• Print
• Email

 

 

 

Half of the TSL Fall 2026 season is officially over. It saddens me to say that, as we only have 4 more weeks of regular season TSL football before the Race for Social Co-Ed Touch Football Immortality begins on October 24th. At this point in the season, teams are really starting to show you who they are. 

 

This is the week where teams have to take a good look in the mirror and decide if what they’ve been doing is good enough to get them the championship they covet. For some teams, things are looking pretty good. Maybe they have to clean up something small here or there, but for the most part they’re locked in and ready to rock. There are other teams that already know that they have some work to do. These teams tend to be newer squads who are still figuring the ins and outs of how their team works, how the league works, or even (for some) how football works. They’ll continue to have fun and improve, with the hopes of being a tough out for someone in the playoffs as their best case scenario. They’re excited for the spring already. 

 

And then, there’s the rest of you. 

 

The ones whose records reflect the opposite of what they expected coming into the season. The ones where things aren’t clicking properly, for whatever reason. These are the teams that need to have that period of reflection to figure out what isn’t working, and what can they do to fix it. Sometimes that means making a few tweaks, other times that means having a tough conversation with someone on the team that just isn’t cutting it in their current role and they may need to be “repurposed”. You know the ones. Others in this group are too positive, and their group chat is full of texts like “We’re better than our record shows!”, “Don’t forget we were missing Billy and Betty that week we lost by 40!”, “Yeah, but we had to have a girl throw for us in D1!”, “Mercury was/wasn’t in retrograde then, we’ll be better from here on out!”. The teams that might stay too positive to acknowledge that anything is wrong until it's much too late for them. There’s nothing wrong with staying positive and hoping the results change, but for some of you who had championship aspirations coming into the season, doing that is basically the TSL’s version of “Thoughts and Prayers”. You’re not really doing anything, so don’t be a bunch of shocked Pikachus when the results stay the same. 

 

So, who are the league’s most surprising teams so far, good and bad? I used math to figure things out, and these were the results that came up: 

I’d say the math isn’t perfect as I wouldn’t consider the Irish Giants a surprise, but Pit Harade was supposed to be near the bottom of D5 and they’ve been one of the top teams all season. Bullet Club being at the top of D2 may not be a surprise, but being undefeated so far and winning how they have been is. The Cunning Stunts are slightly a surprise based on how badly they’ve been beating teams again. They look “back”. Not that they ever truly left. As for the Super Not So Good Teams? The System went in as D2 favorites and have played like the complete opposite. It’s almost as if they need a new system. 

…..

Sorry. 

 

As for the others, Cobblestone isn’t a surprise per se, but they were expected to do things like “play better” and “have a roster”. 716ers were looking to capitalize on their very good season last year, but haven’t just yet. They’ve also played the 2nd hardest schedule so far in D5, which isn’t helping matters. Freeballers continue to not meet expectations on the field, which is ironically called “Freeballering” around these parts. Mike’s Detailing is on here in 5th, which feels wrong but I’m not going to argue math at this point. Do better. They will. Right? 

It’s time for the best part of the halfway point article: Updated Championship Odds! 

 

Let’s get into it. 

D1

 

It’s not a surprise that the Sticky Bandits are the current favorites, given the Legends’ slow start, Eyes Downtown going through some internal stuff, and The Malones getting yeeted out of Fall 2026 title contention. 

 

The only D1 game played was the Legends reminding everyone they exist, hanging 47 on Eyes Downtown to climb to 3‑1. 

 

FREEBALLERS VS CAN'T TOUCH THIS (+4) - A hell of a match to get us started off on the back half of the schedule here. Both teams should be rested and we’re going to be in for a good one. CAN’T TOUCH THIS BY 7

STICKY BANDITS VS THE MALONES (+18) - Sticky Bandits get the husk of The Malones this week in the first half of a double header. At least they’re easing into it. STICKY BANDITS BY 9

STICKY BANDITS VS CAN'T TOUCH THIS (+9) - More of a prove it type game for Can’t Touch This, and you know they’ve been looking for a big win to really propel them moving forward. They’ll cover the spread, but Sticky is firing on all cylinders right now. STICKY BANDITS BY 3

FRODO SWAGGINS VS THE MALONES (+14) - Frodo Swaggins is having a lovely go at it in D1 so far, and they should be able to handle The Malones pretty easily here. FRODO SWAGGINS BY 17

EYES DOWNTOWN VS FRODO SWAGGINS (+1) - No word (to me anyway) on who is throwing for Eyes Downtown this week, but even if it isn’t Bobby, Eyes Downtown has too much talent to keep losing. Frodo will give them a battle. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 3

 

D2

D2 is really shaping up to be a 3 team race for the title right now, and the odds reflect that. Do not be surprised if any of the other teams catch up to the current leaders by season’s end. 

 

 

The System drew the short straw with a Saturday doubleheader and got worked over twice, going 0-2 on the day as  BQI dropped 45 on them and finally awake Let's Get Reccked took the nightcap 30‑13 for their first W. 

 

BULLET CLUB VS LET'S GET RECCKED (+16) - LGR is starting to get it together, and they know their season can absolutely be turned around with handing Bullet Club their first loss. With how well BC has been playing though, that’s going to be a tall task. BULLET CLUB BY 2

PWI VS THE SYSTEM (+11) - The System is in pieces, but a win over PWI can set them right. PWI hasn’t played in two weeks, so this will become a battle of who wants it more. And right now I think The System does. THE SYSTEM BY 2

BQI VS D-GENERATION X Y AND Z (+13) - BQI looks to keep pace in the division as they’re rounding into form for the playoffs, working out any kinks they may have. The Kellers have had a rough go of things at times, but they should be able to keep pace here. BQI BY 4

 

D3

While D3 feels like it’s still Grey Hair’s to lose, the Stunts have been rolling and that can only mean that everyone else should watch out. You can’t sleep on the Squad or Mike’s, and Vice/Cobblestone bring up the rear. 

Grey Hair - Don't Care still doesn't care and still doesn't lose as they dispatched Buffalo Vice 47‑16 to move to 4‑0. The Stunts and Mike's Detailing turned in a 54‑38 track meet, with the Stunts coming out on top. Practice Squad handled a winless Cobblestone to stay in the mix. 

 

CUNNING STUNTS VS BUFFALO VICE (+14) - A rivalry renewed to some degree. These two teams used to duke it out in D4 for quite some time. However for right now, these are two teams headed in different directions. CUNNING STUNTS BY 10

GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS PRACTICE SQUAD (+16) - If Grey Hair thinks they’re just going to waltz into this matchup and win, they have another thing coming. Even if the Squad is misfiring a little bit this season, you know that B is taking all of the “Grey Hair Is Easily Winning D3” chatter to heart, and he’s going to play like he has something to prove. It might not matter. GREY HAIR DON’T CARE BY 3

PRACTICE SQUAD VS MIKE'S DETAILING (+2) - Practice Squad gets a two banger this week, and I can’t imagine they’ll lose two games this week. PRACTICE SQUAD BY 8

GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS COBBLESTONE (+18) - This could be bad. GREY HAIR DON’T CARE BY 20

 

D4

NSS and the Thots have been the class of the division so far, but this is the division where you could bet on a long shot like Blue Ballers at 14-1 or the PowerPuff Girls at 20-1 and feel very good about this bet. 

 

D4 is the best kind of crazy. Not So Sticky survived Skeleton Crew by a single point to stay perfect at 4‑0, and the Tater Thots outlasted Blue Ballers 38‑36 to hang right there with them. Skeleton Crew split a doubleheader with a  40‑12 demolition of Balls Deep. Poor Two Tuddies played twice and still can't find a win, settling for a 21‑21 tie and then dropping a 36‑33 thriller to a Golfing squad that finally got on the board.

 

GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS VS COOCHIE MONSTERS (+1) - Big time battle in D4. The Monsters are looking up at the Thots in the standings, but I don’t think it’ll be for long. Game of the day potential here. COOCHIE MONSTERS BY 8

FLYING BALLS VS BALLS DEEP (+6) - So many Balls. The Flying Balls continue to figure things out as the season goes on, and the defending champion have this “hot” and “cold” thing to them where sometimes they look like champions and other times they look like they’re happy we don’t officially have relegation. This is a hot week. I can feel it. BALLS DEEP BY 6

BLUE BALLERS VS I'D RATHER BE GOLFING (+11) - Golfing got the win last week against whatever the Tuddies have become, and just in time too, because the Blue Ballers are waiting. They haven’t been at full power for most of the season and they’re still dangerous. Uh oh. BLUE BALLERS BY 15

SKELETON CREW VS POWERPUFF GIRLS (+6) - So. Much Tie. Dye. The Crew has been playing well recently, at least a little better than the PPGs seemed to have been. SKELETON CREW BY 1

NOT SO STICKY VS TWO TUDDIES (+12) - It must be retro rivalry week here in the TSL as we have another battle of old rivals this week. This one also has two teams going in opposite directions, with one on top of the division and the other one bringing up the rear. NOT SO STICKY BY 9

 

D5

 

D5 is looking like it has a little line of separation between the higher tier of VS, TMA, PH, and Blitzkrieg with the others a little behind. Don’t sleep on CFB for coming up from behind here. 

Come From Behind lived up to the name and torched Blitzkrieg for 40. TMA keeps stacking quiet wins and now owns the division's best scoring defense at 3‑2, while Pit Harade ground out a 17‑14 nailbiter against the Wet Bandits to sit 3‑1. The 716ers went 0-1-1, losing to TMA at noon, then clawing back to an 18‑18 tie with Room 40.

 

BLITZKRIEG VS WET BANDITS (+14) - Blitzkrieg can get back to their winning ways this week as they take on the Wet Bandits who have struggled this season to say the least. BLITZKRIEG BY 18

BLITZKRIEG VS PIT HARADE (+5) - These two teams both have title aspirations, and we could be staring at another Game of the Day candidate here. Getting the win here could be huge for future tiebreaker scenarios too. Pit Harade has been playing better as of late. PIT HARADE BY 8

COME FROM BEHIND VS 716ERS (+11) - CFB is looking to be over what ailed them earlier this season, and they look ready to take off in the second half of the season, while the 716ers just seem stuck in the mud. COME FROM BEHIND BY 7

ROOM 40 VS WET BANDITS (+9) - Room 40 continues to make strides this season as they improve every week. The Wet Bandits aren’t too far behind them though. D5 could be the hardest division to predict in a month or so. WET BANDITS BY 1

 

D6

We’ve got ourselves a 3 horse race as the Irish Giants, Raw Milkers, and Select all look to be battling it out for the crown. 

 

Raw Milkers stayed perfect at 3‑0 by holding off Select. The Irish Giants dropped 55 on Blitzed and Confused, a BAC team that had actually won earlier in the day over Cat‑Tastrophe. SBG continues their winning ways over the Bengay Bandits as well. 

 

 

SELECT VS SBG (+11) - If SBG is going to take themselves seriously as a championship contender, they’ll have to win this one, or at the very least, keep it very close to show they can hang with the big dogs in D6 and it’s more than just a 3 team division. SELECT BY 10

IRISH GIANTS VS CAT-TASTROPHE (+19) - If the Trophes are going to take themselves seriously as a championship contender, they’ll have to win this one, or at the very least, keep it very close to show they can hang with the big dogs in D6 and it’s more than just a 3 team division. IRISH GIANTS BY 25

RAW MILKERS VS STICKY LACES (+11) - If Sticky Laces are going to take themselves seriously as a championship contender, they’ll have to win this one, or at the very least, keep it very close to show they can hang with the big dogs in D6 and it’s more than just a 3 team division. RAW MILKERS BY 6

 

TSC VS THE GODFATHER

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS (Week 4):
The Godfather: 10‑8‑2 SU, 9‑11 ATS
The TSC: 9‑9‑2 SU, 9‑11 ATS

SEASON:
The Godfather: 53‑27‑3 SU, 47‑35‑1 ATS
The TSC: 41‑39‑3 SU, 36‑46‑1 ATS

 

THE TSC'S PICKS:

D1
FREEBALLERS VS CAN'T TOUCH THIS (+4) -- CAN'T TOUCH THIS BY 2
STICKY BANDITS VS THE MALONES (+18) -- STICKY BANDITS BY 20
STICKY BANDITS VS CAN'T TOUCH THIS (+9) -- STICKY BANDITS BY 6
FRODO SWAGGINS VS THE MALONES (+14) -- FRODO SWAGGINS BY 16
EYES DOWNTOWN VS FRODO SWAGGINS (+1) -- FRODO SWAGGINS BY 3

D2
BULLET CLUB VS LET'S GET RECCKED (+16) -- BULLET CLUB BY 18
PWI VS THE SYSTEM (+11) -- PWI BY 8
BQI VS D-GENERATION X Y AND Z (+13) -- BQI BY 15

D3
CUNNING STUNTS VS BUFFALO VICE (+14) -- CUNNING STUNTS BY 16
GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS PRACTICE SQUAD (+16) -- GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE BY 18
PRACTICE SQUAD VS MIKE'S DETAILING (+2) -- MIKE'S DETAILING BY 2
GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE VS COBBLESTONE (+18) -- GREY HAIR - DON'T CARE BY 20

D4
GREAT VALUE TATER THOTS VS COOCHIE MONSTERS (+1) -- COOCHIE MONSTERS BY 1
FLYING BALLS VS BALLS DEEP (+6) -- BALLS DEEP BY 3
BLUE BALLERS VS I'D RATHER BE GOLFING (+11) -- BLUE BALLERS BY 8
SKELETON CREW VS POWERPUFF GIRLS (+6) -- POWERPUFF GIRLS BY 2
NOT SO STICKY VS TWO TUDDIES (+12) -- NOT SO STICKY BY 14

D5
BLITZKRIEG VS WET BANDITS (+14) -- BLITZKRIEG BY 16
BLITZKRIEG VS PIT HARADE (+5) -- PIT HARADE BY 3
COME FROM BEHIND VS 716ERS (+11) -- COME FROM BEHIND BY 7
ROOM 40 VS WET BANDITS (+9) -- ROOM 40 BY 5

D6
SELECT VS SBG (+11) -- SELECT BY 8
IRISH GIANTS VS CAT-TASTROPHE (+19) -- IRISH GIANTS BY 21
RAW MILKERS VS STICKY LACES (+11) -- RAW MILKERS BY 8

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY 

 

 

• Two unbeatens, one D4 crown: are Not So Sticky (4‑0) and the Tater Thots (3‑0) actually the two best teams, or is someone else about to crash the party? Those two teams are impressively on top of D4, but it’s hard to call them the two best teams. Coochie Monsters, Skeleton Crew, and Blue Ballers all exist. 

 

 

 

• The Malones draw Sticky Bandits AND Frodo this week. Do they steal one, or is 0‑5 on the table? 0-5 is very, very much on the table. However, if the rumors about Garrett being injured are true, that changes things, and we could see The Malones knock off Frodo this week. 

 

 

 

• Which halfway favorite (Sticky Bandits, Bullet Club, Grey Hair, VS, Irish Giants) is the FIRST to get knocked off, and by whom? I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing Grey Hair or Bullet Club lose first, potentially this week even. 

 

 

 

• Is The System (1‑4) officially cooked, or does a Week 5 date with PWI save the season? They’re not officially cooked, but they’re on their way. This week’s game with PWI pretty much is a “kitchen sink” game for them. They need to win this one. A blowout loss might be too demoralizing to come back from. 

 

 

 

• Which dog on the machine's fade card actually cashes — Mike's +2, Coochie +1, or a D4 special? Bet Coochie +1 and enjoy the winnings. 

 

 

TEN FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SATURDAY

-Breakfast Club Predictions: 

D’s Nutz 31, Carly-fornia Dreaming 27

Steph Infection 24, Meagan It Happen 20

Megoonsta’s 30, Missydemeanor 22

 

-Games of the day: 

 

• 10:00 - Can’t Touch This vs Freeballers

• 11:00 - Blitzkrieg vs Pit Harade

• 12:00 - Room 40 vs Wet Bandits

• 1:00 - Frodo Swaggins vs The Malones

• 2:00 - Grey Hair Don’t Care vs Practice Squad

• 3:00 - BQI vs DXYZ

 

 

-I believe in SBG. Look out for them the rest of the way. 

 

-Remaining undefeated team count: 8. Remaining winless team count: 3. Do we get one of each? 

 

-Best Avg PF: Cunning Stunts 44.8. Best Avg PA: TMA 16.4. 

 

-The Wet Bandits have played the toughest schedule so far this season with a .775 Opponent Win Percentage. 

 

-This is a big week for Buddy Lee teams. The luster is lost from PWI and the Freeballers, but having him not play for a couple of weeks is the culprit there. A big week from him and those teams are right back on the map. 

 

-I don’t know what TSL team hell is, but it feels like the Two Tuddies are in it right now. Which makes no sense because they’re all delightful people. Or are they? 

 

-D’z Nuts is going to win Breakfast Club. 

 

-One of the Balls team in D4 is about to go on a run. I just can’t figure out which one. 

 

-GF OUT

• Prev
• Next