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Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe, the time has arrived. On Saturday, October 31st, in the Year of Our Lord 2026, on All Hallows’ Eve of all days, the 26 TSL franchises that were lucky enough to survive Playoff Saturday last weekend are on the doorstep to the most important prize in the world:

 

Social Co-Ed Touch Football Immortality. 

 

The reason why you play the games. The whole enchilada is right there for the taking. The path is not an easy one. To achieve immortality you’ll have to defeat not one, but TWO division foes (Unless you’re in the Breakfast Club Championship that is) who want nothing more than to pound your face into the dirt and walk over your body to achieve the same goal you’re fighting for. It’s a grueling test for any team, regardless of who they have to play. Making sure that for two games, back to back, you minimize the mistakes that can cost you a victory. Making sure every pass is put where it needs to be. Calling the right plays and making sure all 6 players on the field do the right thing. Not getting caught in a defensive mismatch for the opposing offense to exploit. Keeping your cool with your team, the other team, and/or the refs when they make a mistake. 

 

An inability to keep all of these factors (and more!) in line over the course of two intense games is the difference between immortality, and remaining a boring, run of the mill mortal. 

 

Playoff Saturday brought us its usual twists and turns, as only the “Must See Sporting Event” of the year really can. But it also gave us something unusual. Chalk. Very rarely, albeit not impossible, do we see a Playoff Saturday where just about all of the top seeds won their games. However, that’s just what we got last week as D1, D2, D5, and D6 all have their top 4 seeds remaining. D3 had one upset, with #5 Buffalo Vice knocking off #4 Practice Squad in what was a killer battle that came down to the last play. D4 had a pair of upsets as well, with #10 I’d Rather Be Golfing knocking off the #7 Skeleton Crew in the first round, and the #5 PowerPuff Girls knocking off #4 Flying Balls in the second round. 

 

3 “upsets”. And you can’t even really consider a 5 seed beating a 4 seed that much of an upset. A 10 seed beating a 7 seed isn’t much of one either. For a weekend that historically gives us a lot of exciting surprises, perhaps the biggest surprise was the lack of them. 

 

That isn’t to say there weren’t exciting games played. The Freeballers ended up going for a game winning two point conversion against the Sticky Bandits and didnt get it, falling to them 23-22. Victorious Secret struggled to hold off a very rowdy Room 40, barely getting past them 35-32. Darryl brought a team, which that alone was exciting. 

 

The chances of Championship Saturday going “chalk” are very low. Every TSL playoffs end having a bit of chaos, which can only mean that we’re due for more than usual this weekend. And when you add in the fact that the games are going to be played on Halloween, the potential for Saturday to be a House of Horrors for your team goes up exponentially. 

 

Good luck out there TSLers, you’ve earned it. 

D1

The Sticky Bandits survived the Freeballers, Can’t Touch This and The Malones played a very close game that saw CTT come out on top, and Eyes Downtown handled Frodo pretty easily. 

GF: The Legends come off of a bye week, ready to take on Can’t Touch This. CTT hung with them early on in the season, but when the bye week was on the line in Week 8, the Legends doubled them up 44-22. The Legends have been playing like the best team in the league as of late, and even though CTT had a really good season, it ends here. LEGENDS BY 10

 

THE TSC: The Machine respects a 7-1 season. Legends carry the best merit in the division, +14.2. Can’t Touch This earned the hardest schedule in D1 and a 4-4 record to show for it. Their defense surrenders 41 a game. Legends have beaten better teams while half-asleep. The line is nine. The gap is wider. LEGENDS BY 12. 

GF: Eyes Downtown has a date with the Legends to prove their championship last season wasn’t a fluke of any sort. In order to do that, they’ll have to make sure that they don’t look past the Sticky Bandits, who are overdue for a championship run at this point. Sticky beat Eyes earlier this season, and in D1 it feels pretty hard to beat the same team more than once nowadays. The talent on both teams is immense. I’d give the female advantage to Sticky, but the Eyes Downtown males are better than the ones on Sticky. It all comes down to QB, and while Mike Thomas has been very, very good for very, very long but Bobby McConnell edges him out. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 5

 

THE TSC: The Machine has a soft spot for Eyes Downtown. It will deny this. Eyes allow 22.9 points a game — nobody in D1 is stingier. Sticky Bandits score the most, 43.4, and that is the trap. Points are loud. Stops are quiet. The Machine trusts quiet. Eyes are also the hotter hand, HEAT +11.1. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 5. 

THE FINALS

 

GF: Legends vs Eyes Downtown, just the way we drew it up. A fantastic rivalry, and even if the threat of going chalk feels boring, this game is anything but. The best two teams take each other on when it matters the most. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 1

 

THE TSC: The final everyone sketched in Week 1. Merit says Legends, comfortably. HEAT says coin flip — Eyes a hair warmer. The heart wants Eyes Downtown. The processor signs the checks, and the processor says Legends. Narrowly. Nervously. But it says Legends. CHAMPION: LEGENDS BY 4. 

D2

Let’s Get Reccked was able to put The System down, ending their brutal season while Bullet Club was able to outlast D-Generation X Y and Z. 

GF: PWI has been on an absolute tear for the second half of the season, seemingly scoring at will, including dropping 79 points on Bullet Club a few weeks ago. No idea which Bullet Club will show up this week: the 4-0 version that started the season, or the 0-4 version that ended it. PWI BY 4

 

THE TSC: PWI runs the hottest number in the entire league. HEAT +23.8. Forty-five teams. Nobody is warmer. Merit +12.1, best in the division, for good measure. Bullet Club is 4-4 and brave. Bravery is not a defense. PWI BY 13. 

GF: A tale of two teams that have had similar seasons. They started off slow and really picked things up as the season went on. LGR hasn’t lost in a long time. Both teams are loaded with talent, so it will come down to which QB blinks first. I’m not sure either of them will blink, and the difference might simply be the 8 point TDs that Bridget throws. BQI BY 2

 

THE TSC: BQI gives up 29.8 a game and scores more than that. Let’s Get Reccked owns the division’s best defense, 25.3 allowed. That defense keeps this closer than the seven suggests.

It does not keep it close enough. BQI BY 5 

THE FINALS

 

GF: PWI vs BQI. This game could easily be the best game in a day that’s full of best games. Both teams can score, both teams can stop the other. At the end of the day, PWI just feels like the pick. PWI BY 3 

 

THE TSC: Two teams that have met before and will again. PWI is simply operating on a different frequency right now. The hottest team in the league does not cool off in one week.

BQI’s defense makes it respectable. It does not make it an upset. CHAMPION: PWI BY 9. 

D3

D3 had its usual share of playoff surprises, with an exciting #5 Buffalo Vice upset of #4 Practice Squad and again, Cobblestone appearing to the fields to try to bring down Mike’s Detailing once again but failing. 

GF: Buffalo Vice had a phenomenal win last week, but that may have been the apex of their season. Grey Hair - Don’t Care is a near D1 team hiding out in D3. GREY HAIR - DON’T CARE BY 20

 

THE TSC: Grey Hair is 8-0. Merit +15.4. HEAT +14.5. The safest pick on the entire board.

Buffalo Vice upset their way in on pure chaos. Their merit is MINUS 15.2. Their HEAT is MINUS 19.8. The vibes that carried them in have already checked out. GREY HAIR - DON’T CARE BY 20. 

GF: The Cunning Stunts had a pretty good year, as they tend to do, even if it was little overshadowed by the Grey Hair of it all.  Mike’s Detailing went 5-3 in their first go in D3, and slayed the demon of the past last week. While they’ve been able to score on the Stunts in the past, they struggle to stop them, and if they can’t keep up the pace, it’s a wrap. CUNNING STUNTS BY 9

 

THE TSC: Cunning Stunts is the only other team in D3 still breathing. +8.1 merit, +8.3 HEAT.

They score 44 a game and dare you to keep up. Mike’s Detailing is a tidy 5-3. Tidy does not win shootouts. CUNNING STUNTS BY 7. 

THE FINALS

 

GF: Grey Hair Don’t Care vs Cunning Stunts. I don’t want to just hand this to Grey Hair. The Stunts are more than capable of winning this game. They’ll give them a hell of a fight. But at the end of the day, this one was sort of predetermined in August. GREY HAIR - DON’T CARE BY 8

 

THE TSC: Cunning brings the fireworks, 44 a night. Grey Hair brings the fire extinguisher, 22.6 allowed, best in the division. The Machine has watched offense lose to defense all season.

It does not expect Saturday to be the exception. CHAMPION: GREY HAIR BY 12. 

D4

D4 was/is this season’s chaos division, although we didn’t see THAT much chaos. The Top 3 seeds all moved on (Shout out to a #10 seed winning in the playoffs for the second straight season!) and the Powerpuff Girls rose up to knock off the Flying Balls in a high scoring affair. 

 

 

GF: The Coochie Monsters have such a killer defense, but it’s damn near impossible to slow down the Powerpuff Girls, although they DID pull off that feat with a 24-18 win in Week 8. We have two semi finals that would make amazing finals here in D4. I don’t think they can slow them down twice. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 7

 

THE TSC: Write this one down. Merit says Coochie by a nose — +7.6 to +6.9. Basically a tie.

Then look at the HEAT. PowerPuff +15.2. They hung 59 in the first round. That was not math. That was a wave. When your merit is a rounding error behind and your HEAT is lapping the field, the Machine stops arguing. It is taking the five seed. Over the one seed. On purpose. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 3. 

 

 

GF: Somehow, these two teams didn’t meet during the regular season, so this will be the first time we get to see this matchup in the Fall. These teams have had pretty similar seasons overall, and they’re really evenly matched. Both QBs bring something different to the game, but “Playoff B” is a little better than “Playoff Ricky”, one would assume. GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS BY 2

 

GF: A two-point line is the oddsmaker admitting he has no idea. GVTT scores the most in the division, 35.4 a game. Not So Sticky is 6-2 and defends a little better. In a true coin flip the Machine leans to the firepower. GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS BY 3. 

THE FINALS

 

GF: Great Value Tater Thots vs PowerPuff Girls. We’re going to have some excellent play on both sides of the field here, but at the end of the day, even though you’d think a team wearing orange should be the pick on Halloween…I think I’ll go with the group that wears costumes instead. POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 8

 

THE TSC: The five seed, still riding the wave. GVTT is the better résumé. PowerPuff is the better story. This is the division where the Machine let the vibes drive. It is not getting out of the car now. CHAMPION: POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 2. 

D5

 

D5 saw the top 4 seeds move on, although perhaps not quite how we expected. Victorious Secret survived a legitimate scare from Room 40, TMA slipped by the 716ers, Blitzkreig blitzkrieg’d the Wet Bandits, and Pit Harade demolished Come From Behind. 

GF: A battle of the pink teams, as Victorious Secret gets to take on a Pit Harade team it not only beat, but beat very badly in Week 1 and again in Week 8. Some teams just have bad matchups, and this is very clearly one for PH. VICTORIOUS SECRET BY 16

 

THE TSC: VS scores 44.7 and allows 17.4. Merit +14.3, nobody close. The number is fifteen and it is honest about their ceiling. But Pit Harade is the team the Machine just got done being right about. Their HEAT is +14.1. They are peaking at the correct time. VS wins. Pit Harade makes fifteen look greedy. VICTORIOUS SECRET BY 11. 

GF: TMA vs Blitzkrieg could be a killer title game, but instead we have yet another banger of a semifinal. BK won by 3 back in Week 2, but that was a different time. TMA’s defense is simply too good, but I think TMA can score on Blitzkrieg. TMA BY 3

 

THE TSC: TMA allows 15.4 a game. The best defense in D5, full stop. They also score 23.6, a problem that defense keeps solving. Blitzkrieg has more offense and less discipline. Low-scoring games belong to the team that defends. TMA BY 4. 

THE FINALS

 

GF: Victorious Secret vs TMA. Yet another #1 v #2 matchup, but last time these teams met, TMA put a lock on Victorious Secret and handed them a loss. The real battle is that this game will be played at 4:00, so it might just come down to how much did TMA pre-game vs how tired are the VS girls from their multiple other games during the day? TMA BY 4

 

THE TSC: The division’s best offense against its best defense. VS puts up 44 a game. TMA allows 15. Something has to give, and the Machine bets on the scoreboard.

TMA keeps it ugly. VS wins it anyway. CHAMPION: VICTORIOUS SECRET BY 9. 

 

 

D6

Not much to really say here. The Top 4 seeds in D6 had no real trouble with any of the lower seeds last week. Now it gets interesting. 

GF: The Raw Milkers haven’t lost all season, and that earned them the #1 seed. Why does that matter? Because now they’re playing a Sticky Laces team that’s a tier below them instead of having to be in that brutal 2v3 game. It won’t be a walk in the park, but they’ll move on. RAW MILKERS BY 3

 

THE TSC: Raw Milkers are 8-0, merit +14.9, the best number in the league. They also post a HEAT of +1.9 — an 8-0 team coasting in neutral. Sticky Laces are a game 4-seed, but out-gunned. Raw wins because Raw is better. The cold engine just trims the margin. RAW MILKERS BY 7. 

GF: These teams split their season series, but we’re in for a good one. Select has found their offense this season, and their improvements overall have been impressive. The Irish Giants continue to be a good team. If either of these teams won the title, you wouldn’t be surprised. This feels like a coin flip, but give me the team with the slightly better offense here. SELECT BY 2

 

THE TSC: Here is the second one the Machine is writing down. Irish Giants, merit +14.1, allow just 18.9 a game. Select is the two seed on paper and the colder team on the field. Irish Giants run a HEAT of +10.2, and the Machine trusts the wave. Taking the three seed, getting the points, keeping them. IRISH GIANTS BY 3. 

THE FINALS

 

GF: Raw Milkers vs Select. The Raw Milkers have been almost average the last few weeks, but perhaps they’ve been on cruise control. Select feels like the slightly hotter team at this point. SELECT BY 8

 

THE TSC: The 8-0 giant against the one that woke up first. Raw’s merit is a whisper better, +14.9 to +14.1. Then the HEAT: Milkers +1.9, Irish Giants +10.2. Five times hotter. A sleeping one seed is still asleep until proven otherwise. Chaz takes Irish Giants. The Machine, for once, agrees. CHAMPION: IRISH GIANTS BY 3. 

TSC vs THE GODFATHER — 2026 SEASON RECORDS

THE GODFATHER: 31-11-1 SU · 26-16-1 ATS
THE TSC: 24-18-1 SU · 19-23-1 ATS

 

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY

 

-Did you just copy the AI’s picks? There’s a lot of similarities there. No, I didn’t. I made my picks before opening the email from a TSL league official. We just happened to be aligned in a lot of places. Prove us wrong. 

 

-Which #1 seed has the most to prove? The Legends have nothing to prove. Their place in TSL history is secure. PWI has a little to prove, but not really. We’ve spent most of the season hearing about Grey Hair and Victorious Secret needing to bumped up a division or two, so while them winning isn’t something to prove, them losing would be massive upsets. It comes down to Coochie Monsters and Raw Milkers. Coochie ended up the one seed of a crazy tough division. They’re double picked to lose in the semis to the PPGs. That’s something to prove. But I’ll go with the Raw Milkers who, despite going 8-0 and beating both Select and the Giants along the way, were picked to lose to both of them in the finals. 

 

-There’s a costume contest? Apparently so! Garrett is getting some judges together to judge whoever walks the fields in the best costume so come on out and dress up before or after or during your games! 

 

-Who is winning Breakfast Club?

It’ll be a battle, assuming Steph’s QB can wake up on time, remember his cleats, and escape his garage in the morning. But give this one to D’s Nutz. D’S NUTZ BY 3

-Of all of my championship picks, here are my confidence rankings: Grey Hair, and then everyone else is tied. I don’t feel like we have any real slam dunks this weekend that’s all you can truly ask for. 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

 

-Don’t forget about the TSL Halloween Party later on at 8pm at the Angry Buffalo! Bring your costumes and get ready to have some fun. 

 

-Your Championship Saturday weather: 55 degrees, but no wind or rain. It’ll just be a little chilly. And a lot spooky. 

 

-Games of the Day: ALL OF THEM! IT’S CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY!

 

-As always, even if you don’t have any games this week because immortality wasn’t in the cards for you this season, come on down to the fields and join in on the Halloween/Championship fun! 

 

-Shout out to the Angry Buffalo this season. One thing my informants keep telling me is that that they’ve been doing weekly specials and this weekend is no different! 

 

-THE BANQUET IS A GO! Jeff Krol just sent out the information yesterday. 

 

The Fall 2026 Season Banquet has officially been booked for Friday December 11th, 2026 at the Foundry (1738 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo NY 14207)

 

Who’s Invited: Players, Captains, General Managers, Significant others, Friends or “Friends”, Refs, etc.

 

Cost: $60/person in advance (must be paid by 11/30; cannot take payment at the event)

Payments can be made via Venmo to @jeff-krol

 

Includes: Open Bar from 7pm til 10pm with cash bar afterwards, DJs, and food including Caesar Salad, Penne with A la Vodka Sauce, Marinated Oven Roasted Chicken, Sliced Roast beef, Jus with Condiments, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Chef's dessert

 

Evening Agenda:

• 7:00pm: Arrivals/Registration / Open Bar Begins,
• 7:15pm: Food is served (buffet style)
• 8:30pm: State of the League Address/Special Presentation, Team and All Star Presentations
• 10:00pm: cash bar from 10pm – 10:30pm

 

To Register: Fill out the form below by November 30th at latest!  We owe a final headcount to the venue at this time and will not be able to add people after this date if they haven't registered. 

 

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ni1VhcIWtEAgXV0L0-_kieD5aIv0XyMilMD-9HQGMyo/edit

 

-One team that nobody is talking about this week that could absolutely walk away with the championship? Can’t Touch This. You heard me. 

 

-Remember, if you win your respective team championship, PLEASE take a team photo for Jeff Krol! 

 

-If you haven’t voted for the awards yet, here’s the link to do so: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/1Hjhn9jaxDmI_FUHuYYIwfhkPe21VqO06f8OHMX36N6Y/edit 

 

-The Race For Social Co-Ed Immortality ends this weekend. New Champions will be crowned. Will you be one of them? Good luck, and don’t fight your refs. And be on time. No, be early. 

 

-GF OUT

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