Week 11 Playoff Picture

Once again, there's been no change in the seeding, but the picture is now taking better shape and some races are heating up.

American Conference:

1. Team Vote 4 Pedro (7-3) – The Pedros used a big effort from the Ravens D to secure a W, snap a two-game skid, and find a spot atop the rankings. Their two division foes are still in the hunt, but the Pedros continue to fight them off
   
2. Fighting Cocks (7-3) – The Cocks wrapped up their division last, guaranteeing themselves a top-two seed and the 10-point first round advantage that goes along with it. Their Week 7 loss to the Pedros may have bigger implications than simply costing them the conference's top seed, though, as they are situating themselves to face the top-scoring Assassins in the first round of the playoffs.
   
3. Avalon Park Assassins (6-4) – The Assassins are fairly well entrenched in this spot if they cannot find a way to best the Pedros' record. (Team V4P swept the Assassins, so the Assassins need are technically more than just one game back of the division lead.) The Assassins have scored more than 250 points more than the next closest team in the league, let alone the division. While we technically can't guarantee a playoff spot based on points scored, this is about as sure a thing as a guantee.
   
4. The Legend of Bo (5-5) – After ripping off a three-game win streak, the LOBs have looked pretty mediocre in losing two straight and have fallen two games back of the division lead. They're still nearly 130 points better than the next closest team (the Alley Cats), so this spot is secure for now.
   

Outside looking in:

• Auburn Hills Alley Cats (1-9) – After getting off the schnide in Week 9, the Alley Cats did what they do best in Week 10, lost a close matchup despite a respectable score. They've passed the Boobs in overall scoring, though, and continue to be a tough out. With key games against all three ND1 foes remaining, they could continue to embrace the role of spoiler.
  
• Estelle Getty's Boobs (3-7) – The Boobs got a W in an uninspiring 117-87 victory in Week 10. However, the division is out of reach and they are about 210 points out of the last spot. Like the Alley Cats, the Boobs face the ND1 opponents in the last three games, giving them something to play for.
  

Once again, the seeding is unchanged. The interesting thing is the Alley Cats jumping over the Boobs in total points and the implications of the seedings and playoff matchups. The Cocks and Pedros are very evenly matched, as there is less than 25 total points difference between them (and both are 2-2 in their last four games). However, there's a significant difference between the current #3 and #4 teams. The #1 seed is, therefore, getting a big advantage in round one.

National Conference:

1. Amesbury Lake Armadillos (8-2) – The Armadillos responded to their second loss of the season in Week 9 with a nice win in Week 10 (courtesy of Manning's late-game heroics). Their magic number stands at 2, and if the Armadillos want to maintain the top seed, they need to rely on W's, as they split the H2H matchup with the Turtleheads and lead them by only 6 total points.
   
2. Wings of Pastrami (6-4) – The WOPs have ridden back-to-back big fantasy wins to the top of ND1 and now find themselves as the second highest scoring team in the league. The WOPs magic number is more or less 1, as they swept the Pricks and have a points lead over the Monsters (albeit a slim one: about 22 points).
   
3. Floating Turtleheads (6-4) – The Turtleheads have now fallen behind the Armadillos in both record and total points. With three games left, they likely need to win out to have any shot at the #1 seed. A poor showing against the Boobs in Week 10 didn't help matters.
   
4. Afton Creek Monsters (4-6) – The Monsters got roughed up by the Assassins in Week 10 but are still holding off the Pricks for this last spot. Their total points lead is now under 25, though, so this position is tenuous at best.
   

Outside looking in:

• Cottonwood Hills Pricks (4-6) – Thanks to the Ravens D feasting on a feeble Browns offense, the Pricks failed to keep pace with the division-leading WOPs. They did, however, close the gap between themselves and the Monsters and are very much in the thick of the playoff race.
  
• Reflection Ra-Tards (3-7) – The Ra-Tards become the second team mathematically eliminated from the playoffs based on record, and they trail the #4 Monsters by nearly 385 points. To make matters worse, they face the tough AD1 in their final games. Time to start focusing on next season's keepers.
  

The National Division has perhaps the most intriguing playoff race, as the Pricks and the Monsters battle for the final position. This has turned into a pretty balanced conference, as less than 50 total points separates the five teams still vying for playoff spots.