Greeting dear reader, it has been some time now since we've last spoke. In an effort to reengage with the league, I've decide I'm going to need far more fake money than I currently have. To do that I figured now is as good a time as any to try and predict the upcoming 27th season of the ISFL. In this first edition I'm going to be taking a look at the ASFC. I will give you what I think are the positives and negatives for each team as best I can. Though it's impossible to tell exactly who will be where given the introduction of a new sim. This of course comes with the disadvantage of not knowing immediately what strategies work best. Though I have experimented with the new sim in limited capacity. I'm not sure I understand it enough to claim for certain what works and what doesn't.
To begin with, let's take a look at fan favorite, the Orange County Otters. Now there is good reason to believe that the Otters will once again be the team to beat in the ASFC. However that being said, I have a few major concerns that leave me to wonder if maybe they will fall short. Before we get to that though, let's look at the positive. For one thing, and this will be a theme among this series. Orange county currently has 7 players over one thousand TPE. Now this is where my opinion comes in. I personally believe based on my very limited testing in the new sim. The players you'd want at one thousand tpe or higher are in the following order of importance. QB, CB, LB, RB, DE, WR, S, OL, DT, TE, K. Depending upon of course whatever scheme a given team is trying to run. In that regard, Orange County is incredibly well rounded. Only missing on RB, K, WR, and OL. The more deductive of you will have noticed they have filled all their defensive positions with a player at a thousand tpe or higher. The fantasy player inside me would tell you right now that OCO's defense is a front runner to be the best this season. As we'll get into later, I believe they also benefit from playing in a conference where there are some teams I expect to struggle offensively. However, I have two major concerns about OCO this season. One less obvious than the other. The first important note is that OCO is severely lacking in their rushing ability. After trading runningback Tatsu Nakamura this offseason, they are left with 2 rookies under 400 tpe. This could cause quite an issue against some of the defenses they are up against this season. My second less conventional concern, is their kicker. Some of you may be wondering why this is a concern. Simply put, having a regressing kicker could be the difference in a close game. While I still believe that OCO are the top team in the ASFC, they certainly aren't without faults.
Final Prediction: Worst (7-9) Best (10-6)
Next, I want to take a look at a team that I think is incredibly volatile. The Honolulu Hahalua could in my mind land almost anywhere on the standings. With 4 players over a thousand tpe. They may not strike you as incredible on that alone. However, having a DE, LB, and S over that mark. It is certainly possible for them to have a strong defensive performance. Looking at S26, the Hahalua led the league in TFLs and PDs, were second in INTs, and fourth in tackles. Certainly not too shabby however, Honolulu had the fourth lowest sack numbers. This of course was before gucci switched positions. My concern of course lies upon the offensive side of the ball. Having their QB go IA, and their WRs and RBs among the lower end of the spectrum certainly paints a grim picture. With that being said, I'm of the belief that Honolulu could be this seasons version of the San Jose Sabercats of seasons prior. A team many people believe to fall far short of .500 somehow finding themselves in the playoffs. Of course I'm not certain Honolulu would have the ability to beat some of the NSFC teams we'll talk about in that article. I believe the Hahalua are in prime position to build a very strong team with their current veterans and developing newcomers. It may just take a bit of luck.
Final Prediction: Worst (2-14) Best (9-7)
This is the part that gets a bit, shall we say murky? I think these next three teams are all very similar, and could find themselves with a tied record. Of course it would then come down to who I believe would win a tiebreaker. Without knowing the schedule, I'm not sure I can be overly confident with either of these three winning it just yet. So in an effort to properly rank these teams, I'll rank them based on who I think could finish with the worst record.
Starting with the aforementioned San Jose. The Sabercats are in my eyes one of if not the most stable team in the ASFC with all the unknowns about S27. Despite having 7 players over a thousand, I'm not sure if I'm confident with them being a super power team. A lot of that uncertainty comes down to their secondary. While they have a lot of young developing talent at corner and safety. It doesn't feel like they have a true number one option just yet. Perhaps in the future one or all of them will develop into a lethal three piece package. As it currently stands however, l think it will come down to scheduling. However, having a QB, RB, and WR over a thousand, and their secondary options close behind. I think it's safe to say San Jose will pose quite the threat to some of the other teams in this division. Will it be enough to accelerate them to their 3rd playoff appearance in four seasons? Who's to say for sure.
Final Prediction: Worst (7-9) Best (9-7)
The next team in this middle ground is the New York Silverbacks. In similarity with San Jose, New York has a lot of promising young talent. With only three players above the thousand tpe mark. The question becomes whether or not that talent will be enough to push New York over the cusp. What leaves me to suspect they'll be worse off than the Sabercats is their offensive capabilities. While not nearly as dire as Orange County or another team on this list. I have questions about their rushing attack. Especially in a conference with so many teams invested heavily on their defense. However on the other side of that coin. Their wide receiving corps isn't bad. Their QB former Pythons legend Sam Howitzer should be able to break the thousand tpe benchmark by seasons end as well, putting them in excellent position for the future. Of course with that being said we need to focus on the present. Do the silverbacks have enough to be good now? Maybe. I think they have enough talent offensively to offset their questions at runningback, but what about defensively? Having all three of their players over a thousand on defense certainly helps. Though their depth isn't quite as strong. Most notably at defensive end, they may struggle to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
Final Prediction: Worst (6-10) Best (9-7)
Now we're getting into the 3 teams from this conference I personally feel have the lowest odds at making a playoff run this season. We'll start with former ASFC champions, the New Orleans Second Line. Of course some of you have valid reasons to question why I'd have the Second Line fall so far from where they were. For me though it's quite simple. New Orleans suffers from much of the limitations as San Jose or Orange County, without having the depth of talent to make up for it. Having four players above the thousand TPE benchmark. The two primary areas of concern for NOLA. Linebacker and runningback. I know that Rotchburns had an fairly decent rookie campaign, but with the new sims math and introduction of a new "competitiveness" stat. I'm not sure if it will carry over. Luckily though, much like SJS and HON before, NOLA should be alright in the next few seasons with their youth on board.
Final Prediction: Worst (5-11) Best (8-8)
Now last two teams I have on this list are the two I believe won't finish at or above .500. I'll begin with the Arizona Outlaws. Now, Arizona has been the one team in my history in the ISFL that for one reason or another I cannot read to save my life. I'd have to go back and check the actual numbers but I believe I've only managed to correctly predict Arizona's games roughly forty percent of the time. So take everything I'm about to say about them with a much larger grain of salt than the rest of this list. The primary reason I have these next two teams where they are comes down entirely to QB. Especially with new QB archetypes, having a higher TPE at the position is a huge advantage in discovering what the new "meta" is for QB. However, Arizona recently added runningback Tatsu Nakamura to their roster. Which of course leads me to believe they are going to be using the rushing game a lot more this season and wait for Cortez to develop. My opinion of this team is very likely to change once actual sim files start coming out, for now though I remain unconvinced.
Final Prediction: Worst (5-11) Best (7-9)
Finally, we've reached the end of the ASFC. Our final entry is a team I've quietly rooted for since my first time joining. As it is the current home of my first ever GM Kyle. I like Kyle, but man are my hopes always shattered by his team. I want the Copperheads to do well, I really do. This team leaves me with a wide array of questions. Of course the first begins with having the lowest TPE QB in the ISFL. While it's very possible for lower TPE QBs to succeed, in a conference like the ASFC with a lot of defensive talent. I believe there will still be struggles for Austin. Looking on the positives though, Austin's defensive line is one of the better units in the league. Having three of their four thousand tpe players there.
Final Prediction: Worst (4-12) Best (7-9)
In Conclusion: I don't believe the ASFC is as top heavy as has been the case in previous seasons. Every team in this conference certainly has pieces that would enable them to win. I also feel that in terms of longevity, the majority of ASFC teams are more prepared for seasons to come than the NSFC. All of this culminates into a conference that feels significantly more difficult to figure out than their counterparts. I think this may be a season chock full of surprises. We may see some team make the playoffs that were entirely unexpected yet again.
To begin with, let's take a look at fan favorite, the Orange County Otters. Now there is good reason to believe that the Otters will once again be the team to beat in the ASFC. However that being said, I have a few major concerns that leave me to wonder if maybe they will fall short. Before we get to that though, let's look at the positive. For one thing, and this will be a theme among this series. Orange county currently has 7 players over one thousand TPE. Now this is where my opinion comes in. I personally believe based on my very limited testing in the new sim. The players you'd want at one thousand tpe or higher are in the following order of importance. QB, CB, LB, RB, DE, WR, S, OL, DT, TE, K. Depending upon of course whatever scheme a given team is trying to run. In that regard, Orange County is incredibly well rounded. Only missing on RB, K, WR, and OL. The more deductive of you will have noticed they have filled all their defensive positions with a player at a thousand tpe or higher. The fantasy player inside me would tell you right now that OCO's defense is a front runner to be the best this season. As we'll get into later, I believe they also benefit from playing in a conference where there are some teams I expect to struggle offensively. However, I have two major concerns about OCO this season. One less obvious than the other. The first important note is that OCO is severely lacking in their rushing ability. After trading runningback Tatsu Nakamura this offseason, they are left with 2 rookies under 400 tpe. This could cause quite an issue against some of the defenses they are up against this season. My second less conventional concern, is their kicker. Some of you may be wondering why this is a concern. Simply put, having a regressing kicker could be the difference in a close game. While I still believe that OCO are the top team in the ASFC, they certainly aren't without faults.
Final Prediction: Worst (7-9) Best (10-6)Next, I want to take a look at a team that I think is incredibly volatile. The Honolulu Hahalua could in my mind land almost anywhere on the standings. With 4 players over a thousand tpe. They may not strike you as incredible on that alone. However, having a DE, LB, and S over that mark. It is certainly possible for them to have a strong defensive performance. Looking at S26, the Hahalua led the league in TFLs and PDs, were second in INTs, and fourth in tackles. Certainly not too shabby however, Honolulu had the fourth lowest sack numbers. This of course was before gucci switched positions. My concern of course lies upon the offensive side of the ball. Having their QB go IA, and their WRs and RBs among the lower end of the spectrum certainly paints a grim picture. With that being said, I'm of the belief that Honolulu could be this seasons version of the San Jose Sabercats of seasons prior. A team many people believe to fall far short of .500 somehow finding themselves in the playoffs. Of course I'm not certain Honolulu would have the ability to beat some of the NSFC teams we'll talk about in that article. I believe the Hahalua are in prime position to build a very strong team with their current veterans and developing newcomers. It may just take a bit of luck.
Final Prediction: Worst (2-14) Best (9-7) This is the part that gets a bit, shall we say murky? I think these next three teams are all very similar, and could find themselves with a tied record. Of course it would then come down to who I believe would win a tiebreaker. Without knowing the schedule, I'm not sure I can be overly confident with either of these three winning it just yet. So in an effort to properly rank these teams, I'll rank them based on who I think could finish with the worst record.
Starting with the aforementioned San Jose. The Sabercats are in my eyes one of if not the most stable team in the ASFC with all the unknowns about S27. Despite having 7 players over a thousand, I'm not sure if I'm confident with them being a super power team. A lot of that uncertainty comes down to their secondary. While they have a lot of young developing talent at corner and safety. It doesn't feel like they have a true number one option just yet. Perhaps in the future one or all of them will develop into a lethal three piece package. As it currently stands however, l think it will come down to scheduling. However, having a QB, RB, and WR over a thousand, and their secondary options close behind. I think it's safe to say San Jose will pose quite the threat to some of the other teams in this division. Will it be enough to accelerate them to their 3rd playoff appearance in four seasons? Who's to say for sure.
Final Prediction: Worst (7-9) Best (9-7) The next team in this middle ground is the New York Silverbacks. In similarity with San Jose, New York has a lot of promising young talent. With only three players above the thousand tpe mark. The question becomes whether or not that talent will be enough to push New York over the cusp. What leaves me to suspect they'll be worse off than the Sabercats is their offensive capabilities. While not nearly as dire as Orange County or another team on this list. I have questions about their rushing attack. Especially in a conference with so many teams invested heavily on their defense. However on the other side of that coin. Their wide receiving corps isn't bad. Their QB former Pythons legend Sam Howitzer should be able to break the thousand tpe benchmark by seasons end as well, putting them in excellent position for the future. Of course with that being said we need to focus on the present. Do the silverbacks have enough to be good now? Maybe. I think they have enough talent offensively to offset their questions at runningback, but what about defensively? Having all three of their players over a thousand on defense certainly helps. Though their depth isn't quite as strong. Most notably at defensive end, they may struggle to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
Final Prediction: Worst (6-10) Best (9-7)Now we're getting into the 3 teams from this conference I personally feel have the lowest odds at making a playoff run this season. We'll start with former ASFC champions, the New Orleans Second Line. Of course some of you have valid reasons to question why I'd have the Second Line fall so far from where they were. For me though it's quite simple. New Orleans suffers from much of the limitations as San Jose or Orange County, without having the depth of talent to make up for it. Having four players above the thousand TPE benchmark. The two primary areas of concern for NOLA. Linebacker and runningback. I know that Rotchburns had an fairly decent rookie campaign, but with the new sims math and introduction of a new "competitiveness" stat. I'm not sure if it will carry over. Luckily though, much like SJS and HON before, NOLA should be alright in the next few seasons with their youth on board.
Final Prediction: Worst (5-11) Best (8-8)Now last two teams I have on this list are the two I believe won't finish at or above .500. I'll begin with the Arizona Outlaws. Now, Arizona has been the one team in my history in the ISFL that for one reason or another I cannot read to save my life. I'd have to go back and check the actual numbers but I believe I've only managed to correctly predict Arizona's games roughly forty percent of the time. So take everything I'm about to say about them with a much larger grain of salt than the rest of this list. The primary reason I have these next two teams where they are comes down entirely to QB. Especially with new QB archetypes, having a higher TPE at the position is a huge advantage in discovering what the new "meta" is for QB. However, Arizona recently added runningback Tatsu Nakamura to their roster. Which of course leads me to believe they are going to be using the rushing game a lot more this season and wait for Cortez to develop. My opinion of this team is very likely to change once actual sim files start coming out, for now though I remain unconvinced.
Final Prediction: Worst (5-11) Best (7-9) Finally, we've reached the end of the ASFC. Our final entry is a team I've quietly rooted for since my first time joining. As it is the current home of my first ever GM Kyle. I like Kyle, but man are my hopes always shattered by his team. I want the Copperheads to do well, I really do. This team leaves me with a wide array of questions. Of course the first begins with having the lowest TPE QB in the ISFL. While it's very possible for lower TPE QBs to succeed, in a conference like the ASFC with a lot of defensive talent. I believe there will still be struggles for Austin. Looking on the positives though, Austin's defensive line is one of the better units in the league. Having three of their four thousand tpe players there.
Final Prediction: Worst (4-12) Best (7-9) In Conclusion: I don't believe the ASFC is as top heavy as has been the case in previous seasons. Every team in this conference certainly has pieces that would enable them to win. I also feel that in terms of longevity, the majority of ASFC teams are more prepared for seasons to come than the NSFC. All of this culminates into a conference that feels significantly more difficult to figure out than their counterparts. I think this may be a season chock full of surprises. We may see some team make the playoffs that were entirely unexpected yet again.
![[Image: etrigan.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/823286124390252584/828228281379323924/etrigan.png)
