Half of 2007 RSL playoff teams could miss 2008 postseason

Half or more of the 2007's Super League playoff teams could miss this year's postseason, a dramatic change for the often predictable competition.

If the season ended today, 2006 titlist OMBAC, 2007 semfinalist Chicago Griffins, Golden Gate, and Old Blue would be out of the race, while 2007 finalist Chicago Lions would be in a tiebreak situation. All have been playoff regulars, save the Griffins, competing in only their second RSL campaign.

The 8-week season, which produces 8 playoff teams from 18 clubs spread among 3 divisions, has 3 weeks to run.

The changed landscape partly reflects the improvement of traditional also-rans, notably 4-0 Charlotte, the league's only unbeaten, untied side, and 3-1 3-0-1 Boston, enjoying its best season in a more than a decade. The duo have temporarily pushed long-time powers Old Blue and PAC to the sidelines of the blue division: both look likely to miss the postseason.

Another cause is red-division parity: 3-0-1 Santa Monica narrowly missed last year's playoffs, while the 3-1 Denver Barbarians are improved;  2-2 Golden Gate and particularly 2-2 OMBAC, tied for fourth, are some distance from their better editions.

This weekend, both OMBAC (away to Old Puget Sound Beach) and Golden Gate (away to division-leading Belmont Shore) may be facing must-win situations because it's difficult for four teams to reach the playoffs from a single division, and impossible for five to do so.

Also important to the westerners' race for the playoffs is Santa Monica's visit to Denver, especially for the Dolphins, who face Belmont next week.

The white division, like the blue group an amalgam of Eastern and Midwest teams, sees the top four teams lock up. In New York, 3-1 NYAC hosts the 2-1-1 Dallas Harlequins in a match between first and second place. Meanwhile, in Boston the 2-1 Irish Wolfhounds meet the 2-2 Chicago Lions.

With the four contenders bunched, a Lions loss might rule out Marty Wiggins' side, though weeks 7 and 8 bring more head-to-head matchups, including a final-round NYAC-Lions tilt in the Windy City.

Ironically, another RSL top-of-the-table clash -- in North Carolina between Boston and Charlotte -- may be the least suspenseful for the playoff chase. Both are looking likely to reach the quarterfinals. But of course seedings are at stake, and with temperatures possibly in the 70s, the result could be revealing of the newcomers' prospects in May.

Comments

[correction]

Boston is 3-0-1.

[Dan Ransom]

SF Golden Gate isn't quite so far off its best - its two losses were by a combined 4 points and they defeated Belmont Shore in Long Beach today. Belmont does not often lose at home...