November 17, 2022
We are headed into the final week of the Fall 2022 season, and this particular Week 10 is one of the most consequential in league history based on the upcoming matchups we have on deck for this Sunday! The top six teams after this week will go to the A Division playoffs, with the top two teams getting a bye through the first round. The remainder will fall into B Division, where the bottom four will play off the week following the end of the season to join the remaining six teams in the main B Division bracket. We’ve got the full breakdown of the playoff picture here for the ultimate week of the season, split into tiers based on the placement in the standings:
Hungry Hungry Flippos (HHF): The Hungry Tiger team clinched first place this past week with their tiebreaker win over Clinton Street Pub FC, and now head out on the road this week to Sundown Pub to take on Tilter Skilter with an opportunity to make history as the first team in PinballPDX history to complete a perfect season.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round Bye:
Wink Wink Nudge Nudge (WNK): This team is thus far having the best season of its existence, already having more wins than any other season and only two points short of their all-time high in points achieved in the Fall 2019 season with one match still left to go. They are one of only two teams that have a shot at clinching the other first round bye in A Division, the other team being their Week 10 opponents – They will be heading to C Bar to take on The Gladstoners to close out the season, and the winner will clinch the first round bye. If Wink Wink Nudge Nudge loses they will almost certainly keep home field in the first round because of their massive points advantage over the remaining A Division teams, but in a very extreme circumstance could be sent on the road in the first round.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round Bye:
A Division First Round, Home Field Advantage:
A Division First Round, Away
The Gladstoners (GLD): The Fall 2021 league champions are, as mentioned before, hosting Wink Wink Nudge Nudge in the battle for the other A Division first round bye. However, unlike Wink Wink Nudge Nudge, The Gladstoners potentially have a lot more to lose with a loss this week than their opponents. A stinging loss paired with a Tilter Skilter victory and a blowout win in the Ship Show/GKO match would send The Gladstoners on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round Bye:
A Division First Round, Home Field Advantage:
A Division First Round, Away
Tilter Skilter (TSK): The high-powered team from Sundown Pub, unlike the other members of this tier, has already clinched their berth in the A Division bracket. They are, however, playing for home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs, and the 9-0 Hungry Hungry Flippers are standing in their way. A win, barring an 8-8 outcome in their match and a 16-0 sweep by GKO, will keep them at home in two weeks; a loss will send them out on the road in the first round.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Home Field Advantage:
A Division First Round, Away
The Ship Show (SHP): One of the two matches this week that will truly shape the makeup of A Division and by far the one with the highest stakes will take place at Ground Kontrol, as GKO and The Ship Show will play off for control of their A Division playoff spot. The winner will be guaranteed a playoff spot, the loser will need help from Dead Ass Deviants and possibly The Party Zone to keep their playoff hopes alive. A win for either team, combined with a Tilter Skilter loss, could even lock up home field in the first round.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Home Field Advantage:
A Division First Round, Away
B Division, Main Bracket
GKO (GKO): As with their opponents, GKO faces a potential do-or-die outcome this week versus Ship Ahoy. GKO is at home and is sporting a 3-1 record at Ground Kontrol this season, but The Ship Show is 6-1 in their last seven after dropping the first two matches of the season. GKO has one less point than The Ship Show but holds the points tiebreaker over Tilter Skilter, so their odds of landing home field in the first round are even with their opponents.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Home Field Advantage:
A Division First Round, Away
B Division, Main Bracket
Clinton Street Pub FC (CSP): CSPFC is currently sitting in the unique position of being outside the top six going into this week’s matches yet still controlling their A Division destiny – Either The Ship Show or GKO will have a matching record with CSPFC after this week if CSPFC is victorious versus Dead Ass Deviants and CSPFC will be guaranteed the points advantage over the other team with a victory, leading to a clinched A Division playoff spot. A loss, however, will send the three-time league champions down to their first B Division berth in their team’s history.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Away
B Division, Main Bracket
Quarter Hoarders (QHD): In their first season, the Quarter Hoarders have brought Quarterworld Arcade back into the fold for the first time since the shortened 2020 season and are potentially on track to tie the Quarter Rollers’ all-time Quarterworld team win mark of six wins (with the obvious caveat that in that shortened 2020 season the Quarter Rollers were sitting in first place with a record of 5-0) with a win this week against The Party Zone. They could, given the right turn of events, become the second team in Quarterworld history to secure an A Division playoff spot – but they’d need a LOT of help to do it. They would have to win in a blowout this week, and need a CSPFC loss in conjunction with a blowout loss in the Ship Show/GKO match. Regardless, they can fall no further than the three seed in the B Division bracket with a loss and could potentially secure the top spot in B if things go their way.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Away
B Division, Main Bracket
The Party Zone (TPZ): The Party Zone, for all their troubles surrounding the sudden closure of their home venue at the beginning of the season, have kept themselves in contention with some key wins over some very strong teams throughout the season. They face their previously-mentioned neighbors in the standings at home this week with a match that could propel the Quarter Hoarders to an A Division spot with the right amount of luck…or The Party Zone themselves with an even larger stretch of luck. The Party Zone will require even more help than the Quarter Hoarders given their deficit in points, but the possibility still remains that they could take the final A Division spot this week. They face the same stakes in terms of a B Division spot as their opponents, where they no matter what will play at home in the first round of the B Division finals should they lose.
Playoff Scenarios:
A Division First Round, Away
B Division, Main Bracket
Bad Kats (BKT): The two-time reigning B Division champions find themselves not only competing with their opponents this week for the remaining first round home field advantage seed, they are also fighting the winner of a second match of nearby competing teams in the standings. Bad Kats will host Gonkey Kong this week where Slingshot Through The Heart are heading to Beer to take on Blackbird, and one team will walk out of their match with home field in two weeks. Bad Kats, if going off points alone, are the favorites to take the prize this week given they only need to win to clinch the spot. A loss will open the door for two of the other three teams to leapfrog them, but the odds of them falling to the play-in bracket are near nil.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Home Field Advantage
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Gonkey Kong (GKG): If Gonkey Kong hands Bad Kats a loss this week, they move up to the front of the line for the last home field spot in the B bracket given their two point advantage over Blackbird and Slingshot Through The Heart. It’s a pretty thin advantage, however, especially considering both Blackbird and STTH hold the points tiebreaker over Gonkey Kong. They also run the risk of falling farther in the Play-in Bracket if they lose and either Dead Ass Deviants or Belmont Ping Pong Team can pull out a significant enough win in their matches.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Home Field Advantage
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Blackbird (BLK): The two-time B Division championship runner-ups are hosting Slingshot Through The Heart at home in the other consequential match for the last B Division home field spot, but the winner of this match will need help from Gonkey Kong in order to secure it. They also face the same fate as Gonkey Kong if they lose, where they could potentially be leapfrogged by one of the 2-7 teams and sent to the Play-in Bracket.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Home Field Advantage
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Slingshot Through The Heart (SLI): STTH currently sits at the bottom of this tier in the standings, but they boast a 3-1 record on the road so far this season and are looking to pad that even further at their aforementioned match at Beer against Blackbird. They still pose an outside threat to claim the last home field advantage seed, though they may consider taking the away match in two weeks as an advantage gien their track record this season.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Home Field Advantage
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Dead Ass Deviants (DAD): One of four teams making their debut this year, DAD have thus far notched two wins under their belt. However, if they can pull off a third win at Clinton Street Pub against CSPFC, they could vault themselves out of the Play-in bracket and give themselves a one-week cushion in the B Division bracket. A loss could send them on the road after next week, depending on how Belmont Ping Pong Team fares in their match against Quarter Life Crisis.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Belmont Ping Pong Team (BPP): Finally reaching the last match of the week, BPPT will head to Montavilla Saloon to face Quarter Life Crisis. Like DAD, they could propel themselves out of the Play-in bracket with a win and some help in the BKT/GKG and SLI/BLK matches.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Main Bracket, Away
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Quarter Life Crisis (QLC): Montavilla Saloon’s first team are angling for their first win of the season against their sole neighbor in the standings, and with a win will spoil Belmont Ping Pong Team’s chances at breaking out of the play-in bracket. Unfortunately for QLC, a win will not change their position as they are locked into a Play-in bracket road match.
Playoff Scenarios:
B Division, Play-in Bracket
Clinched