WEEK 17 POWER RANKINGS

WEEK 18 SUPER SMACKDOWN SPECTACULAR!

This is the week we've all been waiting for. First place is on the line as Zermatt tries to avenge an early-season loss against Marcaibo. Park City and Nephi have their eyes on the Wasatch Championship while trying to keep Twin Falls at bay. And New York looks to sneak into the playoffs as they face off against Udorn.

As the 2009 WFBL season winds its way to an end, a mere three games are all that separate the top 5 teams from each other. We know that Twin Falls, Nephi, and Park City are all but assured of the three Wasatch playoff spots, but who'll get that regular season title and the coveted first-round bye? And in the World? It seems like neither Zermatt nor Marcaibo want to win their conference. Same goes with Udorn and New York, as far as that last playoff spot is concerned. With two weeks left, every game counts, every coaching decision is magnified, every lineup move crucial. This is why we love the WFBL.

Team, Rank, (Previous), Overall, (Last Week)

1 (1) 80-58-6 (6-3-0)
Make that one loss in their last nine for the Gators, and with a mere half game separating them from a Wasatch Conference title, Kobe's boys appear to have the upper-hand schedule-wise on Nephi and Park City. And it sure helps to not be dealing with season-ending injuries to any of their best players (Something tells us Kobe's going down).


2 (2) 80-57-7 (5-3-1)
Who knows how the Strats managed to pull this one off. Oh right, they were playing Bayside. Still, with KG out, Nephi's weary eyes turn to Ryan Gomes to fend off Park City. Yes, that's right, Ryan Gomes.


3 (5) 81-60-3 (6-3-0)
The Sundancers bounced back quite nicely from the New York Debacle, pounding the Iguanas 6-3 for the second time in four weeks. But for Park City to win the Wasatch, a thorough beating of Nephi would be just what the doctor ordered. And by "doctor", I mean the doctor who performed surgery on Amar'e Stoudemire's eye.


4 (4) 79-62-3 (4-5-0)
You think maybe the A-Boms miss Big Al? With Zach Randolph submitting his bid for next year's Dixie Cup Ron Artest Memorial Punch-Out, the short-handed Champs nearly pulled came away with a win. Zermatt's been relying on Maracaibo's patented late-season slide to stay in the race for the World crown; but they weren't counting on their own Iguana-like collapse. It's do-or-die as the two face off this week.


5 (3) 80-60-4 (3-6-0)
Four losses in their last five matchups have the Iguanas a mere 1.5 games up on the A-Boms. But for all their misfortune, at least the Igs are finally starting to get healthy. One more note on their marquee matchup: many voters out there are saying the star player on this week's winner—either LeBron or CP3—will have a leg up on the EBP competition.


6 (6) 70-70-4 (7-2-0)
Again, not technically eliminated, but I bet Coach Ted Barnes wishes he had voted to re-seed for the playoffs instead of having the top three from each conference get in. The SnowBees would have the third spot if they were in the World conference, but sit ten games out in the Wasatch, where it would take a massive collapse from one of the top three for the SnowBees to sneak in.


7 (8) 69-74-1 (4-5-0)
Team "4-5" is back! 11 of the Jai-Rai's 17 matchups have ended in either a 5-4 win (three times) or a 4-5 loss (eight times). Where this strategy hurt Udorn a year ago, it can only help them this year, as they welcome the Kings to town sporting a 5.5 game cushion on their opponent. With superstar and possible keeper candidate Danny Granger out for the season, however, Jai-Rai fans would kill for a mere 4-5 loss.


8 (7) 64-80-0 (2-7-0)
The Kings couldn't keep pace with Udorn and now need an 8-1 victory to pass the Jai-Rai, and at least a 6-3 to make Week 19 interesting. Whether they make the playoffs or not, a tip of the cap is deserved for not giving up on the season, even when holy crap they looked awful there for a while.


9 (10) 59-77-8 (5-4-0)
A bit of a thumbing of the nose towards their former owner. St. George's win didn't do much for the U-Dogs' outlook for the remainder of the season, but sure put a kink in the A-Boms' plans. This week they'll fight to move ahead of the Trojans in the Wasatch cellar, before attempting to avenge last season's semifinal loss to Twin Falls.


10 (11) 61-79-4 (5-4-0)
Good win for the Trojans who, by golly, just won't go down without a fight. Now's the time for the bottom-half teams to start building momentum for the Consolation Bracket, where a nice run there means—you guessed it—tote bag!


11 (9) 57-82-5 (3-5-1)
Still no win streak for Bayside, but their best chance all year long is staring them in the face. Richmond at home, New York at home. It would probably help if they put OJ Mayo, recently acquired as a replacement for injured Jason Terry, into their starting lineup. But, you know, whatever. Bayside. Gotta love 'em.


12 (12) 61-82-1 (3-6-0)

Speaking of tote bags, here's some fun trivia: the Twin Falls Gators won the tote bag in 2007, then went to the Concludings in 2008. The Sundancers won the tote bag in 2008, and are a favorite to go to the Concludings in 2009. What does it all mean? It means maybe that tote bag has a bit more significance than "lovely parting gift".