Off To The Races

 

Sorry, but I can’t really bring myself to get interested in any sports this fall except for college football.  And while this may be closer to the NASCAR Chase series than the new College Football Playoff series (really original name by the way), I thought we might take an eliminator approach to fall USTA.  This is done mainly to limit the amount of research I have to do on flights I don’t care about and new players I don’t know.  We’ll roll it out and you can see what you think.  Instead of a match by match, flight by flight review, we’ll just focus on who is in the lead to make the fall playoffs each week.  This list could change a fair amount as the season goes, but it’s something different.  Just going to talk about the week to week contenders, not drag us through the mud of the also rans. 

4.5 Playoffs – looks like a six team playoff this year

1.            JCC/Reiman – not the spring team, but quality none-the-less.

2.            Lakes/Way – always in the mix, these roster sizes in 4.5 scare me a little but there are some freebies in this flight so it shouldn’t hurt them.

3.            Greenhill/Rossouw – enough familiar names to make a go of it this fall, but a tough flight at the top.
4.            Greenhill/Rossow – see above.  With two pretty big fall rosters it will be interesting to see if he has two spring teams as well.
5.            Brookhaven/Harlee – another perennial contender. 
6.            Huffines/Bogle – always interesting to see new teams in the mix but I’m hard pressed to see them making it all the way.     

 

4.0 Playoffs – I’m going to guess this is an eight team playoff again

1.            Canyon Creek/McHugh – solid roster, good depth, not too much baggage.

2.            Garland/Sisk – some of these guys look like they’ve returned to form.  They have a quality top eight they can get out.
3.            Fretz/Noel – good top eight but some baggage at the bottom.  If they can make the playoffs they should be tough.
4.            Huffines/Ratcliffe – their lineups don’t scare you but they seem to find a way to win.
5.            Fretz/Jayaram – got some guys back and added a few new ones.  They are a perennial fall contender.
6.            McKinney/Peterson – solid roster but there are so many guys do they lose a few trying to get everyone matches?
7.            Eldorado/Browning – solid lineups but a lot of firepower, more work to do to get to the playoffs.
8.            Huffines/McIntosh – what is it with the Huffines teams?  Another group that just finds a way to win.