The ASFC has been historically tight these past few seasons and this season is no different, especially with the top teams trading wins and losses and nobody really pulling away from the pack. Prior to Week 11, NOLA led by 2 games from SJS and Austin, with Arizona and NY just a further game back. Now, the index hasn’t been updated at the time of writing, so all the implications aren’t clear to me, but I know the great SJS beat NOLA, so are just 1 game behind. The pivotal games of SJS’ season, you would imagine, would come in Weeks 15 and 16, where they finish the regular season against Austin and Arizona respectively. Now, nothing has been easy with the Cats so far this season. They have already beaten Arizona earlier this season, but lost in a heartbreaker to Austin, so it’s wide open between the top group, especially with NOLA being pegged back a game!
I think there's a massive game coming up in week 14, when the Arizona Outlaws go head to head against the New York Silverbacks. Both the Outlaws and the Silverbacks currently sit tied - along with the Austin Copperheads - at 6-6, for the 3rd and final playoff spot in the ASFC. None of these teams play each other in week 13, so we could see some separation, but there's also the possibility that win or lose, all 3 teams are still tied heading into week 14. Arizona currently holds themselves in a great position with a 6-3 record in conference, compared to 3-5 for New York. All 4 of New York's remaining games are against conference teams, so not only does a New York win put them ahead, it also gives them some power in the tiebreak. Week 16 also sees New York and Austin face off, though by that point someone will almost certainly be in the driver's seat. It's bound to be a great battle, and especially fun as 2 rookies go head to head at QB in the most important game they've played in the ISFL yet. Both have been very safe this season, with only 5 interceptions each, but they are also both bottom 4 in yards. It will be an incredible battle between 2 similar teams with a playoff spot on the line.
We've got 4 weeks left in the regular season, so let's highlight what should be the prime time matchups for each week.
Week 13: Sabercats @ Silverbacks
The ASFC will be a mad rush to the playoffs, and while this pits the 2nd place Sabercats against the 5th place Silverbacks, New York is only 1 game behind San Jose in the standings. The Sabercats pounced all over the Silverbacks back in week 6 thanks to Maple Dogwood's multi-touchdown performance and a defense that completely neutered New York's offense. Elijah Dyson will need to step up big in this one to keep New York's playoff hopes alive.
Week 14: Sailfish @ Hawks
This week we flip to the NSFC, where the 1st place Hawks host the 3rd place Sailfish. Sarasota is just a game behind Baltimore (and Yellowknife) in the standings, and an upset win on the road would give them the tiebreaker over Baltimore thanks to Sarasota winning their first matchup. The big focus will be whether the Hawks can slow down Sarasota's rushing attack. They managed to "limit" Ace Anderson to 5 yards per carry and just 1 touchdown the first time around, but they had no answer for Zigzag Zipstep and his 3 touchdown performance. Meanwhile neither Reginald Shrubbery nor Anakin Skywalker got more than 40 rushing yards in the game. That running discrepancy will need to normalize for Baltimore to win this one.
Week 15: Sabercats @ Copperheads
Another Sabercats game, though this one may be dependent upon whether the Copperheads are still in contention given how quickly things can change over a 2 week period when you have 3 teams tied for the last playoffs spot. Austin actually squeaked out an overtime win against the Sabercats earlier in the season thanks to two touchdowns from Seer Ial. It was a classic heavyweight fight with neither team pulling more than one score ahead at any point in the match. Of course, should Austin be out of it by the time this game rolls around, it may be more interesting to highlight either Secondline @ Otters or Hawks @ Yeti to see if one of the bottom teams can upset a top team and cause chaos in the standings.
Week 16: Hawks @ Secondline
Depending on how the ASFC shakes out, either Outlaws @ Sabercats or Copperheads @ Silverbacks could be a win or go home kind of game for some of the teams involved. It's too early to predict just how that would shake out, so let's instead highlight what might very well be an Ultimus preview. In fact, with Baltimore currently holding a one game lead, this game might even determine the home field advantage for said Ultimus! Both teams run their offense through their running backs, though not necessarily in the same manner. Kyle Crane leads the ISFL in rushing yards for New Orleans while Baltimore's two headed multi-tool pair of Reginald Shrubbery and Anakin Skywalker have the Hawks with the 2nd most team rushing yards in the league. Regardless of how the ball falls, it will be a fierce game right down to the wire!
Let us be perfectly honest here. It does not really matter to analise any specific games the Copperheads might have until the end of the season if Jay Cue III does not get his head straight and starts playing like a maxed out QB with a billion TPE banked. He is 14-12 TD to INT so far, which, to be fair, it is really a bullshit ratio. Sim is going to sim, i know, but still. So, in the end, with the Copperheads 6-6 and in 4th place in the ASFC, the opponents in the remaining 4 games if the season do not matter. Because everyone knows that if Cue plays like he should, they can beat anyone and get into that playoff spot. And they play 3 teams in the playoff hunt, plus OCO who wants to just avoid being last in the conference. Not an easy task.
Cue, wake the heck up and be the x-factor for once.
At the moment of writing, there are 4 games remaining. The only team that has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs is the Colorado Yeti (which is to be expected, to be fair). There are several games which matter for the playoffs, and quite frankly I can focus on purely week 13 because it is so important going forward.
Week 13:
Baltimore @ Berlin
This is Berlin's final gasp at playoffs. If they win out and have some luck, they could potentially sneak into the playoffs, as they are 4 games back from 3rd in the NSFC. Baltimore, on the other hand, is trying to secure the NSFC, as Yellowknife and Sarasota are hot on their heels.
Austin @ New Orleans
San Jose @ New York
The ASFC is a very tight race, and Austin needs to win this to remain alive in the hunt. New Orleans only has a game in hand over San Jose, so they also would like as many wins as they can get. In a similar vein, San Jose and New York are separated by 1 game and both need a win to stay afloat in this crowded hunt.
Cape Town @ Yellowknife
Yellowknife loses the head to head against Baltimore, so needs to gain a win somehow to win the first seed. The Crash are fighting to potentially make it in if Sarasota falters.
The #1 seed in the ASFC is a coveted thing. For a division/conference almost always ran by one team at a time, as opposed to the NSFCs extreme parity, that 1st seed is essential to any squad hoping to upset the likes of Arizona, Honolulu, or more recently, the Secondline. With that being said that makes the week 13 game against Austin so crucial for both squads. As of this moment the Secondline hold a 2 game lead over the Copperheads with 4 games to go. A loss eliminates the Copperheads from 1st seed contention but a win tightens the race significantly placing Austin right next to NOLA, Arizona and San Jose. With additional games remaining against OCO and NYS, both squads expected to lose to the snakes, this and their game against San Jose represent the biggest challenge left for the path to the 1 seed. If Austin wins they have a very good chance to shock the world and snag the bye week for the American Simulation Football Conference.