So, here we are... the 13th season of The Deuce Football Championships commences in a week, and thus far, we have two new faces--Alex Whitley, father of two, husband of one, and like, a doctor or something... and Brad Ashby, also father of two, still husband of one, and freelances video stuff at sporting events. Or something.
And making his return, after a SEVEN season layoff, its our very first DFC Champion... Shawn Sharp.
Either way, its just a few more names to knock down en route to my first DFC title. But first, our yearly rankings, top to bottom, starting with...
THE "NOT A CHANCE" GROUP... for one reason or another, these guys don't have a chance. Mostly its because they have a history of just not getting it done, and its dangerous to believe in them.
43... Michael Nipp... To be honest, I kinda would like to see something out of this guy... but alas.
42... Tom Johnson.... A few successes here and there, but this is not his year
41... Shawn Sharp... Yes, he won the first championship. Just like the Florida Marlins won a World Series. Just like the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup. Won and forgotten. A title will not carry him 13 years later.
40... DMOsborne... Poor guy. No playoffs in six seasons, and not even a 60 win season since DFC II in 2001.
39... Drew Warren... He's going to try. But this isn't his year. Next year, based on how he can pull it together this season, expect to see him as a dark horse contender. Maybe.
38... Garrett Cheney... Sometimes I'm not convinced he actually knows what sport we are playing
THE "COULD HAPPEN... PROBABLY WON'T" GROUP... yes, yes, we might see some success. I mean, even a stopped clock is right twice a day, right?
37... Bradley Pinkerton... A layoff of a few seasons hurt his momentum, and he'll struggle to get it back.
36... Daniel Powell... Last season was a brilliant 62 win, title clinching season. Unfortunately, hugely successful seasons only come along every three seasons or so. Watch for his top ten ranking in DFC XV
35... John Wolf... Still hard to figure, though he can't be too far from his Huskers--sorta promising, and just good enough to be decent.
34... Justin Fisher... I keep waiting for this guy to break through... how long do I wait?
33... David Stamper... My pick for Rookie of the Year last year. (cue sad trombone)
32... Hurricane Rhett Barnett... His first year, DFC X, he stated, "I'll have this division wrapped up by mid-October." In his defense, he never said which October.
31... Sarah Hasha... Sigh. Now at 960 games played, without a playoff appearance. No matter how good she does this season, she'll still cross 1000 in Week Five. Yet, even the Detroit Lions win a few here and there...
30... Tebe Shaw... Hit and miss. Sort of like his bible studies. Ha! I kid, I kid!!
29... Chris Croyle... Would have picked him higher, but knowing he has another kid on the way means by late fall, he won't have a clue what's going on.
THE "DON'T EXPECT IT, YET DON'T BE TOO SURPRISED" GROUP... You know those things in life that you just don't expect to happen... yet, when they do, you aren't all like "Wow, didn't see that coming", its more of a "Well, would ya look at that..." That's these guys.
28... Mark Warner... Can he shake off the rookie blues from last year?
27... Ryan Sherman... I think this might be the year he finally has a solid season to build on... for next year.
26... Greg Graves... Ol' Man Graves had a good rookie year last year, winning 58 games. I predicted around that same total this year.
25... Alex Whitley... The first of two rookies this season, again affected by his upcoming fatherhood (baby number 3). How good is Alex? We will see in a few weeks.
24... Tommy McLeod... A first ballot Hall of Famer for sure, has never gone below the 50 game win total, the only original DFC'er who can say that.
23... Tim Wasyluka... The election this year will take him out of it. He'll be riding high, then November, he won't know what hit him. In the DFC, I mean, not in the election. Well, maybe that too.
THE "DARK HORSE" GROUP... Last year, I made a prediction for a "Dark Horse" of the season--and that was Tyler Campbell, who went on to become East Divison Champion and then win the whole thing. That's this group here
22... Steven Ray... Entering his 4th season, he looks to get past his 56 wins he's had the last two years.
21... Brad Ashby... Already had the baby, so that's out of the way. A wife who loves LSU, so we know he puts up with a lot already. I think there is real potential here.
20... Lori Beirne... The Sunshine of the DFC, she is our DFC X Champion, the only chick to ever win this manly game we play. Maybe this year, again?
19... Tad Roose... Another surefire Hall of Famer, when we shut this thing down following DFC XXXIV or something (you know, when people can't play anymore because they died of old age). Only one of two to ever win multiple titles--he's won 3. But he's streaky, though if past years are any indictation, he might be in for a monster season.
18... Randy Latta... G'Randy is close. But not yet.
THE "ON THE VERGE" GROUP... These are the guys ready to break through, almost there... allllllmost there....
17... Zacky Graves... I keep waiting for this guy just to dominate. And this is my final year of ranking him this high. Put up or shut up, Zacky Boy.
16... Dan Sellers... Lt Dan and his magic legs is the two time defending West Division Champion. Anything less than a Final Four appearance this year would be failure.
THE "ON THE BUBBLE TITLE CONTENDERS"... Expect most of these guys in the postseason, and don't be surprised at all if a Final Four, or even a champion (or repeat champion) comes from this group
15... Tyler Campbell... He's your defending world champion, but don't count on two in a row. He got engaged, saw Alabama win the national title and won the DFC in the same week. That doesn't happen again.
14... Matt Latta... The DFC VI Champion has struggled only a little, making the postseason five of the last six seasons.
13... Eddy McBroom Jr... Overshadowed by his more successful daddy (its like Junior and his own daddy, #3... only Eddy Jr's daddy is alive, and didn't run into a wall at 200 mph or something...)
12... Brad Latta... Dubya rulz! Go Romney! Go Palin! Obummer's a commie! Yeah!!
11... Scott Latta... All this talent and potential, and never can quite make it happen. He's like the Greg Oden of the DFC. Okay, without the knee problem. And the naughty pictures. And the height. And... okay, never mind.
THE "MIGHT WIN IT ALL" GROUP... I'd predict one of these, myself included, to take home the Brook DeRamus Championship Plate... except for the final group
10... Jessica Hawbaker... If--and that's a big If--she wins this entire thing, I want to be the one to say "I sorta saw it coming". Frankly, I expect her to bottom out, but if she wins another 60 this year, I'll be a Believer.
9... Matt Halpert... Last year's DeuceBowl XII runner up, losing to Tyler by a game, he saw his best season since his Rookie of the Year year in DFC VIII.
8... Drew Morris... a perennial powerhouse, Drew is one of only six in the history of the DFC to win more than 700 games lifetime--he's also the only guy to win 100 or more playoff games, putting him at #1 in that category all time.
7... Yours Truly... Maybe. Just maybe.
6... Mark Gainey... I hate to say it... but The Mighty Gainey? His window is closing. Three or four years ago, it would be crazy to have him ranked below the Top 3... but lately? Eh. But can he win another championship? He's like the Tiger Woods of the DFC, a former dominant force, but not so much now. Okay, like Tiger, without the scandal and... well, forget my analogies.
THE "TITLE CONTENDERS"... My prediction... the DFC Champ will come from one of the next five...
5... Trey Cartledge... He won this thing 2 years ago, and looks to stake his claim again. It doesn't help that he didn't make the playoffs last year, signifying a championship-slump, but look for a big comeback.
4... Jennifer Ernst... If ever there was a chick who belonged under the heading "she's due", its Jenny E. One of the originals, heading into her 13th season, she reclaimed the #1 spot in the all time regular season wins, and is inching towards that all time (reg. season + playoffs) overall wins.
3... Big Eddy McBroom... The only one who trumps Jenny E under the "due" column. Big Eddy has done everything right his entire career, and continues to come up short over and over.
2... James Hawbaker... Last season's preseason #1 was no fluke... maybe not this year, but I do expect him to take home a championship at some point in his career.
AND THE NUMBER PRESEASON NUMBER ONE...
1... Jonathan Osborne
Look, the guy won SEVENTY games last year, beating the record 69 wins set in DFC IX set by Yours Truly. Yes, 69 is alot, but there is something about that extra win, that "70", maybe its the fact that there is while dozens of win totals start with "6", only one starts with a "7"... I don't know that this has been appreciated for its feat... and that was with a 3-5 mark in Week 8. If he had reversed that, we'd be discussing 72, and if he had gone undefeated, we'd be discussing 75... as it stands, I don't know that 70 will ever be passed. And yes, its a new year, but if anyone has momentum to build off of, its Jonny Osborne. So he's the #1 for the preseason.
RULES TO COME THIS WEEK, FOR YOU ROOKIES AND THOSE WHO NEED A REFRESHER
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