Super-BIG Showdown
(REPOST) More than just a play on words, the Week 9 Game of the Week in the Super 16 between #4 BIGDOGINTEX (5-3-0) and the #5 Los Angeles Super Chargers (5-3-0) is indeed a super-big match-up. The importance of this game was all set up by a 3 point swing of stat corrections after the Week 8 BIGDOG-BowMen game that caused a reversal of outcome. Initially, BowMen had enjoyed a victory by just a single point, which would have given them control of the West Division and ranked them #3 overall in the league. It also would have left BIGDOG a full 2 games back in the South Division and Los Angeles in third place in the West.
But now, thanks to the reversal, BowMen has fallen to #10, and we have a #4 vs #5 match-up with major implications for the South and West Division Titles as well as eventual seeding ramifications. BIGDOGINTEX is only a single game back from the division leader Who Dats, with a total points advantage but a head-to-head loss. A win in this game – particularly if the Who Dats lose to the BowMen – would set up a real heavyweight fight when the two meet again next week. For the Super Chargers, restored to first place in the West, a win would keep them there as they head into the final stretch with 3 division matches ahead of them over the final four. If BowMen were to lose this week, or if the Firebirds could pull off an upset vs 1 Eye in the other Western game, Los Angeles could stretch their lead to two games, and considering their 1-2 division record and a total points deficit to the rest of the West Division, that would be monumental.
The teams have faced each other once before, in Week 6 of last season, a game in which the Chargers dominated, winning 210-138. los Angeles is 2-0 vs South Division teams this year, but BIGDOG is 3-0 against them in 2016, and the Chargers would make it a sweep. Previously, they were an abysmal 1-5 against teams in the West Division going all the way back to 2012. This season, however, BIGDOG is averaging an impressive 193 pointsd per game while Los Angeles clocks in at just 181. This is reflected in the latest Vegas line which installs BIGDOGINTEX as a whopping 30 point favorite.