gators vs. SWCP Bulldogs – Gators
Sea Assassins vs. FTP 2.0 – Sea Assassins
Green Nation vs. The Incredibles – The Incredibles
Ball Busters vs. Chanel 4 News Team – Channel 4 News Team
Patriotes vs. 69ers – 69ers
Broccasion vs. Sphinx – Broccasion
Mustangs du Gridiron vs. Spartans – Spartans
Vis Motus vs. Dark Side – Dark Side
The Family vs. Bruizers – The Family
Smokin’ Aces vs. Certified Flyguyz – Smokin’ Aces
Outlaws vs. Rogues – Outlaws
Longhorns vs. No Punt Intended – No Punt Intended
Toute Garnie vs. Discount Double Check – Toute Garnie
Past Our Prime vs. Nutcrackers – Past Our Prime
Knights vs. Clockwork – Clockwork
Les Buddays vs. KGP Lite – Les Buddays
The Commission vs. Maccabi – The Commission
Pitbulls vs. Park-X Streets – Park-X Streets
La Sauce vs. Yari’s Autonomics – La Sauce
Final remarks
Well, that’s it for me again this week. Thanks for the patience with the last-minute submissions and the like. Just so you know, I’m just as excited as the most of you are for playoffs, and it’s going to be where this article really shines. HOWEVER, we still have a week to go, so I’ll see you next week with the last of the regular season articles!