This post won't be in depth, seeing as we have a game in 2 hours that will change our playoff picture.

In the American Conference, it looks like the 7 teams will be the Southwest division plus the other 3 division winners. If one of the Southwest teams falters down the stretch, Michigan could be in play for a wildcard, although they are currently 2.5 games out with 4 to play.

Southern California currently leads the West with a 5-7 record, although that's in part because they have 2 games left against the Southwest bullies while San Jose and Honolulu are done with their **** whippings from the bullies. The Sun have a decided schedule disadvantage and the Pacific could be decided in the Week 15 game between Honolulu and San Jose.

Portland currently leads the West by 1 game over Oakland, and both teams have "easy" schedules based on W-L records so it's doubtful they both lose enough for Arizona or Denver to make a run at the division.

Chicago currently leads the Midwest by 2.5 games over Michigan and both teams have tough remaining schedules plus a Week 16 game against each other. If Michigan can upset Houston tonight they can put some pressure on both Chicago and whomever is last in the Southwest.

Speaking of the Southwest, all 4 teams have continued their dominance over the rest of us as their last place team, San Antonio has an 8-3-1 record. Memphis currently leads with an 11-1 record while Houston is 10-2 and Oklahoma is 9-3. Each team has at least 2 division games left so there is still a lot of results to shake out.

I neglected to mention that Memphis has already clinched a playoff spot.

In the National Conference, Pittsburgh has won the Atlantic while New Orleans has clinched a playoff spot. The VooDoo are 11-1 with a 2 game lead on 9-3 Birmingham.

Pittsburgh is having a "down" year by their standards, having lost 3 games already but the defending champs have clinched their division early and can massage their roster for maximum playoff health in preparation to defend their title.

Jacksonville and Orlando seem like playoff locks with 9-3 records, tied atop the Southeast. They play each other Week 15. Florida is close to elimination and Tampa has been eliminated.

New Orleans and Birmingham play each other tonight, and if New Orleans wins they will be on the verge of clinching the South. If Birmingham can pull the sweep (they gave the VooDoo their lone loss earlier this season) they will own the tiebreaker if they can get there, as a win tonight would still leave the Stallions 1 game behind.

Georgia and Shreveport are mathematically alive but hanging by a thread.

Washington, Baltimore, and Charlotte have all also been eliminated.

The New York Stars lead the East with a 10-2 record with a 3 game lead on New Jersey and Philadelphia. If they finish the job, which is quite likely, they will win the East for the 6th time, first since 1991. It wasn't long ago that this franchise was left in disarray, and Beercloud volunteered to take over our Chernobyl. Well look at the Stars now, fantastic job Beercloud.

Somehow, my average team is in the playoff hunt. The Generals have the 15th ranked offense and 16th ranked defense, pretty much average. Our passing offense and run defense **** but we're living off rushing offense and a +14 turnover margin. If we make it to January, I'll be surprised if we win at whichever division winner we'd play.

Philadelphia is also 7-5 like New Jersey but MFN says they are currently on the outside looking in. Not good news for the Bell, whose remaining schedule is all playoff teams...New York, Chicago, Orlando, and Birmingham.

Boston is 5-7 but if they can beat New Jersey tonight, they have the remaining schedule to make a run at the #7 seed.

Week 13 results are in so here is the playoff picture as I see it.

American Conference

Clinched Division: Chicago

Clinched Playoff Berth: Memphis, Houston, Oklahoma

In the Hunt: San Antonio, San Jose, Southern California, Honolulu, Portland, Oakland, Michigan

In the Pacific it's a 3 team race for 1 spot. San Jose and Southern California are tied at 5-8 while Honolulu is 1 game back at 4-9.

San Jose: vs Florida (4-9), vs Honolulu (4-9), at Portland (7-6)
Southern California: vs Houston (11-2), at Los Angeles (1-12), at Honolulu (4-9)
Honolulu: vs Tampa Bay (3-10), at San Jose (5-8), vs Southern California (5-8)

The West is a 2 team race for 1 spot with Portland (7-6) 1 game ahead of Oakland (6-7).

Portland: vs Denver (2-11), vs Cleveland (5-7-1), vs San Jose (5-8)
Oakland: vs Arizona (3-10), vs Denver (2-11), at Detroit (4-8-1)

Chicago has clinched the Midwest with a 9-3-1 record and will likely be the #2 seed.

Michigan is still in the hunt for a wildcard spot but they must win out while San Antonio loses out.

Michigan: vs New Jersey (8-5), vs Detroit (4-8-1), at Chicago (9-3-1)
San Antonio: at Memphis (12-1), at Houston (11-2), vs Memphis (12-1)

Looking at that schedule it's quite possible the Gunslingers drop all 3 games and Chicago might rest players in Week 16, so can Michigan beat New Jersey and Detroit?

The Southwest will get at least 3 teams in, with seeds to be determined. Memphis currently leads with a 12-1 record while Houston is 11-2, Oklahoma 10-3. San Antonio can not win the division but is still in play for a wildcard as outlined above.

Memphis: vs San Antonio (8-4-1), at Oklahoma (10-3), at San Antonio (8-4-1)
Houston: at Southern California (5-8), vs San Antonio (8-4-1), vs Oklahoma (10-3)
Oklahoma: at Los Angeles (1-12), vs Memphis (12-1), at Houston (11-2)

National Conference

Clinched Division: Pittsburgh

Clinched Playoff Berth: New Orleans

In the Hunt: Jacksonville, Orlando, New York, Birmingham, New Jersey, Philadelphia

Basically all but one of these teams will make the playoffs as the rest of the conference is eliminated.

Jacksonville and Orlando are tied atop the Southeast with 10-3 records.

New Orleans (12-1) leads the South by 3 games over Birmingham (9-4) yet MFN has not given the VooDoo the division yet. One more VooDoo win or Stallions loss and it becomes official.

Pittsburgh has won the Atlantic.

New York (10-3) leads the East by 2 games over New Jersey (8-5) and Philadelphia (8-5).

In the wildcard race, the loser of the Southeast is currently the #5 seed while Birmingham is #6. New Jersey is currently the #7 seed with Philadelphia #8.

Jacksonville:at Orlando (10-3), vs Baltimore (4-9), at Tampa Bay (3-10)
Orlando: vs Jacksonville (10-3), vs Philadelphia (8-5), vs Florida (4-9)

New Orleans: at Shreveport (5-8), at New Jersey (8-5), vs Denver (2-11)
Birmingham: vs Georgia (4-9), at Shreveport (5-8), vs Philadelphia (8-5)

New York: at Cleveland (5-7-1), vs Chicago (9-3-1), at New Jersey (8-5)
New Jersey: at Michigan (6-7), vs New Orleans (12-1), vs New York (10-3)
Philadelphia: at Chicago (9-3-1), at Orlando (10-3), at Birmingham (9-4)

American Conference

Clinched Division: Chicago

Clinched Playoff Berth: Memphis, Houston, Oklahoma, San Antonio

In the Hunt: San Jose, Honolulu, Southern California, Portland, Oakland

Chicago is the likely #2 seed and will host the likely #7 seed San Antonio

San Jose has a 1 game lead on Honolulu and Southern California. Honolulu and San Jose play each other in a pivotal Week 15 game.

San Jose: vs Honolulu (5-9), at Portland (8-6)
Southern California: at Los Angeles (1-13), at Honolulu (5-9)
Honolulu: at San Jose (6-8), vs Southern California (5-9)

Portland has a 1 game lead on Oakland in the West.

Portland: vs Cleveland (5-8-1), vs San Jose (6-8)
Oakland: vs Denver (2-12), at Detroit (4-9-1)

Memphis and Houston are tied atop the Southwest but the Showboats swept the Gamblers and own the tiebreaker. Oklahoma is a game behind while San Antonio can not win the division but will be a wildcard team.

Memphis: at Oklahoma (11-3), at San Antonio (9-4-1)
Houston: vs San Antonio (9-4-1), vs Oklahoma (11-3)
Oklahoma: vs Memphis (12-2), at Houston (12-2)

National Conference

Clinched Division: New Orleans, Pittsburgh, New York

Clinched Playoff Berth: Jacksonville

In the Hunt: Orlando, Birmingham, New Jersey, Philadelphia

Jacksonville took a big step toward clinching the Southeast by completing the sweep of Orlando with their victory today. One more Bulls win or Renegades loss and the division is theirs. As it stands now, the Bulls are at least a wildcard team.

Orlando may have lost but at 10-4, they should at least make the playoffs with 1 more win.


Jacksonville:vs Baltimore (4-10), at Tampa Bay (3-11)
Orlando: vs Philadelphia (8-6), vs Florida (4-10)

New Orleans has clinched the South and will secure the #1 seed with 1 more victory or losses by the other 3 division leaders in the conference. Birmingham is 10-4 and on the verge of a playoff spot.

New Orleans: at New Jersey (9-5), vs Denver (2-12)
Birmingham: at Shreveport (5-9), vs Philadelphia (8-6)

Pittsburgh clinched the Atlantic a long time ago.

New York clinched the East, congrats Beercloud. New Jersey is holding onto the #7 seed for now with Philadelphia hoping for help.

New York: vs Chicago (10-3-1), at New Jersey (9-5)
New Jersey: vs New Orleans (13-1), vs New York (11-3)
Philadelphia: at Orlando (10-4), at Birmingham (10-4)

SPOILER ALERT!!!


To Break A Tie Within A Division

If, at the end of the regular season, two or more clubs in the same division finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, the following steps will be taken until a champion is determined.
Two Clubs

Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Strength of victory in all games.

The above is the NFL tiebreakers and I believe MFN replaces common games with net points but I'm not 100% sure on that. Could be just for ties for wildcard MFN does that.

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Three or More Clubs

(Note: If two clubs remain tied after one-or-more clubs are eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 1 of two-club format. If three clubs remain tied after a fourth club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 2 of three-club format.)

Apply division tiebreaker to eliminate all but the highest ranked club in each division prior to proceeding to step 2. The original seeding within a division upon application of the division tiebreaker remains the same for all subsequent applications of the procedure that are necessary to identify the two Wild-Card participants.
_______________________________________________________________________________


To Break A Tie For The Wild-Card Team

If it is necessary to break ties to determine the three Wild-Card clubs from each conference, the following steps will be taken.

If the tied clubs are from the same division, apply division tiebreaker.
If the tied clubs are from different divisions, apply the following steps.

Two Clubs

Head-to-head, if applicable.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games, minimum of four.
Strength of victory in all games.
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IMPORTANT STUFF BELOW!!!


Sorry for copying all the tiebreaker rules but they all could possibly come into play, depending on next game results. I also believe we may have a couple standings glitches again.

If the above is correct then Oakland has no chance as they split with Portland and have the same division record. Portland has the edge in common games and net points if that replaces common games.

If, however, conference record is put above common games in MFN, then Oakland would win a tie if they win and Portland loses.

In the National Conference, I don't think Orlando has clinched yet, as a 3 way tie with both New Jersey and Philadelphia at 10-6 would, I believe by my calculations, be eliminated.

Before I breakdown why, let me say it's gonna be hard for this to happen. Orlando (10-5) would have to lose to (4-11) Florida while New Jersey (9-6) beats (12-3) New York AND (9-6) Philadelphia beats (11-4) Birmingham.

If that trifecta hits, all 3 teams would be 10-6 and we have to break the New Jersey/Philadelphia tie first. They split their 2 games, and in this scenario the Generals win over New York would give them a 4-2 division record while Philadelphia would be 3-3, making New Jersey vs Orlando the tiebreaker. Additionally, these hypothetical results would see New Jersey with a 7-5 conference record and Orlando 6-6, which is the tiebreaker since there was no head to head.

That would make New Jersey the 6th seed, with Orlando and Philadelphia remaining tied for the 7th seed. Philadelphia just beat Orlando head to head, so basically Orlando still needs to take care of business against Florida just in case.

American Conference

Clinched Hone Field Advantage/BYE: Memphis

Clinched Division: Chicago (#2 seed), San Jose (#4 seed)

Clinched Wildcards: Houston, Oklahoma, San Antonio, seeds TBD

Possibly Clinched West: Portland

Standings Glitch or maybe still alive: Oakland

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San Jose clinched the Pacific with their win today while Memphis clinched the Southwest and the top seed. Memphis swept Houston, so if they both end up 13-3, the Showboats still have the BYE. Depending on which set of tiebreakers used, Oakland may or may not be alive if they beat Detroit AND Portland loses to San Jose.

Chicago clinched the Midwest a couple games ago, while the order of the wildcard seeds are to be determined, since they all play each other and Memphis.

Houston plays Oklahoma...

If Houston wins, they are the #5 seed while Oklahoma could be #6 or #7 depending on San Antonio.

If Oklahoma wins, they are the #5 seed based on better division record. Houston would be #6 and San Antonio #7.

Memphis plays at San Antonio in a strange circumstance game. Memphis gets the BYE regardless while San Antonio plays next week regardless. Do the Gunslingers push it to possibly be the #6 seed?

If San Antonio wins and Oklahoma loses, the Gunslingers would move up to 3rd place thanks to their tie game.
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Wildcard Games

#7 San Antonio or Oklahoma @ #2 Chicago
#6 San Antonio, Oklahoma, or Houston @ #3 Portland or Oakland
#5 Oklahoma or Houston @ #4 San Jose

National Conference

Clinched Top Seed/BYE: New Orleans

Clinched Division: Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, New York

Clinched Wildcard for sure: Birmingham

MFN Says Clinched, I say Glitch: Orlando

In the Hunt: New Jersey, Philadelphia

New Orleans clinched the BYE with their win today. Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, and New York are the other division winners. If they all remain tied, Pittsburgh would be the #2, New York #3, and Jacksonville #4.

Birmingham is in the playoffs for sure, most likely as the #5 seed though they could be #6 with a loss and Orlando win, I'm not checking that tiebreaker right now.

Orlando will be in with a win, and will also be in with a loss as long as one of New Jersey or Philadelphia also lose.

New Jersey and Philadelphia are currently tied and if they remain tied after Week 16, it matters whether they both win or both lose as to which team advances.

If New Jersey and Philadelphia both win to improve to 10-6, New Jersey maintains 2nd place thanks to a better division record after these teams split their 2 games.

If New Jersey and Philadelphia both lose to fall to 9-7, I believe Philadelphia wins the tiebreaker because the Generals loss to New York in Week 16 would drop their division record to 3-3, same as Philadelphia. The Bell would then advance based on either better common games or better net points.

I'm kind of tired but if I have this right...

Orlando: Not in yet but need a win or a loss by either New Jersey or Philadelphia

New Jersey: In with a win. Out with a loss.

Philadelphia: In with a win and Orlando loss or New Jersey loss. In with a loss AND a New Jersey loss.