Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

NOTE: So, I wrote this Thursday morning but was having website problems so am just now getting posted. Good luck everyone since games have already started.

As we turn the corner and head down the season’s home stretch, it’s the perfect time to look at where things stand in what is shaping up to be another exciting season. 

FAMILY DIVISION 

With four weeks remaining in the 16-week regular season, it’s crunch time for teams to make their moves and claim one of the four coveted playoff berths. Those four teams will compete in week seventeen to play for a Championship in week eighteen. That champion will also earn the option of promotion to the first division. 

What a fantastic season for the Lynchburg Lemonades (Ryan)!  The Lemonades remain undefeated and are now chasing history. In 34 years, no team has ever gone undefeated, and it will be fascinating to see if Ryan can pull it off. 

The Seymour Hoosiers (Myiah) are having a strong season and have control of second place. The Columbus Cowboys (Ben) and the Hawaii Volcanos (Paul) are currently holding onto the other two playoff spots at 7-5. But it’s far from over. Three teams are nipping on their heels just a game back at 6-6 and another at 5-7. 

Seven teams are within two games of each other with four games remaining. Every game this week has playoff implications, making for an exciting week. 

FIRST DIVISION 

Like the family division, the first division has four playoff spots available following their 16-week schedule. Those four teams will face off in week seventeen to earn a chance at a championship in week eighteen. Those two week seventeen winners will also earn the two promotion spots into the dynasty division. 

Another big game will occur in week seventeen, when the 9th and 10th seeds will fight for survival in a relegation game. The loser will be relegated to the family division. 

Coming into last week, the Virginia Pioneers (Dave) were 11-0, but their undefeated streak was ended by the Olney Ospreys (Kirsi). 

But at 11-1, the Pioneers remain firmly in control of first place. 

The Louisiana Lycanthropes (Kiley) and the Pennsylvania Poultry Platoon (Erika) have a firm grasp on the next two playoff spots. However, those two must keep stacking those dubs to hold onto their positions with four weeks remaining. 

Now, how about that final playoff spot? 

Six teams are within two games with four games remaining. With so many teams in the hunt, every game has playoff implications. 

DYNASTY DIVISION 

The stakes are incredibly high in the dynasty division because there are only 14 regular season games. So, only two weeks remain for teams to secure their position in the standings. 

Seven teams make the playoffs and get a chance to compete in the Super Bowl in Week 17. The team with the best record earns the number one seed and a bye into the semi-finals. The other division winner gets the second seed, and the 3rd through 7th seeds are based on record. 

Those seven teams compete for the Super Bowl title, but the relegation battle may be more important to most owners in the dynasty division. So, let’s talk relegation. 

Now, the team finishing 14th place at the end of week fourteen will earn the first relegation. What makes this fun is that week 14 will feature a game between the two teams in 13th and 14th place after this week. That may be a relegation game, depending on what happens this week. 

The 8th through 13th seeds compete in the playdowns, where the losers advance towards the Toilet Bowl in week 17. The loser of the Toilet Bowl receives the second relegation spot.  

It is important to note that the 12th and 13th seeds get byes into the semis of the playdowns, and only have two chances to pick up a win and survive. So, getting to that 11th seed is important.  

Okay, so where do things stand? 

I mean, these standings are a jumbled mess with what seems like a million possibilities of what will happen these next two weeks. One big thing to keep in mind is the unofficial rule of eight. You must win eight games to ensure you make it into the playoffs. No team has ever missed the playoffs with eight wins, and almost every year, some team or teams miss the playoffs with seven. And with all the ties, the 7th seed tiebreak may end up at 7-6-1. The bottom line is that you gotta get to eight.  

Here are the current teams on the playoff bubble. 

These last two weeks will be fascinating as each game will move the standings. Here are this week’s matchups. 

Good luck everyone, and enjoy your festivities this Thanksgiving weekend.