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The last undefeated team in the league found itself the victim of a Golden Shark attack, meaning everyone in the EFL has tasted defeat at least once.

That was one of 7 games in Week 7 to be decided by a touchdown or less as close contests and parity seem to continue to be the name of the game this season. This week will put us halfway through the season and provide an opportunity to examine how back-half schedules appear to impact teams' chances as the weeks tick away.

In other league news -- I'm not sure when we had two GM's bail (hopefully it was within the last 24-48 hours and I didn't fail to notice it sooner...), but I had 2 players try to claim the Tallahassee position. I offered the slower of the two the reins of Winterhood so with any luck we'll be back to all-human before Week 8 spins.

Halfway there in the EFL for the 2036 season. Eight games in Week 8 decided by a touchdown or less. I'll post the schedule analysis over the back half of the season tomorrow, but I love the fact that every division features 2 teams with winning records thus far and two divisions are filled with teams that are all .500 or better. Great job gang!

MID-SEASON ANALYSIS
(numbers after records indicate wins recorded to date by opponents in weeks 9-16, 32 would be an "average" strength schedule remaining)

Stars Conference

Halas – Lyon (5-3, 32), Toronto (5-3, 34), Reno (3-5, 35), Las Vegas (1-7, 29)
Lyon holds a slim edge in strength of schedule over the back half of the season and also holds an important head-to-head result against Toronto with the return date coming up in Week 14. Toronto has produced a more impressive off-to-def scoring ratio to date and has the league’s No. 2 overall defense. Reno needs to find answers for an offense that has produced just 69 points to date in order to progress forward while Wampa fans fear their playoff drough is stretching into its 13th season.

Brown – London (6-2, 31), Natchitoches (5-3, 32), Boston (2-6, 29), Rochester (1-7, 28)
London holds the lead, but a head-to-head encounter could flip that in Week 9. A win by Natchitoches would complete a regular-season sweep, giving them tiebreak power in the Brown Division. Barring a miraculous turnaround and win in the playoffs, Rochester will see a run of 11 seasons of 10+ wins snapped.

Shula – Salem (7-1, 30), Parlor City (6-2, 26), Bennington (3-6, 32), Melbourne (2-6, 31)
Salem has handed Parlor City its only two losses to effectively hold a 2-game lead in the Shula Division. The Witches were the EFL champs in 2034 and currently out-gain their opponents by 104 yards per contest.

Walsh – Atlantic City (6-2, 27), Wellsville (4-4, 26), Tallahassee (3-5, 29), Boise (2-6, 30)
The only Stripes Conference division to currently see a team holding a 2-game lead over its closest pursuer still has plenty of room for drama as Atlantic City and Wellsville have yet to play this season. The Sharks feature the EFL’s top defensive unit, holding opponents to a simply ridiculous 112.3 yards of passing per game (and barely more than a 40 percent completion rate!). They also have the No. 3 offense in the league.

Stripes Conference

Knoll – Perth (7-1, 37), Glendora (5-3, 30), Brooklyn (4-4, 36), Santa Fe (4-4, 37)
Perth holds a 2-game lead in the division, but has escaped with narrow wins in three consecutive weeks. Every opponent on the back half of the season is sporting either a 5-3 or a 4-4 record with 6 of the 8 games slated for on the road. Glendora features a second-half schedule that is nearly a full game per opponent easier than the rest of the league and both Brooklyn and Santa Fe are still very much in-play for both the division and wild card status, which would be huge as neither club has ever reached the EFL postseason.

Landry – Coos Bay (7-1, 29), Rancho Cucamonga (5-3, 40), New Jersey (3-5, 35), Tacoma (0-8, 32)
With the No. 2 offense and the No. 3 defense in the league, Coos Bay is throwing up some strong credentials as possible No. 1 seed in the Stripes Conference. A softer than average back half schedule might help them get there while a regular season sweep of Rancho Cucamonga leaves them effectively 3 games in front. New Jersey’s No. 4 defense in the EFL will keep the Crusaders in most games, but needs help from an offense averaging fewer than 200 yards per contest while Tacoma’s losing streak now stands at 26 consecutive games.

Parcells – Milwaukee (5-3, 37), St. Louis (5-3, 36), Canton (4-4, 33), Winterhood (4-4, 38)
Oh my goodness, won’t this division be fun to follow over the back half of the season? Milwaukee has already swept St. Louis this season. Canton has a slightly friendlier schedule down the stretch and 2035 EFL champion Winterhood is lurking right there. One thing to keep in mind – the Wild face one of the most brutal closing stretches in the EFL, facing Salem, Parlor City and Coos Bay in Weeks 14-16.

Gibbs – Columbus City (7-1, 30), Charleston (5-3, 37), San Diego (1-7, 27), Mt. Washington (1-7, 29)
They feature the No. 16 offense and the No. 15 defense, but all the Assassins do is win, win, win it seems. The secret may well be a team defense that sports +21 takeaway stat after just eight weeks of the season, better than double every other EFL team save for Perth. Weeks 12 and 14 will feature clashes with the Geechee, who have the decidedly harder back half schedule in the division. San Diego and Mt. Washington have large mountains to climb in the season’s back half. .

Six games left to the regular season. 5 games this week decided by a TD or less, including one overtime affair.

Happy (?) Mathematical Elimination Day to Las Vegas and Tacoma, who become the first victims of the cruel 2036 EFL season and its ability to crush playoff dreams.

On the other side of the equation, and at the risk of laying out a hex upon them, here's a shout-out to the Envy of Wellsville, who have reeled off 5 consecutive wins after opening the season 1-4.

Best of luck to everyone as we start to hit the stretch run.

Just another night at the EFL office...eight one-score games. Three more teams saw their playoff dreams shattered, but nobody is safely in the post-season yet. That could change with this week's games as some are at least within reach of punching their tickets.

And the entire Parcells division is currently tied at 6-5 overall. (which, to make life even crazier, is currently the exact record needed to earn BOTH wild card spots in the Stars Conference...)

(Apologies to Wellsville for snapping their win streak by calling attention to it)

Three quarters of the way through the season and three playoff teams are known. Congrats to Salem, Coos Bay and Columbus City for securing spots in the post-season this week.

Overall, the league continues to be a drama-filled place -- seven one-score games this week. Hopefully this isn't just a 16-week teaser for a postseason filled with lopsided scores.

Stars Conference
Current mark needed for Wild Card: 8-4

Halas Division
Toronto (9-3) holds a 1-game lead over Lyon, but must face the Kings (8-4) at home in Week 14. Toronto also has games against Reno (5-7), Las Vegas (2-10) and at Santa Fe (5-7). Lyon’s additional games are against Boise (4-8), Tallahassee (4-8) and Glendora (7-5), all at home. The Kings won the first head-to-head so a sweep would give them the edge should records end as equal.

Brown Division
London (9-3) needs a tie or a win in any of its last 4 games to clinch. With four games against opponents with sub-.500 records on deck, three of them at home, Monarch fans are probably safe to order playoff tickets.

Shula Division
Salem (11-1) has clinched. Parlor City (8-4) travels to Bennington (6-6), Melbourne (4-8) and Milwaukee (7-5) before closing at home against Rochester (4-8) in its pursuit of a wild card.

Walsh Division
A 31-13 win over Atlantic City last week elevated Wellsville (7-5) into the frontrunner’s position, though they’ll have to do it again on the road in Week 14 to remain on top. Other games include home dates with Tallahassee, Mt. Washington and Boise, all 4-8. The Golden Sharks have road games at Columbus City (11-1) and Boise, as well as a home game against Reno (5-7) as they sit a game back in the wild card chase.

Stripes Conference
Current mark needed for wild card: 7-5

Knoll Division
Perth (10-2) holds a 6-0 mark in games decided by a TD or less and is waiting for the law of averages to just pimp-slap us something fierce. The Wallabies are at divisional foes Santa Fe (5-7), Glendora (7-5) and Brooklyn (6-6) still, plus a home date against Winterhood (6-6). Glendora has road games with Milwaukee (7-5) and Lyon (8-4), plus a home date with Brooklyn (6-6). Brooklyn, part of a crazy Stripes party fighting for wild cards, has a game at Charleston (6-6) and at home against Canton (6-6) to try and climb out of a 1-game deficit for the postseason.

Landry Division
Coos Bay (10-2) clinched. Rancho Cucamonga (6-6) plays at New Jersey (5-7) and Boston (2-10) and home against St. Louis (7-5) and Natchitoches (5-7) to try and reach the playoffs.

Parcells Division
I don’t even know where to start with this one. Milwaukee and St. Louis (7-5) lead. Canton and Winterhood (6-6) chase in a race that will almost assuredly come down to the season’s final week. Rather than analyze all the permutations, here are the games remaining for everyone…
Milwaukee (Glendora, at Salem, Parlor City, Coos Bay)
St. Louis (at Canton, at Rancho Cucamonga, Coos Bay, at Winterhood)
Winterhood (at Coos Bay, Bennington, at Perth, St. Louis)
Canton (St. Louis, at Brooklyn, Bennington, at Tacoma)

Gibbs Division
Columbus City (11-1) has clinched. Charleston is one game back of the wild card pace with a home finale against fellow contender Brooklyn (6-6) this week. Then they’ll hit the road to travel to Columbus City, Santa Fe and San Diego to close out the season.

Toronto, Perth and London add their names to the post-season slate, meaning half the playoff positions now have owners.

Four one-score games and one tie (stupid @#$!! kicker...)

No new playoff teams discovered this week, but eight more one-score games.

And the entire Parcells Division is at 7-7 right now.

Red Rocks playing in their first-ever championship contest (unless I'm blind). Witches playing in their third consecutive title game and making their eighth EFL championship appearance overall.

Best of luck to you both!