This past season was a rough one for OCO. It seemed like almost every game was a close one and we could never pull it off. That got me thinking that it had to be one of the unluckiest seasons in league history. So, I decided to look into it. To do so, I tallied the win/loss record for each team in one score games (8 points or less) since the beginning of the new sim (season 27). These are the top 10 unluckiest teams as determined by most losses in close games. If multiple teams had the same record, I ranked the team with better point differential as more unlucky.
10. S30 1-7
Making their first appearance on this list, NOLA couldn't find any luck in season 30. They had a great run game but their defense always seemed to fail them. If their record in close games was switched, they would have finished 11-5, the same record as the two teams in the wildcard.
9. S34 1-7
Oof. My poor Otters This was the last season that I was GM. It truly felt like we underperformed that season. After making it to the Ultimus the season prior, we ended up with the worst record in the conference. If we were luckier and the record in close game switched, we would have been in the playoffs at 11-5, possibly securing home field advantage. Sadge.
8. S28 4-8
San Jose fans probably experienced a significant rise in their blood pressure during season 28 as three quarters or their games were settled by 8 points or less. They did win a fair amount of them though. If their record was switched, they would have finished 9-7 and possibly made the wildcard.
7. S28 4-8
Similarly, Butchers fans probably had to schedule a trip to the heart doctor after this season. Their season was even more frustrating because if they would have swapped their wins and losses, they would have had a record of 11-5 and made the playoffs for sure.
6. S30 3-8
With Negs running the offense, it's no wonder why this team was so unlucky. They had a roster worthy of contending for the playoffs but missed the mark terribly. They could have finished 9-7 and maybe made the wildcard if the close games were reversed. Instead, they finished tied for last in their conference.
5. S33 3-8
I wonder if Sabercat fans are used to staying in heartbreak hotel. With their second appearance on this list, they would have finished 9-7 and definitely made the playoffs if they swapped wins/losses and who knows what would've happened from there.
4. S29 3-8
Austin seemed to have all the right pieces in the right places this season, but just couldn't find any sim luck. They could have finished 10-5-1 and made the playoffs as the second seed. Sometimes the sim gods just say no.
3. S29 2-8
We're seeing some usual suspects on this this. Those pesky sim gods seem to dislike certain teams for some arbitrary reason. If their close game win/loss record was switched, they would have possibly made the playoffs finishing 11-5, tied with the 3rd seed wildcard team.
2. S29 1-8
I actually remember the hype surrounding the Hahalua going into season 29. They had a great year the season prior and seemed rimed to make a playoff run. Instead they fell flat and finished last. If they were luckier, they would have finished 10-6 and secured a playoff birth.
1. S33 1-9
The season 33 Second Line can claim the title of being the unluckiest team in recent history. With a whooping 9 losses in close games, they finished dead last in the league. They weren't even a bad team that season. If the sim gods had simply shown them some favor, they could have finished 11-5 and made the playoffs easily. That's rough.
So there you have it. As painful as last season felt for the Otters, we didn't even crack the top 10 unluckiest teams. That's not to say it wasn't bad; it was the 13th unluckiest. Pretty horrible, but not unprecedented. To end the write up, I'll provide the ranking of team's luck ranked from luckiest to unluckiest based on win percentage:
14. 47 23 67.14%
13. 47 - 29 (61.84%)
12. 44 - 33 (57.14%)
11. 44 - 34 (56.41%)
10. 39 - 31 (55.71%)
9. 43 - 35 (55.13%)
8. 37 - 31 (54.41%)
7. 36 - 40 (47.37%)
6. 30 - 35 (46.15%)
5. 39 - 47 (45.35%)
4. 40 - 50 (44.44%)
3. 33 - 45 (42.31%)
2. 34 - 47 (41.98%)
1. 28 - 44 (38.89%)
10. S30 1-7
Making their first appearance on this list, NOLA couldn't find any luck in season 30. They had a great run game but their defense always seemed to fail them. If their record in close games was switched, they would have finished 11-5, the same record as the two teams in the wildcard.
9. S34 1-7
Oof. My poor Otters This was the last season that I was GM. It truly felt like we underperformed that season. After making it to the Ultimus the season prior, we ended up with the worst record in the conference. If we were luckier and the record in close game switched, we would have been in the playoffs at 11-5, possibly securing home field advantage. Sadge.
8. S28 4-8
San Jose fans probably experienced a significant rise in their blood pressure during season 28 as three quarters or their games were settled by 8 points or less. They did win a fair amount of them though. If their record was switched, they would have finished 9-7 and possibly made the wildcard.
7. S28 4-8
Similarly, Butchers fans probably had to schedule a trip to the heart doctor after this season. Their season was even more frustrating because if they would have swapped their wins and losses, they would have had a record of 11-5 and made the playoffs for sure.
6. S30 3-8
With Negs running the offense, it's no wonder why this team was so unlucky. They had a roster worthy of contending for the playoffs but missed the mark terribly. They could have finished 9-7 and maybe made the wildcard if the close games were reversed. Instead, they finished tied for last in their conference.
5. S33 3-8
I wonder if Sabercat fans are used to staying in heartbreak hotel. With their second appearance on this list, they would have finished 9-7 and definitely made the playoffs if they swapped wins/losses and who knows what would've happened from there.
4. S29 3-8
Austin seemed to have all the right pieces in the right places this season, but just couldn't find any sim luck. They could have finished 10-5-1 and made the playoffs as the second seed. Sometimes the sim gods just say no.
3. S29 2-8
We're seeing some usual suspects on this this. Those pesky sim gods seem to dislike certain teams for some arbitrary reason. If their close game win/loss record was switched, they would have possibly made the playoffs finishing 11-5, tied with the 3rd seed wildcard team.
2. S29 1-8
I actually remember the hype surrounding the Hahalua going into season 29. They had a great year the season prior and seemed rimed to make a playoff run. Instead they fell flat and finished last. If they were luckier, they would have finished 10-6 and secured a playoff birth.
1. S33 1-9
The season 33 Second Line can claim the title of being the unluckiest team in recent history. With a whooping 9 losses in close games, they finished dead last in the league. They weren't even a bad team that season. If the sim gods had simply shown them some favor, they could have finished 11-5 and made the playoffs easily. That's rough.
So there you have it. As painful as last season felt for the Otters, we didn't even crack the top 10 unluckiest teams. That's not to say it wasn't bad; it was the 13th unluckiest. Pretty horrible, but not unprecedented. To end the write up, I'll provide the ranking of team's luck ranked from luckiest to unluckiest based on win percentage:
14. 47 23 67.14%
13. 47 - 29 (61.84%)
12. 44 - 33 (57.14%)
11. 44 - 34 (56.41%)
10. 39 - 31 (55.71%)
9. 43 - 35 (55.13%)
8. 37 - 31 (54.41%)
7. 36 - 40 (47.37%)
6. 30 - 35 (46.15%)
5. 39 - 47 (45.35%)
4. 40 - 50 (44.44%)
3. 33 - 45 (42.31%)
2. 34 - 47 (41.98%)
1. 28 - 44 (38.89%)
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