Welcome back to the final TSL Quarterback Power Rankings of the season! 

 

Yes, unlike our way more productive colleague the Godfather, we don't write articles during the playoffs.  Although we did produce a lot more content than the Sentinel this year (RIP), so we’ll pat ourselves on the back for that…

 

For playoffs, we like to sit back and just watch the show, the fireworks, the bloodbath, whatever you want to call it, without having to analyze anything.  So, with this being our last article of the year, we've saved a lot for you.  We have our final Top 25 Quarterbacks of the year and then our usual playoff division analysis where we look at each playoff race in detail to pick out any trends in the data we can find.  Plus, some other stuff.

 

This is usually our longest article of the year with lots of time-consuming charts and graphs (although Power Rankings #100 was longer a few weeks ago!) so we skipped the individual QB write-ups this week and just included the Power Rankings themselves.  You don't need us to tell you how good or bad your team's QB is at this point… your record speaks for itself!

 

 

 

 

 

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Division by Division Review of the TSL

 

For our final analysis of the season, we're going to show you the following:

• The breakdown of best offenses, defenses and net point differentials per division.  We backed forfeits out of all of our numbers below (in case you’re wondering why the totals don’t match what you see in the Standings for some of these teams) and then we tried to color each team's data by their official jersey colors.  Of course half of this league apparently uses the same colors, so it's not perfect
• A graph of average point differentials per game for each division with a similar "Favorites, Contenders, Pretenders" logic we've used in previous seasons (if you're winning games by an average of 7+ PPG, you're a Favorite in green; if you're losing by an average of 7+ PPG, you're a Pretender in red; all other teams are yellow in the middle; these are not OUR judgments on who falls into each category, it's strictly based on the math of your team's point differentials).  For what it's worth, in the last ten seasons that we've been showing these graphs, we've had 36 eventual division champions classified as "Favorites", 24 as "Contenders", and exactly zero as "Pretenders".  Favorites won 5 divisions last Spring, compared to only one contender. 
• A quick twitter sized (or "X sized") recap of the division heading into playoffs, and then identifying which teams are "overrated" and "underrated" in each group.  Note that these last two categories are based purely on what we see in the scores and stats, NOT our own personal feelings of players on each team (we might personally think Two Tuddies are overrated, but if the underlying numbers say their team is underrated, that's where we'll include them below) so TRY not to be offended thinking the "website is being mean".  We're just reading numbers off a website, man.  Relax.

 

And away we go!

 

Division 1

 

 

 

The Headline:  Legends STILL the heavy favorites, Eyes Downtown have a real chance, everyone else are underdogs.

 

Underrated:  We were tempted to take Frodo Swaggins as the most Underrated team in D1 based on point differentials.  They're only a few points behind Sticky Bandits for third place in the division, and yet they're the fifth seed.  So why didn't we?  Every other team around them in the standings had the misfortune of playing Legends... while Frodo took the forfeit loss there (which of course we exclude from all of our numbers).  Since Legends is beating teams by an average of 21 points per game, that game would have (presumably) put Frodo's numbers back in line with where a fifth place team SHOULD be.  This doesn't make Frodo "overrated", it just means that they are where they should be.  So we still need a "most underrated" team.  No one really stands out in D1 this session, so we'll pick the Sticky Bandits, who played the last game of the season without their starting QB and lost it badly.  If we throw out that game (assuming they do have Mike Thomas for playoffs, which of course they will) then Sticky Bandits' point differential per game jumps from 5.9 to 9.7... which would flip their color on the graph above from "contender" to "favorite".

 

Overrated:  It's tempting to choose Unit Ha Ha here simply because they finished with the worst point differential in the division, while only finishing third worst in the standings, and that's the easiest way to quickly spot "overrated" teams that will tend to crash and burn in the playoffs.  However the pick here is actually Freeballers, who used sub QBs for at least half of the season, including their most successful games right at the end.  If we throw out their last three games (which had Buddy and Garrett, two of our top six Ranked QBs, throwing for Freeballers) their point differential per game drops from -14.4 to -21.4.  They won't have Buddy or Garrett for playoffs, and their first round opponents are a team you might have heard of...

 

Division 2

 

 

 

The Headline:  Four teams you could reasonably bet money on winning this championship, a fifth team capable of maybe one upset, and Grey Hair.

 

Underrated:  They're the fourth seeded team in their standings, and yet they boast the best point differential in the entire division.  Be honest, were you at all aware that Can't Touch This has the best point differential in D2?  We all wrote them off a month ago when they started slowly, but they still have athletes and they still play well on both sides of the ball.  They weren't even close to earning a first round bye, but would you really want to play them in the playoffs?

 

Overrated:  The Malones were undefeated after five games and had all but locked up that first round bye.  Then they suddenly had to start playing games against the top teams in their division, and the illusion that they were massive favorites kind of unraveled a bit.  Three straight losses cost them a bye week, and probably some confidence as well (how could it not?).  Can't Touch This, PWI and Jabronies are categorized as "favorites" in our chart above (+7 point differential per game) while Malones are only +3.3 PPG... which looks like the mark of an average team.  They're still dangerous enough to scare every team they face in the playoffs, but maybe not as the "favorites" to win their division.

 

 

Division 3

 

 

 

The Headline:  As always, one of the most even divisions in the TSL from top to bottom.  Also, GirthQuakes.

 

Underrated:  We look at point differentials all season long and we're rarely surprised by the end of  year results.  We were surprised this time.  Was anyone else aware that Cunning Stunts are not only the best point differential per game in D3, but also the ONLY team to crack +7 PPG??  They finished in 4th place with a 5-3 record, but if not for a controversial ending to an ILF game several weeks ago, they COULD have been 6-2 which would have put them in first place, past the Wanderers on a tiebreaker!  Yes, we know that the Wanderers would have tried harder in that last game if the #1 seed were actually on the line, but still... the stats say the Stunts are the best in their division, and they could have easily finished at the top of the standings too if the last minute of a game were handled differently.  Honorable mention to D-Generation X Y and Z, who are in 5th place with the SECOND best point differential per game in the division.  Maybe we'll get a Joey vs Travis finals and break the TSL ratings record?

 

Overrated:  Easiest pick we'll make all day!  Here is the full list of second place teams in the TSL with a negative point differential: Bullet Club.  They're the only one.  Here is the full list of second or third place teams in the TSL with a negative point differential: still just Bullet Club.  And in fact there's only one other FOURTH place team with a negative point differential (hi, What A Dump!).  This is, statistically, weird.  And it means that Bullet Club is either VERY clutch in close games... or (more likely) they are not a "real" second place team, and will probably regress in the playoffs.  

 

 

Division 4

 

 

 

The Headline:  Four flawed contenders, two LONGEST of longshots... and Two Tuddies

 

Underrated:  We don't have the data on who started at QB EVERY week... but we do remember PowerPuff Girls losing a doubleheader 83-17 without Kyle Conniff a few weeks ago.  Throw out those two games, and PowerPuff Girls go from -1.1 net points per game to +11.6.  That is an enormous swing.  This is a very, very different team when they have their QB1, and we are assuming we are going to see him throwing on Saturday.  If you're wondering whether or not a full strength PowerPuff Girls is capable of beating Two Tuddies, we invite you to go back and look at last season's D5 finals score.  Yes, we know that Tuddies have improved since then, but if anyone is capable of stopping the undefeated Tuddy season, it might just be the ladies in tie dye.

 

Overrated:  There don't appear to be any true overrated teams in D4 based on the standings and the point differentials.  If we're forced to pick one (and yes, we force ourselves to do this) we'll take the Tuddies.  They've done nothing wrong, won every game, and put up great numbers.  We're just not sure their dominance as large as it looks at a glance.  Let's throw out their games against the two worst teams in the division, and see how the rest of their schedule looked:  8 point win over Mike's Detailing; 3 point win over Ready to Retire; laughably big win over PowerPuff Girls when they were missing Kyle; solid 15 point win over Puckett; 2 point win over Puckett.  They've won games when they've needed to, and they're the favorites for a reason.  But that +21 point differential per game is an illusion.  If Two Tuddies are going to win the championship, they're not going to do it by smoking teams by 20+ points.

 

 

Division 5

 

 

 

The Headline:  Balls Deep, a few real contenders, a few teams just happy to be there.

 

Underrated:  It's not by a lot, but Bridget & Quit It are the only team that stands out as "underrated" in D5 for a couple reasons.  Their point differential is second in their division and marks them as a "favorite" despite them only being in third place (the other 5-3 teams are in the "contenders" category).  Also as a gender team, they have a roster full of people that play in different divisions, and likely had several conflicts throughout the regular season when they didn't have their full roster available.  That won't happen for playoffs, where we've been GUARANTEED no roster conflicts (at least, for this week).  So we might (potentially) be seeing the strongest Bridget team ever on Saturday.

 

Overrated:  Blitzkrieg is in second place with a point differential per game of just +2.4.  The only second place team in ANY division with a worse point differential?  Bullet Club, and their inexplicable negative points.  Blitzkrieg looks like an average team on paper.  Good enough to beat anyone, sure.  But do we think they have the second best odds in the division?  Would you put their chances over Bridget and Quit It, or even Not So Sticky?  Probably not.

 

 

Division 6

 

 

 

The Headline:  Flying Balls and Chargers destined for the finals; Blue Ballers good enough play spoiler; nine other teams praying for upsets.

 

Underrated:  The conversation about D6 has mostly been about how it's the Flying Balls or Chargers division to win, and everyone else is just playing for the right to third place.  And it's true that those have been the best two teams.  But has there ever been a team in the history of the TSL that's winning their games by an average of 18.5 PPG and getting so little respect as a favorite to win their division?  That's the position Blue Ballers find themselves in today -- way too good for the rest of the division, but considered "not quite on the top tier" with Flying Balls and Chargers.  And maybe that's fair.  They DID lose to Chargers by 37 points a few weeks ago.  Then again, they only lost to Flying Balls by 10 points way back in week one, so maybe they're not as far off as people think?

 

Overrated:  Three Tuddies are in seventh place in the standings.  Respectable, almost right in the middle of a twelve team division.  But they're ninth in points for, ninth in points against, and TENTH in point differential per game.  Only in this massive D6 could a team average -11.9 PPG and still beat out FIVE other teams in the standings.  

 

 

 

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Top Ten Best and Worst Lists for the 2025 Fall Season

 

The division analysis above is the real meat and potatoes of this article, but in case you're curious how you stack up against teams in OTHER divisions, here are the top ten (and bottom ten) teams in the entire TSL for offensive points per game, defensive points per game, and average point differential per game:

 

 

 

What did we learn from this??  The magic numbers for us are always 20 and 40.  Nearly every team in this League averages between 20-40 PPG both offensively and defensively.  If you're higher than 40 offensively or lower than 20 defensively, you're doing an amazing job.  If you're lower than 20 offensively or higher than 40 defensively... you're probably not winning too many games.  This season we had six teams crack the 40 point mark, down from eight in the Spring session, and up from two the previous Fall (the big swings every season probably have something to do with the weather.  Congrats to Flying Balls, our Spring 2025 scoring champs.

 

 

So if Flying Balls were the BEST offense, who were the worst?  This season we had seven teams (down from 10 last season) fail to make it to 20 PPG on offense.  Those teams unsurprisingly went a combined 13-42-1 this season.  

 

Then if we look at defenses, there were five teams (Two Tuddies, Balls Deep, Flying Balls, The Chargers, Irish Giants) that held opponents to under 20 PPG this session.  There were two teams that allowed 40+ points per game and remarkably they tied for the Worst Defense title this Spring.  Congrats (if that's the right word) to Puck Bunnies and Unit Ha Ha, who each allowed 40.3 PPG.  Although that may seem like an achievement typically associated with shame, neither team truly embarrassed themselves this session.  Unit Ha Ha had the guts to start in D1 as a brand new team and actually won three games!  Puck Bunnies became the first true ALL girls team in TSL history (at least as far as any of us remember) and played with several brand new girls learning the game for the first time.  There are many teams that should be hanging their heads in disappointment this season, but Unit Ha Ha and Puck Bunnies are not among them.

 

For teams on the "Worst of" lists above, if you're looking to cheer yourselves up, it's worth taking a second to remember last session's "Worst of All-Time" team, Show Me Your TDs, who finished the season with zero points scored, and 74.5 PPG scored AGAINST.  No matter how bad your team was this session, we promise you, you were not THAT bad.

 

Besides the "40/20 Clubs", what else do we see from the best and worst units in the League?  Flying Balls, Legends, Balls Deep and the Chargers were the only four teams in the League to make all three "Ten Best" lists for offense, defense and point differentials.  There were only two teams to make all three "Ten Worst" lists, including Cobblestone (who made all three "Worst" lists last spring as well!) and Puck Bunnies.  

 

 

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All-Time Championship Statistics 

(note: much of the below is a Reprint from Power Rankings #100 a few weeks ago)

 

A few years ago we compiled a list of every TSL champion in League history and devised a ranking system to see who the "best teams of all time" were.  This was exhausting to research and put together, but it's now very simple to update once a session, so that's what we've done here.  The timing feels right to update you all on this now JUST before playoffs so we can remind you what you're chasing here... co-ed football immortality.  Here are the current immortals... all 102 recognized champions in TSL history:

 

 

 

THAT part is objective - the champs are the champs, and we'd like to think history will remember their achievements for 1,000 years to come (history classes will likely debate what exactly the "Tommy Hughes Experience" was).  

 

This next part though is subjective:  we then attempted to compare the relative strength of each division's championships to come up with a ranking system (a D2 title is harder to win than a D4 title) and this is what we landed on:

• A D1 championship is our baseline since it's the best a team can do.  Let's make that worth 100 points.  
• A D2 title is worth, at BEST, 49% of that, since two D2 titles don't quite equal a D1 title (you can argue it should be LESS than 49%, but we've made the choice to weight lower divisions as heavily as reasonably possible here).  49 points for a D2 title.
• A D3 title should be worth 49% of THAT, so about 24 points for each D3 championship.
• Every subsequent division is worth 49% of the previous one, so D4 is worth 11 points, D5 is worth 5 points, and D6 is worth 2 points.
• Indoor championships aren't currently worth a point (though we may revise this in the future).  With apologies to DILFS, Jelly Beans, Sticky Bandits, Eyes Downtown, Losing Streak and Friendship Club, Winter sessions are often used to make new teams and play with new people.  No team should be penalized in the rankings for doing that instead of entering their usual squad.  We'll give them credit for "number of titles", which they've earned, but zero points awarded.  Indoor championships are abbreviated as "W:A" (Winter: A) and "W:B" on the chart below, to make it a little easier to read.

 

It's an arbitrary system of course, but it's the one we chose.  So here is the updated list of your "greatest champions of all time" going into the Fall 2024 playoffs (active teams are highlighted below; split into two segments side-by-side to make font size more easily readable):

 

 

 

We always debate making a change to the math above so that subsequent championships in the same division would be worth less the second time around.  After all, was it fair that Puckett kept improving their standings by winning D4 over and over?  Shouldn't they have moved up before this session?  But for now, we decided to leave it as is.

 

So where does that leave us today?  Legends are tied with Public Enemy as the greatest team in TSL history, and one more victory for the (currently undefeated) team will put them alone in first place.  Eyes Downtown could jump from 5th to 3rd with another win, and Sticky Bandits from 9th to 4th.  Mavericks could jump into 9th place with a win, and Freeballers (if you can believe it) could jump to 10th.

 

Legends, Sticky Bandits and Puckett All-Stars are each tied with Public Enemy for the most total TSL Championships of all-time with five.  If any of those three active teams win again this season (each seems possible!), they can set the new record.

 

Bottom line, people remember champions, not the teams who come in second place, so immortality can only be found by winning it all.  Good luck!

 

 

***

 

That's it for the TSL Power Rankings this season!  We can't possibly make any other charts for you at this point (this was exhausting) and we doubt anyone has read this start-to-finish anyway.  

 

We don't currently have our own email address anymore, so if you have any thoughts on any of the above, please feel free to contact our good friend This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  You tell him, he'll tell us.  Good luck in the playoffs.

 

What's YOUR ranking?