Gotard vs. Econ:
Gotard is the worst #1 seed in the recorded history of the division. No other #1 seed has ever ended the season with under 12 wins. Fortunately, they are playing the worst 9–7 team since season 27’s Treehard stack. Econ got his three 2–0 wins against Bearcat, Target, and a week 8 BYE that secured their playoff birth — not exactly an inspiring performance from the bottom playoff seed. Still, the fact that these two teams split the series last they met means this match-up is far more of a toss-up than originally meets the eye.
Fun fact: Treehard’s Season 27 team also 2–0'd Bearcat and got 2 wins off a BYE.
Hayawi vs Sheep:
An 11–5 performance is actually somewhat respectable for a #2 seed, which is better than captain pepega’s 10–6 record from last season. Sheep had a decent season, save for somehow dropping 2 games to Mu’s stack. They play against a Hayawi team that tends to split the series against good teams and pick up the 2–0 against bad teams. Their last meeting was a split series, although Hayawi should still be somewhat favored.
Kiyotaki vs. Peter:
Kiyotaki is the final 10 win team in playoffs, playing against a 9–7 Peter stack. Kiyotaki has the odd distinction of reaching the #3 seed despite having a BYE in week 7, while Peter earned his wins having never been matched against BYE or Bearcat. and I’m inclined to believe Peter has great chances of pulling off the upset. Interestingly, this is the only match-up featuring two teams that have yet to play each other.
Maestro vs. Fortheboys:
The 4th and 5th seeded teams are separated by just 3 SOS points. Maestro split every series except for a 2–0 win over bottom dweller Target and company, while FTB took down Bunyons and bottom dweller Mu while suffering an 0–2 loss to top seed Gotard. FTB should have this as long as his team remembers to ban Phoenix.
