Post by alecs on Mar 6, 2022 10:00:53 GMT -8
Well, friends... it's almost time to begin the new IFL season! What better way to bring it in than with a standings prediction for this upcoming year!
This is mostly pure conjecture and speculation on my part, and teams are still in the process of finalizing their rosters, but that's part of the fun! So without further ado, here's how I see the regular season panning out:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Mass Pirates 12-4
2. Frisco Fighters 11-5
3. Sioux Falls Storm 10-6
4. Iowa Barnstormers 8-8
5. Bismarck Bucks 7-9
6. Green Bay Blizzard 4-12
7. Quad City Steamwheelers 4-12
The East features five teams that made last year's playoffs, so someone will have to be on the outs this time around. I see the Pirates remaining on top of the conference, as they return several key parts of last year's championship squad. They lost some guys to the USFL Draft, including their entire offensive line, so that will be a storyline to monitor throughout the year. Frisco should follow close behind them, as they brought on TJ Edwards as their QB (he backed up Drew Powell in Arizona last year). The Fighters hope that he can provide some stability at the QB spot that they sorely missed last year. I anticipate Sioux Falls having a bounce-back year and hitting double-digit wins. The Storm should have an extra chip on their shoulder to get back to the high-quality of play that has taken them to several United Bowl Championships in years past. Iowa profiles as a middle-of-the-road team, they should beat out Bismarck for the final playoff spot in the East. Green Bay and Quad City share the cellar this year, as the Steamwheelers try to get back into the swing of things following a prolonged dormancy period.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Arizona Rattlers 13-3
2. Duke City Gladiators 10-6
3. Bay Area Panthers 8-8
4. Tucson Sugar Skulls 8-8
5. San Diego Strike Force 8-8
6. Northern Arizona Wranglers 5-11
7. Vegas Knight Hawks 4-12
The West, much like the East, has two clear front-runners, with Arizona back at full health expected to pace the league. The Gladiators return several members of last year's league-best offense; that should serve them well in their bid to challenge the Rattlers atop the standings. After that, it's purely anyone's guess as to who claims the other two playoff spots. I think it'll be a close race between teams that beat each other up. This may very well come down to an end-of-season tiebreaker. One of the Panthers, Sugar Skulls, or Strike Force will be the unlucky team which draws the short end of the stick. Northern Arizona should be better this year, but that's not a particularly high bar to set following a 1-13 season. And Vegas, as an expansion team, will probably go through some growing pains in their inaugural season.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
[#1] Mass over [#4] Iowa, [#3] Sioux Falls over [#2] Frisco
[#1] Arizona over [#4] Tucson, [#2] Duke City over [#3] Bay Area
CONFERENCE FINALS
[#1] Mass over [#3] Sioux Falls, [#1] Arizona over [#2] Duke City
UNITED BOWL XIII
Massachusetts over Arizona
This is mostly pure conjecture and speculation on my part, and teams are still in the process of finalizing their rosters, but that's part of the fun! So without further ado, here's how I see the regular season panning out:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Mass Pirates 12-4
2. Frisco Fighters 11-5
3. Sioux Falls Storm 10-6
4. Iowa Barnstormers 8-8
5. Bismarck Bucks 7-9
6. Green Bay Blizzard 4-12
7. Quad City Steamwheelers 4-12
The East features five teams that made last year's playoffs, so someone will have to be on the outs this time around. I see the Pirates remaining on top of the conference, as they return several key parts of last year's championship squad. They lost some guys to the USFL Draft, including their entire offensive line, so that will be a storyline to monitor throughout the year. Frisco should follow close behind them, as they brought on TJ Edwards as their QB (he backed up Drew Powell in Arizona last year). The Fighters hope that he can provide some stability at the QB spot that they sorely missed last year. I anticipate Sioux Falls having a bounce-back year and hitting double-digit wins. The Storm should have an extra chip on their shoulder to get back to the high-quality of play that has taken them to several United Bowl Championships in years past. Iowa profiles as a middle-of-the-road team, they should beat out Bismarck for the final playoff spot in the East. Green Bay and Quad City share the cellar this year, as the Steamwheelers try to get back into the swing of things following a prolonged dormancy period.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Arizona Rattlers 13-3
2. Duke City Gladiators 10-6
3. Bay Area Panthers 8-8
4. Tucson Sugar Skulls 8-8
5. San Diego Strike Force 8-8
6. Northern Arizona Wranglers 5-11
7. Vegas Knight Hawks 4-12
The West, much like the East, has two clear front-runners, with Arizona back at full health expected to pace the league. The Gladiators return several members of last year's league-best offense; that should serve them well in their bid to challenge the Rattlers atop the standings. After that, it's purely anyone's guess as to who claims the other two playoff spots. I think it'll be a close race between teams that beat each other up. This may very well come down to an end-of-season tiebreaker. One of the Panthers, Sugar Skulls, or Strike Force will be the unlucky team which draws the short end of the stick. Northern Arizona should be better this year, but that's not a particularly high bar to set following a 1-13 season. And Vegas, as an expansion team, will probably go through some growing pains in their inaugural season.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
[#1] Mass over [#4] Iowa, [#3] Sioux Falls over [#2] Frisco
[#1] Arizona over [#4] Tucson, [#2] Duke City over [#3] Bay Area
CONFERENCE FINALS
[#1] Mass over [#3] Sioux Falls, [#1] Arizona over [#2] Duke City
UNITED BOWL XIII
Massachusetts over Arizona
