Well dang, I need to buy equipment already so I guess I need to write some more articles and such. I'll take a break from NANC/Y, though it was quite fun, it was rather flawed and so I'll give my thoughts on the Power Rankings going into preseason.
I'm honestly a little surprised how accurate I was for last season's pre-season power rankings. My top team ended third on some fluky losses, but my top-3 were accurate and my tiers were roughly accurate. Philadelphia and Arizona swapped places 4th/5th by a single game than what I had in my rankings. Either way, we'll see if I can replicate the magic from last season, but this time drunker and probably about the same temperature hot-take wise-- lukewarm.
1. New Orleans Second Line
As I did last season, I have a hard time putting anybody above the reigning champions before the season even starts. The Second Line have taken some significant steps in the wrong direction since the Ultimus Championship of Season Eleven, but they're still in a good spot. Bovo stepped down long ago now it seems, and the team is now under the care of BayleyIsland, a man with a pedigree in GMing. Much of the defense has regressed due to old age, while they should still do reasonably well, they most certainly won't be a brick wall to opposing offenses. The addition of young Axel Hornbacher via the draft could turn out to be gold, as the rising star is amongst the biggest earners of his draft class.
2. Orange County Otters
The Orange County Otters take the second spot in my power rankings, and not solely on hometown pride. The Otters finished last season with the second-best record in the league, behind only the Ultimus Champion New Orleans Second Line. Some luck on the part of the Otters and some poor luck by the Hawks may have lead to it, but there wasn't that large a gap between the Otters and the top two teams last season and it seems the gap has done nothing but shorten going into the 12th season. Gus T.T. Showbiz seemed to finally find his groove near the end of the season and looks to only get better this season. Top targets Tegan Atwell and Carlito Crush have taken a step back due to age, but they're most certainly not hurting for talent. Sunnycursed will join the squad after his second DSFL season looking speedy as a race-horse with hands to spare. Needless to say, the offense likely won't be hurting for points this coming season. The defense on the other hand, sees seemingly ageless Angus Winchester move to the defensive line (mayhaps he got too old to bother shedding the extra poundage gained during the offseason?) Mason Brown is still roaming sideline to sideline from the linebacker position and the draft supplemented his skills rather nicely. The young defensive core that stepped up last season should only get better. This team definitely has Ultimus hopes about them.
3. Baltimore Hawks
I wish Jcink had a teal color. I see the Hawks as somewhere between tiers currently, but they're still nearly a lock for Ultimus contention due to the NSFC. Star runningback Owen Taylor is on his way out, losing a large chunk of his eliteness, but will likely still remain effective. Star defensive end Childish Gambino shed some pounds and swapped positions to man the QB position for the Hawks, after Ryan Applehort left to division rival Yellowknife Wraiths. They had a good draft this season, but it may take a bit before the true strength of the class is seen as they're still quite young. On further inspection, the Hawks still belong in the top tier, as their losses weren't huge, but I still see them finishing behind the Otters and Second Line.
4. Arizona Outlaws
It seems as if it's back to the good old days of ASFC dominance. Kevin Fitzpatrick is looking strong coming out of the gates, ranking among the best QBs of last season and only getting better. His offensive weapons continue to grow, as this young team probably shouldn't be considered as young anymore. Many of their best players are maturing at the same time and they could make a strong case for the Ultimus this season. It'll be rather interesting to see the race in the ASFC, as 3 teams vie for 2 playoff spots. Honestly, this conference could end up almost anywhere, with the race to the top closer than ever (maybe not ever, but it sounds better that way.)
5. Philadelphia Liberty
"Young Team" certainly fits this squad, as not a single player on the roster has hit regression this upcoming season. The Liberty finished a game out of playoff contention last season, a swift turnaround from their 0-14 endeavor in Season Ten. Similar to the Arizona Outlaws, this team will only get better with time. Their core of studs is strong and young, with their QB and top two runningbacks still within their first three seasons. Their star WR is at the pinnacle of their career, hitting all the marks you want your best WR to hit, while the second option is in a similar boat as their QB, young but hitting all the right strides. Look for this team to finish with a playoff berth or at the very least close to it.
6. Colorado Yeti
After several seasons of not even touching mediocrity, the Yeti achieved their goal of making the playoffs for the first time in several seasons not long ago. Unfortunately, their rise coincided with the rise of the Baltimore Hawks, and the Hawks did it better. Longtime QB Ryan Applehort left for the Hawks last season, and makes his second stop since at the Yellowknife Wraiths. Micycle McCormick has proven a solid emergency option, but he's getting up there in years, much like his top target, Howard Miller. Their also aging defense already had holes, and it might just catch up to them this coming season. Their draft appears strong, but they're still obviously quite young and will likely take a season or two to make a big enough impact on the team.
7. Yellowknife Wraiths
Their 11th season ended somewhat rough, finishing at 4-10 overall. Many of their players have made strides in the right direction, but many of their stars for the last few years continue to go the opposite direction. Dermot Lavelle is looking nearly ancient these days, it can only be guessed how much longer he can contribute at a high level. The addition of Ryan Applehort helps wonders for this team, but weapons are quite young and could be prone to making mistakes. This team is heading in the right direction, but they're still likely a season away from seeing a turnaround in the standings.
8. San Jose Sabercats
I had a hard time rating this team, I'll be honest. I could see them as high as 6th, and obviously as low as 8th, as that is where I ranked them. They were able to win a game last season, going 1-13 overall, with a victory over the Philadelphia Liberty. Their QB is hitting his stride, much like Fitzpatrick of the Outlaws and Showbiz of the Otters did last season, and should cease the mistakes that cost many a game during his growing pains. Oles is looking like a treat, with a great target on the outside, J. Christ should be looking good for some decent points this season. For a team in rebuilding mode, they seemed to pass on the chance to gain more draft picks this last season, which could hurt them soon. Their core is strong, but beyond that there are a lot of question marks.
I'm honestly a little surprised how accurate I was for last season's pre-season power rankings. My top team ended third on some fluky losses, but my top-3 were accurate and my tiers were roughly accurate. Philadelphia and Arizona swapped places 4th/5th by a single game than what I had in my rankings. Either way, we'll see if I can replicate the magic from last season, but this time drunker and probably about the same temperature hot-take wise-- lukewarm.
1. New Orleans Second Line
As I did last season, I have a hard time putting anybody above the reigning champions before the season even starts. The Second Line have taken some significant steps in the wrong direction since the Ultimus Championship of Season Eleven, but they're still in a good spot. Bovo stepped down long ago now it seems, and the team is now under the care of BayleyIsland, a man with a pedigree in GMing. Much of the defense has regressed due to old age, while they should still do reasonably well, they most certainly won't be a brick wall to opposing offenses. The addition of young Axel Hornbacher via the draft could turn out to be gold, as the rising star is amongst the biggest earners of his draft class.
2. Orange County Otters
The Orange County Otters take the second spot in my power rankings, and not solely on hometown pride. The Otters finished last season with the second-best record in the league, behind only the Ultimus Champion New Orleans Second Line. Some luck on the part of the Otters and some poor luck by the Hawks may have lead to it, but there wasn't that large a gap between the Otters and the top two teams last season and it seems the gap has done nothing but shorten going into the 12th season. Gus T.T. Showbiz seemed to finally find his groove near the end of the season and looks to only get better this season. Top targets Tegan Atwell and Carlito Crush have taken a step back due to age, but they're most certainly not hurting for talent. Sunnycursed will join the squad after his second DSFL season looking speedy as a race-horse with hands to spare. Needless to say, the offense likely won't be hurting for points this coming season. The defense on the other hand, sees seemingly ageless Angus Winchester move to the defensive line (mayhaps he got too old to bother shedding the extra poundage gained during the offseason?) Mason Brown is still roaming sideline to sideline from the linebacker position and the draft supplemented his skills rather nicely. The young defensive core that stepped up last season should only get better. This team definitely has Ultimus hopes about them.
3. Baltimore Hawks
I wish Jcink had a teal color. I see the Hawks as somewhere between tiers currently, but they're still nearly a lock for Ultimus contention due to the NSFC. Star runningback Owen Taylor is on his way out, losing a large chunk of his eliteness, but will likely still remain effective. Star defensive end Childish Gambino shed some pounds and swapped positions to man the QB position for the Hawks, after Ryan Applehort left to division rival Yellowknife Wraiths. They had a good draft this season, but it may take a bit before the true strength of the class is seen as they're still quite young. On further inspection, the Hawks still belong in the top tier, as their losses weren't huge, but I still see them finishing behind the Otters and Second Line.
4. Arizona Outlaws
It seems as if it's back to the good old days of ASFC dominance. Kevin Fitzpatrick is looking strong coming out of the gates, ranking among the best QBs of last season and only getting better. His offensive weapons continue to grow, as this young team probably shouldn't be considered as young anymore. Many of their best players are maturing at the same time and they could make a strong case for the Ultimus this season. It'll be rather interesting to see the race in the ASFC, as 3 teams vie for 2 playoff spots. Honestly, this conference could end up almost anywhere, with the race to the top closer than ever (maybe not ever, but it sounds better that way.)
5. Philadelphia Liberty
"Young Team" certainly fits this squad, as not a single player on the roster has hit regression this upcoming season. The Liberty finished a game out of playoff contention last season, a swift turnaround from their 0-14 endeavor in Season Ten. Similar to the Arizona Outlaws, this team will only get better with time. Their core of studs is strong and young, with their QB and top two runningbacks still within their first three seasons. Their star WR is at the pinnacle of their career, hitting all the marks you want your best WR to hit, while the second option is in a similar boat as their QB, young but hitting all the right strides. Look for this team to finish with a playoff berth or at the very least close to it.
6. Colorado Yeti
After several seasons of not even touching mediocrity, the Yeti achieved their goal of making the playoffs for the first time in several seasons not long ago. Unfortunately, their rise coincided with the rise of the Baltimore Hawks, and the Hawks did it better. Longtime QB Ryan Applehort left for the Hawks last season, and makes his second stop since at the Yellowknife Wraiths. Micycle McCormick has proven a solid emergency option, but he's getting up there in years, much like his top target, Howard Miller. Their also aging defense already had holes, and it might just catch up to them this coming season. Their draft appears strong, but they're still obviously quite young and will likely take a season or two to make a big enough impact on the team.
7. Yellowknife Wraiths
Their 11th season ended somewhat rough, finishing at 4-10 overall. Many of their players have made strides in the right direction, but many of their stars for the last few years continue to go the opposite direction. Dermot Lavelle is looking nearly ancient these days, it can only be guessed how much longer he can contribute at a high level. The addition of Ryan Applehort helps wonders for this team, but weapons are quite young and could be prone to making mistakes. This team is heading in the right direction, but they're still likely a season away from seeing a turnaround in the standings.
8. San Jose Sabercats
I had a hard time rating this team, I'll be honest. I could see them as high as 6th, and obviously as low as 8th, as that is where I ranked them. They were able to win a game last season, going 1-13 overall, with a victory over the Philadelphia Liberty. Their QB is hitting his stride, much like Fitzpatrick of the Outlaws and Showbiz of the Otters did last season, and should cease the mistakes that cost many a game during his growing pains. Oles is looking like a treat, with a great target on the outside, J. Christ should be looking good for some decent points this season. For a team in rebuilding mode, they seemed to pass on the chance to gain more draft picks this last season, which could hurt them soon. Their core is strong, but beyond that there are a lot of question marks.
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Gus T.T. Showbiz Player Page
Gus T.T. Showbiz Update Page
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Bavitz Player Page Bavitz Update Page
Gus T.T. Showbiz Player Page
Gus T.T. Showbiz Update Page
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Bavitz Player Page Bavitz Update Page