Gridiron Gazette: Goal Line Stand (Quarter-Finals)

Bud Heavy University jumped on the shoulders of QB Kurt Warner, took down #1 seeded Busch, and stunned the FAC-10 by sneaking into the playoffs. Warner and The King start their quest for a title this week against Arizona-Kickery and the top ranked offense in the league.






Goal Line Stand (Quarter-Finals)
Cam Pannalist, Gridiron Gazette



In 2008, Athol A&M set a precedent for FAC-10 bitterness by finishing second in total points, yet eleventh in the standings. Last week, we (I) thought we (I) knew for a fact which six teams were going to be in the playoffs this year, and it just so happened to be the six highest-scoring teams in the conference.

Then Bud Heavy, led by 2007 FBCS title winner Kurt Warner, ruined everything by beating top-seeded Busch, while defending champion Golden fell to the hands of tenth-ranked Weymouth. The entire ordeal was a mess, but the ultimate result is the tenth-highest scoring offense in the league with the sixth spot in the playoffs, and a certain Gridiron Gazette columnist with egg on his face (cut to a picture of me trying to make omelets).

We'll have plenty of time to analyze the contending teams next week, but first let's see where it went wrong with Golden and the other five schools with their seasons over:


#12 Rakeville
Rakeville ruined their season in Week 4 after their win over fellow bottom-feeder Stardust. The victory almost cost them the #1 pick, as they tried their hardest to lose each and every week. A couple other early-season games almost ruined everything as well, including Week 1 vs. Gillespie State (2 point loss) and Week 3 vs. Az-Kickery (8 points), but they got things together in the second half; The Rockets lost their final 8 games by an average of 39.02 points.

#11 Stardust
In contradiction to Rakeville's "2010" attitude from the get-go, Stardust went out of the gates fast and got their sole win of the season in Week 1 vs. Weymouth. Week 2 is where everything went completely wrong: The backfield of LenDale White and "Fast" Willie Parker were nowhere near the studs from last year, and QB Eli Manning was the only offensive player to crack double-digit points. The 24-point beatdown at the hands of Athol A&M was a foreshadow. The result was 12 straight losses and the #2 pick in next year's draft.

#10 Weymouth
Sometimes a team cannot be held responsible, whether its due to injuries, lack of action, or just your run-of-the-mill bad game. One thing that can never be excused, however, is poor roster management. Weymouth was guilty of this throughout the season, most notably in Week 10 against top-ranked Busch. The Islanders had some great matchups (Aaron Rogers vs. Dallas, Ray Rice vs. Cleveland), yet for some inexplicable reason they decided to play WITHOUT a WR and Defensive Player. Rather than finding replacements, Weymouth chose to keep some relatively terrible players on their bench, and it cost them a victory. The 93-87 loss eliminated them from playoff contention.

#9 Dublin
In 2008, DUBA just found ways to lose games. 3 amazing running backs and just 2 spots to play them in, and the coaching staff always managed to pick the wrong guy to bench. 2009 was a new year, with new rules to prevent this from happening again, yet it was the same old story in Dublin: Find ways to lose. In their Week 8 game against defending-champion Golden, RB Chris Johnson and QB Tony Romo each put up at least 20 points, but nobody else on the team was in double-digits. The Oktoberfests took a 79-63 lead into Monday night, but ultimately lost 80-79 while RB Ryan Moats sat on their bench with 25 unused points.

#8 Mexico
It was supposed to be the Wildcats' coming-out party: just coming off a big game with their two newest offensive weapons (WR Sidney Rice, TE Visanthe Shiancoe), facing a team who just put up 58 points... all the signs were there. Unfortunately, so was the Great Show on Fantasy Turf: Arizona-Kickery. In Week 11, Drew Brees and Co. avenged their Week 2 loss, and even 94 points couldn't get Mexico a much-needed win versus AZK.

#7 Golden
The Gryphons' downfall ended in Week 13, but it began in Week 9 in Mexico. The Wildcats had lost two straight, while Golden was riding the high of a comeback win against Dublin. RB Michael Turner came to play, putting up 21 points, but the rest of the team was nowhere to be found. They were tops in the league in points at the time, yet the Gryphons offense struggled and fell to Mexico, 69-68.

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Quarter-Final Matchups
(3) Arizona-Kickery over (6) Bud Heavy
(5) Gillespie State over (4) Twin City Tech

Last Week: 2-4
Season: 43-35

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Final Regular Season Power Rankings
1. Arizona-Kickery ( - )
2. Twin City Tech (+2)
3. Mexico (+1)
4. Athol A&M (+2)
5. Golden (-3)
6. Weymouth (+2)
7. Busch (-4)
8. Bud Heavy (+2)
9. Gillespie State (-2)
10. Dublin (-1)
11. Stardust (+1)
12. Rakeville (-1)

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League Notes
- Rakeville and Stardust finished the regular season with the worst winning percentage in FAC-10 history. Crazy Horses' TE Julius Jones was furious at the outcome of their season, while the entire Gray's coaching staff danced for two straight days knowing they have the top pick in next year's draft.

- Following their loss to Weymouth, Golden players retreated to the locker room to watch the Busch/Bud Heavy game. Before they could catch a glimpse of the matchup, Islanders WR Robert Meachem ran in and ripped the remote right out of Peyton Manning's hands.

- Teams finishing below 9th place Dublin should still be proud knowing they can spell better than the Oktoberfests' front office.