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Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, we’re on to Week 3. Week 3 is the magical time in every TSL season where things really start to get good. It’s where the rust has fallen off, most teams have played multiple games already, (except for the Two Tuddies, who apparently are still in hiding after last season’s ‘We should be in D3’ debacle and haven’t played a game since. Word is that Chris is still wearing shirts to stay off the radar. They’re allegedly showing up this Saturday.), and after this week, we’ll be starting to see exactly who these teams are going to be for the rest of the season.  

That isn’t to say that the first two weeks haven’t been good. Just under half of the games (21 of the 45 played) in the TSL Fall 2026 season have been decided by “one score”, which for us means within 10 points (8 for a Gender TD + 2 point conversion). 17 of those 21 games were within six points. 9 of those games were decided by a conversion (1 or 2 points) or ties. So far you have had a 1 in 5 chance to see a classic. That’s a lot of exciting action for those two weeks, including last week that saw Practice Squad return to the TSL with a win over Vice, Frodo tied the Freeballers on the last play of the game, Bullet Club beat PWI on the last play of the game, Mike’s Detailing beat Cobblestone by 1, Pit Harade beat CFB on the last play of the game, and Balls Deep slid by the Powerpuff Girls by a point as well. 

I think it’s safe to say that things have been their usual chaos already, and it’s only going to get better now as teams settle in more and more. The six TSL divisions all look to have multiple potential champions (except for maybe Grey Hair running away with D3, but I can’t imagine the other teams won’t have something to say about it), D1 has six teams that can win it and The Malones (who are without their QB, so it might be a lost season for them). D2 only has one undefeated team left already (Bullet Club), but any of these teams can win the whole thing and I wouldn’t be surprised. D4 is looking at an early 5 team race but teams 6 and 7? Powerpuff and Balls Deep. We don’t know what the Tuddies will be, Skeleton Crew only lost by 3, and Golfing can easily turn things around. In D5, every team already has a loss which is a good indicator of an even division. Wet Bandits and Room 40 haven’t hit the win column yet, but they’re going to. In D6, everyone has a win except for the brand new BnC who only played once in Week 1 so far, and SBG but that’s normal. 

I can’t remember a time recently when every division seemed this even. The fun part from here is watching it all play out. There are going to be teams that separate themselves from the pack as favorites, and others that end up falling behind the rest of the division. And of course there will be some that look great on paper but they ended up getting lucky as the season played on (being on the right side of a ref call, playing a good team the week they’re missing a top player, weather related things, etc) while there will be teams that end up with a bad record that could’ve easily been a 2 loss team during the season that will pull off the playoff “upset”. 

The only question left is: which one are you? 

 

You have six weeks to figure that out. 

D1

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

EYES DOWNTOWN 29, FRODO SWAGGINS 24
STICKY BANDITS 41, THE MALONES 18
FREEBALLERS 37, FRODO SWAGGINS 37 (TIE)
LEGENDS 47, CAN'T TOUCH THIS 43

Eyes Downtown survived a feisty Frodo squad to stay a perfect 2-0, and Sticky quietly did the same, dismantling the Malones to sit atop the division alongside them without anyone paying them much mind. Just how they like it. But the two headliners? First, the Legends woke up and reminded everyone why you never bury them, edging Can't Touch This in a classic to drop CTT to 0-2, which is simply misleading about how good that team actually is. And then there's the Freeballers, who couldn't quite finish the job against Frodo, settling for a 37-37 tie that keeps them unbeaten but leaves you wanting a little more after the Week 1 fireworks. Which team are they?  Frodo, for their part, might be the most dangerous 0-1-1 team you'll ever see, considering they went toe to toe with ED and the Freeballers and are two plays away from being 2-0.

 

 

 STICKY BANDITS VS EYES DOWNTOWN (+2) - Somehow Sticky comes into the game favored, which feels like a slap in the face to the champs. A battle of the two 2-0 teams in D1 where the winner will be in the driver’s seat for the all important playoff bye week. Both teams have survived some good opponents so far, but right now it’s hard to pick against ED. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 3

CAN'T TOUCH THIS VS THE MALONES (+10) - This meeting of former D2 foes might have lost its luster a little bit, but if CTT thinks they can sleep on The Malones and finally get that first win in D1 just because they looked good against Sticky and the Legends, they have another thing coming. If CTT doesn’t bring the usual fire they’ve had, they could let this game slip. I expect them to already know that though. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 14

FREEBALLERS VS LEGENDS (+8) - On the one hand, The Freeballers looked unbeatable Week 1. On the other hand, it was against a weaker version of The Malones. Then they tied a very good Frodo team. Perhaps the brakes need to be pumped. If the Freeballers are actually ascending into D1 title contender status, this is the game where they get to prove it. Unfortunately for them, the Legends tend to get up for games where upstarts think they’re going to make a name for themselves. LEGENDS BY 9

FREEBALLERS VS FRODO SWAGGINS (+3) - And just like that we get a rematch of the tie from last week. Freeballers end up on the second half of a double header, while Frodo remains focused on fixing the mistakes that cost them a win against the Freeballers a week ago. FRODO SWAGGINS BY 2

 

D2

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

BULLET CLUB 33, PWI 32
D-GENERATION X Y AND Z 44, LET'S GET RECCKED 28
BQI 34, THE SYSTEM 16

I didn’t have Bullet Club to be D2’s last remaining undefeated team, but they’ve earned it on both sides of the ball.  They knocked off PWI 33-32 to move to 2-0 with an exciting win on the last play. BQI shook off the 0-2 start and throttled The System 34-16, reminding everyone who they are. And DXYZ quietly handled LGR to remind us they aren't going anywhere. D2 will remain a slugfest from here on out. 

 

BULLET CLUB VS THE SYSTEM (+1) - Bullet Club and The System (ILF/ISH) have had some battles in the past and this game should be no different. These teams match up pretty well, which usually means something crazy should happen. Coin flip game. THE SYSTEM BY 3

BULLET CLUB VS D-GENERATION X Y AND Z (+6) - These two teams know each other pretty well, but BC has been operating a slightly higher level. Should be a fun chess match between two longtime rivals. BULLET CLUB BY 4

 
BQI VS LET'S GET RECCKED (+11) - Let’s Get Reccked isn’t exactly having the season they anticipated when they jumped up to D2, and while winning cures all, the feel good wins are going to be very tough to come by here. BQI settled down after a rocky Week 1, and showed everyone just why they’re division favorites. Both trends should continue. BQI BY 12

 

D3

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

PRACTICE SQUAD 34, BUFFALO VICE 33
MIKE'S DETAILING 21, COBBLESTONE 20

Two games, two 1 point battles. Welcome to D3, where nothing is ever easy and everything comes down to the last possession. Practice Squad's crotchety rocket-armed QB found a way to edge Buffalo Vice 34-33, getting the Squad to a good start to the year. And Cobblestone showed up and didn’t forfeit, sort of, before falling to Mike's Detailing by a single point, 21-20. 

 

MIKE'S DETAILING VS BUFFALO VICE (+5) - A really nice “measuring stick” game for both teams, as both of them find themselves a little “middle of the pack-y” in D3 for now. Both have ‘wins’ over Cobblestone, so both teams would very much like to put a win on the board that means a little more. BUFFALO VICE BY 2

PRACTICE SQUAD VS CUNNING STUNTS (+2) - Practice Squad has struggled with the ladies in the past, but B’s new additions always seem to come to play each year. Don’t forget that PS has changed a little bit in the last few seasons and they’re still dialing it in somewhat. The Stunts are the Stunts, they’re incredibly talented, and if you don’t bring your A-game against the girls, you’re in trouble. CUNNING STUNTS BY 8

 
GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS PRACTICE SQUAD (+10) - B was on the the TSL podcast this week, and I heard him get fired up about Grey Hair being crowned D3 champions already. They’re very, very good. That isn’t up for debate. Getting a fired up B is almost as good as “Playoff B” though. This game will be good. However…GREY HAIR DON’T CARE BY 7

COBBLESTONE VS CUNNING STUNTS (+1) - I don’t know who Cobblestone will bring this week. I do know who the Stunts will bring this week. CUNNING STUNTS BY 10

 

D4

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

COOCHIE MONSTERS 33, BLUE BALLERS 20
NOT SO STICKY 29, BALLS DEEP 12
BALLS DEEP 26, POWERPUFF GIRLS 25

Chaos reigns in D4. The Blue Ballers' little streak came to an end as the Coochie Monsters looked good to go this season, and won 33-20. Not So Sticky moved to 2-0 after taking out Balls Deep. Balls Deep then decided to turn around and take out the PPGs to go 1-1 on the day and they can breathe a little easier now. 

 

COOCHIE MONSTERS VS BALLS DEEP (+7) - The Coochies came in and dismantled the Blue Ballers in a way not too many teams have before, which has to put the division on notice. Up next for them are the defending champs, and you know they want to show up big for this one too. Balls Deep improved a little last week, but I’m not sure it’s enough. If they want to prove their title wasn’t a fluke last season, here’s their chance. COOCHIE MONSTERS BY 2

SKELETON CREW VS I'D RATHER BE GOLFING (+1) - Two teams finding their way in the division meet up early in the season to get on track. Both teams had a week off last week, so they should be refreshed as they head into battle this Saturday. SKELETON CREW BY 8

GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS VS TWO TUDDIES (+6) - The GVTT have all of one game under their belts this year, while we’ll be seeing the Tud Buds for the first time. This game has all the makings of a classic, and while the Tuddies dropped a division, that doesn’t make them not dangerous. The Tuddies show up, and they add another team into the D4 title conversation. TWO TUDDIES BY 9

NOT SO STICKY VS POWERPUFF GIRLS (+6) - Not So Sticky seems to have the right mix of players and vibes this season, and historically when they nail that, they’re very hard to beat. Enter a PPG team that is very hard to beat on their own, but right now their vibes are slightly off. Perhaps this is the game that fixes it? I don’t think so. NOT SO STICKY BY 4

BLUE BALLERS VS FLYING BALLS (+7) - More and more Balls in this division as the Flying ones take on the Blue ones. The Blue Ballers were handed a loss last week, which is the worst thing to happen for the Flying Balls. It caused the Blue Ballers to refocus and now the Flying Balls can’t catch them sleeping. And maybe they’d rather have it that way. They’re 1-0 after an impressive Week 1 win, and they have a bit of momentum of their own. Having that week off already gives me pause though. BLUE BALLERS BY 6

 

D5

LAST WEEK'S GAMES

BLITZKRIEG 43, ROOM 40 26
BLITZKRIEG 15, TMA 12
TMA 22, VICTORIOUS SECRET 17
PIT HARADE 36, COME FROM BEHIND 34
VICTORIOUS SECRET 27, 716ERS 23

Blitzkrieg answered any doubters last week by going 2-0 against Room 40 and TMA thanks to the return of Light Red Hoodie Guy. LRHG was the most “texted to me Saturday by so many people” thing that happened last week.  TMA rebounded from that loss to snag a win from Victorious Secret, who then bounced back to beat the 716ers. And Pit Harade landed a nice 36-34 win over CFB to get them on the board this season.

 

716ERS VS PIT HARADE (+12) - The 716ers followed up their nice win over Blitzkrieg with a loss to Victorious Secret last week. In other words, they’re still figuring out exactly who they are. If they’re going to be contenders, they should take care of business against Pit Harade. Conversely, if Pit Harade is to ascend to contender status in D5 this season, this is a good starting point. 716ERS BY 8

TMA VS WET BANDITS (+14) - The Wet Bandits have a tough doubleheader this week, and they kick it off against a TMA team that looks right at home here in D5. TMA has played a pretty tough schedule early on, already getting in their games against Secret and Blitzkrieg. Hanging out 2-1 atop the standings with those two teams is right where they expected to be. The Wet Bandits got better as the season went along last spring, but seeing improvements this year might be difficult, as the schedule did them no favors this week. TMA BY 17

VICTORIOUS SECRET VS WET BANDITS (+15) - The same as above, but now the Wet Bandits get the added bonus of playing against a highly talented gender team. VICTORIOUS SECRET BY 20

COME FROM BEHIND VS ROOM 40 (+10) - Come From Behind took a narrow loss from Pit Harade last week, but there’s currently no better way to fix what ails you in D5 than a game against Room 40. Room 40 is getting better results overall this season, it’s just not showing on the scoreboard just yet. Their time will come, it just might take a little longer. COME FROM BEHIND BY 7

 

D6

RAW MILKERS 39, CAT-TASTROPHE 22

RAW MILKERS 43, SBG 28

STICKY LACES 32, SBG 24

SELECT 48, BENGAY BANDITS 0 

The Raw Milkers immediately staked their claim to “most improved for Fall 2026”,  going 2-0 on the day and taking sole possession of first place D6 after taking out the Trophes and SBG. SBG would drop to 0-2 on the season following a close loss to the Sticky Laces, who got themselves the first win of the young season.  Meanwhile, both Select and the Bengay Bandits gave their fans whiplash, As the Bandits followed up a huge Week 1 win with a crushing Week 2 defeat. Select, meanwhile could do no wrong this week, and is it a sign of things to come? 

 

 SBG VS BLITZED AND CONFUSED (+1) - One of these teams have to get in the win column, right? I suppose they could tie, but as of right now SBG looked much improved from a season ago, and put up some points last week. They’re trending in the right direction. SBG BY 3

BENGAY BANDITS VS CAT-TASTROPHE (+1) - I have no idea what is going on here. The BBs gave us two completely opposite results so far. The Trophes are a bit more consistent so far in this battle of new squads, so I’ll go with them. CAT-TASTROPHE BY 1

SELECT VS STICKY LACES (+8) - These two teams have played each other for a couple of seasons. As of now, Select looks to be improving on both sides of the ball and they’re looking very contender-y. They’re the hotter team. SELECT BY 13

 

TSC VS THE GODFATHER

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

The Godfather: 14-6-1 SU, 11-10 ATS
The TSC: 11-9-1 SU, 8-13 ATS

SEASON:

The Godfather: 31-11-1 SU, 26-16-1 ATS
The TSC: 24-18-1 SU, 19-23-1 ATS

 

THE TSC'S WEEK 3 PICKS:

D1
STICKY BANDITS VS EYES DOWNTOWN (+2) -- EYES DOWNTOWN BY 1
CAN'T TOUCH THIS VS THE MALONES (+10) -- CAN'T TOUCH THIS BY 14
FREEBALLERS VS LEGENDS (+8) -- FREEBALLERS BY 3
FREEBALLERS VS FRODO SWAGGINS (+3) -- FRODO SWAGGINS BY 1

D2
BULLET CLUB VS THE SYSTEM (+1) -- THE SYSTEM BY 2
BULLET CLUB VS D-GENERATION X Y AND Z (+6) -- BULLET CLUB BY 3
BQI VS LET'S GET RECCKED (+11) -- BQI BY 15

D3
MIKE'S DETAILING VS BUFFALO VICE (+5) -- BUFFALO VICE BY 2
PRACTICE SQUAD VS CUNNING STUNTS (+2) -- PRACTICE SQUAD BY 4
GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS PRACTICE SQUAD (+10) -- GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE BY 6
COBBLESTONE VS CUNNING STUNTS (+1) -- CUNNING STUNTS BY 3

D4
COOCHIE MONSTERS VS BALLS DEEP (+7) -- COOCHIE MONSTERS BY 8
SKELETON CREW VS I'D RATHER BE GOLFING (+1) -- I'D RATHER BE GOLFING BY 2
GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS VS TWO TUDDIES (+6) -- GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS BY 8
NOT SO STICKY VS POWERPUFF GIRLS (+6) -- POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 1
BLUE BALLERS VS FLYING BALLS (+7) -- BLUE BALLERS BY 10

D5
716ERS VS PIT HARADE (+12) -- 716ERS BY 7
TMA VS WET BANDITS (+14) -- TMA BY 17
VICTORIOUS SECRET VS WET BANDITS (+15) -- VICTORIOUS SECRET BY 20
COME FROM BEHIND VS ROOM 40 (+10) -- COME FROM BEHIND BY 6

D6
SBG VS BLITZED AND CONFUSED (+1) -- BLITZED AND CONFUSED BY 3
BENGAY BANDITS VS CAT-TASTROPHE (+1) -- CAT-TASTROPHE BY 2
SELECT VS STICKY LACES (+8) -- SELECT BY 4

 

 

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY

 

 

• Can't Touch This is 0-2 but scored 86 points in two one-possession losses. Is this the week the standings finally start telling the truth about them, or does the brutal D1 schedule keep punishing them? The schedule won’t punish them this week, as they get this current version of The Malones. They should win this game, and the TSL should take notice that they’re for real. 

 

 

 

• The Blue Ballers lost for the first time in what feels like forever. Was the Coochie Monsters upset a fluke, or is the back-to-back-to-back dream actually in trouble? Can it be neither? Because it’s neither. The Coochie Monsters are very good, and they’re going to be in the title hunt until the very end. They’ll be playing on Halloween. But so will the Blue Ballers. I think we may have just had a Championship preview in D4. 

 

 

 

• The Bengay Bandits went from a 39-point win to a 48-point shutout loss in a week. Which version is the real team? Somewhere in the middle, leaning towards the former. (That means the first one.) You don’t just waltz through a team without being slightly good at football, and I wonder if Select just presents a very bad matchup for a new team?

 

 

 

• The Raw Milkers took sole possession of first in D6. Is this finally the breakout season everyone's been waiting on? It sure feels like it, right? The Raw Milkers have been a middle of the road team that’s pulled off some upsets for their entire existence, they just haven’t been able to keep it up over a full season. It seems like they’re about to. Finally. 

 

 

 

• Which currently undefeated team will be the LAST to lose? With every division seeming so close, I think the answer I’m going with is Grey Hair - Don’t Care in D3. They just feel like they have the best chance to do it. I do, however, feel like no team will go undefeated this season. 

 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY 

 

 

• You might see a little bit of rain later in the day, but it’s still looking like a nice, 80 degree football weather day. Enjoy it while it lasts. 

 

 

 

• Breakfast Club Predictions: 

• D’s Nutz 40, Missydemeanor 30

• Megoonsta’s 27, Meagan It Happen 24

• Carly-fornia Dreaming 30, Steph Infection 29

 

 

 

• GAMES OF THE DAY:

• 10:00 - Eyes Downtown vs Sticky Bandits

• 11:00 - Great Value Tater Thots vs Two Tuddies

• 12:00 - Bullet Club vs The System

• 1:00 - Cunning Stunts vs Practice Squad

• 2:00 - Blue Ballers vs Flying Balls

• 3:00 - BQI vs Let’s Get Reccked

 

 

 

• Frodo Swaggins had a great starting week last weekend, even without getting a win. They hung with two very good teams and had a chance to beat them both. They’re only going to get better. 

 

 

 

• DXYZ is getting forgotten in D2 and they shouldn’t be. 

 

 

 

• I heard there was an incident with a TSLer last weekend, and it was good to hear how many of our league members sprung to action to help their peer out in a time of need. There’s a reason why the TSL is the best. 

 

 

 

• If you’re reading this article, you’re on the TSL website. From there you can find multiple other articles and the weekly TSL podcast! Jeff has entertainment for you every single day of the week! Way better than Topper. 

 

 

 

• If you’d like to be on the podcast, just reach out to Jeff Krol, Joe K, Dorene, Tino, or someone that looks like they’re important and they’ll get you on to talk about your team! 

 

 

 

• If you have anything you’d like to say to me about your team that you think I have wrong or I’m an idiot for what I say, OR that you have a teammate who deserves a proper shoutout, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. today! 

 

 

 

• Can someone please make sure Garrett doesn’t lock himself in his garage again this week? He has a dart tournament to run at 4:00. Blind Draw. Be there. 

 

 

-GF OUT

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