Football to the Walls! Week 8

by Ron Estes
Published on May 17, 2000 under Indoor Football League 1 (IFL 1)

by Ron Estes

Chalk Talk
First Things First:
You want extreme? We got extreme!

Last week was a week of extremes in the Indoor Football League. Green Bay's 73 points was the highest score by an IFL team this season, and the most since Lincoln racked up 86 in Week 5 of the 1999 campaign.

Peoria's 70-13 extermination of the River Rats was the largest margin of victory in league history, beating the old record of 55 points set by Topeka in Week 4 of the 1999 season. The Pirates' 70 points was the second-highest total in the IFL this year, tying Billings in Week 2.

Sioux City held Fargo to only 12 points, the fewest given up in the IFL this year. LaCrosse scored a mere 13, which is tied for second-lowest in the league this season.

Margin of Victory:
In Week 7, five of the ten games were decided by more than 2 TDs. Winners outscored losers 529-351, for a 52.9 to 35.1 average score. For the season so far, winning teams have outscored losing teams 3269 to 2099. This results in an average IFL score of 48.8 to 31.3, and a 17.5 average margin of victory. The median margin of victory is 15 points.

Home-Field Advantage:
Home teams went 8-2 in Week 7, scoring a total of 517 points, compared to 363 for the visitors. So far this year, home teams are 43-24, and have outscored road teams 2874 to 2494. This equals an average score of Home 42.9, Visitors 37.2, or a 5.7-point IFL home-field advantage. The median home-field advantage is 7 points.

Growing Pains:
There were only two matchups between expansion teams and old franchises in Week 7. One expansion team, Erie, earned a two-point victory. You already know what happened to LaCrosse. So far this season, the old teams are 23-7, and have outscored expansion teams 1369-975 in head-to-head contests. This results in an average score of Old Teams 45.6, New Teams 32.5, and an IFL established franchise edge of 13.1 points.

At the midpoint of the 2000 IFL season, only one team has a worse record than it did at this time in 1999: Madison. The Mad Dogs were 4-2 halfway through the 1999 season, but are only 2-4 this year. Steel Valley has made the biggest improvement in Y2K. The Smash were 0-6 halfway through the 1999 IFL season, and are 4-2 this year.

Power Ratings (with comments):

• PEORIA -- 97: In the past two weeks, the Pirates have handed out two of the three worst beatings in IFL history. They win by an amazing average of 27.6 points.

• TOPEKA -- 93: Front office problems? What front office problems? The Knights always get up for the big games, and are 4-0 at home.

• GREEN BAY -- 92: The Bombers now average 52.1 points per game, third-best in the league. Marquette Smith's 8 rushing TD's last week set an IFL record.

• LINCOLN -- 91: Great teams can win on the road, and the Lightning is not yet a great team. They're 1-6 in their last seven away from Pershing Auditorium.

• SIOUX FALLS -- 90: The Cobras have the best record of any IFL expansion franchise, and are the league's second-hottest team with a four-game winning streak.

• BISMARCK -- 89: The Blaze have shown steady improvement, and now lead the Western Conference/Northern Division. They have a 3-0 divisional record with a big road victory over Billings last week.

• BILLINGS -- 88: The Bolts were held to a season-low 42 points by Bismarck, which dropped them to second place in scoring (54.8 per game) behind Lincoln.

• SIOUX CITY -- 88: The Attack ranks #2 in points allowed, surrendering only 31.1 per game.

• DAYTON -- 87: A failed two-point conversion prevented the Skyhawks from tying the Invaders late in last week's game at Erie. Dayton wins by an average of 10 points per game, fifth best in the IFL.

• ERIE -- 87: The Invaders hung on to defeat Dayton, and are within one-half game of the Eastern Conference/Southern Division lead.

• STEEL VALLEY -- 86: Despite their 4-2 record, the Smash have been outscored by their opponents 195-216, and average only 32.5 points per game.

• MINNESOTA -- 85: The Rage got back to .500 with a solid performance against Johnstown. Minnesota ranks third in points allowed, with a 31.8 average per game.

• CASPER -- 83: The Cavalry lost by 3 TDs at Sioux Falls, and is 0-4 against teams with winning records.

• MADISON -- 83: The Mad Dogs played their best game of the season last week, as they shut down the Smash.

• BLACK HILLS -- 82: Machine games are never dull. Last week's heart-stopper was decided in the final eight seconds, as Terrance Bryant threw the game winner to Omar Zuniga.

• DULUTH-SUPERIOR -- 80: The Bombers scored at will against the Jacks. Duluth now ranks 18th in points allowed, giving up 48.8 per game.

• JOHNSTOWN -- 79: The Jackals losing streak was extended to four games at Mankato. Johnstown scores 31.8 points per game, fourth-lowest in the IFL.

• WICHITA -- 75: The Warlords have also lost four straight. Wichita has been outscored by a combined 134 points, second-worst in the league.

• FLINT -- 74: The Flames come off a bye week, hoping to end a three-game drought. They've lost by an average of 18.8 points per game this season.

• FARGO -- 70: First, the good news - the Freeze gave up a season-low 30 points to Sioux City. Now, the bad news - the Freeze only scored 12.

• LACROSSE -- 67: Who cares if they've been outscored by 202 points, or lose by an average of 28.9 points per game. Their dance team is still HOT!

Week 8 Lines (Home team in CAPS):

Friday, May 19:

• LINCOLN (5-2) by 15 over Erie (4-3): One stat matters - this game's at Lincoln. The Lightning is 4-0 at home, while the Invaders are 0-3 on the road.

• BILLINGS (4-2) by 24 over Wichita (1-6): The Bolts look to bounce back after a disappointing showing against Bismarck. The Warlords are flat-out awful on the road. Wichita is 0-3 as a visitor, losing by an average of 37 points.

Saturday, May 20:

• BLACK HILLS (3-3) by 1 over Bismarck (4-2): The Machine is looking to pay back a one-point loss to the Blaze in Week 6. Bismarck demonstrated their road savvy with a 10-point win last week at Billings. Topeka learned how tough it is to play in Rapid City, where the Machine cruised to a 28-point victory in Week 4.

• Dayton (4-2) by 2 over STEEL VALLEY (4-2): This is the showdown for first place in the Eastern Conference/Southern Division. The Smash are 2-0 at home, the Skyhawks are 1-1 on the road. However, Dayton scores 11.7 points more than Steel Valley per game, and allows 1.8 points fewer.

• Peoria (7-0) by 17 over DULUTH-SUPERIOR (2-4): The Jacks are 0-2 at the DECC this year, and the Pirates are 3-0 on the road. However, two of the Pirate road wins were by 5 and 15 points against Minnesota and Wichita.

• Madison (2-4) by 19 over LACROSSE (0-7): The Mad Dogs stopped the Rats 56-27 in Week 5. Madison is 0-3 as a visitor, losing by an average of 26.3 points. Fortunately for the Mad Dogs, LaCrosse is 0-3 at home, where the Rats lose by an average of 24.7 points.

• Topeka (5-1) by 4 over SIOUX FALLS (5-1): This game's for the lead in the Western Conference/Southern Division. The Cobras are 2-1 at home, while the Knights are 1-1 as guests. They share two common opponents. Both teams knocked off Lincoln. However, Topeka defeated Sioux City by 7 points in Week 6, while the Attack won by 16 in Sioux Falls in Week 2.

• Minnesota (3-3) by 17 over FARGO (0-6): Defense is likely to be the difference. The Rage gives up 18.5 fewer points per game, while scoring 3.3 more.

• Sioux City (4-3) by 3 over JOHNSTOWN (1-5): The long road trip is a factor, and the Attack is 1-3 away from home. However, the Jackals are 0-5 against teams with winning records, and will find it difficult to score against the Sioux City D.

Monday, May 22:

• FLINT (1-5) by 4 over Casper (3-4): Can the Cavalry ride nearly 1400 miles, and still win in Flint? Casper is 0-3 on the road, while the Flames are 1-3 at home. A bye week and strength of schedule also favor the home team. Casper is the first team with a losing record that the Flames have faced.

Enjoy this week's games!

Note: Power ratings and game lines are for entertainment purposes only. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author. The author is not affiliated with the Indoor Football League or its teams.

Indoor Football League 1 Stories from May 17, 2000

• Football to the Walls! Week 8 - OSC Original by Ron Estes

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.