1. This week will see the S33 Ultimus and Ultimini races begin in earnest. How did each team arrive at the playoffs? Were there any dark horse teams that went unexpectedly far, or any presumptive favorites that fell flat? Who do you think will win the final? If you’re writing this after the finals were decided, were you surprised by the outcome?
Let us take the Baltimore Hawks and Orange County Otters Ultimus final all the way back to the season predictions. Early in the season, the Baltimore Hawks were ranked about 3rd or 4th on average in the NSFC standings. To everyone's surprise one can say, the Hawks surpassed the average expectation finishing 2nd in the conference, being one win away from the top. From this, you can say that the Hawks were definitely underrated to start the season as not many would expect a 3rd or 4th placed team in the conference to be winning the eventual Ultimus. Similarly, but in an even more extraordinary manner, the Orange County Otters were often placed 7th or last in their conference. However, in a weaker division the Otters stood tall and blew past people's expectations by finishing 2nd in the conference by the end of the season! I would say they were completely the dark horse team if you had to pick one, coming from very low expectation to going to the finals.
Taking a look at the end of season standings that lead to the playoffs, everyone should expect both the top teams of each division to be making it to the final. However, both would be upset by the 2nd place team. The Arizona Outlaws lost to the Orange County Otters by 5 points despite having a much better record in comparison with 3 more wins. You can say it was close, but if you look at their records and points for to points against, I would say that the Arizona Outlaws were the presumed favourites and they fell short of their expectations. The largest failure of the playoff teams despite surpassing expectations in the regular season by topping their conference. In the other conference, the Baltimore Hawks won against the Sarasota Sailfish 30-24. This I would say is not as big as an upset because despite the 2nd seed defeating the 1st seed, the Sailfish and Hawks had really similar record and the Hawks even had a better points for to points against metric. While falling short as the 1st place team, the Sailfish compared to the Outlaws have less to be upset about.
Overall I would like to say that I predicted the Hawks winning the Ultimus Cup just due to their best points for to points against in the regular season; however, it seems I just picked my playoff predictions based on the standings. Hindsight is 20/20 and I incorrectly picked the Sarasota Sailfish as the S33 Ultimus Champions. Honestly, the prediction is not too farfetched as stated earlier how both the Sailfish and the Hawks had really similar records and some of the best points for to points against in the entire league.
As for the actual final, the Baltimore Hawks beat the Orange County Otters in a close game 41-38. To start the game, the Otters grabbed an early lead 24-0 by the end of the 1st, but that is when the Hawks mounted their comeback with the 2nd end being 24-14 Otters, and the 3rd end being 31-17 Otters. The 4th is where the Hawks took over by getting 24 points, limiting the Otters to just 7 to eventually win the game and the Ultimus Bowl. I wouldn't say I was entirely surprised by the final outcome due to the Hawks having the better record and point differential compared to the Otters. However, I am a bit surprised by how the Orange County Otters were able to push it so far and to be an end away from winning the championship. Overall, no major upsets in the final, just a surprisingly close game! A commendable effort by the Orange County Otters, being able to get to the finals after such low expectations heading into the season and a big congratulations on the Baltimore Hawks for winning the S33 Ultimus Bowl!
(647 words)
Let us take the Baltimore Hawks and Orange County Otters Ultimus final all the way back to the season predictions. Early in the season, the Baltimore Hawks were ranked about 3rd or 4th on average in the NSFC standings. To everyone's surprise one can say, the Hawks surpassed the average expectation finishing 2nd in the conference, being one win away from the top. From this, you can say that the Hawks were definitely underrated to start the season as not many would expect a 3rd or 4th placed team in the conference to be winning the eventual Ultimus. Similarly, but in an even more extraordinary manner, the Orange County Otters were often placed 7th or last in their conference. However, in a weaker division the Otters stood tall and blew past people's expectations by finishing 2nd in the conference by the end of the season! I would say they were completely the dark horse team if you had to pick one, coming from very low expectation to going to the finals.
Taking a look at the end of season standings that lead to the playoffs, everyone should expect both the top teams of each division to be making it to the final. However, both would be upset by the 2nd place team. The Arizona Outlaws lost to the Orange County Otters by 5 points despite having a much better record in comparison with 3 more wins. You can say it was close, but if you look at their records and points for to points against, I would say that the Arizona Outlaws were the presumed favourites and they fell short of their expectations. The largest failure of the playoff teams despite surpassing expectations in the regular season by topping their conference. In the other conference, the Baltimore Hawks won against the Sarasota Sailfish 30-24. This I would say is not as big as an upset because despite the 2nd seed defeating the 1st seed, the Sailfish and Hawks had really similar record and the Hawks even had a better points for to points against metric. While falling short as the 1st place team, the Sailfish compared to the Outlaws have less to be upset about.
Overall I would like to say that I predicted the Hawks winning the Ultimus Cup just due to their best points for to points against in the regular season; however, it seems I just picked my playoff predictions based on the standings. Hindsight is 20/20 and I incorrectly picked the Sarasota Sailfish as the S33 Ultimus Champions. Honestly, the prediction is not too farfetched as stated earlier how both the Sailfish and the Hawks had really similar records and some of the best points for to points against in the entire league.
As for the actual final, the Baltimore Hawks beat the Orange County Otters in a close game 41-38. To start the game, the Otters grabbed an early lead 24-0 by the end of the 1st, but that is when the Hawks mounted their comeback with the 2nd end being 24-14 Otters, and the 3rd end being 31-17 Otters. The 4th is where the Hawks took over by getting 24 points, limiting the Otters to just 7 to eventually win the game and the Ultimus Bowl. I wouldn't say I was entirely surprised by the final outcome due to the Hawks having the better record and point differential compared to the Otters. However, I am a bit surprised by how the Orange County Otters were able to push it so far and to be an end away from winning the championship. Overall, no major upsets in the final, just a surprisingly close game! A commendable effort by the Orange County Otters, being able to get to the finals after such low expectations heading into the season and a big congratulations on the Baltimore Hawks for winning the S33 Ultimus Bowl!
(647 words)