by Alana Klein

In addition to contributing to our weekly consensus, I like to provide a brief rationale of why I voted the way that I did.

1. Nashville Kats – (8-1) ↔
   • With the #1 offense in the league and the #2 defense, they could be unstoppable if Kaplan keeps playing at the level he was at on Saturday.
     
2. Albany Firebirds – (8-2) ↔
   • The offense was clicking again and the defense made some nice stops. If they can clean up special teams, they can take it to the next level.
     
3. Minnesota Monsters – (5-4) ↔
   • 4 losses, but against Nashville (twice), Albany, & a Michigan team that’s sub-.500 but has caught fire recently.
     
4. Kentucky Barrels – (7-3) ↔
   • Have they been over-hyped all year? Only good win on their schedule is the “double lateral” (and yes, I realize it was vs. Nashville).
     
5. Michigan Arsenal – (4-6) ↔
   • One of the biggest contributors to the league not making any sense this year.
     
6. Washington Wolfpack – (5-4) ↔
   • Beating Kentucky (minus their kicker) still leaves me with questions. They can play themselves into the bracket with a W this weekend.
     
7. Beaumont Renegades – (3-5) ↔
   • Believe it or not, still could hypothetically get a 3-seed.
     
8. Oceanside Bombers – (1-9) ↔
   • Officially eliminated. A scrappy bunch but couldn’t piece it together to get the Ws. 

• Oregon Lightning – (1-8)
  • Deserves a shout-out because their commitment to the community appears to still be strong despite having to wrap up their season earlier than expected.

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Playoff projection

1. Nashville
2. Albany
3. Minnesota
4. Kentucky
5. Washington
6. Michigan