Rivalry Week
Shanghai Showdown & El Clasico are just some of the big rivalry games that will impact Playoff Qualification and Seedings in Week 13. Rivalry Week is here. While every game is important and 'every point counts', some rivalries are bigger than others. The following is a ranking of this week's rivalry games based on a combination of Off Field Rivalry (OFR, how bad do they want to beat each other in everything that they do), Playoff Importance (PLI, how much impact does this game have for Playoff qualification and seeding), Competitiveness (COM, how competitive is the career H2H record of the rivals). All categories are rated from 1-10. In reverse order:
5. Andrew v. Billy
OFR 8+ PLI 6 + COM 3 = 17 points (last year's total: 18; last year's rank: 3)
Battle of Brotherly Love. Andrew is gunning for his 3rd straight playoffs, and since he has been only the 5th and 6th seeds the past two years (currently projected as a 5th seed for 2016), the match against Billy has been an important part of where he is in the playoff bracket. Billy has the advantage in the series with 6 wins and 3 losses. This year with a win, Billy can give Andrew a more difficult opponent in round 1 or quite possibly bump the Seals out of the playoffs all together. While Billy would love to see that happen, he must be wondering when he will get a chance to beat his brother to secure his own playoff seeding.
4. Giorgio v. Stinky
OFR 3 + PLI 6 + COM 10 = 19 points (last year's total: n/a; last year's rank: n/a)
Fight of the Irish Fans. Stinky and Giorgio as rivals? Not as crazy as it first sounds. Their fantasy football careers date all the way back to Sutton Place and the 1990's Pig and Sushi teams (Keonard2 was the Commissioner those days). Considering that long history, this game (especially with a Stinky upset) will help build this rivalry for future seasons. This year it is Giorgio with the most riding on the outcome. The winner will take the Head-2-Head advantage as they both have 5 wins in the series.
3. Boner v. Jesse
OFR 7+ PLI 5 + COM 7 = 19 points (last year's total: 19; last year's rank: 2)
Battle of St. Mike's Playground. Last year the roles were reversed. In 2015 it was Jesse who was trying to beat a bad Boner team to get better seeding for the playoffs. Now in 2016, Boner is the one trying to beat a 3-9 Jesse team to improve his seeding (and also get a possible, but unlikely, BYE). Boner also needs to use this rivalry game as a showcase for the rest of the league proving his team is a legitimate Brown Jacket contender; and maybe more importantly considering his losing Head-2-Head record against Jesse, that he still knows how to beat his rival.
2. Bo v. Tony
OFR 10 + PLI 6 + COM 4 = 20 points (last year's total: 20; last year's rank: 1)
El Classico. The clock might be ticking on Bo, but as we head into Rivalry Week there is another clock ticking: Tony's first playoff win, which will be ticking into the 2017 season. 2016 has brought about familiar circumstances. Bo is a Brown Jacket contender and will be facing his arch rival, Fish, who is disqualified for the playoffs. These two teams couldn't be more different. Bo has the least amount of players left over from the draft (2), while Tony has by far the most players left over from the draft (11). The question will be whether these moves will help Bo end his two game losing streak to the Fish or can Tony's drafted players make it 3 straight. A coveted BYE is on the line for Bo, for Fish, only pride and that website clock. TICK TICK TICK.
1. Sean v. Del
OFR 6+ PLI 9 + COM 6 = 21 points (last year's total: n/a; last year's rank: n/a)
Shanghai Showdown. Is this 2014 all over again? Once again, the Shanghai Owners are dominating the DelFL. Boner, who now is far removed from the City of Champions, can only wish that he had made his November return flight. The match significance is straight forward. The winner wins the division and secures the BYE (could also be for the regular season championship). This rivalry has gone back and forth the past couple of years with most notably Sean defeating the Commissioner in the DelFL Championship game in 2014. This might not be the last time these two teams face one another this year.
