LBXIV: CHAMPIONS ARE TREASON

The most unlikely champions in Larkspur Bowl History are Champions nonetheless: the Mar-A-Lago Treason became the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record, then won three in a row to take home the Silver Chalice. Their record was a misnomer all along- the team was third in points for this season, led by QB Josh Allen, RB Derrick Henry, and rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner.

The team's receiving corps provided volatile production through the season but showed up when the games mattered most- Tyler Lockett and Evan Engram put up double digit point totals throughout the essential week, while a mix-and-match defense did enough to get things done, with veteran linebacker Christian Kirksey proving a difference maker.

Carmel also made a Cinderella run, but there could only be one champion. The Rudy Tuesdays's first ever playoff appearance came within twelve points of glory after stat corrections, as Austin Ekeler and Micah Parsons come up just a little short this year.

In the consolation bracket, HCM City has secured the top overall pick in the LBXV Draft.

Here's the full order of things:

1. HCM CITY
2. PHOENIX
3. SAVANNAH
4. DEPUTY
5. OHIO
6. SOUTH PARK
7. BINGHAMTON
8. PAWNEE
9. MANITOBA
10. PHILADELPHIA
11. HILL VALLEY
12. NEW JERSEY
13. CARMEL
14. MAR-A-LAGO

I intend to do a season retrospective for each team to make up for the lack of coverage this year, but it may be too ambitious. Additionally, we're going to, at some point, vote on some new quirks to the league to spice things up in year fifteen. STAY TUNED!

LBXIV: TWO MINUTE DRILL

Larkspur Bowl XIV will wrap up tonight and crown either the Carmel Rudy-Tuesdays or the Mar-A-Lago Treason a champion for the first time. The Treason have banked their point total at 179.78, with Carmel trailing by 40.06 with RB Austin Ekeler and DL Kwity Paye set to play tonight. If the two of them can combine for 41 points, Carmel hoists the silver chalice- if not, it will be the Treason finally claiming glory in their thirteenth season.

LBXIV: SEMIFINAL RESULTS

Carmel stomps out South Philly in a one-sided affair that saw the Rum Ham post three goose-eggs, while the defending champion Moosecrew are axed by the upstart Treason in a nail-biter that was tight until the bitter end.

In their first ever semi-finals, the Rudy-Tuesdays will see the two-time champion McFlys; this is Hill Valley's NINTH time making a semi-final, now tied with Phoenix for the most in league history. Meanwhile, LBXII champion New Jersey will try to get to their second Larkspur Bowl in just their fourth year competing, would tie them with Hill Valley for the second most in league history; If the McFlyrs triumph they nab their third silver chalice, putting space between themselves and all the one-offs, while getting within striking distance of the Uprising's four totes.

In the undercards, next year's first four draft slots will belong to Deputy, Phoenix, Savannah, and HCM City in a yet to be determined order. South Park and Ohio are playing for 5th and 6th slotting, while Binghamton has the 7th slot and Pawnee has the 8th slot. The winner of Manitobs vs South Philly will get the 9th slot, the loser the 10th slot. The order of the final four slots will be determined next week based on final standing in the XIV playoffs: 3rd, 4th, 2nd, 1st.

LBXIV: THE BRACKET IS RESET

In a stunning turn of events, the Mar-A-Lago Treason upended the Deputy Van Halens on stat corrections, vaulting from 11th up to 6th, and for the first time in fourteen years we will see a team with a losing record make it to the dance! The swap shifts matchups on the fly, with #3 Manitoba taking on #6 Mar-A-Lago and #4 Carmel playing #5 Philadelphia.

Deputy drops to 7th and along with Phoenix in 8th, has secured a top four pick in the upcoming LBXV Draft, forcing Ohio into a consolation matchup.

LBXIV: THE BRACKET IS SET

This year's bracket is set!

Former champions Jersey, Hill Valey, and Manitoba have the top three seeds, while Deputy, Carmel, and South Philly will be competing for their first silver chalice. 

LBXIV: Ketchup

The Larkspur Bowl heads into its final week with only two playoff tickets punched: New Jersey (11-1) will be the #1 seed and Hill Valley (9-3) will be the #2 seed. Both squads will not play a game of consequence until December 15th, when they will both host semi-final matchups.

So then, who is left? Six teams are jostling for four spots, and will jostle this week and the next, to book dates in Jersey and Valley. 

Controlling their own fates at 7-5 are Manitoba and Carmel; Win and they're in, lose and they still have a shot of making it on points. At 6-6 Deputy, Phoenix, Ohio, and South Philly will need to win and outscore the other 7-6 teams to move on to the fourteenth Larkspur Bowl Playoffs. Lets take a look at the matchups of substance:

MANITOBA (7-5) vs PHOENIX (6-6)
In the week's marquee matchup, the defending champions will look to knock off the four time champions. The Moosecrew's Jalen Hurts, Stefon Diggs, and Travis Kelce are as fearsome a threesome as any team in the league can boast, and a triumvirate nobody wants to see in a loser goes home matchup; The Uprising lost single digit squeakers in weeks 9 and 11, which happen to be the only two weeks Saquon didn't contribute double digit points to their score. If the Upring win, there's a very real possibility these two teams face off again in the first round of the playoffs.

DEPUTY (6-6) vs MAR-A-LAGO (5-7)
This matchup could take on additional significance if the Treason benefit from some late vote tallying on Thursday morning as they lost to Jersey by less than four points. A stat correction could vault them up to 6-6 and VERY MUCH in the playoff picture by virtue of the league's third highest point total to date. Should that score stand, Mar-A-Lago will have to be content to try and play spoiler to the Van Halens, who are fourth in total points and in a good spot to win a tiebreak at 7-6.

HILL VALLEY (9-3) vs OHIO (6-6)
While they McFly easy this week, Hill Valley has a major part to play in determining the playoff field. Knocking off Ohio will eliminate them, but should Burrow, Chubb, and the rest of the Tommy Boys notch a victory, they'll be in the tiebreak and need just a bit of help. Interestingly enough, they have points over seven win squads Manitoba and Carmel, so, either team losing could mean Ohio gets in; If they win and Deputy and Phoenix lose, they're also in. If any two of the aforementioned squads lose and Ohio wins, they have a great shot at moving on.

CARMEL (7-5) vs BINGHAMTON (3-9)
The Rudy-Tuesdays really need to win this matchup to make their first ever Larkspur Bowl Playoffs. Losing to a lackluster Sniper squad wouldn't eliminate them outright, but with only the eighth most points to date, they would really be tempting fate with a collapse. Late season revelation Christian Watson will try to paper over the fact that the team lacks a credible second running back.

SOUTH PHILLY (6-6) vs PAWNEE (3-9)
The Rum Ham are not eliminated, and a win over Pawnee would secure their second winning season in a row, after eight years underwater. That said, even with a win they need at least two of Phoenix, Deputy, and Ohio to lose this week to sneak into the dance again. Not the longest odds in the world, but the point is, they cannot do it alone. Should they make it to the playoffs, they could conceivably have Odell Beckham join Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, and CeeDee Lamb to make one of the best end game receiving corps.

NOTE: Weekly TOTW and results posts will be added retroactively at some point prior to the playoffs beginning. 

LBXIV: WEEK SIX

Lightning round to catch up: Jersey falls to 5-1 and the undefeated dream ends for the fourteenth consecutive year. Behind them, three teams (Hill Valley, Ohio, and Manitoba) keep their head above water, and then full half the league sits at .500 with only Carmel (2-4), Pawnee (1-5), and South Philly (1-5) in the dumps.

Week 6 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising187.92Carmel RudyTuesdays167.40
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers180.80Mar-a-Lago Treason169.06
  FinalRecap
• Deputy Van Halens203.10NJ Sanitation Crew182.70
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys268.08South Park Cows169.11
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers205.99Manitoba Moosecrew174.65
  FinalRecap
• Pawnee Pride162.87Savannah Petes180.32
  FinalRecap
• South Philly Rum Ham150.96Tommy’s Boys170.30
  FinalRecap

Strill quiet on the trade front. Mar-A-Lago picks up Deon Jackson and he immediately stars, giving the wire a special sheen, but the tried and true kingmaker has always been wheeling and dealing! Also, a tie at placekicker- we're going to a kickoff.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 6)

• QB JOE BURROW (OTB) - 32.40 PPOINTS
• RB DEON JACKSON (MAL) - 25.40 POINTS
• WR JA'MARR CHASE (SPC) - 33.20 POINTS
• TE MARK ANDREWS (SPC) - 23.20 POINTS
• DL JONATHAN ALLEN (MAL) - 21.05 POINTS
• LB DEMARIO DAVIS (MMC) - 23.50 POINTS
• CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN (DVH) - 23.50 POINTS
• SS CJ GARDNER-JOHNSON (PAW) - 23.75 POINTS
• PK WIL LUTZ (MMC) & RYAN SUCCOP (JSC) - 14.00

TRADE 2: Shuffling the Deck

Earlier this week Carmel and Phoenix swapped players ahead of their pivotal week six matchup. It's their second trade of the season, accounting for 100% of the league's trading activity to date- concerning volume for a league that has historically thrived on blockbusters. Like their previous swap, this deal is minor in nature:

CARMEL ACQUIRES: RB MICHAEL CARTER

PHOENIX ACQUIRES: WR HUNTER RENFROW

The Rudy-Toos saw Khalil Herbert play on Thursday then had James Conner officially ruled out, so they were in need of an immediate stopgap to platoon with Austin Ekeler. In Carter they're getting a veteran who has a defined (if somewhat mitigated) role on his team's offense, and vultured a pair of touchdowns last week. Not a world beater and not any every week starter (unless something were to happen to Breece) he'll look to do damage to the team that drafted him in the eleventh round.

Phoenix adds Carmel's fifth round pick in Renfrow, albeit one that has wrapped disappointing results around a concussion. Now on a bye, the Uprising will hope that his role expands moving forward, as bye season and injuries add up. At his best Renfrow is a scrappy slot receiver that relies upon volume to add value, the arrival of Davante may cap his upside. 

LBXIV: WEEK FIVE

Week six is already underway, but lets quickly recap where things stand after five weeks:

LBXII's champions from New Jersey remain unbeaten, pushing it to five in a row with the league's highest point total substantiating their claim. The only team within a game of them? The defending champions from Manitoba. It's a new era in Larkspur, where the old powers have faded and newer teams are competing for their second trophy.

The league's three game winners are a mix of veteran contenders (Hill Valley, South Park) and upstarts building on last year's playoff appearances (Mar-A-Lago, Ohio) to round out the playoff field, and leaving more than half the league under .500 at this juncture.

The lack of trades this season owes to many factors, not least of which is a communal patience instilled over time. Still, with bye weeks now in play, the effort to exchange rather than add from a fairly barren wire should ramp up as each week ekes closer to do or die.

Week 5 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising171.25Mar-a-Lago Treason287.61
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers147.16HoChiMinhLeadFarmers174.73
  FinalRecap
• Carmel RudyTuesdays205.26Pawnee Pride113.96
  FinalRecap
• Deputy Van Halens260.47South Philly Rum Ham168.34
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys181.65NJ Sanitation Crew238.40
  FinalRecap
• Manitoba Moosecrew177.76Tommy’s Boys154.98
  FinalRecap
• Savannah Petes189.24South Park Cows179.62
  FinalRecap

Mar-A-Lago put together a top five score in trouncing Phoenix, with Josh Allen and Gabe Davis proving a dynamic duo. Meanwhile Deputy (in the run up to their Head Coach's nuptials) delivered a whopper as well- a savvy start of swiss army knife Taysom Hill clinching a vital W while dropping South Philly to 1-4, a cellar they share with Pawnee. With eight wins the 'magic number' for securing as playoff spot, it will take something close to perfection for either team to make a run in 2022.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 5)

• QB JOSH ALLEN (MAL) - 41.66 POINTS
• RB AUSTIN EKELER (CRT) - 40.60 POINTS
• WR GABE DAVIS (MAL) - 37.50 POINTS
• TE TAYSOM HILL (DVH) - 38.41 POINTS
• DL MAXX CROSBY (SAV) - 21.00 POINTS
• LB DAVID LONG (PHX) - 21.00 POINTS
• CB BYRON MURPHY (SAV) - 25.00 POINTS
• SS DESHON ELLIOT (SPC) - 34.00 POINTS
• PK JUSTIN TUCKER (SAV) - 17.00 POINTS

LBXIV: WEEK FOUR

Only the Jersey Trashers remain undefeated, a perfect 4-0 after pounding the Petes, who lose despite an all-time day from Tight End TJ Hockenson. Hill Valley and Ohio fall to 3-1, while South Park and Manitoba bounce back to the same record. 

Scrapping for the sixth seed in the early going are three 2-2 teams: Binghamton, Mar-A-Lago, and Phoenix haven't done themselves any favors in the season's first month, but at least they do not have holes to climb out of.

That leaves six teams at 1-3, none of which should be counted out, but each of which will need to be much better over the next two months if they want to punch their ticket to the dance.

Week 4 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising180.60Pawnee Pride211.33
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers223.57Tommy’s Boys200.60
  FinalRecap
• Carmel RudyTuesdays178.86South Park Cows196.41
  FinalRecap
• Deputy Van Halens193.70Manitoba Moosecrew199.01
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys184.48South Philly Rum Ham196.89
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers167.04Mar-a-Lago Treason182.95
  FinalRecap
• NJ Sanitation Crew231.06Savannah Petes198.10
  FinalRecap

We're in our final week before the byes begin- injuries are starting to take their toll on rosters, and yet we still have only seen a single minor trade, with Week Five already underway. Everyone is challenged with sending out at least one trade offer to get a conversation going- maybe it goes nowhere! YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU GO.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 4)

• QB TOM BRADY (SAV) - 27.50 POINTS
• RB JOSH JACOBS (JSC) - 39.40 POINTS
• WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON (JSC) - 29.90 POINTS
• TE TJ HOCKENSON (SAV) - 42.00 POINTS
• DL JONATHAN ALLEN (MMC) - 27.00 POINTS
• LB FRANKIE LUVU (PRH) - 33.15 POINTS
• CB L'JARIUS SNEED (BIN) - 17.50 POINTS
• SS JORDAN POYER (SPC) - 28.00 POINTS
• PK BRETT MAHER (HVM) - 15.00 POINTS

LBXIV: WEEK THREE

Now we're cooking! Three weeks and only three undefeated teams remaining: Hill Valley, Ohio, and New Jersey top the standings followed by three 2-1 teams: South Park, Manitoba, and Phoenix. Of the top six, all but the Tommy Boys have won the Larkspur Bowl's Silver Chalice at least once; Of the other eight teams (six of whom sit at 1-2) only one team has a championship to their name, the 0-3 Pawnee Pride.

Week 3 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising175.93South Park Cows151.66
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers163.15Deputy Van Halens176.92
  FinalRecap
• Carmel RudyTuesdays181.02NJ Sanitation Crew235.66
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys210.41Manitoba Moosecrew171.80
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers175.00Tommy’s Boys238.60
  FinalRecap
• Mar-a-Lago Treason228.60Pawnee Pride167.16
  FinalRecap
• Savannah Petes179.04South Philly Rum Ham173.28
  FinalRecap

Only three teams broke the 200 point mark in week three, which makes it one of the lowest scoring weeks on record. A lot of that owes to breakouts from bench players and from players currently on the wire- but destined to be claimed or added in the near future.

The Trade Market remains tepid, but as teams buy or sell early returns and injuries pile up, expect to see transactions flying. Making an offer as a conversation starter is always an option- a lowball might kill discourse, but a genuine offer, even declined, can lead to fruition for both sides.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 3)

• QB LAMAR JACKSON (CRT) - 37.52 POINTS
• RB DERRICK HENRY (MAL) - 25.90 POINTS
• WR DEVONTA SMITH (OTB) - 35.30 POINTS
• TE MARK ANDREWS (SPC) - 26.70 POINTS
• DL MAXX CROSBY (SAV) - 24.50 POINTS
• LB ROQUAN SMITH (HVM) - 29.90 POINTS
• CB JALEN RAMSEY (DVH) - 20.00 POINTS
• SS JEVON HOLLAND (MAL) - 27.50 POINTS
• PK YOUNGHOE KOO (BIN) - 12.00 POINTS