Week 2

Minus the last minute team replacements, Season 5 has started without much of a hitch and Week 1 is a wrap. Here's a look at the scores from last week:

FR defeats 8BC 4-3 (Prediction: 4-3 8BC)
FR starts right where they left off as 8BC stumbled this one away

SP defeats BNR 4-2 (Prediction: 4-3 SP)
SP v2.0 impresses with a nice win versus a strong BNR lineup

SPS defeats UO 4-2 (Prediction: 4-3 SPS)
SPS wins quietly versus what should be their division rivals in UO

X8B defeats REG 4-2 (Prediction: X8B 4-2)
X8B got the win as both them and REG made their WSOP debut

SS defeats DS 5-1 (Prediction: SS 4-2)
SS gets a convincing win in their cross-division match with DS

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Week 1: Correct (4), Incorrect (1), Exact (1)

Overall: 4/5, 80%

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With Week 1 behind us, everyone should now be settled in for the long haul. To those teams that won, congrats, nice way to start the season off. And for those in the losing column, shake off those first week jitters and fight your way back into the mix. Hopefully you don't find yourself in a deeper hole after this week. It's either time to keep the wins coming or time for a bounce back. Either way, give 'em hell.

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Ultimate Outlaws vs Xtreme8Ball

[Oops, totally spaced on writing this one, sorry wasn't intentional]

Prediction: ?

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Deadstrokes vs Regul8ors

Both teams here had a loss last week. Who wants to get on the winning side of things more?

Last week DS had a tough match up versus SS. It was easily the hardest start off match compared to any other team in their division. Because of this, DS didn't really have a chance to shine. Well, things get a bit easier for them here going against REG. I'll be looking for them to bounce back big tonight as they try to climb out of an ugly 1-5 start. And if anyone noticed, it was my fault for putting up Chele as captain over Thomas in Week 1. My apologies for the mix up. As long as Thomas sticks around, he should be able to do some good.

REG started off their WSOP debut with a loss versus another debut team in X8B. It was a very distracting match to say the least, as all of their opponent's players were being booted from the table. Perhaps this threw them off of their game a little bit, or perhaps they just got outplayed. But either way, they'll need to brush off the dust and get right back into the fight. It's a long season ahead and starting 0-2 won't be so good for the team morale considering they're new to the scene and all.

Prediction: 4-2 DS

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Break and Run vs Simply Pool Souls

Two teams who were in the same division last season meet up in a Cross-Division match here.

Last week BNR met up with the new SP for the first time and took a loss. It may have come as a bit of a surprise as they came with their typical quality line up. But anyways, the 2-4 loss puts them at the bottom of the division, not exactly where they were hoping to start I'm sure. Last season BNR got two wins against SPS, so they know they can do the same again. As long as the BNR key players do what they do, BNR shouldn't have too many problems going against SPS.

SPS got a nice win last week going against UO. They took the first 4 games quickly and went up 4-0. They lost the final 2 games, but a win is a win. A nice start for Joe and his team, indeed. But now they're put up against a more challenging test with the cross-division match against BNR. They ought to know they're coming in as the underdogs (even though some of them may not think that) and BNR being the home team surely doesn't help their case any. I wouldn't be surprised if they make this one close based on pure determination alone, however.

Prediction: BNR 4-2

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Freedom vs Sexy Poolerz

This one almost looks like a repeat of the finals from last season: the reigning champions take on half of the PFN team + SP = SPFN. (Yes, that's getting old by now, I'm aware)

Last week FR had a close match with 8BC. It was drawn out to the Game 7 tiebreaker, in which, yep you guess it, Travis clinched for the win. FR's opponents 8BC had quite a few mishaps in this match, and FR could have easily lost it, which I imagine might feel a little uneasy. Shaky start or not, they got the W. However, I can't help feeling like the season lays in the hands of Travis and Sid. Unless some others like Adam and Mike show up regularly, I don't quite think FR will be able to muster up another title, a reality which might very well strike tonight vs SP.

SP started off with a bang with a win against BNR. This surely isn't the same 0-10, 2-8 team from previous seasons. Even with the division switch, they came in confident and got the job done. OK, so one match is a very small sample size to start giving such praise to the newly modified team, but it's hard to deny the PFN additions were probably the off-season acquisition needed to turn this team around in a big way. Tonight, I wouldn't be surprised to see even more PFN players (namely Carlos and Brent) get some playing time. If FR's talent shows up, it's a very close match to call. If not, SP could take this with ease.

Prediction: 4-3 SP

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8BallCrushers vs Straightshots

Prediction:

Week 1

Welcome everyone to Season 5! With a new season comes a new setup. The divisions have been split based on talent and overall ability. Read all about the reason behind it here. Hopefully this brings in more competition and more enjoyable games for all.

Brice joins me with predictions this season. You can go read his blog here.

We have some good match-ups in our opening week, let's get right into it...

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Freedom vs 8BallCrushers

Going back to last season, FR and 8BC have a little bit of history going between the two. They were both in the same division and find themselves in the same one again. FR finished well-ahead of 8BC, but 8BC stung FR by ending their perfect streak two weeks before the end. By the end of it all, FR got the upper hand by beating 8BC in the semi-finals.

Well this is a new season, obviously, and both teams are coming in looking changed. Even though FR is the reigning champion, it seems many of the talented players aren't so reliable nowadays. Ben hadn't played at all during the finals. Trav, Adam, Sid seem to show up only when they remember. It could get ugly early on for FR until Petey and his guys get settled in.

As for 8BC, Niks has passed the reigns over to JJ to captain the team. This isn't such an extreme change as JJ is one of the more reliable players for the team, but lets see how he does keeping consistency throughout the team. 8BC has a tough hill to climb in this division, but they will surely put up a fight, starting with versus the defending champions.

Prediction: 4-3 8BC

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Break and Run vs Sexy Poolerz

Last season BNR finished 2nd in their division with a respectable 7-3 and SP was dead last in theirs with a 2-8. So, this match ought to be a blow out for BNR then, right? Wrong. This will be a lot closer than what the previous season's records might show. BNR may have remained the same, but SP is practically a revamped team.

BNR has a few key talented players in the lineup. I might even go as far as considering Croz, Jordy, Daru as the team's Big 3. But what I fear, however, is where do we go from there if any of those 3 slips up during the match? Ross finished out last season strong, Mina is pretty solid, and Saf can be good when trying. BNR will need to keep up their consistency to make it deep.

Last night SP was moved up with the Eastern teams, taking EC's spot. The move was made because any replacement team just wouldn't be able to compete with the big dogs. Brice knew this and Brice has a lot of confidence in his team that they will be able to hold their own in this division. And with the additions of a few PFN players, I don't see why this SPFN hybrid can't have a great season either way.

Prediction: 4-3 SP

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Simply Pool Souls vs Ultimate Outlaws

Looking at the results from last season, you might call this one the battle of the bottom feeders. Both teams had abysmal seasons with 1-9 records with their only win coming against each other. However, this is a new season and SPS and UO should benefit from this new division format. Both teams have new leadership, and it might get a bit heated seeing who those captains are...

Leading the SPS squad is the duo of Jason and Joe. With Monte passing the reigns over to them two shows he has confidence in them both. This Week 1 match-up has the captains watering at the mouth. You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard the drama behind the Jason-Heather ex-relationship. He has already warned me this could get ugly. Hopefully the team will be able to put that to the side, however, and focus on winning the match.

UO also has a new pair of captains with Heather and TJ. This was possibly the best move for UO because it gives them a star player in TJ and he and Heather can work at building up the team to solid form. I'm not so sure who will show up for the team, but it can't really be any worse than last season. Heather and TJ should both know this can get out of hand quickly, so hopefully they too will keep focused on the games and get the job done.

Prediction: 4-3 SPS

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Regul8ors vs Xtreme8Ball

It's awkward predicting for my own team, but here it is. The 4th match of the week features two teams new to WSOP with REG and X8B. It should be interesting to see how well they fare in the division because both teams will be using players unfamiliar with the interleague scene (for the most part).

Even though Regul8ors has been around since 2003, I don't know the last time they have been a part of an interleague, if at all. What I do know, however, is that the REG captain Brian is eager to have a great showing for his team. Having supposedly entered every interleague there is coming up, he has been pushing hard to make a name for his team. No idea who's all on the team, but whoever does show up they'll give it their all I'm sure.

Unlike REG, I do remember the last time X8B was in interleague (obviously because I was captain of it). That previous team won the final season of MLP and had a high caliber type team. However, this new X8B team coming in is nothing like the old and is a hodgepodge not-so-well-known league members. Hopefully that will turn out to be a good thing though. Bringing in the new players mixed with a few others can potentially catch our opponent's by surprise, right? Hey, I said hopefully.

Prediction: 4-2 X8B

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Straightshots vs Deadstrokes

The last of the week is a Cross-Divisional match between SS and DS. One down side of this divisional switch up that we should see if that the Eastern division should always have the upper-hand over the Western division in these Cross-Division matches. That doesn't mean the West won't put up a fight, though.

After winning their division in Season 3, SS had a fairly mediocre Season 4 with a 5-5 record and lost Round 1 of the playoffs. I'm sure Shelle and her guys will be hoping for a rebound and finish a bit better this time around. I assume the same team is returning for Season 5, and looks like Craig joins the WSOP team. Even if he might bring some negative energy to the team, there's no doubt he has potential to rise up and become a key player. I don't see any reason why SS shouldn't be able to start off in the W column tonight.

They were with us in Season 1, they made it to finals in Season 2, and tried to make a playoff return in Season 3. And now they're back for Season 5. Coming into the season, I figured Thomas was going to lead the team. But last night, Chele told me he's moving on (no big surprise) and she's taking over. DS has what it takes to finish top 3 in this division, probably with ease especially if they can return with their Season 2 playoff team. They have a tough match here versus SS, but I wouldn't be surprised if DS some how pulls it off.

Prediction: 4-2 SS

Season 5: Pre-Season

We're baaaaack! Ben (the_lvlag1cian) here again for another season of WSOP Predictions. Thank you to all of you returning readers and hello to the new ones :)

Season 4 ended with a great finals battle between two long-time rivals in PFN and FR. The two teams finished off on top of their respective divisions, but it was FR who took home the title after winning the series in Games 2 and 3. Congrats again to FR and a nice showing by PFN.

Here are the final standings for Season 4:

Eastern PFN  9-1 (39-21) BNR  7-3 (34-26) SPS  1-9 (22-38) UO  1-9 (19-41)

Western FR  9-1 (39-21) 8BC  6-4 (32-28) SS  5-5 (32-28) SP  2-8 (23-37)

In my opinion (and hopefully it's obvious to others as well), these standings are beyond lopsided.

Before the season even started, I (and I'm sure others) knew exactly how the standings were going to be by the end of the season. The best teams in the division rise to the top, while the lesser-talented teams naturally fall to the bottom as anyone would expect barring some luck.

I'm not trying to discredit the near-perfect records for PFN and FR; both were well-deserved due to nearly flawless game play. But, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the top teams to reach playoffs because the lesser teams in the division just couldn't compete.

And that, in my eyes, doesn't make it very entertaining or exciting not only for me to predict the games, but to watch as well. Wouldn't you rather watch a close divisional match between PFN and FR than watch PFN walk all over UO with ease? (Just using those teams as examples, sorry UO).

Anyways, what I'm trying to say is a heightened level of competition is better for an interleague. For previous seasons, divisions were formed by splitting up the top teams and mix in the lesser teams to fill the slots. Well, this time it's different obviously. I decided to introduce this idea of splitting the teams into divisions based on past-season records and overall ability.

This idea is taking a page right out of UIC's book basically. We have an upper division and a lower division. The returning teams were split based on their Season 4 records: FR (9-1), BNR (7-3), 8BC (6-4), SS (5-5) were all placed in the upper division and UO (1-9), SPS (1-9), SP (2-8) were all placed in the lower division.

This split left one more spot in the upper and two more spots in the lower and DS, EC, REG still had to be placed. Out of those three, I took what I predict would be the best team out of those (EC) and placed them in the upper with DS and REG going to the lower. I mainly chose EC based on how well they fared in the most recent season of PRO with a respectable 7-6 record.

(I don't know the following for fact, but just anticipating the negatives)

Now I understand that this new split is a little controversial and likely might upset a few of the top teams claiming it to be unfair that their team has been put up against the best. To that I would say to be the best you ought to fight against the best in order to claim a spot in the playoffs.

On the other hand, the not-as-talented teams in the upper division (say 8BC and perhaps EC) might be upset because their already counting themselves out and see their is a big hill to climb to make it up to the top of the division. And to that I would say take it as a compliment that I'm thinking you're good enough to compete against the best.

But don't fret, because although we will be keeping this new split idea in place for the next few seasons to see if my theory of heightened competition does hold up, the divisions for the next season will change slightly based on the final standings as follows:

The two upper teams which don't make playoffs will go into the lower division, and the two top lower teams based on record will move into the upper division.

So to wrap this up, I'm not trying to be unfair to the bigger teams and belittle the smaller teams. This new split idea will hopefully bring a sense of excitement within the divisions while evening the playing fields quite a bit. Two 1-9 records in the East and a 2-8 records in the West last season; surely no team wants to go through the experience of a bad season like that.

Please leave your comments here on the post. I'd like to hear all feedback: you're either for or against the idea. Just know that I don't mind any criticism, so let it all out. I'll further explain the reasoning if that's what you need. Thanks.

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Welcome back 8BC, BNR, DS, FR, SP, SPS, SP, UO and welcome to WSOP EC and REG.

I won't be doing pre-season rankings, just because I don't really like doing them. I'll try to do predictions every week, but just know that they're not always posted at the same time. I might do all matches a few days ahead, or I might posted 30 min before the game. Either way, they will be done :)

We're looking forward to another successful season. Best of luck everyone!