Competitive: The Shakeups before the Showdowns

The final week of the regular season delivered, and the playoff bracket is now locked in for the QUARTER FINALS but the landscape looks very different from when we dropped the first rankings. Back then, the top four were 1. Braves 2. Flag Moi L’Sac 3. MTL MAGIC and 4. Raw Dawgs… and now? Only MTL MAGIC stayed put at third. Every other team in that top tier shifted. The Braves dropped all the way to fourth, Flag Moi climbed to first, and Raw Dawgs surged up to second. It’s the clearest sign yet of just how competitive this division truly is even one or two weeks of slip-ups can reshuffle the entire board.

Meanwhile, the bottom five also came with some surprises. If you had asked me to predict the final standings 5 through 9 earlier in the season, I would have said:
5. KGP 6. PartyCrashers 7. EZW 8. #NR and 9. Sooners45…

Instead, here’s how it actually finished:

5. KGP (5-5)
6. EZW (4-6)
7. PartyCrashers (4-6)
8. #NR (2-8)
9. Sooners45 (0-10)

So in the end, only EZW and PartyCrashers flipped and even that came down to the smallest of margins. Both teams finished 4–6, but EZW finished above PartyCrashers thanks to their Week 5 head-to-head 45-36 win, that ultimately gave them the tiebreaker. That single game turned out to be the difference in seeding. It just goes to show how tight the margins are in this division and a win in June can shape the playoff picture in August.

The Playoff Picture

Quarterfinals:

(1) Flag Moi L’Sac (8-2) vs (8) #NR (2-8)
(2) Raw Dawgs (8-2) vs (7) PartyCrashers (4-6)
(3) MTL MAGIC (8-2) vs (6) EZW (4-6)
(4) Braves (6-4) vs (5) KGP (5-5)

4. Braves (6-4-0)

No team’s drop in the standings was more surprising than the Braves. At the halfway point of the season, they looked like the clear #1. They started 5–0, tearing through the first half of their schedule. Since then, the Braves went 1–4. Their only win during that stretch? A July 8th victory over EZW. Since then, they’ve been stuck. They lost back-to-back heartbreakers to MTL MAGIC by three points, then their regular season finale to Raw Dawgs by a single point — 38–39. Now, heading into their quarterfinal game against KGP on August 5, it’s been nearly a full month since their last win. What makes this all the more shocking is that Jonathan Maheu suited up for every game and played like an MVP: 2,896 yards, 61 touchdowns, just 3 interceptions, a 76.8% completion rate, and a 146.2 QB rating. Statistically, he was elite. But football isn’t just about stats and right now, the Braves are searching for momentum. Their fall from #1 to #4 capped off a wild reshuffling of the top four. Dominance in June doesn’t guarantee anything in August. The Braves are still the most talented team on paper. But paper doesn’t win playoff games.

5. KGP (5-5-0)

This feels like the one prediction nailed. KGP lands exactly where I expected, and it’s the right spot. They weren’t dominant, but they stayed in the mix all season and earned their shot. Phil Cutler did what he does — threw for 2,333 yards and 40 TDs — while Rory Semerjian and Jaylan Greaves proved to be one of the most consistent WR duos in the division. And then there’s the defense: Ethan Adrian’s division-leading 11 sacks and Bakari Barrett’s ridiculous 10 interceptions make this one of the most disruptive units around. They now draw the Braves in the quarterfinals — not an easy matchup, but also not an impossible one. If there’s any team built to pull an upset with a few well timed turnovers, it’s KGP.

6. EZW (4-6-0)

This is a team that made the switch to 5v5 after playing a bunch of seasons in 6v6, and honestly, the hardest part has probably been adjusting to a whole new playbook. Few teams have used the four-downs to get 10 yards system better than them. One thing they do really well is flooding one side of the field. Jeremy White loves rolling out, and when he does, he’s got the option to hit a short, intermediate, or deep route or just use his legs to buy time. In 5v5 Competitive, where you lose a player on both sides, the field is smaller and the QB can’t run, it becomes a bit harder to pull off. What makes it work is their balance. Jean-Christophe Ferland is the big-play guy with 595 yards and 11 touchdowns. Including Etienne Laurence-Gervais, Alexandre Barros, Nathan Desjardins, and Samuel Emilio Pelchat, it’s not just one star—it’s five legit weapons. They’ve got a tough quarterfinal matchup with MTL MAGIC, and forcing Daniel Lazzara into mistakes is no easy task. I’m also curious to see what they do next season. Do they stick with 5v5 now or do they go back to the 6v6 world they know so well?

7. PartyCrashers (4-6-0)

I thought they’d be 6th. They end up at 7 — not far off, but still a little disappointing. The offense looked decent at times, especially with Frédéric Dupuis under center (20 TDs in 5 games), but consistency was an issue. Mendel Joseph remains the team’s heartbeat — big catches, big plays, and one of the most reliable two-way players. Francois Hogue also gave them a legit pass rush presence with 9 sacks. They’ve got Raw Dawgs in the first round. And if they want a chance, they’ll need to win the turnover battle and play their cleanest game of the season.

8. #NR (2-8-0)

This was the right prediction but that doesn’t make their playoff qualification any less surprising. Only two wins, but they got in. And sometimes, that’s all you need. Myles Gibbon was inconsistent this season (50% comp, 16 TDs, 10 INTs), but he’s got a live arm and decent mobility. Julian McLaren-Thompson, Kenny Baye, and Sanders Armand give them just enough firepower to keep games close. The problem? They’re running into Flag Moi L’Sac in the quarterfinals. Pulling an upset would be all-time Cinderella territory. But hey we’ve seen stranger things.

9. Sooners45 (0-10-0)

No sugarcoating it this was a rough season. Zero wins, a division-worst -284 point differential, but credit where it’s due: they showed up every single week and gave it what they had. That counts for something. I respect the confidence it takes to sign up for the top division and want to compete against the best, but truthfully, they would’ve been a much better fit in 5v5 Intermediate. That’s where they could’ve started building something, getting reps, and figuring out their identity. Instead, it felt like they were always climbing uphill, and the season kind of slipped away from them before it even got started. Still, they’re a good group of guys, and I really do hope to see them back next season just in a division that actually gives them a chance to grow and compete. There’s no shame in taking a step back to take a leap forward. If this season fuels the rebuild, maybe it was worth it.