Arena Football Playoffs are Coming
by Vegas Sports Informer - 06/01/2007
The Arena Football League is now in Week 14 and that means four more weeks left until the playoffs start. Some teams have already pulled away in their division and conference but some teams can still steal a spot. Dallas is clearly the best team in the league and they have already clinched the division and a first-round bye, but the Desperados can be beat. Just look at what happened to them last year in the playoffs. One of the hottest teams in the league is the New York Dragons. They got booty wiped in Week 1 almost posting a goose egg on the scoreboard. The last five weeks, however, New York is 4-0 both straight up and against the spread. Here are the top six teams in the league (3 in each conference):
National Conference
1. Dallas Desperados (11-1, 7-4 ATS)
Dallas holds the best record in the league and already has clinched the division and a first-round bye. One thing that shows me that Dallas is for real is their road record. They are 12-2 in their last 14 road games. Dallas has four games left and if they don't rest any starters they can easily win all four of them. I wouldn't be surprised, however, if they win three out of four. If the Desperados can get good defense in the playoffs they should be in the Championship game in July.
2. Georgia Force (10-2, 8-4 ATS)
"May the Force be with you?" Georgia is the only team this year to beat Dallas and they beat them at home, 78-63. Georgia has shocked me all year with their play and they are solid on both offense and defense. The Force has also won six out of their last seven games and out of their last four contests they only played one team that has a record better than .500. They play Orlando on the road June 15 and the Force has already beat this team in Week 10, 55-34, at home. As a Star Wars geek I might take a shot at the Force.
3. Orlando Predators (7-5, 5-7 ATS)
Sorry Predators! Either Dallas or Georgia will represent the National Conference in the playoffs. Orlando has lost to Dallas and Georgia this year and they have lost to both by double digits. Orlando lost to Georgia at home! To me, Orlando doesn't have enough offense to win in the playoffs. Orlando's offense is only averaging 49.5 points per game, which means they are one of the worst scoring offenses in the league.
American Conference
1. Chicago Rush (9-3, 10-2 ATS)
The reigning champs continue their success as the Rush has the best record in the American Conference. Chicago will go as far as their defense will take them. Chicago's defense allows only 46 ppg, which is good for second best in the league, behind only Orlando. Chicago has two tough road games this week against LA and in two weeks at Colorado. With their schedule I feel that Chicago should finish second in the American Conference this year.
2. San Jose Sabercats (9-3, 9-2-1 ATS)
Here is my pick to represent the American Conference in the Arena Bowl. San Jose has a great offense (62 ppg) and one of the league's top defenses (49 ppg). The Sabercats have been on a roll lately winning eight out of their last nine games. The only concern I have with this Sabercats team is they do sometimes struggle on the road. San Jose is 13-1 when they score over 60 points in a game.
3. Colorado Crush (8-5, 6-7 ATS)
This Crush team can play good at times but they can also play horrible at others. This team is too iffy for me to make any noise in the playoffs. Colorado hasn't won a game against the top six teams in this list and also the Crush has lost twice to the Grand Rapids Rampage this year. Colorado has three tough games left and two of them are at home against Chicago and Dallas. If I'm Colorado, I would be worried about Kansas City would could easily jump over them in this Conference.