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CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPSSunday's games provided the platform from which a champion in each conference will be crowned on Thursday night.
:arrow: In the American Conference, Norfolk visits Wichita. This is Norfolk's sixth trip to the AC Championship Game in the last seven years. All of the Vipers trips have been under the watch of Harold "Finger" Lozier and the team will once again look to his leadership in this one. Wichita will host the game and this is their innaugural trip to a championship game. With this being said, Norfolk would seem to have an edge in that they have played in so many big games. But before you go there, you better take a closer look at the Outlaws. Just go to their roster and count how many players are rated good or above! Then go to any other team in the league, including Norfolk, Lawrence and Reno and do that same count. Surprised. Don't be, Wichita's roster could arguably be the deepest in the league and they are proud of their team approach to the game to match up to the Norfolk bravado.
Norfolk got to the game by winning the AC East, besting Cleveland in a wild card matchup and then downing the number one seed, St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday. Wichita's road was just as impressive as they won the AC North, threw off Anchorage in a wild card matchup and then bested the second seed Portland Seals. As for a prediction, TB will leave that to you. TB just doesn't think that either team will blow the other away as we anticipate defenses to control the day.
:arrow: In the National Conference, Reno travels to Lawrence. Everyone anticipated for Lawrence to move on and thanks to a minor miracle, they will indeed. (In fact the buzz is still in the air about the forced fumble that was returned 81 yards with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter that gave the Phantoms their win over Texas.) But Lawrence is no stranger to this territory and will return to the NC Championship Game for the third time in a row. On the other hand, the Reno Wolfpack is making their first trip for a coronation. The Wolfpack will be hosted in one of the most feared places for traveling teams to visit and the game may come down to which signal caller has the best day -- Lawrence's Tobias Stanfield or Reno's Dennis Colella. Stanfield lusts for league championship ring and is convinced that "the third time will be the charm." To him, this game is only a step in that direction. Colella has the same strong drive for excellence but also wants to put the cherry on the icing as he continues to give meaning to the adage, "somebody's trash can be another person's treasure."
Lawrence got to the game by winning the NC East, taking the number one seed, and nudging poor Texas off of a cliff. Reno won the NC West, received the number two seed, and performed a magic trick of their own as they then mounted a fourth quarter comeback over unsuspecting Dakota. As for a prediction, TB will leave this game to you as well. Again, TB believes that defense may have a stronger role in who moves on the the Imperial Bowl.
:grouphug: Your kudos to all playoff participants, advice and wise-ass remarks are welcome. The teams featured above are only one game away from the Imperial Bowl.
PLEASE CAST YOUR PREDICTION FOR THE TWO TEAMS THAT YOU THINK WILL BE IN THE IMPERIAL BOWL?
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