Gridiron Gazette: Goal Line Stand (Championship)

Philip Rivers put the QB controversy in Athol to rest with 308 yards and 3 TDs versus Twin City Tech. Busch takes on the top-seeded Alckys in the FAC-10 championship game, and you'll never guess who picked A&M to take home the title (hint: it's me).




Goal Line Stand (Championship)
Cam Pannalist, Gridiron Gazette



It was a Cinderella story that just had to come to an end eventually. Bud Heavy defied all fantasy logic, taking the 10th ranked offense in the league to the 6th seed of the playoffs. They took down the top-ranked offense and hottest team in the conference despite -2.5 points from their quarterback. Then they pushed the #2 seed to the brink with a well-balanced 91 point effort, but fell just short of their second championship in school history.

On the other side of the bracket, the most dominant team over the past three seasons laid a big fat egg in their semi-final matchup. Twin City Tech has been very inconsistent lately, and had to come from behind in the first round just to get that far. For the team that averaged 84.36 PPG this season, the 66 they scored in a loss to Athol was simply pathetic.

And because of this, we are left with two teams. Since the conference's inception in 2005, the top two seeds have never faced each other in the championship. Twice the 2nd seed has reached the finals, winning in both 2005 and 2006. The 1st seed has made it just once, losing to the 6th seed last season. Busch and Athol A&M have both had fantastic seasons, but who has the edge head-to-head? Let's break it down:

Defense
Individual players are a dime a dozen, and often the bane of an owner's existence. Do you go with a linebacker, who is the safe play to get guaranteed tackles? Or do you use a cornerback or lineman, who is the riskier play but will give you bigger points with interceptions or sacks, respectively. IDP aside, this position comes down to opponent. I'm a big advocate of playing matchups when it comes to defense, and neither looks good. One faces Pittsburgh, coming off a huge offensive game, and the other battles Denver, who's offense is the most conservative in the league (impossible to force turnovers).
Advantage: Push

Kicker
The only things tougher to predict than IDP are kickers. Not only that but 99% of them are a dime a dozen, easily interchangeable and easily forgotten. Luckily for these two teams, they each have a kicker who puts up solid numbers. One gets a ton of chances from far away, the other simply never misses. The game won't be won or lost here, but both teams will be able to sleep at night knowing they have the 1% of kickers that actually are worth keeping.
Slight Advantage: Busch

Tight End
Remember the good 'ol days when Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez were MUST HAVE guys? Now the tight end position has been reduced to grabbing solid mid-teir players that cost nothing. Fred Davis and Kellen Winslow are tops in this category, putting up respectable numbers each and every week, while also throwing out that random game of grandeur now and again (see: Fred Davis Week 14). If Winslow ever finds the end zone again, it'll be a close battle. Otherwise, look for Sherm Lewis to continue calling Davis's number.
Advantage: Busch

Wide Receivers
With a subtle nod to Twin City and Gillespie State, these are two of the best receiving corps in the league. All seven receivers in this game are in the top 25, three of which are in the top 10. It's no surprise two of the three are on the Lattes, who traded away a plethora of youth to get Larry Fitzgerald earlier in the season. He and Brandon Marshall have been a formidable duo, and the main reason Busch is 8-2 in their last 10 games.
Advantage: Busch

Running Backs
The Busch backfield has been the best in the conference this season (cut to a shot of the Dublin head coach saying, "WHAT?! No way, we're.... ahh, screw it."), but studly DeAngelo Williams going down has killed the one position they could always rely on. Adrian Peterson will still be Adrian Peterson, but Tim Hightower has been horrific lately, especially with Beanie Wells stealing his carries. On the other side, Cedric Benson will have the best numbers of all four backs in this game, playing against a horrible opponent, which just leaves Matt "First Rounder" Forte. Nobody expects much from the Fantasy Goat of 2009, but if he can manage any respectable numbers they will look great combined with Benson's.
Advantage: Athol

Quarterback
The problem with the FAC-10 is that you are only allowed to start one quarterback... at least, thats what these teams would have said 5 weeks ago. Nowadays, Matt Schaub and Philip Rivers have distanced themselves from their backups, and have proven they can lead their teams with big numbers each and every week. Both have put up big yardage this year, both can throw touchdowns at any time, and both have been smart with the ball to prevent interceptions. This will come down to opponents, and with Rivers facing a weak secondary, look for his points to easily hit double-digits.
Advantage: Athol

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Samuel Adams Falcon Bowl
(6) Bud Heavy over (4) Twin City Tech

Labatt Blue Hula Bowl
(1) Athol A&M over (2) Busch

Last Week: 2-1
Playoffs: 2-3
Reg. Season: 43-35

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

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League Notes
- After their victory over Kickery in the Beer Bowl, Gillespie State players agreed to forget all about it and go on with their lives.

- Golden held their annual Powder Puff game on Wednesday. RB Jerome Harrison, wearing a wig and fake breasts, rushed for 286 yards and 3 touchdowns. It was, sadly, the highlight of the Gryphons' 2009 season.

- Bud Heavy WR Louis Murphy was named FAC-10 player of the week by his mom.