Germany: GFL Midseason Playoff Outlook
With just over half the season gone and most of the teams in the German Football League returning from their break, the postseason is now uppermost on everyone’s minds.
For their next four to six games, each team will have to decide if they want to be in the hunt come playoff time, or if they should instead start preparing for next season.
North
1. Potsdam Royals: 5-0
2. Braunschweig NY Lions: 4-2-0
3. Berlin Adler: 4-0-2
4. Cologne Crocodiles: 4-0-2
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5. Dresden Monarchs: 2-0-4
6. Berlin Rebels: 1-1-3
7. Kiel Baltic Hurricanes: 1-4
8. Düsseldorf Panther: 0-5
When it comes to the North, the Royals and the Lions are virtual locks to make the playoffs. Neither team has lost a game yet this season (Braunschweig has tied two), and they will meet each other this Saturday in Braunschweig. The winner of this game is more than likely going to end up as the division winner by the end of the season.
The other two playoff spots are currently held by the Berlin Adler and Cologne Crocodiles; longtime GFL members who have been showing sparks of their former glory this season. They met in week five where Berlin edged Cologne 34-33. The Adler lost badly to Potsdam early in the season while the Crocodiles will play against the Royals next week in Potsdam.
The only other team in the division that has a realistic shot at the postseason is reigning German Bowl winner, the Dresden Monarchs. However, even that looks unlikely as they are two games back of fourth place and will have the Lions and Adler for their final two games of the season.
South
1. Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns: 6-0
2. Munich Cowboys: 5-1-1
3. Straubing Spiders: 4-1
4. Saarland Hurricanes: 2-4
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5. Allgäu Comets: 1-3
6. Ravensburg Razorbacks: 1-1-4
7. Marburg Mercenaries: 1-4
8. Frankfurt Universe: 0-4
Unlike the North, the South has a team that has a runaway favorite to win the division in the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns, who have a gargantuan +169 point differential for the year so far. Combine this with their estimated 75% chance to win the German Bowl, and the fact that they have essentially been the team of the South for over a decade, and it looks like they will win their 11th consecutive division crown.
The duel for second place is between two historic opposites – the Munich Cowboys, the oldest continually operated team in the GFL, and the Straubing Spiders who are in the top league for the first time in their history. Munich is still projected to earn second place despite their tie game against the Razorbacks last week, but what could truly decide it is a matchup between the two in the penultimate matchup of the year on August 21, in the second last game of the season.
Fourth is easily the hardest to project as four teams are fighting for it. The Saarland Hurricanes currently have the edge by one game although they have played six games so far. The Allgäu Comets look to have the best shot to threaten them as they have only played four games and their next three games will all be against teams with losing records. Still, in their last three games, they will be facing the Spiders, Unicorns and Hurricanes, who are all in playoff positions.
