The dreaded betting preview curse finally hits us with a 0-3 week (10-14 overall). Brutal, brutal scenes... SHR settling for a field goal on a 4th and 2 from DET's 32 completely killed our chance at a push. NOS declining a penalty near the end of the first half, giving up a 58 yard field goal, and then losing by 3 was a horror show. At least HON wasn't even close so we didn't have to watch that game. I might have to look for some safe bets this week...

Texas at Seattle (-7) - 1-0 fading TEX, hopefully this'll bring us to 2-0. SEA isn't particularly good but they're a professional CFL team and should win and cover. 30-10.

Durham (-2) at Omaha - Wow, what a crazy game for DUR this last week against BOS. It really looked like the Blizzard had done enough, up 34-20 with under 8 minutes left to go in the 4th quarter but... well, you can cue the music when QB Ortiz straps on his helmet. 2 minute 75 yard TD drive -> BOS fumbles the punt, DUR FG -> 1:30 67 yard TD drive for the lead. YIKES! It could prove to have been a pyrrhic victory as both WRs Spradling and Hindman took hard hits on downfield blocks and may miss some time.

The Arrowheads took their BYE seriously and enter this week 9 contest fully healthy. The week 7 loss to BRK was a tough one-- it really seemed like OMA was the better team and outplayed the Brawlers for the majority of the game but an incredible red zone stand in the 4th quarter locked it up. Still, this unit is well balanced with talent on both ends of the field. A powerful ground game has given QB Womble the time to meld with WRs Dole and Stone so we should be seeing a more effective passing attack in the second half of the season.

QB Ortiz has a whopping 9-2 record against OMA with their last loss coming in 2058 as a rookie. Every bone in my body says to take DUR but this is exactly why OMA has been making so many changes to their already winning roster. I think this is where the Arrowheads make their stand. The Bulldogs won't have their WRs at 100% either so OMA should be able to focus their defensive attention to RB Ellingsen and TE Weikel and try to slow them down. Omaha picks up their first win against Durham in a long time: 36-32.

Baltimore at Brooklyn (-6) - The Bombers got back on the horse after their week 7 bye and swept the Phantoms aside. It was a solid, if unremarkable, performance... though the playcalling continued its conservative trend. QB O'Neill has the arm to make big throws downfield and hopefully he gets the chance to show it this week.

Brooklyn's 5-1-1 start isn't particularly surprising. This team is experienced, disciplined, and locked in defensively. They are a stable unit that knows how to win but lack an X-factor that can take over games. Sophomore WR Porter looks like he'll be that eventually but QB Woodford has some work to do on that front. The guy is has an incredible anticipation for the ball on deep routes and the body control to adjust and make the most out of his smaller size. It's a thing of beauty already but I think there's still a higher level to be reached.

These two teams met back in 2059 with BAL holding on to steal a win on the road but FS Leskun's 3 interceptions (+1 TD) were so wild that I can't expect that to happen again. Still, my own rankings have BAL and BRK at roughly the same level so catching 6 points is a no brainer. The Brawlers are consistently good week in and week out but the Bombers have game breakers on defense that absolutely have to be accounted for. Give me the points in a close contest that BRK probably ends up winning: 30-27.

Death Valley at Alaska (-5) - This goof QB Buckley cost the Copperheads another win against SCU. He threw a whopping 4 interceptions, bringing his season total to 9. 7 of these INTs came in 3 of their games (losses) against OMA, BCI, and SCU. It's no exaggeration that he's singlehandedly tanking a perfectly fine season for the franchise.

The Kodiaks buried me in week 7 but I'm still not super high on this squad. They've had a very easy schedule to start and I don't see them going far in the postseason. There aren't many measuring sticks coming up though-- maybe NOS and SHR in weeks 14 and 16 respectively-- and even if they lose there should be enough wins in the bag that a playoff berth is safe.

The matchup does not look great for ALA... one of the worst teams against the run versus a generational talent in RB Donaldson... they'll have to cook up something spicy to slow him down. On the other hand, if QB Buckley wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, the team's efforts could all be for naught. I'll take the 5 points with DVY on the road but it's going to be a sweat. ALA wins: 27-24.

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057