The Final Four

The Contenders
First off, I want to thank Levi for making the playoff race more interesting than it would be otherwise.  After a 7-0 start, he dropped 5 of his last 7 and 4 of his last 5, but still managed to clinch the #1 seed in the playoffs.  Heck, he even had room to spare; he would have squeaked in as the #3 seed even if he had dropped his week 13 game against Kevin.

But, you know, it was Kevin, so.  Not much chance he would lose that one.  But the playoffs start this week, so Levi had better get back to his winning ways, or he'll have nothing to show for the season but the ninth overall pick in next year's draft.

At the #2 seed is Suspended Atomnation, who actually WON 4 of his past 5 games, with the one loss coming at the hands of yours truly.  The good news is that Adam got hot at the right time of the season; the bad news is that he's lost to the Ninjas twice this year, which proves that he could go down at any time.

Of course the hottest team in the league is AirMex, currently riding an 8-game winning streak, and playing his best game right now.  He's won his last 3 games by margins of 20+ points, and his opponent in the first round of the playoffs is the eminently beatable Adam.

On the other hand, there was another team, back in 2012, who rode into the playoffs on a NINE game winning streak to grab the #1 seed.  That owner lost both games in the playoffs and ended up with nothing to show for his amazing streak --- other than the ninth overall draft pick in 2013.

Finally, there's Los Diablos, who recovered from a mid-season 4-game losing streak to snag the #4 seed.  And unlike Mex, who's been winning games by comfortable margins, two of Los Diablos' wins have been relative squeakers, like last week's 57-45 win over the River Horses, and his 37-36 week 11 win over his first-round opponent, the Leviathans.

The Battle for the #1 Pick
Four teams finished the year at 7-7, and appropriately, none of them made the playoffs.  So instead of fighting for the title, they will instead fight for the #1 pick in the 2015 draft.  Each of these guys was close to claiming the last playoff spot: If Merrill had started Nick Novak week 12 against Kevin; if Mason Crosby had missed a field goal instead of a PAT last week when Jody played Aaron; if Taylor had managed to win even ONE of his last four games; or if the Ninjas had managed to win their week 4 matchup against Los Diablos.

None of these guys are pushovers, and they're going to get the top four picks in next year's draft.  So I'm going to make my first bold prediction for 2015 right now: The 2015 champion will be one of these four teams.

Except not Taylor, obviously.

Fighting for their Good Name:
Jody and YEC finished 6th and 8th during the regular season, thus putting an end to the Past Champions' curse.  But Pete and Aaron still fell into the loser's bracket --- the second consecutive year for Aaron and the THIRD consecutive year for Pete --- so I guess they just suck or something.  Joining Strike Team and the River Horses in the battle to avoid last place will be the Screaming Eagles and Golden Graham's.

An interesting plot line to watch: there's a chance Levi will get to name his dad's team next year!  And I'm sure we would all be excited to see that one!

For teams in the loser's brackets, remember that you're not just playing for draft position and/or to avoid losing your team name, but the weekly prize for high-point scorer continues through week 16.  So good luck in week 15, everyone!