We've only played 9 games but New Jersey has already clinched the East, so it's not too early to check out the other division races. Five of the eight divisions are separated by a game or less and a sixth has a 2 game spread with 7 to go. The West is the other runaway division with Arizona holding a 4 game lead.

Pacific

We have a 3 way tie at the top between LA, Honolulu and Southern California at 4-5. San Jose isn't out of it if they can get hot down the stretch despite being 1-8.

Southern California has the easiest remaining schedule based on W-L records (25-38), and Los Angeles's remaining opponents are also less than .500 combined. The Express have yet to play Honolulu or the Sun so this division is wide open. The second wildcard is also within reach but as many games as they have with each other, I'd bet just 1 team comes out of the Pacific.

West

This looks like Arizona's division as they have a 4 game lead on Denver and Portland, whom the Wranglers are already 3-0 against. Denver and Portland currently sit 2 games behind #6 seed Oklahoma and I wouldn't count either team out of it. Portland has an easier schedule but Denver's isn't difficult either.

Southwest

Everyone expected Memphis and Houston to fight it out for the #1/#5 seeds and we aren't wrong so far. Memphis won the first meeting and has a slightly better remaining schedule. Oklahoma is surprising some people after their 1-15 1985 season. That's a distant memory as they are currently 6-3, 2 games ahead of everyone else for the #6 seed. The Outlaws still have to play Houston twice, but Florida (5-4) is the only other winning team on the schedule. San Antonio has lost 5 in a row after starting 4-0, yet they are still in the race if they can halt their skid.

Midwest Division

Our second division with a leader < .500, which underscores how odd this season's standings have been. As a whole, the Midwest is just 5-17 against the league but 6th of 8 in the division rankings. All four teams are separated by just 1.5 games so these last 7 weeks are important to see which one gets to host Houston or Memphis in the Wildcard Round.

Cleveland has the easiest remaining schedule (27-33-3) and Chicago (41-24) the hardest. Michigan and Detroit's remaining opponents are at or just above .500.

Now the other conference.

Southeast

At 5-4, Florida has a 1 game lead on Jacksonville while Tampa and Orlando are just 2 back. Florida (33-30) has the least difficult remaining schedule, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay have it a little rough (both 38-25) while Orlando has to walk uphill barefoot in the snow (41-22).

South

The South have been playing good football all season, fighting with the Southwest for top division each week. Lucky's Georgia Force have been anything but, sitting at just 5-4 despite being 6th in the commish rankings. Sitting 3 games out in 3rd place, they're hoping to stay in the thick of the wildcard race. The schedule is on their side, as the rematch with New Orleans the only team they face currently over .500.

Birmingham (8-1) and New Orleans (7-2) are ahead of Georgia in the standings and they split their season series. They also have the same strength of remaining schedule (31-31-1). Birmingham was 1985 Conference Champs while VooDoo owner/GM smirt is a contender in any league he's in. Anything can happen down the stretch but I would bet both the Stallions and VooDoo make the playoffs. Georgia might sneak in as a #6, though Baltimore and Pittsburgh have something to say about that.

Atlantic

Washington (8-1) has a 2 game lead on Baltimore, though the Stars did just hand the Federals their first loss. Baltimore's remaining opponents are just 24-39 while Washington's is 33-30. Pittsburgh is in the wildcard hunt and their remaining schedule (29-34) isn't difficult.

East

Everyone outside of New Jersey is sick of the Generals winning the East every year since 1978, and they're gonna still be sick as we already have a home playoff game wrapped up. The NFL record for earliest clinch (16 game schedule) is the Patriots in Week 11, and the Vikings clinched after week 9 of a 14 game season (1973). I'm not even sure I've seen an MFN division clinched so soon.

Good thing for us too, as we have a rough 3 game stretch coming up that will help determine where we really stand. Our first 9 games, our opponents now have a combined record of 26-55, 26-46 if you take out the New Jersey wins. After the Bell game tonight, we get 3 straight against 8-1 teams, Birmingham, Washington, and Arizona.

Despite the early clinch, we want the BYE so we're nowhere close to resting people for "load management". Injury preservation, yes we'll err on the side of caution.

Thanks for the props. Definitely been feeling kicked down.

This league is easily one of the most competitive ones out there right next to ones of the Champions League ilk.

You have been getting the Buffalo Bills treatment in title games lately.

Yeah and my major stat producers on offense taken away. It's ok. I was pushed once before and I clean swept out within 5 minutes. Boom, poof, gone.

How to I join this Champions league?

You have to win a Championship......and then a team has to become available.

National Conference

It's shaping up to be a drama free last few weeks. The once unbeaten Generals have lost 2 in a row to Birmingham and Washington, taking the Generals down to the #3 seed. Looks like Birmingham and Washington have a clear path to the coveted BYE week, with 2 game division leads. Florida has clinched the Southeast and seems destined for the #4 seed.

Speaking of 2 game leads, New Orleans and Baltimore have a 2 game lead on Georgia for the wildcard spots. Barring a collapse for 1 team and/or a hot streak from some other team, the National Conference should look like this:

BYE WEEK Birmingham and Washington
#3 seed New Jersey
#4 seed Florida
Wildcards New Orleans and Baltimore

American Conference

What the National Conference lacks in drama, the American Conference should make up for it.

The Pacific division is still a 3 team race and with so many division games left, I'm not going to guess who comes out on top. The non division winners will be in the thick of the race for the #6 seed.

In the West, Arizona has a 3 game lead with 4 to play so it should be a matter of time before they clinch the #2 seed. Denver and Portland are in the middle of the quagmire of teams fighting for the #6 seed.

In the Southwest, Memphis and Houston will be the #1 and #5 seeds, though the division winner is still in doubt. Oklahoma currently is #6 with a 7-5 record, but there are 8 other teams in the conference with 5,6, or 7 wins.

In the Midwest, Cleveland and Michigan are both just 5-7, but tied for the division lead. Once it seemed they were guaranteed only 1 spot, but if both teams get hot down the stretch, it's possible the 2nd place team could be the #6 seed. Can't even count Chicago out yet, they are 1.5 games behind with 4 to go. Detroit isn't eliminated yet, but they need to go 4-0 and have some help.

congrats on the division win Florida , hope you are able to represent the Southeast better than I have the past few seasons lol