After 11 weeks and a crowning of a new Survivor champion (congrats to Olsen), we have reached the precipice of the season thus far. The second set of division games that close out the season has historically been filled with drama and intrigue and this season looks to be no different. With 11 teams still in the mix and 7 teams within 1 game of a playoff spot, the last three weeks are shaping up to be season-defining. Lets dive in with a division by division breakdown of all the action ahead.
THE EAST
Remaining Schedule:
Week 12: So Much Honey vs. Frank the Tank, Lobster Beesc vs. Ressica Jobinson
Week 13: So Much Honey vs. Ressica Jobinson, Lobster Beesc vs. Frank the Tank
Week 14: So Much Honey vs. Lobster Beesc, Ressica Jobinson vs. Frank the Tank
This season has not seen many teams pull away from the pack, but if there’s one team that fits the bill as a title contender it belongs to [redacted]. [Redacted]’s So Much Honey squad has pulled out to a League best 8-3 record and can punch a playoff, division, and bye ticket this week, potentially becoming the first team to do so. It’s even more impressive when you consider that [redacted] has been without number one overall pick CMC for a large part of the season.
But while it certainly seems like a near certainty that [redacted] will be headed to the playoffs just a year after singing the Anthem, the last three weeks may not just be a simple coronation. Meade has battled out all season to be within just a game of [redacted], but the tiebreaker scenarios mean that Meade will have to finish the season with the better record if he’s going to win the division. That means Meade will most likely have to win out, and hope Frank or Vaf can knock off So Much Honey in weeks 12 or 13 before Meade can stun him out of the East title and likely a bye in Week 14.
Things are even more difficult for Frank the Tank’s division chances. Frank sits two games back so he doesn’t control his own destiny and will need to not only beat [redacted] this week but get some help in Weeks 13 and 14. However, if he does manage to catch [redacted] in the overall standings, he’ll end up with the better division record and wind up holding the crown. A win this week is an absolute necessity though.
Realistically, the best chance for Meade, Frank, and Vaf (his only chance) to reach the playoffs is through the crowded wild card field. Currently Meade sits in the 4 seed and Frank in the 6 seed, but neither have commanding point total leads on any of the teams chasing them. Vaf is in dire straits, likely needing to win out to have any chance of the postseason.
While every game is important at this point, the huge potential swing game is Meade and Frank’s Week 13 matchup. A Frank win would hugely boost his playoff odds and pull Meade back to the wild card pack, while the opposite result could spell doom for the Tank and seal up a postseason berth for Meade.
THE CENTRAL
Remaining Schedule:
Week 12: 2 Feets In vs Brainbusters, Trader Jay’s vs Diamond Empire
Week 13: 2 Feets In vs. Diamond Empire, Trader Jay’s vs Brainbusters
Week 14: 2 Feets In vs Trader Jay’s, Brainbusters vs Diamond Empire
No division has taken a bigger hit in the last few weeks than the Central, with every team entering the final division slate off a loss and 3 of the 4 teams licking their wounds off 3+ straight losses. While the past month has certainly not been kind, Jacky G’s 2 Feets In squad came out of the storm with a slim 1 game division lead. The division’s current point leader with a strong 2-1 division record, Jack is certainly in a position to capitalize and make the postseason the easy way.
Right on his heels though is the free falling Brainbusters squad, that early on looked like a legitimate title contender before Derrick Henry’s injury sent him spiraling on a 4 game losing streak, dropping him not only out of the division lead but currently out of a playoff spot entirely. Henry is not expected to return before the end of the regular season, so Brian will have to find some way to plug the holes in this sinking ship if he wants to take advantage of his thus far pristine 3-0 division record and fight back into the Central’s top spot.
Also only a game behind is Trader Jay’s, but the one game deficit hides the fact that the climb is quite a bit steeper than that. Jay’s 1-2 division record and points deficit to the other two contending teams likely requires him to win out in order to claim the top division spot. All 3 teams also have the wild card route, which promises to be filled with even more chaos.
Plus, while they may thing the eliminated Diamonds gas nothing left to play for except to play spoiler, there is still the chance Diamonds can climb out of the 12 or 11 spots into the Anthem Bowl and position himself much better while dragging the rest of the division down into the muck with him.
The biggest game to watch as of right now is this week’s Jack vs Brian matchup. Jack can gain an effective two game lead in the division race (literally over Brian, while the tiebreaker advantage over Jay will be big even if he pulls off a win). Meanwhile Brian can climb back into the top spot with a win while giving himself a 2 game lead in division record over everyone else in the division. That game will tell us a lot about how the rest of the season will shake out in The Central.
THE WEST
Week 12: Meat Mavens vs Pastrami Papi, Knights of Ryan vs Bishop Sycamore
Week 13: Meat Mavens vs Knights of Ryan, Pastrami Papi vs Bishop Sycamore
Week 14: Meat Mavens vs Bishop Sycamore, Pastrami Papi vs Knights of Ryan
The West is yet another division that’s tough to navigate, but can gain some major clarity depending on this weekends outcomes. The Meat Mavens have struggled as of late, at least compared to their hot start, but enter the final 3 games with a 1 game lead over Pastrami Papi and a 2 game lead over the other two teams. The Maven can clinch the division with a win this week and a Commish loss, but if one of those two outcomes don’t happen things get a whole lot trickier.
Mark needs a win this weekend to stay alive in the divisional race, but a loss this weekend won’t kill his overall playoff chances. But with two teams in his division a game behind him, not to mention the other two 5-6 teams in the Central and fellow 6-5 teams Frank the Tank and 2 Feets In, a loss this weekend will make it much harder for him to stay above the playoff water.
Olsen and the Commish’s matchup is another huge one for both clubs, with their playoff fates likely hanging in the balance. Olsen’s point total gives him a better chance to withstand a loss but also eliminates any margin for error or control of his own destiny, while the Commish’s low point total means he would likely need to finish clearly ahead in the standings or else put up monster point totals the final two weeks. While Olsen’s division record means he has to win out and have Ant lose out to win the division, the Commish’s clearest path to the playoffs is through the division, by winning out and having Ant drop a game this weekend or next, setting up a winner take all matchup for the division title in Week 14.
But it all comes down to this weekend’s games. Let the chaos begin.
Oh, and fuck off Cody.