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Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, as the great philosopher Jon Bongiovi Jr. once proclaimed: “Whoa, we’re halfway there. Whooaa–oaa, livin’ on a prayer.” And that’s where things stand in the TSL as we approach Memorial Day weekend. Week 5 of the Spring 2024 season is upon us, which means we’re exactly “halfway there” for the tune up before the ‘real’ Race for Social Co-Ed Immortality begins. I’ve said it for over a decade: the regular season is essentially just qualifying for the real Race that is the playoffs. 

 

The first four weeks of the season told us a lot about who teams are this session, but it didn’t tell the entire story. Just because you’re 0-4 doesn’t mean you can’t go on a winning streak, finish 4-4, and be the hottest team entering the playoffs. And just because you’re sitting at 3-1, thinking you’re a true title contender, doesn’t mean you can’t end up at 3-5 with your confidence shattered, becoming an “easy out” in the playoffs either. 

 

These scenarios have played out multiple times over the course of the TSL’s history, so they wouldn’t be unique to just you and your team, don’t worry. It WILL happen: Teams that are “good” now won’t be so good in a few weeks, and teams that are “bad" now are going to make a run. There’s a reason that Playoff Saturday in the TSL is 2nd only to the opening weekend of March Madness for best sports time of the year, and it's the unpredictability (except for me, who accurately predicts everything, no need to go back and look) and chaos of upsets that happen every session. 

 

Even the gap from the pre-season to the mid-season can still show a bit of change in how things are going. By this point, everyone has played 4-5 games, with only one team at 6 games played (Mavericks) and about 9 of them at only 3 games played. That’s enough for us to get a very good idea on what your team is about. That’s right, it’s time for the Midseason Odds To Win The Championship! Did you improve your odds over 4 weeks? Did they come crashing down? Check it out here! 

D1:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Eyes Downtown 35, Sticky Bandits 20

Sticky Bandits 23, Frodo Swaggins 12

Eyes Uptown 49, Frodo Swaggins 8

Nobody is suspended anymore, and teams are at “full strength” once again. As a result, D1 is rounding back into the form we sort of expected from the get go. The “Eyes” both have it once again, with ED beating Sticky by 15 and EU stomping Frodo by 41. And then, just to make the pecking order clear, Sticky beat Frodo as well. 

 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship: 

 

Eyes Downtown (2-1) (Previous Odds: 3-1) - Everything for this team has been pretty good so far, and even at 2-2, they still feel headed on a collision course with Eyes Uptown for the title. 

 

Pro: Eyes Downtown has the band back together, so they can get back on their winning ways. Con: Eyes Uptown also has the band back together. 

 

Eyes Uptown (3-1) (Previous Odds: 3-1) - Why the drop in odds? Overall feel. Eyes Downtown just feels like more of a “team” than EU/Legends right now. From my reports I’ve been given, it appears EU just cares less overall, which gives ED the nod. Although nothing is going to make EU care more than stopping ED in the title game, so we’ll see how it goes then.

 

Pro: Eyes Uptown has the band back together, so they can get back on their winning ways. Con: Eyes Downtown also has the band back together. 

 

Sticky Bandits (4-1) (Previous Odds: 5-1) - Sticky’s odds to win the championship have actually improved! They’re playing better than previously thought, and sitting at 4-1 gives them a 1.5 game lead on first place in the division. A win against Eyes Uptown would be huge this weekend, as Sticky would be closer to winning the division. Why is that huge? That would mean the Eyes Downtown vs Eyes Uptown probable playoff bloodbath would take place in the 2v3 matchup instead of the championship, and Sticky (provided they beat Frodo) would be there to pick the meat off of whatever Eyes survives that. 

 

Pro: Improved play than was expected, Maggie makes a bigger impact than originally thought, giving opposing QBs fits. 

Con: Jeff Krol sacrificed his foot for this, making deals with the devil frowned upon. 

 

Frodo Swaggins (10-1) (Previous Odds: 15-1) - That’s right! Another improvement! It would be less shocking right now if Frodo won the D1 title that it would’ve been 4 weeks ago. I get it, they’re 1-4 and just got smacked around, but they’re still improved overall. If Garrett improves his decision making just a bit more, things will shape up nicely for Frodo. And if Sticky finishes 1st overall in the division, it also makes Frodo’s path to the championship a little easier as well. 

 

Pro: A D1 team that’s taking their lumps as they grow, but they’re hanging tough in the division and getting better still.

Con: They still might be a male and female playmaker away from really having a shot, needing someone to step up internally this season. 

This Week’s Games:

 

Eyes Downtown vs Frodo Swaggins (+10) - ED knows that they’re within striking range of 1st overall, and they want to avoid EU in the first round of the playoffs, so they’re going to come in with a focused mindset. Frodo just wants to avoid what happened last week. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 8

 

Eyes Uptown vs Sticky Bandits (+7) - Eyes Uptown looked back on track in their win last weekend, whereas Sticky didn’t have a banner week last week themselves. This should be a good, close fought game that has some decently huge implications for how the D1 season will go. EYES UPTOWN BY 3

D2:

 

Last Week’s Games: 

 

Can’t Touch This 31, Mavericks 27

Mavericks 56, Scared Hitless 38

Freeballers 30, The Untouchaballs 16

 

Can’t Touch This wins! Can’t Touch This wins! CTT finally gets back into the win column, and they did it in style, beating arguably the best team in the division to do so. The Mavs took out their frustrations from that loss on Scared Hitless, who took their first L this year. The Freeballers then smacked around Burr and company for a victory. 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Mavericks (3-1) (Previous Odds: 5-1) - All the Mavericks have done over the first 4 weeks of the season is go 4-1-1, and scored a ton of points. But they have a different energy about them this season, and they fixed that defense a little bit too. All good things. 

 

Pro: Winning games and good vibes, already 4-1-1, only has D2 crossover games left, bye week looks probable.

Con: Will only play D1 teams for nearly a month, might not play another D2 until Championship Saturday, could throw them off the run they’re on. 

 

Freeballers (5-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - The Freeballers sit at 3-2, but they’re still quite full of potential right now. Having Sean on the field always helps, but the season has been a little up and down so far. 

 

Pro: Feels like the best Freeballers team we’ve had in a while, when they’re confident together they’re a good team. 

Con: Full of absolute psychopaths who could derail the season with one bad loss, not sure if Eickhoff is the best QB for the job to win the title; Still has Klussman on the roster.

 

Scared Hitless (7-1) (Previous Odds: 10-1) - Scared Hitless finally lost a game, but they’ve been nothing but consistent all season. They’re at their best when they aren’t up and down every single week, which is what we’ve been seeing all year, plus this team tends to get better as the season goes on. 

 

Pro: Giving off the vibes they gave off when they won D2 not too long ago, Dylan has been very good at QB from what I’m told, and that alone gives everyone else tons of confidence.

Con: June is coming, and usually that means people on the roster go to Florida when the playoffs hit, two of their wins were against the bottom two in the division, and they only won those two games by two points each. Lots of twos. 

 

The Untouchaballs (7-1) (Previous Odds: 10-1) - On the one hand, the champs are sitting at 2-2-1 and they more than likely don’t care about the regular season (unless something gets personal). On the other, they have a negative point differential and don’t look nearly as good as they have in the past. A true .500 team that can go either way. 

 

Pro: They still have Burr and Helm and there’s that other guy everyone always forgets that I’m forgetting. Good work Other Guy! They tied the Mavericks after getting destroyed by them early in the season. 

Con: More “all over the place” than usual, and inconsistency is never good. 

 

Can’t Touch This (10-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1): CTT might be 1-7 in their last 8 games, BUT they’re 1-0 in their last 1 game! The roughest stretch in CTT’s history has come to a close, and one has to think they’re better off for it. Granted, two of their three losses have been by only one score this season, so there’s a world where they’re 3-1. They’re lurking, be careful D2. 

 

Pro: Playing close games, super strong and handsome QB, absolute stud girls that people STILL underestimate because their average height is about 5 '1. 

Con: The once mighty offense that got them to D2 is only averaging 28 points a game, which might be a lot for some teams, but it's too low to get them where they want to go in D2. 

 

Puckett All-Stars (12-1) (Previous Odds: 15-1) - You read that right, an 0-4 team that hasn’t won anything in D2 yet improved its odds. Why? Because they’re playing quite well. The poster child for “0-4 team that clicks as the season moves on and makes noise in the playoffs” has been Puckett throughout their history (I’m pretty sure they won a title as a 7 seed before), so they have this type of run in their DNA, even if the roster is a little different than those days. 

 

Pro: 3 of 4 losses have been one score games, and the one that wasn’t they were short handed for. 

Con: They’re everyone’s favorite “The wins are coming!” team, which means they lose the element of surprise. 

 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Can’t Touch This vs Puckett All-Stars (+3) - A battle of two teams that could 100% use this win. CTT just got the monkey off their back last weekend, and they need this game to put together a little streak and gain more confidence. PAS just needs the win to get that “first” win in D2 and ease their minds a little. This could be an awesome, back and forth affair. PUCKETT ALL-STARS BY 3

 

The Untouchaballs vs Scared Hitless (EVEN) - This is an even, solid matchup, and it’ll really tell us if SH is for real or not. A bad loss here, after a bad loss to the Mavericks, and it’ll show that SH is a step below the actual contenders. However, a win would do wonders for them. I’m still not exactly sure that the Untouchaballs are 100% caring about things just yet and might just be waiting for the playoffs to turn it up a notch. SCARED HITLESS BY 4

D3:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Wanderers 35, Bullet Club 29

The Malones 46, Keller Whales 20

Jabronies 27, Topper’s All Stars & Todd 13

Let’s Get Reccked 29, Practice Squad 28

 

The Wanderers keep Bullet Club winless after a close game, The Malones hand the Kellers their first loss of the season in a slight blowout, the Jabronies get a win over Team Topper, and LGR sneaks past Practice Squad in a good one. 

 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship:

 

The Malones (3-1) (Previous Odds: 3-1) - The Malones are just good. They’re D3 favorites, and they’re looking like a team on a mission to win the title after losing it last season. Their guys are good. Their QB is in the Top 10 in the power rankings. Their girls are fantastic. They hang out at the bar. The only thing they don’t have are cool jerseys. They’ll be in D2 next season no matter what. 

 

Pro: Everything is clicking and they’re full of confidence. 

Con: Peaking too early in the season? It’s hard to find something here. 

 

Wanderers (3-1) (Previous Odds: 4-1) - However, the Wanderers are still around too. They’re 4-0, and they look better than ever with the addition of Stoner Dave. It’s hard to consider that they’ve only won most of their games by 1 score, because that’s the point for them. It’s by design. They thrive in the close ones, and usually the other teams blink first. 

 

Pro: Team chemistry like no other team in the TSL, always seem to be having a good time, even in pressure situations (as long as we ignore Frank and Sal arguing like an old married couple). 

Con: They’re 4-0, but have beaten the current bottom 4 teams in the division, the schedule is going to get harder. 

 

Keller Whales (5-1) (Previous Odds: 4-1) - The Kellers haven’t done anything really wrong themselves to have greater odds, as Damien continues to look like a young Scott Sr. behind center, and Katie Keller remains one of the best ladies in the division. However, getting smacked by The Malones showed that there may be a bit of a talent gap there. 

 

Pro: Genetics. There’s a lot of Kellers on this team, and quite frankly they’re just winners. 

Con: Scott Sr. isn’t actually throwing, team speed might be an issue. 

 

Let’s Get Reccked (5-1) (Previous Odds: 5-1) - LGR is only 2-3, which is surprising given the amount of talent on the roster this season. However, just about every game they’ve played has been a one score game, and this team could easily be 5-0 with opponents yelling at Jeff Krol every week that they’re “too good” for D3. 

 

Pro: All of the games are close, they’ve never been blown out, they’re still extremely talented. 

Con: I was emailed by an “anonymous” source to point out that Becca runs the team’s day to day operations, and completely failed to add more people to their roster. Attendance also seems to be an issue for this team. 

 

Jabronies (7-1) (Previous Odds: 5-1) - The Jabronies slipped because they’re not looking as impressive as the teams ahead of them so far. It also doesn’t help that they’ve only played  games so far, and they’ve all been pretty close. They have 5 games left to really dial it in though. 

 

Pro: Haven’t assaulted any potted plants, haven’t looked like they missed a step at all after taking some time off in the fall. 

Con: Haven’t really taken on the top teams in the division yet. 

 

Practice Squad (10-1) (Previous Odds: 10-1) - Practice Squad has taken their lessons learned from D2 and applied them pretty well so far in D3 to the tune of a 3-2 record, with only one “bad” loss, a 30-12 drubbing by the Keller Whales. Life doesn’t get easier for Team Lantz and B, as they get The Malones, Vice, and Wanderers to end the season. 

 

Pro: They’re playing well and pulling out those close games. Good juju from Renee filling field holes is real. 

Con: Their wins all could’ve been losses (they won by 2, 2, and 3), and they could easily be 0-5 right now. Credit for pulling out the wins, but they’ve yet to have an impressive ass-kicking win. 

 

Bullet Club (10-1) (Previous Odds: 4-1) - Bullet Club’s odds have dropped dramatically, as that will happen when you go 0-4 to start the year. They’re in all of their games but seem to make a costly mistake at some point that gives them the loss. QB Dylan seems to be meshing well with the team, and they’re averaging 31 points a game on offense, but defense is an issue. If they figure that part out, look out. 

 

Pro: Scores points, schedule gets a little easier. 

Con: 2nd Worst defense in the TSL, allowing 38.75 per game. 

 

Buffalo Vice (12-1) (Previous Odds: 7-1) - Perhaps our preseason oddsmakers in Vegas put them too high to start, but the defending D4 champs are having a slightly rough go of things already. They’re 1-3, with a win over Team Topper. However in games against the Kellers and The Malones, they looked a step behind. They did only lose to the Wanderers by 2, but again, that’s usually by design so I throw that out the window. 

 

Pro: The schedule gets much easier, as they’ve arguably played the toughest D3 schedule so far, which can only help them. Girls are superstars. 

Con: The defense is in the bottom 5 of the league.

 

Topper’s All Stars & Todd (15-1) (Previous Odds: 15-1) - This is Todd’s fault. TAST is off to a rough start to the season, starting the year 0-4, and most of the woes are on offense as the team only averages 19 points a game. It doesn’t help that Topper has already traded playing QB to be a shutdown cornerback, but to get Dubey to throw in his place is a pretty good upgrade. There’s too much talent here for this team to keep losing, and once they find a rhythm with Dubey, it’ll all be okay. 

 

Pro: Current “Best at the Bar” leaders. 

Con: Current “Best at the Bar” leaders & Todd. 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Jabronies vs Buffalo Vice (+6) - A good test for both teams, and if Vice is going to start rocketing up the standings as a contender, a win here will go a long way. The Jabronies are currently looking to keep pace with the teams in front of them, so they’ll need this win if they have hopes of winning the division. Should be a good one here too. JABRONIES BY 8

 

The Malones vs Practice Squad (+10) - Practice Squad has been good at finding a way to win this season, but this opponent is a different animal. The Malones score in bunches, and I’m not sure Practice Squad can keep up. THE MALONES BY 14

 

Bullet Club vs Buffalo Vice (EVEN) - Two of the league’s worst defenses clash to probably hit the “over” of 68.5 this week. Vice will be coming off a tight game against the Jabronies the hour before, and this feels like a perfect storm for a well rested Bullet Club to get their first win. BULLET CLUB BY 6

D4:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Passing While Intoxicated 38, Tater Tots 28

Passing While Intoxicated 32, Reset Warriors 6

Interdimensional Lightning Falcons 23, Tater Tots 16

Cunning Stunts 51, The Roaring 20s 28

Creekers 42, Vaspian 12

 

PWI went 2-0 this week, and did it in impressive fashion winning by a combined 70-34, ILF then beat the Tots, pushing the Tots to 0-2 on the day. The Stunts welcomed TR20 to gender team games, and the Creekers crushed Vaspian as they continue to cruise along lately. D4 boasts 5 of the Top 13 teams in the TSL Rankings. 

 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Cunning Stunts (2-1) (Previous Odds: 2-1) - The Stunts are 4-0 and they’re just doing exactly what we expected them to do. They lead the division in scoring (they’re 3rd in the entire TSL, which is no surprise) and a little more surprisingly, they’re 9th in the TSL in defense as well! Things are going quite well for them. 

 

Pro: Incredible amounts of talent across the board, easily beat one of their closest competitors. Con: There aren’t any.  

 

ILF (6-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - ILF continues to be a very good team, but the mystery of how to beat the Stunts eludes them, and they lost by 20. They also got ran out of the gym by the Creekers, which could pose a concern. However, they have the easiest schedule remaining, and should cruise to a 6-2 record by season’s end. 

 

Pro: Already played the hard part of the schedule, have a good team that has been together for a while. 

Con: They got dominated by the Creekers and the Stunts. Doesn’t bode well for title hopes. 

 

Creekers (6-1) (Previous Odds: 10-1) - The Creekers have figured it out after starting off the season with a 48-22 loss to the Tots. The Creekers dominated ILF, Reset Warriors, and Vaspian en route to a 3-1 record. They have a decent shot at going into the final week of the season against the Stunts with the division title on the line. 

 

Pro: Scoring points, playing great defense. 

Con: Two dominating wins against lesser teams, and getting blown out by the Tots, suggests that things may not be as good as they seem.

 

PWI (6-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - PWI sits at 3-2 with a big game against the Creekers looming. It’s been a pretty typical PWI season so far - they’ve dominated the teams they were supposed to (Cobblestone, Reset Warriors), they got a good win against the Tots last week, a close, 1 point loss to ILF, and then they lost to the Stunts by 23. They continue to be a better than average squad that gets a little better every season. 

 

Pro: Can hang with every team that isn’t the Stunts.

Con: Can hang with every team that isn’t the Stunts. 

 

Tater Tots (7-1) (Previous Odds: 15-1) - The Tots’ odds leap up a bunch since they added B and jumped out to a 3-0 record. All was going well in Tot Land until last week, where things came to a screeching halt after going 0-2 against PWI and ILF. While the win against the Creekers showed they can hang with the top teams, it was in Week 1, and the Creekers look different than they did then. The Tots will stay competitive, but perhaps they’re a step behind the other contenders. 

 

Pro: They got a great QB in B, and he’s solidified the offense, which is something they’ve always needed. 

Con: A soft early schedule might’ve made them seem a little better than they are. 

 

Reset Warriors (12-1) (Previous Odds: 22-1) - The Reset Warriors burst on the scene to a degree, only losing to the Stunts by a score before beating Vaspian. After that, it hasn’t been pretty, losing to PWI and the Creekers by a combined 67-14, but losing their QB obviously plays a role in that. They have tons of promise for sure. 

 

Pro: Kept up with the Stunts, looked good until injuries happened. 

Con: Injuries happened, Schedule is decently tough

 

Vaspian (15-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1) - Vaspian has had a slightly rough go of things this season, sitting at 1-2 and only sneaking a win out over the brand new Roaring 20s. They did get blown out by the Creekers though last week. Things look not great to start, but they have 5 games to figure things out. 

 

Pro: Veteran team that has been here before, has 5 games left to figure it out. 

Con: Things don’t get much easier for them schedule wise, with Stunts, PWI, ILF, Tots all on the docket. 

 

The Roaring 20s (20-1) (Previous Odds: 20-1) - The brand new squad may not have many wins on their record so far, but they’re still improving every single week. They did beat Cobblestone along the way, and almost snuck past Vaspian as well. However, some blowout losses to teams at the top of the division show just how far behind they are currently. 

 

Pro: Jumped into D4 and they’re giving it their all, cool jerseys. 

Con: Things may be pretty rough the rest of the season as they learn the TSL game. 

 

Cobblestone (20-1) (Previous Odds: 8-1) - Rough sledding for Darryl Carr and Company this season so far, starting the season out 0-3, including a loss to The Roaring 20s (although they did only have 5 players). The odds are a bit of a stretch, and should probably be better. Cobblestone’s other losses were to PWI (by 10) and to the Tots (by 13), they aren’t THAT far off. 

 

Pro: They have Darryl Carr QB Superstar behind center, and some winnable games ahead.

Con: Attendance issues may bite Cobblestone yet again. 

 

This Week’s Games: 

 

Creekers vs Passing While Intoxicated (EVEN) - A big D4 game on a holiday weekend sounds nice. These two teams both have championship aspirations. Look for the more veteran team to slow down the newer guys. PASSING WHILE INTOXICATED BY 3

 

Tater Tots vs Vaspian (+10) - The Tots have proven that at the very least they can easily handle the teams below them in the standings currently. TATER TOTS BY 7

 

Cobblestone vs Reset Warriors (+3) - The Reset Warriors have been struggling the last couple of weeks, and Cobblestone is due to have a breakout game. COBBLESTONE BY 17

D5:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

GUCCI 50, TMA 10

GUCCI 18, Power Puff Girls 16

Come From Behind 54, Power Puff Girls 28

Not So Sticky 21, Two Tuddies 21 (TIE)

Travis Henry’s Kids 45, Stir The Sauce 42

 

GUCCI goes 2-0 on the day with wins over TMA and the PPGs, who would drop to 0-2 on the day after a loss to CFB, which finally got TSL Legend Paul back at QB. The Tud Buds get their first non-loss in D5, getting a 21-21 Tie with NSS. To wrap the day up, THK pulled out a 45-42 win over STS, even with only having 5 players. 

 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Travis Henry’s Kids (2-1) (Previous Odds: 3-1) - THK is catching a lot of flack for dropping down a division when they were competitive in D4, and perhaps the critics were right. THK is the highest scoring team by total points in D5, and they’ve played one less game. They crushed the PPG and CFB (who were playing 3 guys and 3 girls the whole game), and they still beat STS with one less player. They’re obvious favorites in D5. 

 

Pro: Great team all around, no real holes. 

Con: GUCCI also plays in D5. 

 

GUCCI (3-1) (Previous Odds: 4-1) - Another season, another round of GUCCI going for the title. GUCCI is 4-0, they’re scoring a bunch, they’re playing good defense, and they’ve turned this into a two team race for the title, with CFB just lagging behind. They’ve been a top D5 team for a while now. They’re ready to win. 

 

Pro: Kelly Kane is fantastic, and gives GUCCI an advantage over every team but the PPG.

Con: Seems to fall apart come playoff time. 

 

Come From Behind (6-1) (Previous Odds: 5-1) - A slight fall in the odds for CFB, but most of that is because of a lack of the entire team showing up for a couple of weeks. Now that the gang’s all here, CFB is back to their high scoring, winning ways. While it’s a shame they didn’t get to play THK or GUCCI at full strength, they should win their next 3 games and they end the season with a GUCCI rematch. 

 

Pro: One of the longest tenured teams in the TSL who still has the “it” factor. 

Con: Seems to either have too many people or not enough people every week, which can mess things up for a team sometimes. 

 

Not So Sticky (8-1) (Previous Odds: 15-1) - NSS has had a nice little start to the season, sitting pretty at 2-1-1 and having their usual good times. This is the team most people expect to see out of NSS, although a lot of the time they’re lower in the standings and then pull an upset in the playoffs, usually against CFB.  

 

Pro: Super fun team is having super fun times. 

Con: They still have GUCCI, CFB, and THK left to play. 

 

Stir The Sauce (10-1) (Previous Odds: 18-1) - Hello there STS! STS jumps up the odds because of some really excellent play. I know they’re 1-3, but they’ve lost their three games by the smallest margins: GUCCI by 2, NSS by 1, and THK by 3. Those are some great teams to JUST lose out to. 

 

Pro: Other than CFB, the rest of their schedule isn’t too difficult.

Con: Other than Wrestler Dan, they may not have other weapons. 

 

Power Puff Girls (12-1) (Previous Odds: 8-1) - D5’s resident gender team has had some ups and downs this season, but their 1-3 record isn’t terrible when you realize they’ve played D5’s toughest schedule so far. They’re really starting to come into their own, and things are shaping up for a REALLY good second half for the PPG. 

 

Pro: Smart girls who are better than most teams, already played all of the hard games. 

Con: Still lack a height advantage, most of the top teams have someone super tall. 

 

TMA (20-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1) - TMA hasn’t had a banner year, as they’re sitting at 1-3, with 3 blowout losses. It’s understandable that there are some growing pains as the team has changed again, but perhaps it’s more than that? The TSL is a better place when TMA is doing well, so hopefully they’ll get it together soon, but it really feels like things are in disarray. 

 

Pro: They’ve overcome slow starts before to make some noise in the playoffs. 

Con: It’s still a different team than we’re used to, and they need to get on the same page with their QB. 

 

Two Tuddies (20-1) (Previous Odds: 20-1) - The Tud Buds still find themselves at the bottom of the standings, hoping to finally get that first D5 win sooner than later. It’s not an overmatched thing, as they lost to NSS and TMA by one score, and then tied NSS as well. The Tuddies belong in D5 for sure, and the wins will come. There just might not be many of them until the fall. 

 

Pro: They look like they belong in D5!

Con: The schedule gets progressively harder each week. 

This Week’s Games:

 

Travis Henry’s Kids vs TMA (+17) - Oh no, Oh no, Oh no no no no no. THK is taking on TMA in what may amount to a bloodbath. THK is playing some of the best football in the division and TMA is, well, not. TRAVIS HENRY’S KIDS BY 20

 

Stir The Sauce vs Two Tuddies (+8) - This game should be better than people are expecting, but I think it’s going to come down to which females play better here. In that aspect, I think STS has the advantage. STIR THE SAUCE BY 9

 

Come From Behind vs Not So Sticky (EVEN) - These teams always seem to have classic matchups, and there’s no way to determine which team will win, but NSS seems to make that happen more often sooo…NOT SO STICKY BY 1

D6:

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Mighty Drunks 43, Balls Deep 32

Blitzkrieg 36, Just Joshing 26

Back That Pass Up 31, Sausage McMuffins 28

Pit Harade 33, Sticky Laces 6

 

The Mighty Drunks decided to play offense this week and they pulled a nice upset over Balls Deep. Blitzkrieg was taken to the limit by newcomers Just Joshing, who played arguably their best game of the season, even in a loss. Back That Pass Up continues to climb up the rankings, this time dispatching the McMuffins. Pit Harade moved to 3-1 with a win over the Sticky Laces. 

 

Midseason Odds To Win The Championship:

 

Blitzkrieg (3-1) (Previous Odds: 3-1) - Blitzkrieg stays the betting favorites from the preseason after going 4-1 to lead D6 at the halfway point. QB Alex is back slinging the ball, the girls are all balling out, and everything is going about as well as possible for BK. 

 

Pro: BK is just better when Alex is playing QB. They can’t stop scoring. 

Con: They’ve done this before and cracked under the pressure of being D6 favorites. 

 

Balls Deep (5-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - Balls Deep cements themselves as the top threat to BK in D6 (They DID already beat them 18-16 this season), as BD continues to improve from what they started last fall. They also own impressive wins over PH and BTPU, and as a result have a pretty easy schedule the rest of the way. 

 

Pro: Has beaten most of the top contenders, only losing to the Drunks last week. 

Con: They still struggle to score lots of points most weeks. 

 

Pit Harade (6-1) (Previous Odds: 4-1) - Pit Harade slipped a little in the odds mostly due to a convincing loss to Balls Deep a couple of weeks ago. They’re still taking care of business on their side of things, boasting a TSL best defense. The problem is the offense that’s currently 5th worst in the league. 

 

Pro: The offense should find its way as they have in the past. 

Con: Pit Harade has only won against the bottom three teams in the division, who are a combined 1-9 right now, with the only win coming against one of the other teams. 

 

Back That Pass Up (6-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1) - BTPU continues to prove to doubters that last season’s run to the title game was no fluke, as they sit at 2-1 after 3 games that includes wins over the McMuffins and the Drunks, and a close loss to Balls Deep. A team with TSL legends like Hitman Hearn and Tammy shouldn’t be down for long, and the cast of characters (along with QB Alex Lee) have gotten better every week. 

 

Pro: They’re competing against the top teams in the league as opposed to getting smacked around. 

Con: Questions about the talent of their ladies remain, which could be their downfall. 

 

Sausage McMuffins (8-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - The McMuffins went through a questionable jersey change, but still added some talent heading into the season. The problem is that things aren’t going as smoothly as they have for them in the past. The McMuffins have two blowout wins over brand new teams in the division, but they’ve fallen short against fellow contenders Blitzkrieg and BTPU. The roster is talented, and there’s a world where they’re currently 4-0, but we’ll see how they do the rest of the way. 

 

Pro: Not getting blown out by other good teams, usually a positive team. 

Con: Giving vibes of last season, where they faded down the stretch when playing better competition. 

 

Mighty Drunks (8-1) (Previous Odds: 6-1) - The TSL’s most Bi-polar team comes in having a ridiculous season. Here’s how it’s gone: beat JJ 25-6, lose to BTPU 50-41. Lose to BK 55-0, beat BD 43-32. So they’re 2-2, they have close wins, big wins, close losses, and blowout losses. I have no idea what to make of this team, but they’re very obviously a team that “when they’re on, they’re ON” and when they’re not, well, they’re NOT. The only thing that’s for sure is they’ll be fun to watch. 

 

Pro: Completely wild and fun team that turns it on at times. 

Con: Completely wild and fun team that can’t turn it on at times.  

 

Sticky Laces (18-1) (Previous Odds: 10-1) - Despite some early promise that the Sticky Laces would be better than advertised, they’re still going through the necessary bumps and bruises. They have a talented squad, but they still have people learning the game as well, so it’s going to take longer than previously thought. Even still, they were within a score of Blitzkrieg and lost by 13 to the McMuffins before getting blown out by Pit Harade. There’s room for improvement here, and they have the talent to do it quickly. 

 

Pro: Smart team, staying in most games so far, schedule gets a little easier. 

Con: Working on the basics still. 

 

Just Joshing (20-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1) - Now that the field has sort of sorted itself out, one thing becomes clear: Just Joshing isn’t going to challenge for the D6 title. BUT, they’re going to make it tough on the teams that are. They’re the only new team with a win, but more importantly, they played against the top of the league in BK last week, and only lost by 10. I heard on the TSL podcast that they actually threw a Pick 8 at the end of the game to lose, but props to them for not playing for the tie. 

 

Pro: They’ve gotten better every single week, defense is solid, almost beat Blitzkrieg. 

Con: Still have a little ways to go in learning the game. 

 

Dogg Pound (25-1) (Previous Odds: 12-1) - The Dogg Pound brings up the rear, but there’s a good chance that isn’t for long. Other than getting boat raced by the McMuffins, they have two 5 point losses. They’re extremely athletic as a whole, so it’s just going to come down to getting reps in and improving each game. 

 

Pro: They have a decent defense, and hang out at the bar. 

Con: They may need to look elsewhere at QB, but it could change their fortunes. 

 

This Week’s Games:

 

Sausage McMuffins vs Just Joshing (+10) - Just Joshing gets another challenge coming their way after playing BK last week. The McMuffins are looking to get things going in the right direction, and if they’re on their game, this shouldn’t be hard for them. SAUSAGE MCMUFFINS BY 13

 

Pit Harade vs Sausage McMuffins (EVEN) - Pit Harade is looking for their first win over a “Top 6 in D6” team, and catching the McMuffins on the back end of a doubleheader may just be the cure for what ails them. PIT HARADE BY 6

 

Balls Deep vs Sticky Laces (+7) - Last week felt like an anomaly for both teams, as Balls Deep doesn’t usually allow (or score!) that many points, nor does Sticky Laces seem to get beat that badly usually. I think we’re going to see a closer contest than most realize, but Balls Deep pulls it out. BALLS DEEP BY 3

 

Mighty Drunks vs Dogg Pound (+10) - While it will truly depend on which version of the Drunks we see this Saturday, I can’t possibly see either version losing to the Dogg Pound just yet. MIGHTY DRUNKS BY 3 if they’re OFF, MIGHTY DRUNKS BY 36 if they’re ON. 

 

Back That Pass Up vs Pit Harade (EVEN) - BTPU keeps picking off teams that previously beat them from the year before as they’re on their little “prove we’re better than you think/revenge from last year” tour. Whatever they figured out has been pretty good for them so far, and catching PH on the backend of a doubleheader helps as well. BACK THAT PASS UP BY 3

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY:

 

 

• Why does it feel like there aren’t a lot of games this week? Because there aren’t! Memorial Day weekend is historically the biggest “bye week” requested date for the TSL seasons. We usually have about 6 more games every week. 

 

 

 

• Will the holiday affect the games? This is also one of the hardest weeks to predict simply because a lot of teams will be shorthanded. It’s hard to gather too much info (at least from Des Moines, Iowa) about which teams were loaded and which ones weren’t, but don’t be surprised to see some “upsets that aren’t really upsets” coming your way. 

 

 

 

• Who are your favorite bets in each division to win the Championship? That’s fun. I’ll go with a parlay of Eyes Uptown (3-1), Freeballers (7-1), The Malones (3-1), Creekers (6-1), THK (2-1), and Balls Deep (5-1). 

 

 

 

• What are your three favorite “long shots”? I like Practice Squad (10-1) and Bullet Club (10-1) in D3, and I think Stir The Sauce at 10-1 is interesting. 

 

 

 

• Could you rank the “top odds” in each division from best chance to worst chance to win the title? Travis Henry’s Kids, The Malones, Cunning Stunts, Mavericks, Blitzkrieg, Eyes Downtown. 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY:

 

 

• It’s more than likely going to rain in Buffalo on Saturday, so if you’re playing later, be prepared! 

 

 

 

• Games of The Week: 

• 10:00 - Creekers vs PWI

• 11:00 - Can’t Touch This vs Puckett All-Stars

• 12:00 - Pit Harade vs Sausage McMuffins

• 1:00 - Come From Behind vs Not So Sticky

• 2:00 - Scared Hitless vs The Untouchaballs

 

 

 

• Breakfast Club Predictions: 

• Dri’s Company 40, Mistymeanors 32

• Steph Infection 36, D’z Nuts 31

• Breakfast Club (Trish’s Version) 28, Jeneva Conventions 20

 

 

 

• PICK UP YOUR TRASH. It’s getting a bit ridiculous that everyone on the podcasts are yelling at the league for being pigs. Clean up after yourselves. 

 

 

 

• Three teams that need a win this week: Bullet Club, Puckett All-Stars, Sticky Bandits. 

 

 

 

• The TSL Wine Tournament is August 3rd at the Black Willow Winery! Get ready to sign your team up asap! 

 

 

 

• Shout out to B’s Brother for always continuing to grind for us. 

 

 

 

• Anyone caught excessively yelling at the refs will be subject to a Cookie Monster/Elmo punishment. Don’t say you weren’t warned. 

 

 

 

• With that said, shout out to Garrett for holding his refs accountable in his emails recently. Just because you’re new doesn’t mean you shouldn’t know the rules. Shout out to the refs who are taking advice to get better as well. 

 

 

 

• Remember, if you want me to say more about your team, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.! I enjoy all of your emails, let me know why I’m wrong and why your team is better than advertised! 

 

 

Enjoy your holiday weekend everyone, I’ll be thinking of you while I’m grilling out here in Iowa. 

-GF OUT

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