Well, USAFL fans, it was bound to happen. The longest reigning champion in USAFL has finally fallen from their ivory tower and hit every possible jagged rock on the way down to the near bottom of the USAFL standings.
I know it has been a while since I took to the keyboard to provide news and analysis but life always finds a way to keep this hobby from taking priority. My main goal has been to build the achievement and trophy system on the website in my free time and will be ready for launch next season.
As mentioned in the intro, World’s Finest has finally been slayed after an unprecedented 4 straight USAFL championships and 7 consecutive years of top 3 finishes. In fact, it was 2013 when World’s Finest last missed the playoffs with a dreadful 5-8-1 record. As the old idiom goes, out with the old and in with the new!
The spotlight falls directly on the Holy Penguins who have been knocking on the championship door for the last several seasons with back-to-back 11-2 and 10-3 seasons in 2019 and 2020 capped off with heartbreaking losses in the 2019 and 2017 USAFL Bowls. Everything seems to be going right for the 9-3 Penguins who lead the league in scoring with 1528 points, which is a whopping 156 points more than the second-place Koalas at 1372. The Pens have locked up a playoff spot, but still, need to lock up the U.S. Division as the D.C. Whitefish look to put a damper on the Pens' glorious season.
The Fish have been the luckiest team of the season thus far boasting an impressive 7-5 record and a shot for the U.S. Title, but ranks eighth in all-play performance with only a 45.5%-win rate overall. They control their own destiny as two consecutive wins, including a season-ending grudge match against the Pens can seal the deal as Division Champions.
The Koalas have turned on the afterburners going into the final divisional stage of the season with three straight wins that propelled them into the Commonwealth Title talks. It was only three weeks ago when it looked like Takada Monster Army was going to wrap up the CW easily, but the Koalas led by interim GM Emily N. is putting together a Cinderella season. Takada felt the wrath of the Koala this past week losing 136-90 but despite no longer being the odds-on favorite to win the division, they are certainly making the playoffs with a 93% certainty rate.
The U.S. Division looks to be the Division of Death with three of the top teams in the league currently fighting amongst themselves for playoff positioning. With all likelihood, the Pens, Strokes, and Fish will all earn playoff spots representing half of the bracket this post-season. Meanwhile, the Premier Division is also dealing with internal strife with Ebola and Yankee Zulu both barely on the outside looking in with a 50% or below winning percentage. They still have a puncher's chance of making it into the playoffs but will need consecutive wins to lock in a spot.
Three other teams have punched their tickets to the playoffs, unfortunately, it’s to the Consolation Cup and Draft Pick rights. World’s Finest, Hawk’s Bench, and the Addicts will all be looking to figure out what went wrong this season. 2023 will be the first time ever World’s Finest has played outside the Premier Division. No matter what happens this season, one thing is certain… a new name will be etched onto the USAFL Championship Belt!
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