2015: Things to look forward to in 2015

In the 5th episode of the season, Commissioner Stubbs and Co-host Chris Leach chat about the things to look forward to in 2015 - league wide and for individual teams. Let us know what you think by tweeting us @LOCfantasy

Bracketology: Greatest game in LOC history (round 2, part III)

(1) Gridiron Gang prevents the perfect season Vs. (10) Corona Bowl II

Unfortunately as we all know, there is no recorded history of the 2009 season. But there are a few moments that will go down in LOC history forever despite this. This game was one of them. As you may have guessed, this game pitted Gridiron Gang against at the time undefeated Bear Necessities. Bear Necessities would go on to win Corona Bowl I, but it's got to sting knowing they were just one mid season game from perfection (courtesy of Gridiron Gang). I think they're ok with this considering they won it all.

'Corona Bowl II' was also Gridiron Gang against Bear Necessities, but this time in the 2010 season. There was so much story behind this game, Bear Necessities the reigning champions, looking to retain the title and win it for a second time in a row. It was a Stubbs bowl for the ages, Coach D Stubbs Vs. Coach N Stubbs of Gridiron Gang, who had won 6 of the last 7 games just to get to the title game. The game itself was relatively close, 113-97 and it was a tight one all game long.

Winner: Corona Bowl II

Reason: Really a great story line to this game, and the magic of a title

(29) 175 Destruction Vs. (14) Cutting it close II

'175 Destruction' was a week 5 match up in 2012 between The Tuckfards and Forge Flyers. In a season where The Tuckfards appeared in their first Corona Bowl, they were a truly dominant team during the regular season. Forge Flyers didn't stand a chance, even though they put up a respectable 91 points, The Tuckfards simply outclassed them with 175 points.

'Cutting it close II' took place in Week 4 2011, between Tom's Tyrants and ADRZ. This game got out to a roaring start, By the end of the 9pm games they were both over 90 points. ADRZ sprung out to a lead, but Tom's Tyrants hunger in there and took a small lead at the end of the 9pm games. ADRZ would (literally) crawl to a victory in the Sunday night game however, beating Coach Barnes by the slim margin of 95.76 - 94.84, yep not even a point.

Winner: 175 Destruction

Reason: One of the highest scoring weeks in LOC History

(3) Corona Bowl I Vs. (45) Corona Bowl V

'Corona Bowl I' is another game we sadly won't know the history of. All we know is Bear Necessities were entering the title game with just one loss in their first season, and Burdettinators were looking to knock them off the pedestal. They weren't able to though, and Bear Necessities were a worthy champion in the leagues first year. These two would then not have a lot of success, until....

'Corona Bowl V' where Burdettinators took on nemesis The Tuckfards. Entering this game, Burdettinators had never beaten The Tuckfards, NEVER. It looked like history would repeat, as The Tuckfards sprung out to an early lead, and had been impressive all season. They started to stumble, and Burdettinators recovered, they were tied at the end of the 6pm games. Burdettinators had enough of Coach Merritt by this point, and proceeded to embarrass him by scoring a record amount of points in a Corona Bowl. 161.50 - 97.64.

Winner: Corona Bowl V

Reason: No history of the game really hurt Corona Bowl I here

(35) Start how you wish to finish Vs. (60) #200Club

'Start how you wish to finish' was just an explosive game. Week 1 of 2013, Tom's Tyrants took on The Dream Team, and it did not disappoint. If the teams had been tested for PED's prior to this game, it's likely they would have all been suspended for the season. Both teams just exploded out of the game, putting up 100 by the end of the 9pm games. But scoring didn't stop there, The Dream Team would put up another 36, and Tom's Tyrants would put up another 60! final score, 159.90 - 136.96.

'#200Club' has to be the favourite at this point. Fresh in the memory, Week 13 of 2014, Tom's Tyrants took on The Tuckfards. The two winningest coaches in history would produce a game for the ages. By the end of the 6pm games, Tom's tyrants had already eclipsed 160 points! Over the same time span, The Tuckfards had barely cleared 60. Tom's Tyrants had players score 40, 31, 24, 34, and 36! Not to mention another 50 points on their bench. Probably the highest scoring game in LOC history, Tom's Tyrants smashed Coach Merritt 205.88 - 121.02.

Winner: #200 Club

Reason: On the game chart Coach Barnes' team's point ascension is literally vertical 

2015: Schedule Reveal Extravaganza!

The Co-Host returns after his brief absence for what is truly an exciting time in the LOC, the Schedule Reveal! Coach Sherwood of IKNAN also made a long anticipated return as well. You don't want to miss this one folks, a great episode in more ways than one!

Bracketology: Greatest game in LOC history (round 2, part II)

(42) Playoffs Baby! Vs. (23) The Rookie Has Landed

'Playoffs Baby!" Took place in the final week of the 2013 season. A game that pitted The Tuckfards against Gridiron Gang. This game is an interesting footnote in LOC History, as Coach Merritt broke the record for total playoff berths achieved & in a row, against the existing holder of the record, Coach Stubbs. It was a good game too, tight at the start, until Gridiron Gang took a small lead which was quickly closed by The Tuckfards, who then just managed to edge out Gridiron Gang.

'The Rookie Has Landed' Is another historical game. Tom's Tyrants became the first Rookie Division team to reach the Corona Bowl. They took on The Tuckfards in Week 15, in a game they fell behind early, but made a come back and defeated them 105-91. They would obviously then go on to become the first Rookie Division champion. A funny footnote of this game, The Tuckfards QB got 44 points, nearly half of all their points.

Winner: Playoffs Baby!

Reason: Just a better quality game

(33) The Manning Effect Vs. (19) Even my backups nearly beat you

'The Manning Effect' was the opening game of the 2013 season between Burdettinators and ADRZ. New Burdettinators QB Peyton Manning was playing against Baltimore in the first game of the season, fresh off of their Super Bowl victory. You'd be forgiven for forgetting they won however, as Manning dropped 7 TDs on them and banked a single player record 60 points for Burdettinators on Thursday night. They'd go on to win 164-83, not even needing Manning in the first place.

'Even my backups nearly beat you' was a ridiculous game. Let's just forget for a second that, as the name suggests, Burdettinators put up 113 points on the bench, the actual game was a 179-113 point fest. The amazing thing about this game was that Burdettinators were actually losing going into the Monday night game, only for Michael Vick to get 57 points. Burdettinators probably has the highest total team score in history (and their kicker didn't even score a point).

Winner: Even my backups nearly beat you

Reason: This was just a strange game...but amazing

(36) Wembley Woes Vs. (43) 3rd Year Leap

'Wembley Woes' is another addition to the much loved Wembley bowl series, when two coaches who are at Wembley together, play each other. This is probably one of the most memorable ones too. Gridiron Gang played ADRZ, and Coach Stubbs jumped out to an early lead in the 6pm and 9pm games. Coach Stubbs was rubbing it in to ADRZ all day long, until they started making a steady come back, which was eventually capped by a career day from a 37 year old TE named Tony Gonzalez, who got 27 points en route to a 124-118 victory for ADRZ.

'3rd Year Leap' also featured ADRZ in the 2013 season, against Burdettinators. After 2 tough years in the league, Coach Wells made the 3rd year leap achieving their first payoff berth. They had a tough match up however, as Burdettinators jumped out to an early lead. They stumbled at the mid point however, and ADRZ managed to retake a fragile lead. Sadly, this didn't last for long, ADRZ lost some points and the lead, while Burdettinators rolled onto the Corona Bowl. 138-109.

Winner: Wembley Woes

Reason: Great story, great game, and egg on the face of myself 

(31) Bad Coaching Vs. (41) Stat Change-gate

'Bad Coaching' was another game in a long line of games between Gridiron Gang and The Tuckfards. This game isn't that memorable for the on the field performance (The Tuckfards won in a painful 91-69 fashion), but more for what happened off the field. Let's ignore for a second Gridiron Gang nearly made a come back, but ultimately fell flat. They had 108 points on their bench. Yes, you read that right. In their defence, 70 points of this were between two QBs (and their starter got 17) but this is still crazy.

'Stat Change-gate' is infamous. Ignore what the history page tells you, we all know how this game went down. This was really a great game between Bear Necessities and Forge Flyers, and depending on how you view it, it either got better or worse by what transpired. Forge Flyers had the lead for a long time, only to surrender it in the Sunday night game. Forge Flyers staged a Monday night comeback, but came up 5 points short, 120-115. Or so we thought. Tuesday morning, the scores had changed to 115-114 in Forge Flyers favor. On review, Bear Necessities QB Joe Flacco had a passing touchdown overturned, as it was actually a lateral. This wiped 6 points off the board, and 1 win off the win column.

Winner: Stat Change-gate

Reason: Another dark horse for the title. It was a great game, and the biggest 'gate' in LOC history

2015: AGM, Pitch & Putt, & Divisions

Commissioner Stubbs is joined once again by Coach Nathwani (who's doing a stellar job of filling in for Co-host Chris Leach by the way) to talk about a variety of topics. We start off with the AGM, get to a little bit of Pitch & Putt, and then talk about the divisions.

Bracketology: Greatest game in LOC history (2nd round, part I)

(7) Got a point? Vs. (15) Corona Bowl II Rematch
'Got a point?' Was an important week 6 match up in 2010 between Burdettinators and Ashleys Steelers. Ashley's Steelers hadn't won a game in their career up to this point, and Burdettinators were struggling at 2-3. You couldn't separate the two teams for the entire length of the game, and it went right to the last snap on Monday Night Football, where Ashley's Steelers did just enough to win it, by a margin of just .38 points. It was the first win of their season, and the the teams history.

"Corona Bowl II Rematch" was the first time since Corona Bowl II that Gridiron Gang and Bear Necessities played each other. This was a good game, but was never going to live up to the expectations of the big game. The two were essentially tied for a long period of the game, but Bear Necessities managed to etch out a lead and Gridiron Gang couldn't keep up.

Winner: Got a point?
Reason: This was one of the closest games in LOC history


(39) Wrong end of the stick Vs. (44) Passing is overrated
'Wrong end of the stick' was the 2nd week in a row ADRZ would lose by a margin of just 3 points, this time against Forge Flyers. It was a fairly standard 93-90 game that was close throughout, and ultimately didn't lead to them missing out on playoffs. What really made this game interesting was ADRZ staged a momentous comeback only to just be outplayed at the end.

'Passing is overrated' was a playoff matchup between The Tuckfards and IKNAN. It was a game in which we saw the highest playoff points by a single player in LOC playoff history. The Tuckfards were lead to a victory by a 50 point performance by running back Jamaal Charles, en route to a 160-114 victory.

Winner: Passing is overrated
Reason: Just a better quality game with an absolutely ridiculous point total for a non-QB player


(28) Down to the wire Vs. (21) Chiquitos
'Down to the wire' was an early season match up between ADRZ & The Dream Team in 2012. Both in their sophomore seasons, both looking to improve from the previous year. ADRZ jumped out to a big lead early on, looking like they'd leave The Dream Team in the dust. But the steam train ran out of coal, and The Dream Team not only came back, but won in a narrow 117-115 victory.

'Chiquitos' was just an awesome experience. Week 14 of the 2011 season, Gridiron Gang faced Burdettinators. Both teams had a 6-7 record, and a 7-7 record could be enough to make playoffs if other results fell the right way. It was Coach Stubbs' 18th, and many coaches were at Chiquitos with him. It was a close game throughout, in which Burdettinators held a lead for virtually the entire game. Coach Stubbs was getting teased all game long for this, only to make a Monday Night comeback and win the game 115-109, making the playoffs in the process.

Winner: Chiquitos
Reason: Everything around this game, and the game itself, makes it a real dark horse

(32) Corona Bowl IV Vs. (53) The Underdog
'Corona Bowl IV' is just another game in a long line of great Corona Bowls. It took place between established veteran coach Merritt of The Tuckfards, and a rookie coach only just entering his 10th game. Coach Simpson took the helm of Touchdown Syndrome in Week 7 and guided them to the Corona Bowl. Little did they know they'd end up winning it all 128-97.

'The Underdog' took place in Week 5 between Gridiron Gang and The Dream Team. Both teams were going in opposite directions. Gridiron Gang (coming off two torrid seasons where they combined for a 7-21 record) started the year slow at 1-3. The Dream Team on the other hand looked like a champion through the first 4 weeks, starting undefeated and just dismantling their opponents. That looked like it would continue, as The Dream Team were just piling the points up against Gridiron Gang. But Gridiron Gang were keeping up, and late in the day on Monday night they came up clutch with a 38 point performance with QB R. Wilson.

Winner: The Underdog
Reason: It was a better game, in which everyone thought The Dream Team would crush their opponent. 

Bracketology: Greatest game in LOC history (1st 64, part IV)

(13) Penalty on the play Vs. (51) Father and Son
“Penalty on the play” was a cruel game between GG & IKNAN. It was a close game, 82-81 near the finish, and GG’s kicker kicked a field goal that would have given them the W. But the defence drew a penalty, the kicking team accepted, wiping the kick off the board, and then just knelt the ball to kill the game, resulting in a GG loss.

“Father and Son” is of course another series in the Stubbs Bowl. These games never disappoint, and this was no different in a 126-115 win for BN.

Winner: Penalty on the play
Reason: Good game, good story


(64) Corona Bowl VI Vs. (34) Corona Bowl IV Rematch
“Corona Bowl VI” was a magical game. A tale of 2 seasons between TDT & TTY. TDT held a lead for the whole game, until a last gasp come back was staged on Monday night by TTY. They won by a mere 3 points, making it the closest Corona Bowl in history.

“Corona Bowl IV Rematch” was between TTU & TRQB. TRQB was out to prove they weren’t a one hit wonder, while TTU wanted revenge. Well, revenge was sweet, in a close 111-106 victory for TTU.

Winner: Corona Bowl VI
Reason: Possibly the best title game we’ll ever see


(58) The Ollie and Phil montage Vs. (46) Starting with a bang II
“The Ollie and Phil montage” is another game in a long standing rivalry. There were nearly 300 total points in this game, but TTU dominated the game (like the rivalry), 171-124.

“Starting with a bang II” was opening game of the 2014 season between FF & ADRZ. ADRZ put up a week high 140 points, to FF’s 85.

Winner: The Ollie and Phil montage
Reason: One of the best rivalries in LOC history, and a good game


(62) Defensive battle in the playoffs Vs. (2) The Tie
“Defensive battle in the playoffs” was a playoff game in 2014 between TDT & BN. It was a close one, a 77-75 victory for TDT. There was nothing between them the whole game, TDT took a small late lead, BN tried to rally back but came up just short.

“The Tie” is (and likely will be) the only tie in LOC history, and it happened in the first season. It took place between GG & EFIB, before fractional points existed. It finished 86-86. There have been some close games, but none closer than this.

Winner: The Tie
Reason: Everyone loves a tie...except if you’re involved


(38) Bad Coaching II Vs. (61) It’s not quite 200, but...
“Bad Coaching II” was a rivalry game between BN & ADRZ. It was the 1st of 2 games ADRZ would lose by less than 3 points, 97-94. They’ll be kicking themselves for this one, as they had 104 points on their bench. Yikes.

“It’s not quite 200, but...” was the week following TTY’s incredible 205 point game. They scored 198 in this one. The two highest scoring weeks in history. You have to feel for their opponent TDT, who had a nice 116.

Winner: It’s not quite 200, but....
Reason: If 200 weren’t impressive enough, following up with that? Wow


(37) Relentless Vs. (63) James Milner Bowl I
“Relentless” was a game between B & GG. Why was it named this way? Because B never let up in a 154-71 beat down.

“James Milner Bowl I” is probably the only 2-week long game the LOC will ever see. It is of course, the losers bowl, and took place between FF & JS in 2014. It was actually a really close game too, narrowly won by JS.

Winner: James Milner Bowl I
Reason: This was actually a really entertaining game


(52) Jeff’s Seals first victory Vs. (56) The Miracle II
“Jeff’s Seals first victory” any guesses for what this is in reference to? Correct, a game between B & FF! ...no. It was a tough season, but this was definitely a bright spot for JS. They beat ADRZ in an impressive and tight game, 108-104.

“The Miracle II” was the 1st game in TTY’s momentous 9 game stretch on the way to a title, where they won 8 games. When the chips were down at 2-5, TTY came away with an impressive W against BN 149-103.

Winner: The Miracle II”
Reason: Both were great, but The Miracle II is iconic


(57) The Lowest Score Vs. (59) Catch me if you can
“The Lowest Score” is a dark point in JS’s season. Their opponent BN essentially had a bye week, as JS only scored 24 points, the lowest weekly score in LOC history. What’s amazing about this is Tony Romo (on their bench) scored 27 points. Their starter (Andy Dalton) scored -1.76.

“Catch me if you can” was a 2014 game between ADRZ & B. You should check out B’s point graph in this game, it’s literally just at a 45 degree angle, they never stopped in a 171-101 point fest.

Winner: The Lowest Score
Reason: I mean, 24 points is an achievement considering they were actually trying...