2016 Semifinals Preview

Only 12 teams remain in contention in the OIL playoffs after Nye, Roe, Cliburn, Jessen, Baldwin, and Cordes were knocked out in round one. Half of the semifinals field had a bye last week, so this is their first test since Rivalry Week. Good luck, guys. As always, game-by-game analysis after the jump.

By Redlegs ​Manager Lance Zerger

The Redlegs own the all-time series record with a 2-1 lead over the Vultures, but this is the first meeting in the playoffs between these two teams. The Vultures won their regular season matchup against the Redlegs in Week Two this season, 181.60-172.5. Phillip Rivers went off for 32 points, Greg Olsen had 23, and the Denver defense also had 22 points in springboarding the Vultures to a win. Matt Forte (RIP) had 30 points for the Redlegs in the loss. Both outscored their projected points and it was a real shootout. 


This week, the Redlegs have a huge gap to fill on their roster, Matt Forte has been ruled out for this weekend's game, so they will be looking to the Redskins passing game RB Chris Thompson to fill that role.  If Thompson can step up and reach double-digit points for the Redlegs, this will be their game to lose. However, the Vultures are looking to have  a breakout performance from Jarvis Landry and Stefan Diggs (who the Cocks dropped two weeks ago). The Vikings offense has been struggling of late, but they are playing a Colts efense that has not played well lately. I like my Redlegs in this one, I look for them to outpower the Vultures in the passing game and win a very close playoff game. Thunder Bowl, here we come!

The Cocks have played the Doughboys three times . . . and lost every one of them. The Cocks have really turned things around this year for their franchise, but they still have not gotten over the hump of beating the Doughboys. In Week Nine, the Cocks fell to the Doughboys 161.25-151.05. That game was close most of they, and the difference was QB Sam Bradford having a great game to put the Doughboys over the top. 

It is weird to see the Cocks coming into this matchup as the underdog. The Doughboys have more firepower, but somehow the Cocks always survive to the tune of a 9-4 record. They're the second seed for a reason. And they've given up the second-least amount of points this year . . . meaning, for whatever reason, teams do not show up offensively against the Cocks . . . until this week, that is. I like the Doughboys in this one. I think it is going to be a close game, but, in the end, I think the Doughboys win. Green moves on to his first Thunder Bowl.

By Arrogant Americans​ Manager Justin C. Cliburn

How they got here: Lucky Enuf has been the lead dog all season. They topped 2,000 points on the season and tied an OIL record with a 12-1 regular season. As such, they earned a first-round bye, and this is their first playoff matchup of 2016. The Dirty Hippies were 4-5 and on the verge of missing the playoffs for a second-consecutive season before rattling off four-straight wins to end the regular season at 8-5. In round one, they faced the third-ranked Arrogant Americans and secured an upset behind Le'Veon Bell's 51.60 points. 

What will happen now: Lucky Enuf manager Kevin Pyle has been doing his best Lou Holtz impression talking up the Hippies. But Pyle's team averaged 15 points per game more than Trovillo's. And the first time these two met this season, Pyle obliterated Trovillo, 180.65-109.60. Plus, Le'Veon Bell can't possibly go crazy two weeks in a row (right?). It's time for Trovillo's Cinderella season to come to an end. Pyle will argue that he is the underdog because Melvin Gordon may not play, but that ignores the fact that his backup RBs are better than half the teams' starting RBs. Lucky Enuf advances to their third OIL Bowl hoping to tie Bruesch for most OIL Bowl victories.

How they got here: Finch spent much of the season looking like a title favorite, but faltered late. The Hard Targets lost two of their final four games, including a 143.25-123.45 -loss to Cobb's Dogs of War. At 8-5, Finch had to face Jessen's DominationStation in the first round. Neither team broke 130 points (Finch was dealing with a last-minute inactivation of Theo Riddick), but a wins's a win . . . and Finch was the beneficiary of that win, moving on to the semifinals. Cobb famously earned a 'D' grade from Yahoo! for his draft, and he hasn't stopped bitching about it all season. To be clear, the 'D' grade was deserved, as Cobb only drafted two WRs . . . even though you must start three WRs and can start as many as five. But, to be fair to Cobb, his regular season moves have paid off. He went into Week 11 at 8-2 before losing two of his last three. Still, it was enough for him to earn a first-round bye at 9-4.

What will happen now: Yahoo! has Cobb as a two-point favorite, but I don't think it'll be that close. I've been picking against Cobb all season and been proven wrong over and over. I'm not making that mistake again. Yahoo! has Derek Carr projected for fewer than he'll earn at San Diego, and Devonta Freeman is facing the NFL's worst run defense in San Francisco. Meanwhile, longtime DoW hero Bilal Powell is filling in for an injured Matt Forte. Look for him to be the difference and lead Cobb to a second OIL Bowl. 

By Team Tadlock​ Manager Derrick Tadlock

In week two of playoff action the Boomtown Brawlers are matched up against Team Tadlock and the Dirty Dogs are up against the Great Plains Drifters. Team Tadlock and the Dirty Dogs reach round two after first-round byes. The Brawlers reach round two after defeating the SECFOR Sixers and the Great Plains Drifters advanced after a big victory over the Blue Falcons.

Team Tadlock comes into this game a little banged up. Three starters didn’t play last week. The status for a couple of players is still up in the air this week. The Brawlers have got great production from every position at the end of the season. If Team Tadlock is healthy, this should be a really close matchup. The uncertainty will give the edge to last year's champ; I'm going with the Brawlers in this one.

The Dirty Dogs enter this game on a six-game winning streak to finish the regular season in second place. But the Drifters have been putting up big numbers all season as well. Both teams match up evenly across the board. This game could come down to the defenses and kickers, but I feel like the Dirty Dogs have a slight edge in the RB and WR department. With that said, I lean to the Dogs to pick up the victory here.