The Semis
Week 16 brings us the final four teams fighting for their chance at the LOC title in semifinal action.
The matchups should be closely fought, and the winners will have to earn it.
Saturday yields important scoring opportunities in both matchups, with big games between the Chiefs/Texans and Ravens/Steelers. That action will begin to unravel the mystery of who is likely to move on to LOC Bowl XIX, but the final calls may not be made until Monday night.
Let's dive into the semifinal matchups...
Addicts vs. Marauders
Summary
The #1 seed against the scoring champs in an intriguing battle for a ticket to the title game.
History
All-Time: 15-11, Addicts
Last Mtg: 128-102.5 / Marauders (Wk 6)
Predictions
ESPN: Marauders by 7
Experts: Addicts by 2
LM: Addicts by 10
Wolves vs. Dominators
Summary
This division champs matchup gives us the WS winners against the top team from the Rest.
History
All-Time: 12-10, Wolves
Last Mtg: 122-92.5 / Dominators (Wk 11)
Predictions
ESPN: Dominators by 4
Experts: Dominators by 7
LM: Wolves by 5
More to come...
Two to Go
Week 15 / Round 1 is complete. Congrats to the Dominators and Marauders on advancing to the Semis. They'll square off against the Wolves and Addicts, respectively. Plenty of big team scores across the spectrum this week (only some of which counted) as half the league cleared 120.
We're down to 4 teams with 2 games to play. More on the semifinals in the days ahead. Here are the takeaways from Week 15 action.
Quarterfinals
For the Losers and Remix, it's off to the back-to-back 5th place matchup. Neither game was close, so perhaps actual drama awaits us in Round 2. While no trophies are awarded this week, there were still standout (good and bad) playoff moments to be noted.
Both the Marauders and Dominators cleared 130 in their wins. Lamar Jackson led the two matchups with 35 points. Amon-Ra was right behind him at 33. The best flex call of the bracket was Brian Thomas for Dolla. He posted 25.5 to lead their winning effort. Gibbs went over 20 and the defensive call proved correct again (Texans - 19).
On the flip side, the Losers got a worst-possible -14 from the Lions D. A risky start already, they managed to give up max yards/points while recording no sacks/ints. The fall-off from just a few weeks ago for Ledford and Co. has been tough to see, as they failed to clear 70 points.
The Remix got pretty balanced scoring, with McLaurin's 18.5 leading the team. Conversely, the Caleb QB call did not work out on Monday. To be fair, the Marauders won despite a -5 from the Chargers D. Also a pretty poor start.
Consolation
The Crew did lead all scoring this week (nearly reaching 150) and got a week's best 39 from Davante Adams. The Football Team and Threat also balled out in their matchups.
For those in the consolation bracket, a win basically ensures that you won't finish last (unless you were already an 11 or 12 seed, in which case you'll still need another team to go 0-2 in Wks. 15 and 16). The non-playoff bracket is a convoluted thing to be sure. From here, we at least know that the Crew and the Football Team are spared the indignity of magnet photo requests.
*The NUGGET*
The Marauders just earned their first-ever points title this year. 118.4 ppg puts them in the middle of the pack in terms of points-champ scoring averages (9/19). They've never finished better than 3rd in scoring (even in their 3 championship seasons) save for a 2016 2nd-place showing where they came up 19 points shy of the Dominators. Contrast that with the Cheetahs, who've earned the honor 5 times in 18 seasons.
Historically, points champions have not fared as well in the postseason. Two teams (the '16 Dominators and '08 Underdawgz) didn't even make the cut. In total, 7 teams have claimed the points title who've yet to win a championship.
LA Underdawgz!: '08
Brad's Crabs: '10
Ledford's Losers: '14
Dolla Dominators: '16
Slumerican Shitizens: '17
Walkertown FT: '21
Walkertown FT: '22
That doesn't mean a team that earns points honors is doomed by any means. 7 teams have also carried their scoring momentum to the trophy stand.
Ghetto Krackaddicts: '06
Benny's Bruisers: '11
Hollywood Undead: '12
For Whom Odell Tolls: '15
Dire Wolves: '18
El Equipo de 4:20: '19
Conover Cheetahs: '23
What history tells us is that 11 of our 18 title winners were not the top scorer during the regular season. It's a nice honor, but certainly doesn't guarantee a good finish.
[LM Note]
As we move into and through the postseason, I'll be updating the Record Book and individual team pages to reflect the '24 campaign. Playoff qualification achievements have been added for the 6 teams in this year's tourney. Points title has been awarded. The LOC MVP will be awarded following Wk. 17 (highest scoring player). Each team's career numbers and season MVP will be added at season's end as well. Speaking of points, the historical scoring averages have been updated. Here's what it looks like now:
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Historic
Highlight
Highlight
Week 15, 2006: Setting a single-game record that would last 7 seasons, Cliff's Crushers reached 172 points on this date back in '06. Vick threw for 4 TDs and LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 199 yards and 2 TDs (setting his own record) to help boost the Crushers past the Redux in the consolation bracket. Tap in for LDT highlights via vintage SportsCenter coverage.
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