Gridiron Gazette: Goal Line Stand (Week 8)

Excited Mexico University fans stormed the field after their big win over #1 Athol A&M last week. Athol's schedule doesn't get any easier the rest of the way, and the once 6-0 Alckys are now actually in danger of missing the playoffs.





Goal Line Stand (Week 8)
Cam Pannalist, Gridiron Gazette




Last Friday, I sat down at my desk, ready to write my Week 7 GLS article when I realized... I had nothing to write about. Sure, Fitchburg Tech and Mexico could have been the game of the year (no offense to Golden/Gillespie State), and Arizona-Kickery scoring over 80 points was the most disappointing defeat thus far (no offense to Mexico's 92 point loss in Week 4), but it really became a story-less situation for me.

So instead of writing a watered-down article to appease my editor, I called in a sick day. Yes, a person who works from home and has an entire week to write one article decided to call in sick.

Luckily, two weeks of e-mails fill my inbox, so I decided to share some of my replies with you:



"Can Athol rebound from their loss to Mexico, or is it all down hill from here?"
-Faith Phull
-Gardner, MA

What Athol did for the first six weeks of the season cannot be overlooked. Sure, their competition was a bit weak (combined 13-23) but the defense held each opponent under 60 points. Unfortunately for the Alckys, their remaining schedule includes (1) Fitchburg Tech, (2) Gillespie State, and (4) Anheuser-Busch. With the winless Arizona Kickers finally scoring points, Athol has a good chance of finishing the season 0-4, which may just keep them out of the playoffs.



"Which 3-4 team has the best chance of making the playoffs?"
-Chris Jenkins
-Reno, NV

Stardust, Rakeville, and Bud Heavy are all underachieving this season, and it looks like none of them will make the playoffs. Bud Heavy's schedule is the easiest, with an interesting matchup in the final week of the season against (6) Golden University. However, with their inability to score points (11th ranked offense in the league), they could blow a perfect opportunity. Rakeville has to deal with Mexico and Fitchburg Tech, so they'll need some luck. Stardust has the best chance, with a solid offense and a bye week this week, but in all honesty I do not see any of these teams getting into the postseason.



"Can ANYTHING save Bud Heavy's miserable offense?"
-Kent Skor
-Tacoma, WA

There really is nothing to help this team save an act of God... or maybe, their Athletic Director. The trade deadline is still 6 days away, and The King is overstocked with above-average running backs. Their receiving core is in shambles, so maybe they could make a RB-WR swap with someone. Golden, Mexico, Fitchburg Tech, and even Athol have some extra receivers that could help salvage Bud Heavy's season and push them into the playoffs.



"Who's taking home the regular season title?"
-Mike Haddy
-Lake Falls, CO

As I said before, Athol's (6-1) remaining games are just too tough for them to compete for the conference. Gillespie State (6-1) has to deal with Fitchburg Tech and Mexico, as well as a revived Kickery team. Fitchburg Tech (6-1), in addition to Gillespie State, has Anheuser-Busch this week missing their top 2 scoring options... so who takes the conference when its all said and done? That's right, it's the expansion Anheuser-Busch (5-2) who could easily finish the season 4-0, as long as their QB Derek Anderson keeps up his Cinderella season. After Fitchburg, they have Stardust, Athol, and Golden. Barring any miraculous upsets, AB should end up our 3rd regular season champion in 3 years.



"Even though he only scored 3.5 points last week, Arizona-Kickery's decision NOT to start Donnie Edwards at defense was ridiculous... are the Kickers tanking the rest of the season for the #1 draft pick?"
-Skip Tikkle
-Fitchburg, MA

With 11 teams currently in the league, and a 12th expected to join in 2008, there really isn't any chance the Kickers will get the number ONE pick... though the way they're going, they will end up with #2, and it's really a shame. The Arizona coaching staff clearly decided not to show up to last week's matchup with Fitchburg Tech, completely destroying any credibility this team has in the FAC-10. With an obvious tanking strategy in place, don't be surprised if some teams call for their resignation from the conference at the end of the season.



"#1 vs. #2 offense... what do you think is the over/under for this week's Anheuser-Busch and Fitchburg Tech matchup?"
-Max Keller
-Beerville, ME

Since their 120-92 whooping of Mexico in Week 4, AB has been slowly working their way to the 2nd ranked offense in the league. Sure, they're 150 points behind #1 Fitchburg, but this team is putting up unbelievable numbers. Meanwhile, Fitchburg is all business each and every week, averaging 110 points in 6 of 7 games (they scored just 63 against Golden in Week 3). With Randy Moss and Tom Brady sitting out this week's game, however, don't expect anything over 70 points from the Red Raiders. Over/Under for this game should be about 170.

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Week 8 Matchups
(4) Anheuser-Busch over (1) Fitchburg Tech
(5) Mexico over (2) Gillespie State
(11) Arizona-Kickery over (3) Athol A&M
(6) Golden over (10) Dublin
(8) Rakeville over (9) Bud Heavy
(7) Stardust over Bye

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Power Rankings
1. Gillespie State (+1)
2. Fitchburg Tech (+1)
3. Anheuser-Busch (+2)
4. Mexico ( - )
5. Athol A&M (-5)
6. Golden (+1)
7. Stardust (+1)
8. Rakeville (-2)
9. Dublin (+1)
10. Bud Heavy (-1)
11. Arizona-Kickery ( - )

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League Notes
- When Mexico defeated Athol A&M last week, fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. Much to the disappointment of the students, the uprights came right down as they had been simply hammered into the hot desert sand.

- Golden, Mexico, and Arizona-Kickery finally updated their trade blocks. Golden and Mexico listed Tight End as a desired position, while Arizona listed, "Anyone who can get us a fucking win."

- Fitchburg Tech's Tom Brady and Randy Moss are listed as inactive for this week's matchup against Anheuser-Busch. Brady will be working at a soup kitchen in downtown Los Angeles, while Moss plans on TP'ing Daunte Culpepper's house.