We've reached the midpoint of the regular season and half of you are doing well while the other half, well...um...you have some work to do.
In the Segundo League there are four teams that look like they're headed for the postseason: Jalenhouse Rock, Ohio State Gunkeyes, TJONES35, and MaxxCasualties. All four won last week and remain tied for 1st place in their respective divisions, with a 2-game lead over their nearest challenger. About the only thing left to settle is which two will claim the valuable first-round bye.
MaxxCasualties put the brakes on Get In D Carr in week 8, 126-85, which was all-the-more impressive when you consider their best players - Tagovailoa and Bills D/ST - didn't really bother to show up for the game. But that's what quality teams do, they lean on others in times of need. And last week, it was their K, Dustin Hopkins, who helped lead the way with 22 points. Is that a record score for a K? Maybe. Am I going to bother looking it up? Nope.
Narrowly avoiding a forfeit when Freiermuth was placed on IR, TJONES decided to play with only 10 men on the field and they still devoured Burrowito Bowl, 124-96. Had Freiermuth been placed on IR a day earlier, it could've been costly for TJONES. You have to image that, with a chance to win their division on the line, their coaching staff will be more attentive on game day this week.
Jalenhouse Rock took care of Belichicks Hoodie, 102-65, in a week where I expected much more out of Hoodie. But Metcalf turned out to be a no-show along with the 49ers D/ST. The rest of the league should take note, the 102 points Jalenhouse scored last week is their lowest score of the season.
Lamar Jackson did his thing and led the Gunkeyes over Kaminis, 140-110. Oh, and his supporting cast didn't do too bad either. If Hunt, McCaffrey, Brown and Kirk, can continue to produce at a high level, the Gunkeyes should be a force to reckon with.
The situation in the Sagebrush Cactus League is a bit cloudier.
Baby Got Dak took their first loss last week, falling 93-53 to Who Is You. For most teams, scoring only 53 points in a game would be extremely alarming. For Dak, however, I think it's just a bad week...a really bad week, but still, just a bad week. If I'm Dak, I'm not worried. Once the bye weeks are done and injuries heal, they should be back on track.
When you have Mahomes and Kelce you usually don't need much more. Unless you were the Pork Chop Express this week and they were the only players that produced anything for you. One takeaway from their 111-97 loss to the Thundabuddies, is that the Chops will be just fine now that their starting RB and D/ST are through their bye week.
Beyond the top teams in either league, there are a slew of teams fighting for whatever scraps are left and your guess is as good as mine as to which teams are going to pull away.
There's a 3-way tie for the top spot in the Sagebrush division and 2 other teams within striking distance. Plus, there is a 4-way battle for the third playoff spot in the Cactus division.
If I had to choose, the Thundabuddies and Golden Tate Warriors are two teams that could pull away from the pack over the next few weeks. I'd also give the Los Perros Locos a 50-50 shot, but beyond that I'm not sure I see much hope.
In the Segundo League, the race is even tighter. If we assume the aforementioned teams are going to make the playoffs, that leaves 8 teams in a race for 2 playoff spots. In the Yucca division, the race between the Runningbacks and the Tots could be interesting, but if I'm honest, I'd probably lean towards the Tots just based on the fact that they're more consistent.
I'm not sure I see any clear contender for the third playoff spot in the Cholla division. Belichicks Hoodie and Gotham Rogues are currently tied for 3rd, but with both teams sitting at 3-4, it seems it's more a situation of who loses the least versus who wins the most...if that makes any sense.
But all the wins in the world mean nothing if you don't go out and win this week. No, really. I don't care what your record is, if you lose this week your season's over. Done. Kaput. Fin.
"Um...what are you even talking about, oh wise and venerated one? Even if I lose, I'm still 6-2 and clearly a playoff contender."
I get it...you have a good record and a loss in any one week of the season shouldn't matter. But it does.
If you've been around this league long enough, two things are certain: 1) you're a glutton for punishment and, 2) you already know losing your week 8 contest means you have almost no chance to win the Sagebrush Cactus League Championship.
In 18 years, only one team has ever won the Championship Game after losing in week 8: the Golden Tate Warriors in 2021. Look it up for yourself if you don't believe me. If you don't win in week 8, the league history says you have about a 5.5% chance of claiming the crown.
And it's even worse in the Segundo League where 100% of past champions won their week 8 matchup. So what if it's a sample size of only 1...the fact remains: win in week 8 or you're looking at, best, a 2nd place finish.
Go out and win week 8!
Commish
GOLDEN TICKET CHALLENGE
Baby Got Dak continues to lead the field. As quickly as others have tried to overtake them, they swat them back down. This week, the Bounty Hunters fell from the #2 spot down to #4. We'll see if our new challenger, Do Not Panic, can keep their composure and make a push to the top.
The greatest leap in the standings this week was MaxxCasualties who rose 7 spots to #7 on the back of another great week from Etienne and Kelce.
The team that fell the furthest this week was the Disgruntled Runningbacks who sank to #13 from #8, largely because of injuries and players on bye.
SURVIVOR CHALLENGE
Immunity finally played a role in the Survivor Challenge this week - not once, but twice.
The 2 lowest scores this week were from Baby Got Dak and Get In D Carr but, since they both had immunity, that meant the Consolation Kings and Disgruntled Runningbacks were the next ones up on the chopping block.
The final week of immunity goes to Los Perros Locos and Ohio State Gunkeyes who finished with 131 and 140 points, respectively. Beginning next week, immunity is off the table and it's time to sink or swim.
PIGSKIN PICK'EM CONTEST
This was, by far, the worst week you guys have had in the Pigskin Pick'Em this season. There were 13 NFL games this week and the best any of you could do was 7 correct picks. Pork Chop Express, Who Is You, and Badazz Bri were the 3 that were able to keep their head above water, meaning 21 of you had a losing record this week.
As a result, Do Not Panic fell from the top spot allowing Jalenhouse Rock to reclaim the lead. The Tator Tots sit 2 games behind and will look to post a solid ticket next week and finally get out of the 2 hole.
From my perspective, with the weekly movement in the rankings, this is still anyone's contest. There are currently 8 teams within 5 picks of the top spot and another 6 teams within 8 picks. Another week like the last could really shake things up.
ELIMINATOR CHALLENGE
Week 8 proved to be as difficult as I guessed it would, claiming 3 victims: the Golden Tate Warriors, NH Bounty Hunters, and Ohio State Gunkeyes. The Warriors fell with the Commanders loss to the Giants while the Rams and 49ers losses cost the Hunters and Gunkeyes.
COMMISH'S PICKS
I'll admit, there were a couple of picks that I should've know better than to make last week.
In the Sagebrush Cactus League, I should've known better than to take Badazz Bri, but I still finished with a 4-2 record, so I'll consider that a win.
On the other hand, in the Segundo League, I couldn't have done much worse. The teams in the B league left me battered and bruised, with only 1 correct pick.
POWER RANKINGS
If you were wondering how far out in front of the field Baby Got Dak was, consider they just had their worst week of the season and they're still the #1 team in the Sagebrush Cactus League by a significant margin.
The Thundabuddies, however, were able to make up some ground while the Golden Tate Warriors jumped from #5 to #3.
In the Segundo League, the Ohio State Gunkeyes moved up 2 spots to #2 leaving us with 5 teams all fighting for the coveted #1 spot. Our current leader, Jalenhouse Rock, will have their hands full fighting off challengers over the next few weeks.
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