I'm actually sorry that we dinged up so many Surge players--not so much from the sportsmanship standpoint, but because I'd like to see the Surge embarrass the other Thunder just as badly.

Woo! In a career full of playoff futility, I've never actually lost by 20 before. The world makes sense again!

Also, surely the Thunder are the first team to surrender safeties in back-to-back playoff games. As the first score of the game, yet!

Kudos go to Jason C. for his terrific turnaround of the Thunder this season...

Best of luck to the Thunder...it should be a great game regardless of the outcome! 

I'm just glad I can finally say I guided the Surge to the post season. 

-TC

Yeah, this is the fourth time the Thunder and Surge are facing off for the AFC title. Advantage 2-1 Orlando, including at least one road victory.

Season 7: Orlando 23 at Sacramento 13
Season 8: Orlando 20 Sacramento 17 ot (@ Sacramento, I think, but the records are spotty)
Season 10: Orlando 15 at Sacramento 33

Very fitting that in breaking their long playoff droughts, these two teams are mixing it up with each other's greatest playoff rival.

On paper some great games.

Orlando vs Sacramento is an old classic, i lost a few times to Orlando in the playoffs before finally winning and moving on to win FWL Bowl X.  Todd Bouman vs Jon Denton were some great matchups back then.

Conference title games are always exciting, but fans may be getting a sense of deja vu.

Both conference title games involve pairs which have already played home-and-home series. Both pairs are 1-1, with the teams having won in their home stadium.

On top of that, the EFC title game is a rematch of last year's EFC title game, right down to the seedings: #3 Frankfurt @ #1 Berlin.

The EFC West's championship drought continues: it is guaranteed that this will be the fifth straight season with an EFC East team in the FWL Bowl. (Believe it or not, that's not the longest divisional streak in league history: the AFC East represented North America in six straight FWL Bowls, from season 3 through season 8, just before the Harwood/Wuerffel dynasty took off in Montreal.)

Heh.

Paris was a reach, but I liked the idea of them being the team of destiny. I was right about Frankfurt, at least. And I will be picking them again in the EFC title game--playing on the road is doing them a favor.

And Orlando... come on, seriously. If you'd been betting on them all year you'd be rich, but everybody would think you were nuts.

In any case, I'd rather go 2-for-4 while making some brave choices than be 3-for-4 just picking the high seeds.

Remind me never to take a tip off you for a horse race

Okay, real quick.

I'm calling Sacramento and San Antonio in the AFC.

In the EFC, I'm calling the never-before-seen double-upset-special and predict the EFC title game is Paris @ Frankfurt.