Week Eight out of Nine, how did it go by so fast?; ….Its now seven out of eight weeks a team has scored over 100! This week, three teams accomplished the feat. The week saw several great games, and the results set up a crucial last weekend to the 2004 college season. The Contributors clinched the A Division crown to join the Titans as a Division Champion. The C Division has yet to be decided, and a Championship game will be played the final weekend between the Sirloins and Maulers. The final Wild Card playoff berth is still up for grabs as well. At stake in the final contests is the right to a bye week in the playoffs, so there will be several meaningful games to close out a great season. Here is a recap of week eight action.
Maulers @ Cossacks ; 128- 94 Cossacks
In an explosive game, the Cossacks get to hang their heads high after a frustrating season. Walters and Hagen hooked up often to lead the way with great fantasy play. There is a rumor in the Competitor newsroom that the Cossack Coach wanted to sit the Arizona State QB and receiver but missed the deadline to submit the line-up, and had to go with last week’s squad. The Cossacks have been lamenting coaching blunders all season, and if the rumor is true, this would have been a huge one! The Fantasy Gods smiled on the Cossack Coach this week and his Squad was able to shine. The Maulers got another outstanding performance from their Utah QB with a great game. Smith has been a stud all year, and with him the Maulers will remain competitive. The Maulers received great games from RB’S Davis and Whitehead, as well as extreme production from their kicker. The Maulers are hurt by the loss of the Colorado State QB to injury, and as a result Anderson did not catch a ball. The Maulers can still win the C division Championship with a victory over the Sirloins in the final week. They have had an outstanding season after a slow start. No matter what happens, they are playoff bound.
Swinging Sirloins @ Lightning ; 107- 76 Lightning
Lightning strikes for the third week in a row as the Lightning squad get the impressive win. After losing four out of the first five games to begin the season, the Lightning are now rolling. Heisman winner White is now producing the numbers expected of him, and RB Thomas continues to excel. It looks like their early season stumble put them in too deep a hole to recover and make the post season. The Lightning coach can consider this initial season a success. After a dismal start, the squad can be proud that they have fought hard. They will look to end the season with four in a row. The Sirloins lost a crucial game to set up a division championship showdown with the Maulers. They had a solid game and received a bonus point for their efforts, but must regain their early season dominant form to win their division and earn a bye. Edwards has been hurt by the emergence of Michigan freshman RB Hart as the Wolverines have relied on the Kids’ legs instead of Braylon’s hands. The Swingers have an explosive squad and have already earned a playoff berth in their inaugural college fantasy campaign. Hats off to both the new Coach’s, they both have done well in their first year.
Death @ Contributors ; 117 - 87 Contributors
The Contributors continue to Contribute to their own cause with another very good game. They post 117 to clinch the A division Championship. Every roster slot Contributed yet again to win and get another top six-bonus point. This team continues to excel and will contend for the Title. The Death post a solid score and lose another tough one. The Cadillac came out of the garage, and freshman Michigan RB Hart continued to astound. 87 is a solid fantasy score. Losing in the 80’s is just not right! The Death just could not get the breaks in 2004. This was a game between two very good teams; someone had to lose.
Titans @ Pride; 75.5 – 75 Pride
The half point home field advantage…How often is it used? With all the different combinations of scores what are the odds a team will tie? It’s happened before, and it will happen again! The Pride had to have this game to stay in contention for a Wildcard Birth. The Titans needed it to fight for a first round bye. The road to the Championship is paved a lot smoother with one less game to win. The Pride won the battle of Barber and Maroney, and even got a touchdown pass from the other half of the Minnesota Tag Team. Clayton returned to last season’s form, and the USC defense dominated Washington. The Titans got a great game from free agent pick-up Louisville QB Lefores, and another solid game from Arrington. In the end they were let down by their usual Money in the bank RB DeAngelo Williams. Memphis played a real Stinker! To illustrate just how bad they were, The Pride also had two players on the Memphis squad. All three scored a total of One Fantasy Point! The Pride are still alive in the Post Season Hunt, and the Titans road to the Championship just got harder.
Elephants @ DragonFarts; 52- 43 Farts
The DragonFarts win in a very low scoring game. They were lead by Auburn RB Ronnie Brown and the Utah Defense. It has been an up and down year for the Farts; Nothing illustrates this fact better then the zero posted by Harris. The West Virginia RB Exploded on the Fantasy Season in week one, but since then has been hobbled by inconsistency. The Farts have great potential, but have been frustrated all year. Despite the low output, they get the win. The Pach squad fell down in a week they needed to win to keep pace in the tough C division. Their poor game dropped them out of contention for the C Division championship. The Pachyderm bread and butter team of Orton and Stubblefield combined for a meager seven points. The Purdue team has been leading the way for the Elephant squad; if they don’t score, the Pach will lose. The Elephants are still a lock for the Post Season so don’t count them out.
StingRays @ RedHawks; 67- 52 Rays
In another low octane game, the Rays produced enough to win and maintain the leg up on the final post season berth. Great games from Bush, Leak, and the resurgent McCarthur brought the victory home. Free agent pick-up Gates could not replicate the three TD Performance of the previous week, and demonstrated the travails of fantasy ball with a zero. The StingRays are positioned for the playoffs, but need to win to hold on to the final slot. The Hawks got a solid game from Sproles and the Oklahoma D, but were let down at the other position slots. The Birds had potential, but just could not find the Chemistry to win. Good luck in the Scrub Bowl Hawks! Fly High!!! See you next year….
The final week should provide some thrills and drama. It’s been a fast and furious season; No one knows how these games will play out. Six Teams will move on after the week; six teams will be left out and play for pride. In the End, only one will remain. Its not always about who has the best team, it is often who has the best team on a particular day...so is the essence of competition. Good Luck to all in our final week, it’s always hard to see a season end.
I Love this game! Jeff Myers
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