LBXV: Jersey Triumphs over Hill Valley

New Jersey secured their second title (having previously won LBXII) in just their fifth season, knocking off Hill Valley in a final that went down to the wire, and consequently, drawing even with the McFlys at two titles. A late Zay Flowers touchdown put the McFlys up in the waning moments, but Deebo Samuel was able to eke out just enough to secure the victory, cementing Breece Hall as the game's MVP.

While Brock Purdy struggled a bit in the final, he was a major contributor to a New Jersey squad that relied on bellcow Derrick Henry and the human lighting strike that is Breece Hall, utility knife Deebo Samuel pairing with Davante Adams as downfield threats, and Gabe Davis and Evan Engram rounding out the offense. On defense, Bobby Wagner was the mainstay, a rotating cast of parts utilized to perfection and resulting in glory for the Sanitation Crew. 

Huge congratulations to Nick Lang, who welcomed his second child just days before commanding his team to victory in the big game. Both major achievements! It's up to you which you're more proud of.

While the season lacked ballyhoo and trading, it made up for it in adept gamesmanship, with all six of the league's top scorers making the dance; Both of the league's top seeds went down in their respective semifinals- Binghamton and Deputy were both vying to be first time champions, but will have to wait for the sixteenth season to get their shot.

Quick rundown of results:

Week 15 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising172.60Manitoba Moosecrew183.57
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• Binghamton Snipers182.86NJ Sanitation Crew190.68
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• Deputy Van Halens208.12Hill Valley McFlys218.14
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• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers170.51Savannah Petes218.22
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• Pawnee Pride184.04South Park Cows241.16
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• South Philly Rum Ham164.00NY Finest171.69
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Week 16 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising220.60South Philly Rum Ham188.42
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• Binghamton Snipers231.98Deputy Van Halens198.19
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• Hill Valley McFlys221.40NJ Sanitation Crew227.18
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• Manitoba Moosecrew191.12NY Finest197.38
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The 2023 ALL-LARKSPUR TEAM:

LBXVI DRAFT SLOT ORDER:

1. NEW YORK'S FINEST
2. MANITOBA MOOSECREW
3. PHOENIX UPRISING
4. SOUTH PHILLY RUM HAM
5. SAVANNAH PETES
6. HCM CITY LEAD FARMERS
7. MAR-A-LAGO TREASON
8. CARMEL RUDY TUESDAYS
9. SOUTH PARK COWS
10. PAWNEE PRIDE
11. BINGHAMTON SNIPERS
12. DEPUTY VAN HALENS
13. HILL VALLEY McFLYS
14. JERSEY SANITATION CREW

LBXV: Semifinals are Set

The semifinals are set! 

In the first round we saw four former champions faceoff, but both matchups were decidedly handily: Hill Valley dominated Pawnee, while Jersey dispatched South Park. Now both teams will seek to ensure there are no new chairs at the champions' table. Jersey plays top seeded Binghamton, while Hill Valley heads to Deputy for a bout.

Week 14 Matchups

• Hill Valley McFlys253.87Pawnee Pride188.17
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• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers106.30Manitoba Moosecrew171.40
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• NJ Sanitation Crew251.75South Park Cows198.72
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• Savannah Petes177.99South Philly Rum Ham205.16
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Down in the consolation bracket, old friends squared off, with Philadelphia ousting Savannah for the right to play New York; Meanwhile, Manitoba's redemption tour continues with a throttling of a barely there HCM City team- they will face Phoenix. 

Four teams will have their draft slot decided this week, with Pawnee and South Park playing for the the 9th selection (loser is 10th) and Savannah and HCM City fighting for the 5th selection, loser taking the #6 draw.

LBXV: Playoff Bracket

The playoffs were set late this year, with four teams deadlocked at 6-7; Pawnee took the final berth, resulting in all six of the league's top point scorers making it to the dance; as fair a draw as can be!

Here were the results from week Thirteen:

Week 13 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising165.30South Park Cows147.31
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• Binghamton Snipers197.50Hill Valley McFlys228.18
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• Carmel RudyTuesdays135.36HoChiMinhLeadFarmers186.90
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• Deputy Van Halens245.44NJ Sanitation Crew222.31
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• Manitoba Moosecrew154.46South Philly Rum Ham153.12
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• Mar-a-Lago Treason148.38NY Finest178.24
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• Pawnee Pride223.68Savannah Petes201.95
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And the final regular season standings:

Both of Larkspur Bowl XIV's competitors (The Champion Treason and Runner-Up Rudy-Toos) ended up at the bottom of the standings, missing out on the consolation bracket entirely. Quite the hangover! The jarring first to worst changeover locks them into the 7th (MAL) and 8th (CRT) draft slots next year.

Conversely, this year's two byes belong to Binghamton and Deputy; Last year Binghamton was in the cellar (13th, in front of only fellow 2023 playoff team Pawnee) while Deputy missed the playoffs. So did South Park, meaning two thirds of this year's dance were not dancing last year.

Hill Valley and Jersey both return to this year's playoffs, each pushing their playoff streaks to... a whopping two. Both teams missed LBXIII after meeting in the semi-finals in LBXII, where Jersey won en route to the championship. Coming into this season, the longest playoff streak belonged to Manitoba, at three straight years following their one year hiatus.

The longest playoff drought? Savannah hasn't sniffed the post-season since LBIX, a six year absence. New York's Finest made it to the playoffs in LBXI, before taking a three season hiatus of their own. This is the third season in a row that no Grimes has made the playoffs, with at least one making it in each of the league's first dozen seasons.

Phoenix has gone 6-7 in four of the last five seasons, only besting that mark in 2020. For nine seasons (from LBII through LBX) the team finished ion the podium every year (four gold, two silver, three bronze) but those days are long gone.

Alright, without further ado, the brackets:

Matchups conclude on Monday night, with Stat Corrections impacting games through Thursday morning!