You want spicy hot takes? The Orange County Otters aren't even a top four team in the league. Not only were the soundly defeated by my New York Silverbacks, but there are five other teams with the same or better record as them. What we have right now is a clear bias towards name-brand recognition, which is the only thing holding the Otters up right now. Sure, they have Norfolk Seawolves legend Suleiman Ramza at the helm, but it's been a disappointing season for many of the other furry pups out west. They were lucky to skate by Colorado this past week, thanks in large part to some Yeti mistakes that handed Orange County the game. So to answer your question, no. Orange County hasn't locked up the Ultimus and it wouldn't surprise me to see them lose in the first round of the playoffs. They're running on fumes and have been overtaken by more than a few other franchises this season. Is this the end of the Otters' run? I don't know if I'd go that far. But now's the time to sell whatever Orange County stock you've got. It's going to be slim pickings for them moving forward. When a team cannot run the ball effectively, they simply won't win the title. Just look at the numbers they've been putting up and their overall inconsistency - it speaks for itself. At this point, the Silverbacks have a better chance of winning the Ultimus than Orange County does.
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