AFFL on ASPN: Playoff Race in Primetime
With the playoff race heating up in the AFFL‘s inaugural season, the league announced this week that ASPN has agreed to feature 3 different Week 11 Highlight Games, nationally televised in primetime over the weekend, and the match-ups selected couldn’t be bigger.
In the International Division, AF#17 Italian Wranglers and AF#24 BC Blitz are all wrapped up in 6-4 ties with Tracy and Bicton, and the Division Championship is shaping up like a death match. The Wranglers and Blitz are nominally at the top, the #1 and #2 scoring (total scoring) teams in the league right now (#4 and #2, respectively in defensive scoring). British Columbia owns the head to head tiebreaker thanks to a 235-214 win over Italy in the Week 3 Highlight Game, and they own the second tiebreaker as well with a 5-1 division record to Italy’s 3-2. This is must win territory for both teams, and is projected to be much lower scoring than these two are used to. The Blitz are huge favorites with the Wrangler’s QB on bye.
AF#24 Blitz – AF#17 Wranglers
6-4-0 – 6-4-0
Coach vs Coach
1-0 – 0-1
Spread
+40 – -40
Results
W 165 – 143
In the East Division, the AF#13 Pittsburgh Maulers (7-4-0) have been smashing their opponents, winning 3 of their last 4 and are #1 in the league ASPN’s Power Rankings (#2 in the AP Polls) They’re very close to locking up the division with their standings rank and 4-2 division record, but the AF#32 Miami Stallions (6-4-0) stand in their way with a Week 3 head to head victory (226-191) and a 3-2 division scratch. Miami’s Coach has the historical advantage between the two from Dixie League Match-ups (Everglades City vs Sanfor/Miami). Rumor has it, Stallion team officials have organized a watch party at a West Palm strip club after the game was moved to Florida because of a conflicting Jr High game at the Mauler’s home field.
AF#13 Maulers – AF#32 Stallions
7-3-0 – 6-4-0
Coach vs Coach
2-4 – 4-2
Spread
+12 – -12
Results
142 – 242 W
The top of the fight card this week would have to be the AF#35 Raleigh Gunslingers (8-2-0) squaring off with the AF#26 Henderson Gamblers (7-3-0). Each of these clubs are in a tight division race – Raleigh just a hair ahead of AF#27 Siloam Springs (7-3-0) in the South and Henderson trailing AF#37 San Quentin (8-2-0) by just a game in the West. Siloam Springs and San Quentin are each playing the worst teams in the league this week, making this even more of a must win for Raleigh and Henderson. Henderson has the league’s #1 scoring offense, but Raleigh has a 9 point edge in the spread as these two AF League Rookie coaches meet for the first time.
