For Some, It’s Done – For Others, the Grind Continues!

Berkenbile finished 7-7 on the year, following this loss to Josh. He ranked 23rd in the league in Pick Accuracy (55.7%), had one Gold Medal week (Week 2 – 9 correct) and finished third in the Prophet Division. Josh led the division most of the year, but dropped two of his last three games of the season to lose out on the Division Champion banner. Josh finished t-11th in Pick Accuracy (61.4%) and had 7 Quality Weeks en route to a Wild Card clinching 9-5 record. JOSH WINS, 26-6

Ryan had a shaky start, going 2-4 to start the year. He rebounded nicely in the second half of the season, going 6-1 to close out the year and claim the Prophet Division championship. Ryan was 3rd overall in Pick Accuracy at 64.3%. Michael finished at t-16th in Pick Accuracy (59.3%) and managed to spend all of 2020 without a winning or losing streak. RYAN WINS, 51-42

Vince struggled to submit picks this year, tallying four no-shows on the 2020 season. His picks when he did submit were middle-of-the-road to Donut-worthy, giving him fewest correct picks (54) and 2nd worst Pick Accuracy (45.0%). Jason took the league by storm in the first half, tallying 7 or more correct in each of the first six weeks of the season. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the second half and Jason finished t-7th in Pick Accuracy (62.1%) and he missed the playoffs. JASON WINS, 25-2

Matt ends his rookie season on a minor downer, losing this one to Lauren. However, Matt finished 6th overall in Pick Accuracy (62.9%), collected 9 wins, and gets to raise the first ever Mystic Division Champion banner, on his way to NPL Rookie of the Year. Lauren started on a down note, not submitting in Week 1 and falling to a 2-5 record at the midway point. But, she did rebounded in the second half, going 4-3 to close out the year. Her 51.9% accuracy placed her at 28th in the NPL. LAUREN WINS, 35-12

Brandon finished the 2020 season 1st overall in Pick Accuracy (66.4%), just one correct pick off of his personal best (94 in 2012). He’s now finished three consecutive seasons with 9+ wins, and claimed the Foreteller Division championship this year. LeScoot finished at t-16th in Pick Accuracy (59.3%) and lost a few heartbreakers with four MM Tiebreaker losses on the year – had a few of those gone the other way, he’d likely be looking at a postseason berth. BRANDON WINS, 37-15

Ricky managed to rebound from a 3-11 record last year to finish 8-6 on the 2020 season. While 8-6 is generally a playoff-bound team, the Soothsayer Conference was a bit tougher than usual. Ricky finished at 61.4%, t-11th in the NPL. Cari set an NPL record of 10 consecutive losses to close out the 2020 season, finishing 1-13 on the year with a league-worst 43.8% pick accuracy. However, Cari did lead the league in trash talk, which is always appreciated. RICKY WINS, 19-6

Bette returned to the NPL after a 10-year break. Like riding a bike, Bette again ranked among the best in accuracy (t-7th at 62.1%), but had some tough breaks, losing five games with 6+ correct. Bette finished 6-8 on the year. Adam really struggled out of the gate, going 0-4 to start the year. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a strong rebound, splitting the final 10 games right down the middle. He finished 5-9 on the season with a 22nd place accuracy of 56.4%. BETTE WINS, 35-22

The Augur Division was particularly competitive, with Rachel, Ethan, and Miranda all moving in and out of 1st place. Ethan was there prior to the last week of the regular season, and finished 9-5 with a t-14th accuracy of 60.0% – good enough for a Wild Card. It was a 2-0 start for Kelly in 2020, but she followed it with an 8-game losing streak, dropping 11 of her last 12 games (including three no-shows) to finish 3-11 on the year. Her pick accuracy placed her at 29th in the NPL. ETHAN WINS, 28-12

Despite a good pick accuracy for Rachel (60.0%, t-14th), she struggled to best her opponents this year, losing three of her five Quality Weeks (7+ correct). That was enough damage to cause Rachel to miss the post-season for the first time, since joining the NPL in 2015 – but, the 7-7 finish in 2020 means she still has not had a losing record. Miranda won the Augur Division with this win over Rachel. She finishes 9-5 on the year, making the playoffs for the 6th time in 7 seasons. Her accuracy (62.1%) is good enough for t-7th in the NPL. MIRANDA WINS, 38-22

Laci had a bit of a bipolar season, going L-W-L-W to start the year, then L-L-L-W-W-W in the next six games. She posted five straight quality weeks late in the season (weeks 8-12), but ended up losing the final four games of the season to kill any postseason hopes. She finished 5-9 on the year with her second best pick accuracy (54.1%, 25th). Corey snags the inaugural Auspex Division Champion banner on an 8-6 record, just edging out a surprise showing from Andrew. Corey finished at t-16th in Pick Accuracy (59.3%) and will make his first trip to the postseason since 2015, when he won the Seer Cup! COREY WINS, 37-6

Andrew had a Classic Andrew start to the season, putting up no-shows in the first two weeks, then falling to 2-5 by midseason. It looked like another, typical Androids campaign. Then, out of nowhere, Andrew dominated. He posted six straight 6+ correct weeks en route to a season-ending six-game winning streak, snagging his FIRST winning season and first playoff appearance since he joined the NPL in 2009! Travis, on the other hand, finished 30th in the NPL in accuracy (46.9%) – the lowest accuracy of anyone that submitted all 140 picks, and had a personal worst record of 4-10. He ended the year opposite of Andrew: a seven game losing streak. ANDREW WINS, 44-0

Joel kinda had a ho-hum year, going 4-3 in the first half and 3-4 in the second half, en route to a 7-7 record, just missing the playoffs for the third year running. His accuracy (58.6%) put him at 19th in the NPL. Chris went to the Seer Cup last year with a 10-4 record and a career best of 93 correct picks. This year did not fair nearly as well. Chris posted a 57.9% accuracy to finish ONE PICK behind Joel at 20th in the league and lost THREE games with 8+ correct. Ouch. CHRIS WINS, 57-44

This game decided the Oracle Division championship. Winner take all. And fittingly, it went to overtime for maximum drama. Brian was the loser in this contest, finishing at 7-7 on the year, dropping two of his last three to miss out on that division champ banner. However, his pick accuracy was fantastic at 62.1%, which is good enough for t-7th overall. At 9-5, Steven claims his fourth Oracle Division banner, making his 4th straight playoff appearance. Steven finished 21st in the NPL in pick accuracy at 57.1%. STEVEN WINS, 76-57

That Axell was able to turn it around to finish 5-9 on the season is pretty remarkable, considering he started 1-7. Of course, Axell was the first person to ever win without submitting picks, so that helped the record. His accuracy finished 24th overall at 55.6%. DaVena had some struggles in pick accuracy this year, snagging a league best (shared with Travis) three Donut awards. Her pick accuracy finished at 26th overall, 2nd worst among those that submitted all 140 picks, though not her career worst, so that’s a positive. AXELL WINS, 35-4

NPL Title Belt Match!

I don’t know that there’s a more frustrating season than what Jennifer experienced in 2020. She finished 4th in the NPL in pick accuracy at 63.6%, right there with her opponent, Kevin, tied for 1st in the Clairvoyant Conference. Four of her seven losses were with 6+ correct picks. She was one of the better players in the league and just couldn’t get the W’s. Rough. Kevin had the opposite: same pick accuracy as Jennifer, but bullied his way to a career-best 12-2 record (t-1st all-time), a division championship, and a first-round bye. KEVIN WINS, 52-51

Well, what a disappointing ending in PRIIIIIIIME TIIIIIIIME for these two. A 10-3 facing an 11-2 team, Brent was hoping for the win to snag that first round bye. Instead, he gets a goose egg and an L to close out the regular season. Of course, 10-4 is definitely good enough for another playoff appearance, Brent’s 10th appearance. His pick accuracy was t-11th in the league at 61.4%, and it’s his first double-digit win total since 2013’s 12-2 record. Jerry also wanted a 12-2 record of his own, so he went and got one like a goddamn adult. Jerry followed his 9-5, Seer Cup winning performance of 2019 by opening the 2020 season with a 7-game winning streak, before losing with 8 correct. He only had two duds this year (this week among them) and finished ONE PICK away from the league lead in accuracy, finishing with a personal best of 92 correct for 65.7% accuracy. JERRY WINS, 11-0