The Sideline Whisperer

Predictions for 2/6/2016

By The Sideline Whisperer

Note from Editor: No intro this week. I guess the guy was too busy or not inspired enough. But, we still have the predictions, that what matters! Posted on 2/4/2016 5:22:06 PM		Division II (Schedule and standings on RugbyFL.com) Fort Lauderdale (5-0) vs. Orlando (1-3)- Lauderdale might only be in third place at the moment but, to me, they're better than Jacksonville, and maybe even the Tridents. The Knights still have to play those two teams this season, so we'll see exactly where they stand soon. For this week, they host the struggling Griffins who aren't looking anything like the defending champs at 1-3. Yes, two of their losses were to the undefeated Tridents, but they were by an average of 47 points and their only win is over Tampa. They do have winnable games against Krewe again and Miami still to come, but this game and the Boca contest on March 5 will likely decide their playoff fate. I don't see a top-four finish happening, however, after they get shellacked here. Fort Lauderdale 38, Orlando 15. Tridents (5-0) vs. Tampa (0-5) - Not much to see here in this monster mismatch. Tridents 49, Tampa 10 Miami (0-5) vs. Naples (3-1) - Miami almost pulled off the upset of the season last week at Jax, but fell just short. That was an encouraging result for the Bumblebees, but the big question here is will they build on that against one of the season's surprises in Naples? The Hammerheads sit in the final playoff spot right now, but face a brutal schedule down the stretch playing the Tridents twice, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville, the three teams above them in the standings. Their season could honestly come down to their final game against Orlando. This game has trap written all over it but I think they just do enough to hold off Miami. Naples 28, Miami 25 Boca Raton (1-5) vs Jacksonville (5-1) - This really is it for Boca. Yes, they might be 1-5, but with three very winnable games to close the season after this one and the fact Jacksonville and Naples both have very difficult runs to the finish line, the Bucs are not out of it if they manage to pull this game out. They fell heavily in Jax last month in snow flurries and temperatures in the high 30s, but the weather won't be a factor this weekend. Four of Jax's five wins have come against Miami and Tampa, teams with a combined 0-10 record. Don't let the records at the moment fool you, folks, there are still four teams with a legit chance of getting one of the playoff spots, and Boca is one of them. But only if they win this one. Will they? I want to say yes, but they've let me down so much this season I just can't bring myself to do it. Jacksonville 29, Boca 25 Division III (Schedule and standings on RugbyFL.com) Sarasota (1-0) vs. Pelicans(0-3) - We start off with a yawner here. Last week, the Surge shellacked Tallahassee, who beat the Pelicans by 21 earlier this month. Walk in the park. Sarasota 55, Pelicans 10 Daytona (1-1) vs. Palm Beach (2-0) - A second decent road trip in as many weeks for the Panthers, but just like last week against the Pelicans, they face another inferior opponent. Panthers cruise. Palm Beach 32, Daytona 7 Tallahassee (1-1) vs. Gainesville (2-0) - Another lopsided affair here? Probably. This one doesn't quite have the same shine as when the two colleges from these towns play. Hogs feast on the Conquistadors. Gainesville 42, Tallahassee 12 Brevard (1-2) at Indian River (0-1) - Brevard's record is deceiving, as they've played two of the best three sides, losing by 12 to Palm Beach and five to Gainesville. Indian River are improving, as their close loss to Daytona last week showed. Still, this should be the fourth asskicking of the D3 weekend. Brevard 49, Indian River 10

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