04-20-2020, 03:26 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-20-2020, 03:27 PM by mithrandir.)
As we go into another exciting NSFL season, the top teams in the league look as strong as ever. Over the last five seasons, the NSFL franchises have been pretty consistent in their performance. It seems to me that there is a very clear top five teams in the league, but the sixth and final playoff spot this season is wide open.
The ASFC has dominated in recent memory, winning six consecutive Ultimus trophies. The three teams that sat atop the ASFC standings last season, the Orange County Otters, New Orleans Second Line, and Austin Copperheads, have imposed their wills on the league, taking the top three spots in the ASFC three consecutive years and combining to win the last five championships. It seems that the trend will continue into this season, as Austin was praised for their excellent draft this year, and NOLA, OCO, and AUS only called up seven S22 rookies between them, evidencing the strong rosters they have constructed despite losing players in expansion. Possessing three of the top four average TPE in the league, I have no doubt that these three teams will be playoff squads this season. SJS and ARI have wisely recognized that they share a division with three powerhouses, and they have started building towards the future. ARI specifically looks well-poised to take over soon, with a swath of high draft picks in the most recent draft. SJS has a new QB incoming and a young roster which also is looking to compete in the future. Honolulu has basically no chance of competing this year either as they play out their first year as a franchise, though Havran gives them a chance to win some games.
The NSFC, on the other hand, is wide open and very difficult to predict. The Yellowknife Wraiths have a stranglehold on the division, winning the regular season crown four of the last five seasons and representing the NSFC in the championship each of the last four years.They are the odds-on favorite to win the division again, with a very strong roster and a history of success. I also expect Colorado to have a good season, finishing second in the division with one of the most complete rosters in the league and the quarterback with the highest TPE this season, S16 vet Wolfie McDummy (1298 TPE).
I believe there is a huge drop off in talent between the top five teams in the league and the remaining five. Baltimore has a proven track record of success the past five seasons, making the playoffs each of the last five years and finishing first in the division last season at 9-4. However, they have been hit hard by retirement, expansion, and regression. Most of their players are past their prime, and they did not do enough in the offseason to adequately fill the holes on their roster. They lost Corvo Havran to Honolulu and will be starting rookie Chika Fujiwara. They still have some skill position players on offense, but don't have a single player in their defensive front seven over 500 TPE, and have one of the weakest CB groups in the league. Baltimore is the most obvious candidate of all playoff teams from last year to miss the postseason this year. This leaves the door open for one of the other three teams in the NSFC to make the postseason unexpectedly. Who will it be?
In my opinion, it has to be the Philadelphia Liberty. They have been really bad recently, missing the playoffs five seasons in a row. They seem to have bottomed out last year, going 3-10. However, I think their roster compares favorably to the rest of the teams they will be competing with for the last playoff spot. Baltimore, Chicago, Philly, and Sarasota all have weak defenses, so I think Philly's veteran play on offense will put them over the top. Though Chicago's QB Rose Jenkins is slight better than Philly's Brock Phoenix at the moment, Jenkins is at the end of her career, while Phoenix will continue to improve as a S19 player. Additionally, Philly has several strong pieces on offense to complement Brock, with a strong running game led by Sam Torensen, and an elite WR in Nacho Varga with a strong number two option in young Randy Vuxta. Baltimore and Sarasota will likely struggle with young QBs and weak defenses. Chicago is also in a complete rebuild. Expect quite a shake up from last season, as I predict the defending conference champs in Baltimore will miss the playoffs and last year's worst team in Philly will be the third seed.
The ASFC has dominated in recent memory, winning six consecutive Ultimus trophies. The three teams that sat atop the ASFC standings last season, the Orange County Otters, New Orleans Second Line, and Austin Copperheads, have imposed their wills on the league, taking the top three spots in the ASFC three consecutive years and combining to win the last five championships. It seems that the trend will continue into this season, as Austin was praised for their excellent draft this year, and NOLA, OCO, and AUS only called up seven S22 rookies between them, evidencing the strong rosters they have constructed despite losing players in expansion. Possessing three of the top four average TPE in the league, I have no doubt that these three teams will be playoff squads this season. SJS and ARI have wisely recognized that they share a division with three powerhouses, and they have started building towards the future. ARI specifically looks well-poised to take over soon, with a swath of high draft picks in the most recent draft. SJS has a new QB incoming and a young roster which also is looking to compete in the future. Honolulu has basically no chance of competing this year either as they play out their first year as a franchise, though Havran gives them a chance to win some games.
The NSFC, on the other hand, is wide open and very difficult to predict. The Yellowknife Wraiths have a stranglehold on the division, winning the regular season crown four of the last five seasons and representing the NSFC in the championship each of the last four years.They are the odds-on favorite to win the division again, with a very strong roster and a history of success. I also expect Colorado to have a good season, finishing second in the division with one of the most complete rosters in the league and the quarterback with the highest TPE this season, S16 vet Wolfie McDummy (1298 TPE).
I believe there is a huge drop off in talent between the top five teams in the league and the remaining five. Baltimore has a proven track record of success the past five seasons, making the playoffs each of the last five years and finishing first in the division last season at 9-4. However, they have been hit hard by retirement, expansion, and regression. Most of their players are past their prime, and they did not do enough in the offseason to adequately fill the holes on their roster. They lost Corvo Havran to Honolulu and will be starting rookie Chika Fujiwara. They still have some skill position players on offense, but don't have a single player in their defensive front seven over 500 TPE, and have one of the weakest CB groups in the league. Baltimore is the most obvious candidate of all playoff teams from last year to miss the postseason this year. This leaves the door open for one of the other three teams in the NSFC to make the postseason unexpectedly. Who will it be?
In my opinion, it has to be the Philadelphia Liberty. They have been really bad recently, missing the playoffs five seasons in a row. They seem to have bottomed out last year, going 3-10. However, I think their roster compares favorably to the rest of the teams they will be competing with for the last playoff spot. Baltimore, Chicago, Philly, and Sarasota all have weak defenses, so I think Philly's veteran play on offense will put them over the top. Though Chicago's QB Rose Jenkins is slight better than Philly's Brock Phoenix at the moment, Jenkins is at the end of her career, while Phoenix will continue to improve as a S19 player. Additionally, Philly has several strong pieces on offense to complement Brock, with a strong running game led by Sam Torensen, and an elite WR in Nacho Varga with a strong number two option in young Randy Vuxta. Baltimore and Sarasota will likely struggle with young QBs and weak defenses. Chicago is also in a complete rebuild. Expect quite a shake up from last season, as I predict the defending conference champs in Baltimore will miss the playoffs and last year's worst team in Philly will be the third seed.
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