Well the 16th season of this illustrious league is about to be underway, and we have quite an interesting season on our hands with the expansion. Not only does it welcome two more teams into the league, the Chicago Butchers and the Austin Copperheads, there was also an expansion draft that shook up rosters league wide and certainly created a ton of uncertainty as star players were shuffled around rosters. All these factors considered, I would not be surprised if these initial rankings are way off the mark, but that’s half the fun. Before I get started I just wanted to express my appreciation of change to the playoff format by the head office. The sim issue that had 4 out of 5 teams making the playoffs was hot garbage, and even if the solution was a bit unwieldy they got it right: first round bye for the conference champs and a divisional round before that. Makes the regular season meaningful and creates great story lines for the playoff push, instead of a crap team limping in each year. Good job pulling the trigger on making that call. Also, I wanna give a shout out to ven_knight for his excellent article, “NSFL Season 16 Preview”, I was super worried about putting together a list of each team’s adds and losses and he nailed it with that article. So anyway, without further ado, let’s get to the rankings:
1. Baltimore Hawks
The Baltimore Hawks are the defending champions, and they deserve the top spot in the power rankings as they look to defend their title, but it’s not all peaches and cream in Maryland as they lost a ton of talent this offseason. League MVP and starting QB Childish Gambino called it quits coming off a record breaking season, and they lost star WR Vinny Valentine to free agency. On defense, both CB Achilles Hondo and DE Abayomi Mbanefo were poached in the expansion draft, along with the talented back-up tight end Declan Harp. However they have stud DSFL prospect QB Corvo Havran waiting in the wings and ready to make his pro debut, and Marquise Brown is still the best running back in the game and they signed a star CB in Xandra Troyski. In all, the Hawks deserve to keep their top spot in the power rankings until they stumble, and again look like Ultimus favorites out the gate this season.
2. Orange County Otters
The Otters once again look to be locks to make the postseason, as they were able to mitigate their loss of legendary WR Carlito Crush by signing the league’s top free agent and 3rd overall in TPE by getting WR Vinny Valentine under contract. Pairing him with top WR Sunnycursed is almost unfair, especially when you consider QB Gus T.T. Showbiz is one of the league’s best and sophomore RB Apollo Reed had a breakout rookie year. This is a verteran and talented team that came out of the expansion well and look to make a Ultimus run.
3. San Jose SabreCats
San Jose is coming off a great run which has seen them make back to back Ultimus championship games, winning one. On that pedigree, they earn the third spot in the ranking, however there are serious questions as to whether they came keep up their reign of dominance. Losing star WR Kazimer Oles to the expansion will be difficult to overcome, as behind WR1 Xavier Flash they have some jerk with a long name, but star QB Joliet Christ can also turn to his twin sophomore tight end duo, “The Large Lads”, as receiving options. The Sabrecats have won mostly with defense first, and on that front they lost a huge piece in CB Xandra Troyski, the league’s best cornerback. This is a good team but the conference will be much tougher overall and they will be in for a dog fight making it back to the Ultimus.
4. Arizona Outlaws
The Outlaws made huge strides last season, and were on the verge of a playoff berth before falling flat by losing their last three games. The silver lining was that they improved dramatically from their previous season, and the young roster has a clear upwards trajectory. With a slew of great picks automatically protected in the expansion draft, the only notable departures were veteran WR Sam Hardwick to expansion and legendary kicker Dean Jackson to retirement, the latter a loss both on and off the field that will be tough to swallow. The free agency signing of talented veteran safety Bucky Barnes will help them overcome that loss, as will the continued ascension of QB Andrew Reese, who is now one of the most talented players in the league and a dark horse MVP candidate.
5. Yellowknife Wraiths
The Wraiths had a decent season last year considering they started rookie QB Cooter Bigsby, who had a great rookie year in the bigs. Much like Arizona, they showed the promise of bigger things in season 16. They were able to bring in talented safety Tony Grithead to shore up the defense, and although they lost RB Dick Wizardry to expansion they have a great duo between RB Jerrod Canton and RB Marshall Morgan to carry the load, not to mention a trio of talented wide receivers that can put up yardage through the air. Bigsby has a ton of weapons, and it will be no surprise if he and the Wraiths near the conference lead this season.
6. Philadelphia Liberty
The Liberty made the playoffs last year, and look again to be in contention this year after bringing their core back. They did, however, suffer real losses in losing Bucky Barnes to free agency and K Kulture Fulture to the expansion draft. The Liberty played well last year, and have rising stars RB Vander Jones and WR Nacho Varga to build on, but they lack overall depth. They will definitely be challenged as they compete for a playoff position, but there is no reason to think a repeat appearance is out of the question.
7. Chicago Butchers
The first expansion team on this list, the Butchers made some serious moves and wont surprise anyone if they make the postseason. In addition to a great season 15 draft, as noted in my last media piece, the Chicago franchise loaded up on talent both through free agency and the trade market. New quarterback Rose Jenkins, making her NSFL debut, will be throwing to the most talented player in the league in WR Kazimir Oles. The Butchers brought in tons of defensive talent as well, and the recipe is there for them to have an elite defense. For an expansion team, they are hitting the ground running and will surprise no one if they make a playoff run.
8. New Orleans Second Line
The New Orleans Second Line had a season to forget last year, posting just 2 wins in what was QB Bort Maximus II’s swan song. They now look to former TE Stan Franciso to helm the team at quarterback, and it won’t be an easy task in his first year throwing passes instead of catching them. Receiving those passes is now old man Vladimir Fyodorovich who is still the most talented player on the team, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement on the overall talent level. They do have a solid base of young players, but this projects to be a rebuilding year for the Second Line.
9. Colorado Yeti
The Colorado Yeti won just two games last year, lost their quarterback McCycle to retirement, and are obviously looking to rebuild. The roster is not strong, and they rank ahead of Austin purely because they were in the league last year. However, there are plenty of players to be excited about, as WR James Bishop is an all pro, and young upstarts Terry Taffy, Mo Berry, Tony Gabagool, and Quinten Sinclair form an intriguing foundation for the future. This team is eyeing the future though because they don’t have the talent to challenge for a playoff position, especially playing inexperienced Wolfy McDummy at quarterback.
10. Austin Copperheads
The Austin Copperheads are another expansion team, however they look fangless (hah!) as they head into their inaugural season. There just isn't enough talent on this team to compete with the big boys, and they are starting true rookie Easton Cole at quarterback which probably won’t end well. They have some solid options on offense, led by RB Dick Wizardry and a trio of talented wide receivers, but beyond that there is a lot of work to be done. The may surprise but odds are they occupy the tenth spot in these rankings again when the season comes to a close.
1. Baltimore Hawks
The Baltimore Hawks are the defending champions, and they deserve the top spot in the power rankings as they look to defend their title, but it’s not all peaches and cream in Maryland as they lost a ton of talent this offseason. League MVP and starting QB Childish Gambino called it quits coming off a record breaking season, and they lost star WR Vinny Valentine to free agency. On defense, both CB Achilles Hondo and DE Abayomi Mbanefo were poached in the expansion draft, along with the talented back-up tight end Declan Harp. However they have stud DSFL prospect QB Corvo Havran waiting in the wings and ready to make his pro debut, and Marquise Brown is still the best running back in the game and they signed a star CB in Xandra Troyski. In all, the Hawks deserve to keep their top spot in the power rankings until they stumble, and again look like Ultimus favorites out the gate this season.
2. Orange County Otters
The Otters once again look to be locks to make the postseason, as they were able to mitigate their loss of legendary WR Carlito Crush by signing the league’s top free agent and 3rd overall in TPE by getting WR Vinny Valentine under contract. Pairing him with top WR Sunnycursed is almost unfair, especially when you consider QB Gus T.T. Showbiz is one of the league’s best and sophomore RB Apollo Reed had a breakout rookie year. This is a verteran and talented team that came out of the expansion well and look to make a Ultimus run.
3. San Jose SabreCats
San Jose is coming off a great run which has seen them make back to back Ultimus championship games, winning one. On that pedigree, they earn the third spot in the ranking, however there are serious questions as to whether they came keep up their reign of dominance. Losing star WR Kazimer Oles to the expansion will be difficult to overcome, as behind WR1 Xavier Flash they have some jerk with a long name, but star QB Joliet Christ can also turn to his twin sophomore tight end duo, “The Large Lads”, as receiving options. The Sabrecats have won mostly with defense first, and on that front they lost a huge piece in CB Xandra Troyski, the league’s best cornerback. This is a good team but the conference will be much tougher overall and they will be in for a dog fight making it back to the Ultimus.
4. Arizona Outlaws
The Outlaws made huge strides last season, and were on the verge of a playoff berth before falling flat by losing their last three games. The silver lining was that they improved dramatically from their previous season, and the young roster has a clear upwards trajectory. With a slew of great picks automatically protected in the expansion draft, the only notable departures were veteran WR Sam Hardwick to expansion and legendary kicker Dean Jackson to retirement, the latter a loss both on and off the field that will be tough to swallow. The free agency signing of talented veteran safety Bucky Barnes will help them overcome that loss, as will the continued ascension of QB Andrew Reese, who is now one of the most talented players in the league and a dark horse MVP candidate.
5. Yellowknife Wraiths
The Wraiths had a decent season last year considering they started rookie QB Cooter Bigsby, who had a great rookie year in the bigs. Much like Arizona, they showed the promise of bigger things in season 16. They were able to bring in talented safety Tony Grithead to shore up the defense, and although they lost RB Dick Wizardry to expansion they have a great duo between RB Jerrod Canton and RB Marshall Morgan to carry the load, not to mention a trio of talented wide receivers that can put up yardage through the air. Bigsby has a ton of weapons, and it will be no surprise if he and the Wraiths near the conference lead this season.
6. Philadelphia Liberty
The Liberty made the playoffs last year, and look again to be in contention this year after bringing their core back. They did, however, suffer real losses in losing Bucky Barnes to free agency and K Kulture Fulture to the expansion draft. The Liberty played well last year, and have rising stars RB Vander Jones and WR Nacho Varga to build on, but they lack overall depth. They will definitely be challenged as they compete for a playoff position, but there is no reason to think a repeat appearance is out of the question.
7. Chicago Butchers
The first expansion team on this list, the Butchers made some serious moves and wont surprise anyone if they make the postseason. In addition to a great season 15 draft, as noted in my last media piece, the Chicago franchise loaded up on talent both through free agency and the trade market. New quarterback Rose Jenkins, making her NSFL debut, will be throwing to the most talented player in the league in WR Kazimir Oles. The Butchers brought in tons of defensive talent as well, and the recipe is there for them to have an elite defense. For an expansion team, they are hitting the ground running and will surprise no one if they make a playoff run.
8. New Orleans Second Line
The New Orleans Second Line had a season to forget last year, posting just 2 wins in what was QB Bort Maximus II’s swan song. They now look to former TE Stan Franciso to helm the team at quarterback, and it won’t be an easy task in his first year throwing passes instead of catching them. Receiving those passes is now old man Vladimir Fyodorovich who is still the most talented player on the team, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement on the overall talent level. They do have a solid base of young players, but this projects to be a rebuilding year for the Second Line.
9. Colorado Yeti
The Colorado Yeti won just two games last year, lost their quarterback McCycle to retirement, and are obviously looking to rebuild. The roster is not strong, and they rank ahead of Austin purely because they were in the league last year. However, there are plenty of players to be excited about, as WR James Bishop is an all pro, and young upstarts Terry Taffy, Mo Berry, Tony Gabagool, and Quinten Sinclair form an intriguing foundation for the future. This team is eyeing the future though because they don’t have the talent to challenge for a playoff position, especially playing inexperienced Wolfy McDummy at quarterback.
10. Austin Copperheads
The Austin Copperheads are another expansion team, however they look fangless (hah!) as they head into their inaugural season. There just isn't enough talent on this team to compete with the big boys, and they are starting true rookie Easton Cole at quarterback which probably won’t end well. They have some solid options on offense, led by RB Dick Wizardry and a trio of talented wide receivers, but beyond that there is a lot of work to be done. The may surprise but odds are they occupy the tenth spot in these rankings again when the season comes to a close.