DFC XIV Preseason Chatter

Apologies for the on-again, off-again, on-again status of this season... we've had some issues with Campbell, our 20 month old, and it occurred to me that as the years go by, it might get harder to do.  So this year, we move forward with Season 14.  Also, in some of your responses, I get the sense that this annual football tradition is just as important to you as it is to me... especially those of you who have been here since it started, in 2000. 

So let's get 'er done.

I know this is silly, doing this a day before the games go out, and late at night too, but here ya go... you'll find the Divisional Lineup, along with a refresher on last years regular season results... the anticipated Preseason Top 15... plus, a look at those who have left this season, in our In Memoriam section...

THE LINE UP

Quick correction... Joey Thornell is rejoining the league after a year off... so he will re-join the North Division.  Its not in here right now because its late, and I didn't want to have to redo the page

Here's what it looks like, with James Hawbaker as the reigning DFC Champion, and Trey Cartledge both making the finals, thus getting conferences named after them, as per tradition.  An X means a playoff spot, a Y means a division title, and a Z means they were awarded a first round bye.

The Hawbaker Conference

	Hawbaker North	W-L	TB	Coll	Pro
XY	Matt Halpert	60-36	16.10	36-22	23-14
X	Matt Latta	58-38	14.50	37-21	20-17
	Zack Graves	57-39	11.10	34-24	23-14
	DM Osborne	54-42	18.00	35-23	18-19
	Drew Warren	50-46	12.60	30-28	20-17
	Rhett Barnett	48-48	12.50	35-23	14-23
	Justin Harrison	0-0	0	0-0	0-0
	Hawbaker Central
XYZ	Jennifer Ernst	62-34	17.80	34-24	27-10
XZ	Brad Latta	61-35	14.60	36-22	24-13
X	Tommy McLeod	60-36	15.00	38-20	21-16
	Brad Ashby	57-39	14.50	35-23	22-15
	David Stamper	56-40	13.90	31-27	24-13
	Aaron Hitchcock	0-0	0	0-0	0-0
	Justin Glenn	0-0	0	0-0	0-0
	Hawbaker West
XYZ	Bradley Pinkerton	63-33	15.60	37-21	25-12
X	Drew Morris	59-37	14.10	34-24	24-13
X	Trey Cartledge	59-37	17.40	38-20	20-17
	Eddy McBroom	57-39	15.50	35-23	21-16
	Dan Sellers	56-40	15.10	38-20	17-20
	Tom Johnson	51-45	16.00	28-30	22-15
	Sarah Hasha	49-47	22.80	28-30	21-16

The Cartledge Conference

	Cartledge East	W-L	TB	Coll	Pro
XYZ	Jessica Hawbaker	62-34	11.10	35-23	26-11
XZ	Yours Truly	62-34	11.80	41-17	21-16
X	Mark Gainey	60-36	11.70	37-21	22-15
	Ryan Sherman	60-36	21.40	36-21	22-15
	Tyler Campbell	56-40	16.50	30-28	25-12
	Chris Croyle	51-45	11.20	33-25	18-19
	Garrett Cheney	45-51	13.00	25-33	19-18
	Cartledge Central
XY	Steven Ray	61-35	13.30	36-22	24-13
X	Randy Latta	60-36	14.00	35-23	24-13
X	Lori Beirne	60-36	16.40	36-21	23-14
	Scott Latta	60-36	16.90	36-21	22-15
	Jonathan Osborne	56-40	11.90	30-28	25-12
	Alex Whitley	56-40	21.20	34-24	21-16
	Mark Warner	51-45	13.00	31-27	20-17
	Cartledge South
XYZ	James Hawbaker	68-28	10.30	38-20	29-8
X	Tad Roose	61-35	21.10	37-21	23-14
	Eddy Jr	56-40	14.10	35-23	20-17
	Daniel Powell	51-45	18.80	32-26	18-19
	Michael Nipp	51-45	21.20	34-24	16-21
	Tim Wasyluka	47-49	12.50	28-30	18-19
	Jacob Pinkerton	0-0	0	0-0	0-0

THE DFC XIV PRESEASON TOP 15

My picks for The DFC rankings this season...

1) Trey Cartledge... been a monster few years, though 1 & 2 are almost indecipherable
2) James Hawbaker... the reigning champion, poised for a repeat
3) Matt Halpert... so close for so many years
4) Eddy McBroom Jr... this year, the son becomes the master
5) Lori Beirne... with the hubby now playing, its a good year to shine
6) Drew Morris... always reliable, year after year
7) Yours Truly... I dedicate my championship to my son
8) Mark Gainey... the aura of The Mighty Gainey is beginning to lose some luster
9) Tad Roose... They don't call him The Dynasty for nothin'
10) Jonathan Osborne... 70 wins two years ago with a mediocre season last year
11) Jessica Hawbaker... looking to bookend a hubby/wife powerhouse in the DFC
12) Brad Latta... hoping to litigate himself 60 or more wins
13) Brad Ashby... can he translate Rookie of the Year into champion?
14) Eddy McBroom... arguably the greatest player to never win a title
15) Jennifer Ernst... arguably, the other greatest player to never win a title

The Next Fifteen
Bradley Pinkerton... Aaron Hitchcock... Tyler Campbell... Steven Ray... Randy Latta... Scott Latta... Dan Sellers... Zack Graves... Matt Latta... Tommy McLeod... Ryan Sherman... Justin Glenn... Daniel Powell... Tim Wasyluka... Matt Latta

The Rest...
Joey Thornell... DMOsborne... Alex Whitley... Chris Croyle... Tom Johnson... Mark Warner... Mike Beirne... Justin Harrison... Rhett Barnett... David Stamper... Sarah Hasha... Jacob Pinkerton... Michael Nipp...

ROOKIES

We have four rookies this year joining the ranks of the DFC Legend...

Justin Harrison... father of Eli, married to Mary, big Alabama fan.  Will join the North Division
Aaron Hitchcock... father of Seth, married to Elizabeth.  Alabama fan, I think.  Will join the Hawbaker Central
Jacob "Pinky" Pinkerton... JUCO Transfer, brother of former Rookie of the Year and reigning West Division champ Bradley Pinkerton.  Will be in the South Division
Mike Beirne... hubby of Lori "Sunshine" Beirne, the DFC X Champion.  Wanted to play to create some in-house rivalry because he "didn't like the way Lori played."  Lori simply said, "Look at my championship."  Not featured in the above standings, as.... well, I forgot to put him in.  He'll likely join the East Division.

And making his triumphant return after a 6 year absence...

Justin Glenn... father of many, married to Jennifer, connected and fell in love on the floor of The Deuce way back in the day... played in DFC II thru DFC VII, compiling an overall 338-230 record.  Carried a 4 season playoff streak, from DFC III thru VI.  Won the DFC North in DFC III, and after a move to the DFC Central, won that division in DFC V.  Welcome back, Justin... to the Central you go...


IN MEMORIAM

This season, we lose three...

Tebe Shaw... 7 seasons... lifetime 398-290 record, ranked 24th all time... 1 playoff appearance in DFC VII.  Hall of Fame bound?  Unlikely.  Solid career, but nothing outstanding

John Wolf... 3 seasons... lifetime 166-122 record, ranked 45th all time... 0 playoff appearances... Individual Awards:  Won the DFC XII Best Season Tiebreak Award... Hall of Fame bound?  No.  Though its worth nothing John improved 2-3 wins each year he participated. 

Justin Fisher... 6 seasons... lifetime 325-268 record, ranked 30th all time... 1 playoff appearance in DFC VIII... Hall of Fame Bound?  No. Decent career record, but could never break through after his first postseason berth

The DFC XIV

Yup.... its about that time again... and The DFC "Who Wants In" Email just went out tonight... check your inbox.

The DFC XIII Champion... James Hawbaker

For the first time since DFC VIII, the newly awarded DFC MVP took the DFC Championship as well...

James Hawbaker, the DFC South Division Champion and DFC MVP, has taken home the Brook DeRamus DFC Championship Plate, and will have his name etched on it forever and ever. 

Also picking up hardward this offseason...

The North Division Champion is Matt Halpert, who has won 2 years in a row, and his 3rd division title overall. 
The Central Division was won by Jennifer Ernst, also her 3rd overall and 2nd in a row. 
The West Division Champion is former Rookie of the Year in DFC IX, Bradley Pinkerton.  Its his first divisional title.

The East Division was taken in the last few minutes of the regular season by Jessica Hawbaker, also her first divisional title.
The (other) Central Division Champion is another first timer, Steven Ray.
Finally, James Hawbaker took the South Division for the 2nd time.  Its his 3rd division title, though he won the East in DFC VIII before being moved.

As mentioned, James gets the Most Valuable Player after a steller 68 win season...

Brad Ashby takes Rookie of the Year honors... Yours Truly wins the College Title... James Hawbaker gets the NFL Award... and Jessica Hawbaker gets the TB Award for the season--the Hawbakers shelves are filled with gold trophies this year.

Here's the playoffs as a whole...

Wild Card Weekend
In the Campbell Conference, 4th seed Matt Halpert (5-3), 7th seed Trey Cartledge (6-2) and 8th seed Matt Latta (5-3) advance over (5) Tommy McLeod (4-4) and (6) Drew Morris (4-4)
In the Halpert Conference, (5) Tad Roose (5-3) and (8) Lori Beirne (6-2) beat out, via TB, (4) Steven Ray (5-3) and also (6) Mark Gainey (4-4) and a disasterous weekend by (7) Randy Latta (1-7)

In the Divisional Weekend...
In the Campbell Conference, 1 and 2 seeds Bradley Pinkerton and Jennifer Ernst, respectively, flame out at 5-3, while 3rd seed Brad Latta posts a 7-1 record... and due to TB, loses to Tad Roose and Lori Beirne, who both had 7-1 records.
In the Halpert Conference, 1st seed James Hawbaker rolls with 7-1, as does 8 seed Lori Beirne, also at 7-1, eliminating (2) Jessica Hawbaker, (3) Yours Truly and (4) Tad Roose, all at 6-2.

FINAL FOUR
(7) Trey Cartledge (5-3) gets by (4) Matt Halpert (2-6), while (1) James Hawbaker (3-5) stumbles past (8) Lori Beirne (3-5) due to Tiebreak

DEUCEBOWL XIII
James Hawbaker goes 7-1, while Trey Cartledge gets 6-2, giving James the season victory


PLAYOFF LIES, DARN LIES & STATISTICS

• James Hawbaker won the title, but Trey Cartledge made the biggest leaps in all time playoff stats... He went from 8th to 4th all time in playoff wins... and his second DeuceBowl appearance makes him on the 4th DFC'er ever to win 10+ games in the championship. 
• The DeuceBowl game winners at 10+ are Tad Roose (19-5)... Drew Morris (15-9)... Trey (12-4)... and Wookiee Fulaytar (10-6)
• The Mighty Gainey becomes the first person to ever make 10, count 'em TEN, postseasons, while Drew Morris and Yours Truly reach their 9th. 
• Big Eddy Mac... Matt Latta... and Jennifer Ersnt all are at 8th overall.
• Right now, the longest current active playoff streak, though, belongs to Tommy McLeod, who has made his 4th straight.  He missed DFC IX postseason.  He made it the three previous years... meaning had he also made it in IX, he'd be at 8 straight postseasons. 
• The all time consecutive playoff appearances?  The Mighty Gainey, with 8 straight, from DFC III to DFC X
• Working on their own streaks, Randy Latta has made it 3 straight years.
• James Hawbaker, Matt Halpert, Brad Latta, Jessica Hawbaker, Drew Morris, Mark Gainey, Matt Latta and Jennifer Ernst, 2 straight years.
• One more note about Trey... he's the only DFC'er who has won 20+ games in multiple postseasons.  He won 22 in DFC XI, his championship year... and this year, he won 24.  He also ties Matt Halpert with the best record in a playoff, with 24-8.  Trey did it this year, while Matt went 24-8 last year in DFC XII... Mark Gainey went 24-9 in DFC VIII.

And here's the final list of playoff wins.. grey indicated "retired"

1	Drew Morris	109	46
2	Mark Gainey	102	59
3	Eddy McBroom	100	44
4	Trey Cartledge	80	33
5	Yours Truly	77	43
6	James Hawbaker	73	23
7	Matt Latta	69	36
8	Jennifer Ernst	68	36
9	Tad Roose	65	32
10	Chris Fulaytar	55	24
11	Lori Beirne	54	34
12	Tommy McLeod	46	35
13	Matt Halpert	43	21
14	Daniel Powell	41	23
15	Tim Wasaluka	40	32
16	DM Osborne	29	11
17	Scott Latta	27	22
18	Jonathan Osborne	25	15
19	Justin Glenn	21	19
20	Tyler Campbell	19	5
21	Joey Thornell	19	13
22	Lil Eddy McBroom	19	21
23t	Brad Latta	17	7
23t	Jason Duren	17	7
25t	Dan Sellers	16	8
25t	Jason Barnette	16	8
27	Randy Latta	16	16
28t	Tom Johnson	14	10
28t	Bradley Pinkerton	14	10
30	Justin Fisher	12	5
31	Michael Nipp	12	12
32t	Shawn Sharp	11	5
32t	Ryan Sherman	11	5
32t	Jessica Hawbaker	11	5
35	Tebe Shaw	10	6
36	Gary Eubanks	10	7
37t	Zack Graves	8	8
37t	Steven Ray	8	8
38	Gina Williams	8	8
40t	Mackey	7	2
40t	Clif Render	7	2
42	Vic Paschal	3	5
43	Jason Turnbow	2	6

So there ya have it... DFC XIII is in the books... congrats to James Hawbaker, all of the trophy winners this year... and the invitation for DFC XIV extends to all of you... and we'll see you in July for preseason... and August for the first week of games...

Thanks for making this a great season, I apologize for the delays here and there, and I'll be a better admin next year!

DeuceBowl XIII: Cartledge vs. Hawbaker

For twelve years, a white plate has declared the greatest mind in football around... the best knowledge of the college and professional game, the most decorated person who has excelled week after week, made their way through fierce competition and survived the grueling rigors of the postseason. 

Forty-two started.  Sixteen were left standing.  Ten.  Then four.  And now...

Trey Cartledge, DFC XI Champion... and the 8th seed--lowest seed to ever make it to The DeuceBowl...

James Hawbaker, annual contender, winner of 3 division titles, former preseason #1 and the new reigning MVP of the DFC.

The first two games need to be in as quick as possible... the next two by Wednesday kickoff... all four NFL Games by Saturday kickoff.

Here are the games for DeuceBowl XIII:

College Games

TAXSLAYER.com THE GATOR BOWL
Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) vs 21. Northwestern Wildcats (9-3)
Jan 1, 11am, Everbank Field, Jacksonville, FL

DISCOVER ORANGE BOWL
16. Northern Illinois Huskies (12-1) vs 13. Florida State Seminoles (11-2)
Jan 1, 730p, Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL

TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL
5. Oregon Ducks (11-1) vs 7. Kansas State Wildcats (11-1)
Jan 3, 730p, University of Phoenix Stadium, Tempe, AZ

AT&T COTTON BOWL
10. Texas A&M Aggies (10-2) vs 12. Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)
Jan 4, 7p, Cowboys Stadium, Dallas, TX


NFL GAMES
6. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) at 3. Houston Texans (12-4)
Saturday, January 5th, 330p

6. Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at 3. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
Saturday, January 5th, 7p

5. Indianapolis Colts (11-5) at 4. Baltimore Ravens (10-6)
Sunday, January 6th, 12p

5. Seattle Seahawks (11-5) at 4. Washington Redskins (10-6)
Sunday, January 6th, 330p

Tiebreak game
Cotton Bowl:  Texas A&M vs Oklahoma, total points scored

DFC XIII Final Four Games

Trey Cartledge and James Hawbaker advance... Lori Beirne and Matt Halpert are eliminated

BRIDGEPORT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL... Baylor 49, UCLA 26

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS... Texas Tech 34, Minnesota 31

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL... Syracuse 38, West Virginia 14
VALERO ALAMO BOWL... Texas 31, Oregon St 27 (tiebreak game, 58 pts)

NFL GAMES
Indianapolis Colts 28, Houston Texans 16
Minnesota Vikings 37, Green Bay Packers 34
Cincinnati Bengals 37, Baltimore Ravens 17
Washington Redskins 28, Dallas Cowboys 18

MATT v TREY PICKS
Matt's winners: Texas Tech, Washington Redskins
Matt's losers:  UCLA, West Virginia, Oregon State, Houston, Green Bay, Baltimore
Record: 2-6 (ELIMINATED)

Trey's winners:  Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins
Trey's losers: West Virginia, Houston, Green Bay
Record: 5-3 (ADVANCES)

JAMES v LORI PICKS
James' winners: Texas Tech, Minnesota, Cincinnati
James' losers: UCLA, West Virginia, Oregon State, Houston, Dallas
Record: 3-5, Tiebreak of 58, 0 pts off (ADVANCES)

Lori's winners: Texas Tech, Cincinnati, Washington
Lori's losers: UCLA, West Virginia, Oregon State, Houston, Green Bay
Record: 3-5, Tiebreak of 62, 4 pts off (ELIMINATED)

DFC XIII Final Four Games

Here are the games for the 13th Final Four of the 13th DFCiad...

BRIDGEPORT EDUCATION HOLIDAY BOWL
Baylor Bears (7-5) vs. UCLA Bruins (9-4)
December 27th, 845p, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, CA

MEINEKE CAR CARE BOWL OF TEXAS
Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-6) vs Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5)
December 28th, 8pm, Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX

NEW ERA PINSTRIPE BOWL
West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5) vs Syracuse Orange (7-5)
December 29th, 215p at Yankee Stadium, Bronx NY

VALERO ALAMO BOWL
Texas Longhorns (8-4) vs. Oregon State Beavers (9-3)
December 29th, 545p at Alamodome, San Antonio TX

NFL GAMES (all on Sunday, December 30th)

Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars
12p, CBS

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
12p, Fox

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
12p, Fox

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
12p, Fox

TIEBREAK GAME
Texas vs Oregon State, total points score

DFC XIII Playoffs 2nd Round

Louisville 20, Rutgers 17
(21) Northern Illinois 44, (17) Kent State 37 2OT
(20) Boise State 27, Nevada 21
(2) Alabama 32, (3) Georgia 28 (tiebreak game, 60 total points) 
NYJets 7, Arizona Cardinals 6
Green Bay Packers 23, Minnesota Vikings 14
Cleveland Browns 20, Oakland Raiders 17
Dallas Cowboys 38, Philadelphia Eagles 33

Halpert Conference
4. Matt Halpert, 7-1 (13 pts off TB) (advances)
7. Trey Cartledge, 7-1 (15 pts off TB) (advances)
3. Brad Latta, 7-1 (18 pts off TB) (eliminated)
1. Bradley Pinkerton, 5-3 (2 pts) (eliminated)
2. Jennifer Ernst, 5-3 (12 pts)  (eliminated)


Campbell Conference
1. James Hawbaker, 7-1 (11 pts) (advances to DFC XIII Final Four)
8. Lori Beirne, 7-1 (12 pts) (advances to DFC XIII Final Four)
3. Yours Truly, 6-2 (20 pts) (eliminated)
2. Jessica Hawbaker, 6-2 (12 pts) (eliminated)
4. Tad Roose, 6-2 (23 pts) (eliminated)