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by Walter L. Johnson II
July 19, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)


With two weeks left in the 2005 arenafootball2 regular season, the playoff picture became a little bit clearer, thanks to wins in critical games by multiple teams. The American Conference has all six of its playoff spots locked up, while the National Conference had two teams punch their ticket into the postseason. So, what are we waiting for? Let's keep reading to find out what happened in Week 16.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE RACE: The Florida Firecats remained in the hunt for the top seed in the American Conference playoff bracket Saturday, as they edged the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers 48-47. The win not only improved Florida's record to 12-2 on the season, but more importantly, moved into the top spot after the Memphis Xplorers stomped the Manchester Wolves (11-3) 83-26.

Meanwhile, the race for the other four-playoff berths in the American Conference heated up as well, as the Louisville Fire traveled to Oklahoma City, and stunned the Yard Dawgz 47-45. The victory over Oklahoma City, coupled with the Green Bay Blizzard's 88-82 loss at Albany (N.Y.) Friday night allowed Louisville (9-5) to move into the third seed in the playoff race, while dropping Green Bay to the fourth seed.

Finally, the Macon (Ga.) Knights scored a double victory of sorts, as they defeated the Arkansas Twisters 48-44 on the road to clinch the American Conference's sixth and final playoff spot. Additionally, thanks to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's loss at Florida, the Knights (7-7) moved into tie for the fifth seed with the win. However, Macon currently holds the tiebreaker over the Pioneers, thanks to its 53-41 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on June 18. After getting off to a slow start at 2-5, the Knights have now won five of their last seven games, which allowed them to advance to the playoffs. If the Knights can win both of their remaining games, not only are they assured of a winning season, they could also host at least one playoff game depending upon how other teams fare in their last two games of the regular season.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE RACE: The Memphis Xplorers clinched their first-ever Midwest Division in their brief history, thanks to their easy win over Manchester (see above). The win not only snapped a two-game losing streak for Memphis, it also allowed the Xplorers to remain in the driver's seat for the top seed in the National Conference playoff picture.

Meanwhile, the Tulsa Talons took over sole possession of the second playoff seed, as well as first place in the West Division by snapping the Rio Grande Valley Dorados four-game win streak in a 58-49 victory. The win improved Tulsa's mark to 10-4 on the season, while also clinching the National Conference's second playoff berth in the process. As for Rio Grande Valley, the Tulsa loss dropped the Dorados overall record to 9-5, and into third place in the National Conference playoff standings.

The battle for the other three playoff spots in the National Conference continued to tighten, as the Quad City Steamwheelers won their fourth straight game after knocking off the Amarillo Dusters 52-46 at home Saturday night. In Oklahoma City, the Yard Dawgz saw 7,633 fans go through the turnstiles at the Ford Center, but saw their playoff hopes take a slight hit after losing to Louisville, 47-45. Despite the loss, however, Oklahoma City has the nod on the fourth seed in the National Conference, based on holding the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage over both Amarillo and Quad City, who currently hold both the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively.

Finally, the Central Valley Coyotes could have joined the aforementioned three teams in a four-way tie for the last three-playoff berths in the National Conference. But the Coyotes let a golden opportunity slip away on the road, as the San Diego Riptide pulled off a 51-50 upset win late Saturday night. Now, not only must Central Valley win both of its final two games, but also must get a lot of help along the way to have any shot at postseason play. At least the Coyotes will get to play both games at home, as they host both Memphis and San Diego in succession to end the season.

DRIVE TO THE PLAYOFFS: Here is how the playoff picture would look if the regular season ended this week:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE:

1. Florida (12-2)*%

2. Manchester (11-3)#%

3. Louisville (9-5)%

4. Green Bay (8-6)%

5. Macon (7-7)%^

6. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7-7)%

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

1. Memphis (11-3)*%

2. Tulsa (10-4)#%

3. Rio Grande Valley (9-5)

4. Oklahoma City (8-6)^

5. Amarillo (8-6)^

6. Quad City (8-6)

KEY: *--Clinched division title

#--Current division leader

%--Clinched playoff berth

^--Currently holds tiebreaker

A LOOK AHEAD: With just two weeks left in the regular season, the stakes continue for the teams that have either clinched playoff berths, or hope to get there. Here are the key games on tap for Week 16.

Manchester (11-3) at Louisville (9-5): It's that simple for the Wolves, really! Win on the road this Saturday, and they're the East Division champions. Lose, and they'll have wait another week to finish the job.

Amarillo (8-6) at Tulsa (10-4): The suddenly slumping Dusters, who hadn't lost back-to-back games all season, now face a must-win situation against the playoff-bound Talons, who can clinch the West Division title with a win themselves.

Florida (12-2) at Green Bay (8-6): The Firecats head up north to face another slumping team in the Blizzard. Florida can clinch home field advantage throughout the American Conference playoffs with a win and a Manchester loss. As for the Blizzard, it must win to maintain its hold on the fourth playoff seed.

Oklahoma City (8-6) at Rio Grande Valley (9-5): The Yard Dawgz pay a visit to south Texas to take on the Dorados in a battle of playoff contenders coming off tough losses. The Dorados must win, and hope for a Tulsa loss to move back into a first place tie in the West Division, while the Yard Dawgz must win to further solidify its playoff chances.

Memphis (11-3) at Central Valley (7-7): The Xplorers will travel to California to face the Coyotes in a National Conference game with playoff implications. As mentioned above, the Coyotes must win both of their remaining games, and hope for some help, to sneak into the playoffs.

QUICK PICKS:

Last week: 5-5

Season-To-Date: 86-52 (.623)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over Albany

Manchester over Louisville

Macon over South Georgia

Tulsa over Amarillo

Quad City over Bossier-Shreveport

Arkansas over Birmingham

Florida over Green Bay

Rio Grande Valley over Oklahoma City

Bakersfield over San Diego

Central Valley over Memphis



arenafootball2 Stories from July 19, 2005


The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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