Associated Fantasy

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Super 16 

1 Fin And A Win

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SUPER 16 – The defending 2016 Super 16 Champs, the Northern Fins, proved they weren’t ready to give up the title yet, defending it against the league #1, AF#18 1 Eye Til I Die in the Week 9, special Sunday Night Football SimulPlay edition of the Game of the Week.  This match was 1 Eye’s to lose, and that’s exactly what they did, after leading from the very start, sometimes by a sizable margin, the black and silver just couldn’t put this one away, allowing the Champs to creep back into it.  Thanks to some very late game heroics, including a one handed circus catch by the Fins’ star receiver, the Northern Fins did what their parent organization couldn’t do, and turned the tide in the final minutes to steal a 190-177 win from the Raider franchise.  The defending champs come away with a 6-3-0 record, good enough for 3rd overall in the league and a 1 game lead on the East Division.

Just the third loss of the season for Coach Mac’s 1 Eye, they now sit at 6-3-0 and remain ranked 5th in the league and 3rd in total scoring, however they now fall to second in the West, a game behind the AF#7 Arizona Firebirds who completed a season sweep of AF#11 SF’s BowMen with a hard fought 199-173 SimulPlay victory.  At 7-2-0, Coach Crash’s Firebirds are now ranked #1 in the league for the first time all season, and also holds the #1 spot on the total scoring list.  Their only two losses have been to division foes – to Dem Bucking Broncs, who they split with, and to 1 Eye who they’ll finish the regular season against in Week 13.  BowMen are now 3rd in the West and 6th overall with their 5-4-0 record and their position as the second leading scorer in the league.  The Broncs dropped their third game in a row in Week 9, 145-183 to Eagle has landed, and while not yet mathematically eliminated, at 3-6-0, their chances for a post season look slimmer than an anorexic rodeo clown.

The AF#12 Birds of Prey became the league’s second 7-2-0 franchise after completing their own sweep of divisional rival Who Dat Saints, 167-158.  A mere 11 points is the combined margin of victory for the Birds in their two games against the rival Saints this year, but they now have a 3 game lead on the 4-5-0 Who Dats in the standings.  The rest of the South is sitting at 4-5-0 as well, BIGDOGINTEX after beating Steel Curtain 157-113, and WTF HOUSTON after being absolutely demolished by The Indy-structibles 140-225.  With just two more wins over the next 4 games, Roger Tripp’s Birds will clinch the South Division for the fourth time in the past five seasons.

Indy’s blow-up performance against HOUSTON gives them a win and a 3-6-0 record, but does little in the way of helping their division standing.  The Dawg Pound tightened their hold on the North Division after pounding the single win BEARMINATORS into submission with a 151-116 score and bettering their record to 6-3-0.  That gives meigzoh’s Cleveland franchise a two game lead after the Motor City Kitties suffered a 215-173 loss to Geno’s Jaw Breakers and stumble to a 4-5-0 record.  The Jaw Breakers keep pace with the Northern Fins in the East with the win, getting their record to 5-4-0.  They also have two head to head wins and a hundred point lead in total scoring over the defending champs should they be able to tie the Fins’ record in the division race.

2017 Playoff Preview:

Now 4 weeks left to go in the Super 16 regular season, no team has yet clinched a playoff spot – and no team is yet mathematically eliminated, no, not even the BEARMINATORS – but here’s how things are shaping up for now.  First tiebreaker for standings ties is total points, followed by head to head.

Division Leaders:

  • Arizona Firebirds 7-2-0 (have #1 seed/first round bye as of right now)
  • Birds of Prey 7-2-0 (have #2 seed/first round bye as of right now)
  • Dawg Pound 6-3-0 (#3 seed – have a 3 point lead over the Fins)
  • Northern Fins 6-3-0 (#4 seed)

Wild Card Race:

  1. 1 Eye Til I Die 6-2-0 1735 points
  2. SF’s BowMen 5-4-0 1771 points
  3. Geno’s Jaw Breakers 5-4-0 1650 points
  4. Who Dat Saints 4-5-0 1639 points (has points advantage over all 4-5 teams)