Of course I meant Week 11 preview!! Sorry

Xu Da 7 Deflators 38

Xu Da were beaten up by Wolves last week and now they face the undefeated Deflators. Another loss probably wouldn't end their chances of winning the AC South but would make their chances of qualifying for the wildcard place, if they were to not win the division, a bit harder. Their run in isn't too tough but the next couple of games will be.
Deflators on the other hand should see a return to the big wins that made them look so impressive for most of the season. Their last two games have been close by their standards and they are not a team used to sweating out results. This game probably won't create daylight between them and their divisional rivals Inbhir Narann but it will keep them in the driving seat.

Inbhir Narann 37 The SQUALES of Beach 17

Inbhir will carry on the chase for the AC West with a trip to the AC North leaders and I expect them to be victorious in this high quality match. The Narann have been managing close wins over the best contenders in the league and destroying the weaker teams often and mercilessly. Their only loss though came against the AC West leaders Deflators and they will need to win the big one in a few weeks. Between now and that game there are a minefield of good teams to defeat. Whether or not they will be in contention for the division by the time Deflators arrive at The Links remains to be seen but the good news is that if they can win the games up to and including the Deflators game they will have proven to be the worthiest of champions. With Parma going Bot one thing is now for certain, Narann will be in the play-offs, of that there is absolutely no doubt.
The SQUALES of Beach on the other hand are having a wretched time of it recently. Having raced to a 6-0 record they lost by 2 to Nightcrew, not a bad performance against a decent side. Next game they lost by 52 against the decent Xu Da, in what was a humiliating loss. Then last game they played the 1-7 Jac Team, it was another loss and a completely unexpected one. They outgained Jac by 50% but the lack of ability to turn yards into points will be of utmost concern and may well mean that their season will come to an unceremonious end sooner rather than later. The SQUALES have led AC North from the very first game, onwards. They will not be leading it after this game.

Amersfoort Alligators 27 Bison City Nightcrew 17

If there was a game that was suited to the climatic week 17 this may be the one. In the NC North it has been a two horse race from the beginning. Both teams sit on 7-2 and may be unfancied for promotion this season but certainly not out of the equation. Both teams will expect to finish with double figures in the win column and both teams could manage the uphill task of a wildcard place if they fall short of the division itself. In fact going on results only, the only two thing that separate them are their previous meeting which saw The Alligators win too comfortably for Nightcrew's liking and the loss by Nightcrew to The Green Machine. A narrower win for The Alligators seems the most likely here but this will be close. One interception at the right time could make all the difference. Nothing will be settled in this game but somehow it seems Nightcrew need the win just that little bit more for their to be post-season games.

Dayton Tornados 3 Hucknall Broncos 168

The Hucknall Broncos are waiting for their division to become a mathematical certainty. Indeed the only challenge remaining for The Broncos is whether they can wrap up home-field advantage throughout the play-offs. They have only one question mark against them so far which is the one-sided defeat by Basterds which must be of concern. They only have one decent team left to face, Wild Thangs next week, but strangely may even find the remainder of the season almost boring.

Wild Thangs 19 LM Pirates 22

Wild Thangs will unofficially claim the AC East if they can defeat their only rivals in the division this game. Their only two defeats have come against play-off certain teams and they haven't looked like a threat to the best teams in the league. But this game will be close and a defeat, though not catastrophic, would be potential season changer for this hard-working, unspectacular team.
LM Pirates need a win here if they are going to challenge for the AC East, a 3 game deficit would be unsurmountable. They need to impress soon to stay in the wild-card positions. Their loss to the cardinals last Saturday will call into question their legitimacy. I expect a close game. The Pirates need the win and I think they'll manage it (just).

Flow Gaming 13 Die Verdammten 38

Flow gaming are coming back to earth after an impressive start to the season. They remain in pole position in the AC South, but it is a three-way fight to win it. None of the teams involved is expected to put a run together and it looks like it's a question of who fall over the line first. It's a race that will go on for a few games yet, and Flow Gaming won't be helped in this match.
Die Verdammten have won their last two games including a win over NC East rivals and leaders, Toledo Tigers. In fact Die Verdammten although they still trail by a win, look like the team most likely win the rest of their games and run out as champions. This is possibly the most difficult opposition they have left, but I expect an easy win. Die Verdammten will be one of the teams to watch in the race to the Elite league.

Basterds 166 Parma Horses 0

Talking of teams to watch in the race to the Elite league, Basterds epitomise that description. Interestingly, so do M Divers their NC South rivals. With them tied at 8-1 neither wants to blink first. Basterds get an easy game this week and with the two title contenders meeting for the first time this season next week, Basterds may even choose to rest some key players. Nothing to see, really, on November 5th but next week the fireworks will start!

Toledo Tigers 37 Ramsey Raiders 0

Toledo Tigers currently sit on top of NC East but Die Verdammten sit one game behind and it looks almost certain that Toledo will have to settle for second place. But with easy pickings this week they will stay on top a little longer and a chance to improve their point difference.
Ramsey Raiders were one of the teams fighting relegation before a ball was kicked, this game will change nothing and The Raiders will be trying to forget the game before it even starts. Needing two more wins to be certain of avoiding the risk of dropping out the division these games aren't the ones to worry about, their are easier teams to target.

M. Divers 80 PGI Andorre Solutions 12

M. Divers are striding towards the play-offs but are battling Basterds for supremacy in the NC South. As Basterds will add 60 points to their PD, the Divers will want to do the same. Basterds played PGI last week at home and won by 47 points. M Divers will hope to win by more while playing away. Next week the two giants of the NC South will clash for the first time.
PGI Andorre Solutions look certain to be relegated this season and games like this don't help. Indeed, their main problem is their schedule. Being in a division with two teams that could be in Elite next season and another team that would be challenging for a title if in a couple of the other divisions. But that said they haven't been that impressive against some teams of the weaker variety. Indeed, the writing was on the wall with their 45-10 loss at the Raiders and 64-0 loss to Parma Horses. With only one potentially winnable game left a drop down to Thunder 2 is inevitable. If they can bounce straight back they will have gained an early draftee and experience. Hopefully, for them, they'll be placed in a more win friendly division!

Severnside Cardinals 7 Budapest Wolves 72

Severnside Cardinals impressed in a losing effort last week, and their manager is still convince they have a shot at the play-offs. Although in my opinion they don't have enough to overhaul the teams they currently trail in the race to the wildcard places. The first thing they need to do is get back in the race, that won't happen today.
Budapest Wolves have a simple philosophy, train hard in the first half of the season and win hard in the second. They are one of the favourites to go into Elite but their willingness to sacrifice home-field in the second round of the play-offs may well come back to haunt them. That said, I expect them to win the rest of their games and easily take the division. The sleeping giants of AC North have awoken and they look hung(a)ry!

Steelers 22 Wolflings 16

Steelers need two more wins to be assured of staying in the league. This is the second most likely game left where they can get a win. In fact they have yet to lose to one of the weaker teams so Wolfings will have a game on their hands. This isn't a must win to stay up but if they do win this they will stay up.
Wolfings need just one more win to be assured of staying in the league. Like Steelers this isn't a must win as victory is guaranteed for them in the game after. These are two teams that are merely hoping to survive the season, I think both will. This game looks like a close one to me with the Steelers edging this.

The Green Machine 19 Pittsburgh Steelers 6

The Green Machine's manager has stated that 'I would love to make the playoffs but I think it's too late for that.' It is an impressive statement of intent but this may be a sign of a manager running before he can walk. Of course it is not impossible that The Green Machine may have reached that level already but a couple of good results doesn't get you to the play-offs. The first thing of course for The Green Machine to do is avoid relegation worries. This is one of two consecutive opportunities to do just that and I imagine they'll do it on the first try. Then we'll have four games against play-off level teams, those will be fascinating as we get a more intense look as to exactly at what level The Green Machine are playing at.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are having an unremarkable season. They need three more wins to avoid relegation and with games against Chesterton, Parma and the Fraggles it seems as though they should be able to achieve this. If they want to win a match other than those three, this may be the one. The Green Machine are grabbing headlines but are they as good as some say? Pittsburgh Steelers will be the next team to find out.


UNTOUCHABLES 7 Ville Vikings 24

UNTOUCHABLES are struggling this season and they may face a relegation game at the end of the season. Requiring two more wins to have a chance of avoiding that relegation match. There are chances for them to achieve this and whether they will or not, we'll get an insight into, in this game. This is not a game where they are expected to win but if they can be competitive in this game it will be a great moral boost as they move towards more winnable games.
The Vikings are having an average season, some may have expected slightly more from this established team. As they limp towards safety they will be hoping to make a statement in this game. A big win could re-ignite the embers of a disappointing season but they won't want a slip-up. This could be interesting game with just the chance of an upset.

SimKonville Fraggles 6 Jac Team 92

The Fraggles are already down, one way or another will disappear from Thunder 1:1. A sad demise of a once great franchise.
But where there is adversity there is opportunity and Jac Team, coming off an impressive and unexpected win over the SQUALES, having a guaranteed win is a bonus they'll gratefully receive. They'll still need another win to have a chance of avoiding a relegation game. That may be too much too expect for this young team but they should be proud of last win and if they do go down they should reflect on how impressive their season was when having only joined the game less than six months ago.

Shropshire Swifts 0 Totoras Patriots 37

Shropshire Swifts are rapidly reaching the stage of relying on prayer. Needing three more games to have the chance of avoiding the relegation game, automatic relegation seems the more likely outcome for this team. They need to start winning and it won't happen here.
For a team on 2-7 not to be concerned about relegation might seem naïve but I imagine that the Patriots manager will be more looking forward to fighting for play-off games in the next season. Despite their record they have been only narrowly beaten by some of the best in the league, excepting Nightcrew and Divers. They've beaten the two teams that they've met, who aren't fighting for play-off places. But their inability to overcome sides that battle for the play-offs, no matter how competitive, is becoming a worry. However there are some easier matches coming their way and they could even avoid a losing season. Expect the Patriots to start their revival in this game.

Chesterton Cheese 84 Texas Tech 10

The Cheese will be extremely grateful for this free win. Thanks to games against Tech and the Tornados (not the 'Telstar' group) Chesterton still have the chance avoid relegation. Next season will be a worry though.
Texas Tech sees the trouble of the Bot Flush including Bloody Newbs in their parameters. That said some teams are undoubtedly benefiting from schedules which have included this and other Bot teams. A forgettable game between two forgettable teams.

Agree with everything except Cards and Wolves. I think the Cards can upset Wolves let alone keep it within 60.

Again, thanks for doing this!!

Amazing top class writing mate!! But you're a bit hard on yourself aren't you?!

I do hope Jac Team survives, they seem like a good addition to this league.

Looks like you call was much closer than mine in this game. I think I was too influenced by The Wolves recent destruction of both Xu Da and The Alligators, together with The Cardinals early one-sided losses to Inbhir Narann, Basterds and M. Divers.
I still am inclined to put Budapest as a legitimate Bowl contender at the end of the season but perhaps should have taken more heed from their performance against Totoras Patriots, not to mention recent performances LM Pirates and Deflators.

It's always fun to discuss predictions especially since you do a great write up on the games. Wolves certainly have the talent to beat anyone in the league. It's a matter of them putting it together.

For AC though I think the battle is between Deflators and Narann and we are coming into a stretch of the schedule where that race may start shaking out. Have your popcorn ready.