City of Champs League - Week #12

by Colin Thompson

1 team has clinched; everything else is up for grabs

Key Week 12 Matchups

Tig ManBitties defeated Beach Bums

Tig ManBitties pulled off a huge win last week defeating Beach Bums 106-99. The win moved them to 7-5 and into first place in the ANAL division while the loss pushed the Beach Bums to 6-6 and into a tie for the coveted second playoff spot in the ORAL division. Michael Vick wasn’t enough this time for Beach Bums as Tig ManBitties matched them stride for stride with Tom Brady. Brady’s performance was the difference in this critical matchup. The first round bye is a huge advantage to the teams that can get it and Tig ManBitties is in the driver’s seat to claim it.

Piece of Ice defeated Little Italy

Little Italy had the chance to put some distance between themselves and Piece of Ice and were unable to do so in week 12, losing 87-76. Both teams are now 6-6 and will be battling to ensure a guaranteed ANAL division playoff spot. Unfortunately for Little Italy they fell victim to Chris Johnson’s worst game of his career in which he did not score a point. They also took a chance on Sidney Rice which did not pay off.

Testi Cool defeated Bayside Tigers

The Bayside Tigers were dealt a huge blow when they lost 138-131 to Testi Cool. Now they sit at the bottom of the ANAL division and must climb over two teams in their own division to have a hope of qualifying for the postseason. Testi Cool is still on the outside looking in but winning that key matchup last week will go a long way to determining if they can secure a playoff berth. Despite huge days from Peyton Hillis and Aaron Rodgers (74 points combined) it wasn’t enough to overcome the balanced scoring from Kyle Orton, Rashard Mendenhall and Deion Branch who managed 87 points for Testi Cool.

Pivotal Week 13 Matchups

Pretty much every matchup this week is pivotal to the playoff race in City of Champs League but the matchups that hold the most playoff implications should be the following:

Team XXX (5-7) vs. Piece of Ice (6-6)

Team XXX is in desperate need of a win and must pull out all the stops if they hope to have a chance at the playoffs. Perhaps the gutsiest call they have to make is whether to play Maurice Morris at RB instead of Shonn Greene. Greene is the more accomplished back but Morris is coming off of a two TD performance. This decision could make or break their postseason hopes.

Testi Cool (6-6) vs. Little Italy (6-6)

This matchup is between two 6-6 teams that are 2^nd and 4^th currently in the ANAL division. Little Italy however holds the tiebreaker as they have 131 more points for. The good thing for Testi Cool is that tiebreaker won’t come into play due to the head to head matchup to close the season. Little Italy has an interesting dilemma at QB, Matt Ryan on the road where he’s not typically that greatest or Matt Schaub in the Thursday night game. Whether they stick with Sidney Rice or not is another hot topic going into this week. His 20 yards just simply will not be enough if they hope to win. For Testi Cool they have one of the hottest RBs in the league in Fred Jackson currently on the bench for LeSean McCoy and Rashard Mendenhall. It would be tough to sit Jackson after how well he’s played but if it turns out to be the right choice then they will look brilliant.

Predictions

The top 2 in each division qualify automatically and then the next two highest points for totals get the final two spots, regardless of division. The way I see it the playoffs will look like this:

Big Ben’s Bathroom – BYE

Tig ManBitties – BYE

Little Italy – 2^nd in ANAL

Rapethlis burghers – 2^nd in ORAL

Beach Bums – Highest Point Total not automatically qualified

Team XXX – Second Highest Point Total not automatically qualified