Associated Fantasy

"Its fine to have ability, but the ability to find ability in others is the true test" -Lou Holtz

Super 16 

Preying On Dawgs

associatedfantasy , , ,

SUPER 16 – The Week 12 Game of the Week in the Super 16 featured a pair of league powerhouse teams, one that’s already secured the South Division Championship, and another that’s chasing the North Division title.  Big games are nothing new for either of these franchises, the AF#15 Birds of Prey and The Dawg Pound each having been featured in countless GOW’s, but it was just the third time in 6 seasons that the two had faced each other head to head.  This match got off to a slow start on Thanksgiving Day, but the Birds’ offense exploded from the start of play on Sunday and kept it in high gear.  Led by their hometeam Ryan to Jones QB-WR tandem, the Birds got a combined 81 points out of their two stars, with another 97 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the ground from their halfback Tevin Coleman for 21 more points.   The Birds were firing on all cylinders and The Dawg Pound just could not keep up with the #2 scoring team in the League with the final score 216-175 after some garbage time scoring on Monday night.

Following the win, Roger Tripp’s Birds advance to 9-3-0 and have now secured a first round bye in the playoffs, though they’ll still be playing next week to determine whether they’ll be the #1 or #2 seed.  The good news for meigzoh’s Dawg Pound is that division rival Motor City also lost this week, stalling, 128-140 against BIGDOGINTEX in the Super 16’s anual Thanksgiving Classic.  The Dawgs now hold a 7-5-0 record, still a game ahead of the Kitties at 6-6-0, with a head to head season finale scheduled for next week.  Motor City’s loss, though, means that in order for them to win the division, they’ll need to not only beat the Dawgs, but do it by a substantial enough margin to overtake them in total points which they currently trail by 145.  The Dawgs, conversely, will win the North Division Championship either with a win or by losing by less than a 145 point margin, meaning the match will be mostly just a formality.

The AF#3 Arizona Firebirds failed, this week, to secure their historic 50th win, instead losing 206-225 to Northern Fins despite a valient comeback attempt.  Despite the loss, they’ve backed into the West Division Championship and secured a first round bye in the post season thanks to matching losses by AF#13 SF’s BowMen and AF#25 1 Eye Til I Die.  Now 9-3-0 the Firebirds are once again tied at the top with Birds of Prey and the final week of the regular season will determine which team gets the #1 seed and which gets the #2.  Arizona has a significant points lead, so if both of them win or both of them lose, the western birds will be the #1 and the eastern birds will get the #2.

In the East, the Defending Champion Northern Fins have given themselves control of their own destiny with the victory over Arizona.  They’ll play the expansion Bucking Broncos (5-7-0) next week in the season finale, and if they win, they’ll win the Eastern Division title.  Just one game back in the standings, though are a pair of teams that are both getting very hot, perhaps a bit too late.  Eagle has landed broke the Jaw Breakers 236-159 this week, and Steel Curtain broke another scoring record this week, this one putting them at #3 of all-time single game scoring in their 280-148 demolition of SF’s BowMen.  The two of them will face off in the second half of the S16’s Pennsylvania Classic, and with both teams at 6-6-0, the winner will be 7-6-0.  If the Fins lose, the winner of the Steel-Eagle match will tie with them in the standings, but have a points advantage and will win the Eastern Division Title.

With both of them at 7-5-0, Bowmen and 1 Eye still have the inside track for the pair of Wild Card slots; if each of them win in Week 13, they have them.  But if either or both of the western runners-up lose in their finales, then it becomes a points race between them and any 6-6-0 team that wins their final game to advance to 7-5-0 and Northern Fins if they lose their last one.  Going into Week 13, the points list for a 7-6-0 Wild Card looks like this:

  1. Steel Curtain (if Fins win)- 2346.50
  2. Who Dat Saints – 2285.00
  3. SF’s BowMen (if they lose in Week 13) – 2246.00
  4. 1 Eye Til I Die (if they lose in Week 13) – 2229.50
  5. Eagle has landed (if Fins win) – 2187.50
  6. Northern Fins (if they lose in Week 13) – 2092.50
  7. Motor City Kitties – 2036.50
  8. The Indy-structibles – 1899.00

Never before have we had so many playoff elligible teams going into the final week; it should be thrilling.