Photo: Abe Schwadron
Oh baby! Playoff time is here in the land of flag football, and other than a handful of unbelievably awful teams that didn’t make the postseason, everyone is excited. If you care even a smidge, you’ve no doubt seen the brackets already. But you may not be familiar with the teams to watch out for, potential major matchups, or overrated squads. That’s what we’re here for at The Post, so feast your eyes on our playoff preview (the names of each bracket region is the top-ranked team in that region and listed below the respective bracket), and get ready to enjoy the best two weeks of the fall season of intramural sports.
Purple League
OE bracket
The Favorite: OE
Sleeper:
Ross: None, if I have to choose a team that could give OE a good game, Delt.
Abe: #4 Delt
The Pick:
Ross: #1 OE
Abe: #1 OE
Ross says: Essentially a four-team tournament from the 4:00 p.m. time slot on Sundays, there won’t be any surprise as to who advances to the finals. OE dominated the regular season, finishing as the only undefeated team in purple league, and they have the system and the speed to easily cruise through. The biggest drama in this bracket will be if Tha Squad shows up on Sunday after getting crushed by OE just last weekend.
Abe says: The four teams on this side of the bracket know each other well, but OE cruised through the other 3 with ease, beating Delt (20-13), Sig Ep 2 (27-7) and Tha Squad (32-0). The first two rounds should be no different. The only team that could potentially give OE a scare is Delt, if they can reclaim a shred of the success they had last season, when they beat the Panty Raiders in the finals.
Pike bracket
The Favorite: MJR
Sleeper:
Ross: #6 Sig Ep 1
Abe: #6 Sig Ep 1
The Pick:
Ross: #2 Pike Garnet
Abe: #3 MJR
Ross says: Things get a little more interesting on the other side of the bracket. Although Pike is the #2 seed, I’m calling MJR the favorite due to their win over Pike in what was the best-played IM game this season. However, I feel Pike gets the last laugh because of two factors: They’ll be playing with a huge chip on their shoulder, having lost in the semifinals the past two seasons, and have Rob Brown, the most athletic player on the field, at running back and linebacker.
Abe says: In contrast to OE’s cakewalk to the finals, the other side of the bracket is much tougher to handicap. Both MJR and Pike are on upset alert. MJR faces Sig Ep 1 for the third time this season (a win last week and a tie in week one), and while Sig Ep 1 ain’t exactly a powerhouse, they have tons of athleticism, and know MJR incredibly well by this point. Pike faces a Beta team that normally wouldn’t be trouble, but Pike admits to being a bit shorthanded this week, and thus will have to gear up for a game they thought would be an easy W.
Championship
Ross: OE 27, Pike 13
In what could end up being an offensive showcase, Pike will provide the sternest test for OE this season. Both teams often execute long, time-consuming drives, and that type of offense will help Pike stay in the game. However, Pike will have to play an almost-flawless game and in the end, Ryan Coleman and OE will end a two-year title drought.
Abe: OE 24, MJR 20
This year’s Purple league has been marred mostly by mediocrity. Only OE has asserted itself as a real beast, a well-oiled machine that plays with reckless abandon and has destroyed every defense in sight. MJR, a spinoff team of OE’s former incarnation, the Panty Raiders, will put up a fight and can score on OE’s lackluster D, but in the end Coleman and Company will just have too much firepower.
White League
Fighting Quakers Bracket
The Favorite: Fighting Quakers
Sleeper:
Ross: #17 Sigma Kill
Abe: #16 JKFLB
Quarterfinals Matchup:
Ross: #1 Fighting Quakers vs. #8 Mat Sci Carnage
Abe: #1 Fighting Quakers vs. #8 Mat Sci Carnage
The Pick:
Ross: Fighting Quakers. The Quakers should breeze through to the quarterfinals rather easily after a favorable draw. Mat Sci and El Cuatro are two of the weaker teams who could advance to the Elite 8. Even though Mat Sci played Quakers tough in last year’s final, it won’t be nearly as close this time around.
Abe: Fighting Quakers. The top-seed was certainly rewarded for their efforts during the regular season, drawing the easiest of the four roads to the finals. The Quakers should have no problem making the Final Four, and should prove why we’ve been so down on Mat Sci and El Cuatro this season. Whichever of those squads ends up making the Elite 8 will get absolutely blasted.
EQ Ballers Bracket
The Favorite: EQ Ballers
Sleeper:
Ross: #10 YoMama’s All-Stars
Abe: #18 Matthew Stafford Infection
Quarterfinals Matchup:
Ross: #2 EQ Ballers vs. #10 YoMama’s All-Stars
Abe: #2 EQ Ballers vs. #7 Old Balls
The Pick:
Ross: YoMama’s All-Stars. After a shaky start to the season, YoMama’s has righted the ship and showed the potential we expected in naming them #6 in our preseason rankings. Their pass rush will give teams trouble and they’ll have just enough to sneak by EQ Ballers, who have lost in the Elite 8 the past two seasons.
Abe: EQ Ballers. The road is tough, that’s for sure. A potential blockbuster matchup with either Old Balls or YoMama’s looms large, but EQ Ballers should get past Matthew Stafford Infection in the second round (as they did last season), and will rely on a stingy defense to finally break through to the Final Four after consecutive seasons of early exits.
Fumblerooski Bracket
The Favorite: ZBT
Sleeper:
Ross: #13 Phi Delta Theta 1, Sir.
Abe: #28 Sheil
Quarterfinals Matchup:
Ross: #4 Fumblerooski vs. #5 ZBT
Abe: #4 Fumblerooski vs. #5 ZBT
The Pick:
Ross: ZBT. Perhaps the weakest of the four brackets, Fumblerooski and ZBT should easily punch tickets to the Elite 8. While Fumblerooski was impressive in their two legitimate wins of the season, ZBT’s 2-QB system will be gimmicky enough to get them through.
Abe: ZBT. Outside of Fumblerooski and ZBT, this bracket is starved for talent. ZBT torched Delta Chi earlier this year, and Fumblerooski did the same to Steph’s Brists. Sadly, those teams are the next best in this region. Fumblerooski certainly makes me nervous, but in the end ZBT has too much organization and experience. The ZBT kids would probably admit to you right now that they’re already looking forward to a semifinal matchup with Fighting Quakers, a rematch of last year’s best game in all of IM football.
DU me in the asquatch Bracket
The Favorite: DU me in the asquatch
Sleeper:
Ross: #11 SAE 4
Abe: #14 Evans Scholars
Quarterfinals Matchup:
Ross: #3 DU me in the asquatch vs. #6 Sigma Chi
Abe: #3 DU me in the asquatch vs. #6 Sigma Chi
The Pick:
Ross: DU me in the asquatch. The toughest bracket out of the four in my opinion, each of the top 3 seeds are legitimate contenders to advance to the Final Four. DU’s deep offensive playbook filled with trick plays will keep any defense on their toes and I still have questions about the consistency of the Sigma Chi offense. Expect DU to pull out a close one.
Abe: Sigma Chi. I know I’m going out on a bit of a limb here, but Sigma Chi has quietly put together a very solid season, while DU still has yet to play any team worth a damn. Blowing teams out is impressive no matter who you are, but The Donkey Goggles, Bobb Bombers, and ZBT2 are three of the league’s worst teams. What Sig Chi lacks in showmanship they make up for in experience and quiet swag. DU is just the opposite — a talented team, but one that is overconfident after an incredibly easy schedule.
Championship Pick
Ross: Fighting Quakers 21, DU 7
The NFL is about quarterback play and IMs are no different. The two quarterbacks who can beat you both through the air and on the ground will duke it out for the white league crown. Both teams are athletic, organized, experienced and possess defenses with few soft spots. While the Quakers lost a couple of cogs from last year’s championship team, it isn’t enough to knock them off the top of the mountain. They’ve been #1 through the entire season (in both our rankings and NUIM’s mathematical power rankings) and I don’t expect that change.
Abe: ZBT 18, Sigma Chi 6
Call me crazy, but I think it’s ZBT’s year. Don’t get me wrong, the Quakers are ridiculously good, and extremely organized. But they are not without holes, especially on defense. Even AePi moved the ball on them a bit (oof). ZBT is the most dedicated flag football team in all of intramurals, without a doubt. That will finally pay off in this year’s playoffs. Sam Wing and Mike Pukala lead a mesmerizing two-QB offense, and on defense Mark Scoptur patrols the deep ball at safety.
Extra Point
Frustrated that you haven’t gotten your shine on The Post yet? Keep playing hard, because NUIM director Ryan Coleman says over the next week All-Star teams will be announced for flag football on the intramural web site, in Purple, White and Co-rec leagues. Of course, we’ll have the full analysis of those awards right here as soon as the teams are released. Not only that, but preparations are in the works for the All-Star teams to be extended the invitation to play an All-Star game against IM staff (including Coleman himself, and the authors of this story, too, in case you have beef).
Why is everyone all up on YoMama’s All-stars dick…they aren’t that great.
I don’t know anyone on the Fighting Quakers. I don’t know anyone on any of these white teams that liter this comment section with their bitching. But here’s a thought… How about instead of complaining about every Nuintel article, these teams actually man up and play Purple League. It completely ridiculous that only 8 teams are in the Purple Football Playoffs. And I’d be willing to bet no more that will play Purple Basketball or Softball. If all these teams are satisfied with be the best of the mediocre, so be it. But if I were on the Fighting Quakers I would grow some balls and move up to the Purple League Playoffs.
there will be no more fighting quakers after this year. they’re all seniors and growing old
We’re in the Purple League of grammar.
Ross get your facts right. There were two undefeated teams in the purple league, OE (4-0) and MJR (3-0-1).
I play for Mat Sci and we’ve lost quite a few player from last year’s runner up team. I don’t expect us to do as well, but I’d love to knock off the Quakers…what a bunch of douche bags.
Oh, and in response to man up’s comments I claim immunity for Mat Sci. Grad students get to play in the mediocre league b/c we’re old.
So now that pike is out are you just going to stop playoff coverage?
Quote of the day: “That’s a win for the whole greek community” – Quarterback of an eliminated team upon hearing that Pike had been knocked out by Beta
you should write up about volleyball playoffs. pike vs dazzling rainbows in the finals should be epic.