After 10 weeks of play, the Rebels, Dogs of War, and Brawlers sit atop their respective conferences. AFC Commissioner Reed is in last place and guaranteed a losing season. In the NFC, Cliburn and Bruesch, with seven championships between them, are in 13th and 14th place with a combined 3-17 record. Their pathetic performances rank 40th and 41st in OPR. In the PFC, Tadlock remains MIA and is in last place. The final undefeated team, the Rebel Alliance, fell in Week Five to Steel Reign in the AFC, while Lucky Enuf and the CHEMDAWGS remain atop the NFC and PFC, respectively. There's a new team atop the OPR rankings and, despite losing to a winless Arrogant Americans team in Week Four, the Whackers remain in the top three.
Well, we made it. I never expected to get a full season of football during the global pandemic, but here we are. Let's hope the NFL gets three more weeks in before it implodes because we've got some champions to crown. In the AFC, defending champion Rebel Alliance collapsed late, losing three in a row to finish the year. They are out of the playoffs. In the hunt are Negligent Discharges, War Pony, Hooligans, Mutinous Apes (making their first playoff appearance), Brewmasters, and Doughboys. In the NFC, the three top seeds account for 10 OIL championships. In the hunt this year are Arrogant Americans, SoonerJack, back-to-back defending champion Lucky Enuf, DominationStation, Dead Again (marking the first time Schmidt has made the playoffs in two consecutive seasons since 2006-07), and the DARC NARCS. In the PFC, the contenders are the Blue Falcons, Dirty Dogs, defending champion Vandals, Nightmares, Great Plains Drifters, and The Xtreme (who clinched their sixth winning season in as many years in the OIL). The final OPR rankings include a column showing the plus/minus differential of each team compared to the league's prime meridian. Now that the season is final, you can review the expected vs. actual records and know whose record was bolstered by luck and whose record was weighed down by a tough schedule.
Heading into Rivalry Week, only one AFC playoff spot is clinched, and nine teams are vying for the other six invitations to the tournament, including the Mutinous Apes who just clinched their first winning season. While not official, the Negligent Discharges will be the one-seed and receive a first-round bye (their first). The NFC has three playoff spots clinched. The Arrogant Americans will most likely receive a first-round bye, unless they lose in Week 13 and Lucky Enuf and SoonerJack both outscore them by 200 points. The remaining three playoff spots are being fought over by six teams, with two of those teams (the AMMODOGS and DominationStation) playing each other this week. For DominationStation to miss the playoffs, they would have to lose to the AMMODOGS and both the DARC NARCS and Hangovers would have to win big. The PFC also has three playoff spots locked up, with the Blue Falcons guaranteed the number-one seed and a first-round bye. The second first-round bye will go to either the two-time champion Dirty Dogs or defending champion Vandals. Six teams are in the hunt for the other three playoff spots, with the Nightmares the only team guaranteed a place in the post-season with a victory in Week 13. Congratulations to the following:
Heading into Week 13, the Hangovers are the OIL's prime meridian, with a perfectly-average OPR of 1.000. After losing to Lucky Enuf in Week 12, the Arrogant Americans' OPR dropped from what would be a record-breaking 1.335 to 1.281, which would rank third all-time.
With two weeks remaining in the season, four teams have clinched spots: the AFC's Negligent Discharges; the NFC's Arrogant Americans and SoonerJack; and the PFC's Blue Falcons. That leaves 14 playoff spots up for grabs. Week 11 also saw a record tied as War Eagle's 0.05-point victory over Steel Reign tied the record for smallest margin of victory/defeat. The top five in OPR across all conferences is: 1. Arrogant Americans; 2. Negligent Discharges; 3. War Pony; 4. Blue Falcons; 5. Dirty Dogs.
After 10 weeks of competition, we have our first playoff spot clinched. Cliburn's Arrogant Americans clinched a playoff spot in the NFC, while top teams in the AFC and PFC are likely one win away from doing the same. After two consecutive losses, Schuster's Negligent Discharges are in danger of losing the top seed in the AFC to Venable's War Pony, who are one win behind Schuster despite scoring about seven more points per game. The PFC is led by Derek Baldwin's Blue Falcons, with the defending champion Vandals—managed by Lutonsky—tied in W-L record. However, should the two teams keep pace in wins, the Falcons will retain the top spot thanks to a commanding lead in points for. If both teams lose another game between now and the playoffs, though, Buehre's Dirty Dogs may leapfrog both, as they are one win behind each team but have a lead in points for. The 'Mericans continue to have a commanding lead in OPR, but a tough end-of-season schedule remains after a schedule over the first 10 weeks that, if the season ended now, would be the second-easiest schedule in OIL history in points per game. Venable, Schuster, Derek Baldwin, and Buehre round out the top five. Perennial NFC favorite and three-time champion Bruesch is sixth.
One week after setting the record for most consecutive wins to begin a season, Schuster's Negligent Discharges narrowly lost their first game (mostly due to Tom Brady). No undefeated teams remain as the playoff picture starts to take shape. The Arrogant Americans continue to pace the field in OPR, but we'll see how they do as bye weeks and injuries stack up.
This was an historic Week Eight as Negligent Discharges manager Adam Schuster set the record for most consecutive wins to begin a season after winning extending his winning streak to eight games. At 8-0, this is the best start to a season in OIL history. But Schuster is not number one in OPR. That honor remains with Cliburn's Arrogant Americans. Although the 'Mericans have scored the most points in the 42-team OIL, their record and OPR are buoyed by having the easiest strength of schedule in the OIL. Schuster is second, followed by Buehre, Derek Baldwin, and Venable to round out the top five.
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January 2024
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