12/2/25 - Mitchell Ellison, BSL Sports Editor - Going into final week of 2025, very little is settled in the 3 leagues of the BSL. As far as we can tell 6 of the 9 divisions are wrapped up but only 1 of the 6 Wild-Card slots is clinched. Before we go league by league for a look at the races we are watching in the final week of the 2025 regular season, we want to congratulate the 2017 CDL Uncanny X-Men as they pop the champagne with the Week 13 loss by the previously undefeated Tanzmanian Devils (12-1) in the CDL by the Brahma Bulls (8-5). The Bulls took down the Devils with the CDL’s lowest ToW total of the year in a weird Week 13. The aforementioned 2017 X-Men are still the only BSL team to go an entire season undefeated, including the playoffs. There have been 4 undefeated regular seasons – the 2011 Electric Mayhem in the TLSL, the 2016 Guilder Dread Pirates in the CDL and the Uncanny X-Men did it twice, in 2006 and in 2017 – but only the 2017 X-Men stayed undefeated through the playoffs. So, to the Bulls, the X-Men salute you!
Now for the playoff chases. The CDL is the only league with all 3 divisions already clinched with just 1 week remaining. The easy ones, the Tanz Devils (12-1) wrapped up the Lombardi-Brown some time ago, and the with their win this week and an X-Men (8-5) loss, the Killer Tomatoes (10-3) have clinched the 2 seed. The Guilder Dread Pirates (7-6) have clinched the Shula-Landy even though they have only a 1 game lead over the New York Jints (6-7). The Pirates swept the Jints in Weeks 3 and 8, so even with a loss this week to the Predators (4-9) they win their division, which also means the Jints are out of the championship bracket as 3 currently (8-5) teams fight for the 2 Wildcard spots. The previously mentioned X-Men are one of those teams along with the Brahma Bulls and Buzzardpukes. The X-Men and Pukes face off this week, so the winner is in, while the Bulls face The Jints, who look to spoil the happy feelings just as the Bulls spoiled the Devils run to go undefeated. Fun times in the CDL.
Over in the FSDL, only 2 spots are clinched, and both are for teams from the Bryant-Stram division. With the Midway Monsters (12-1) winning their 12th straight game this week, they wrap up the division title over the close behind China Open Faces (10-3). But not all is lost for the Faces as they clinched the 1st wildcard spot. The other 2 divisions and final wildcard spot are still up for grabs. In the Halas-Noll division, the Sinister 36ers and Hebrew Hammers both face a win and you are in scenarios. Both sit at (8-5) and if they both finish at (9-5) the 36ers win the division on the division record tiebreaker, but the Hammers would clinch the 2nd wildcard spot. A win by the Hammers and a loss by the 36ers would open up a chance for the Crazy Bisons to slip in over the 36ers if the Bisons win their final game as the Bisons beat the 36ers Week 10. A win by the 36ers and a loss by the Hammers would still have the Hammers take the wildcard spot even if the Bisons win as the Hammers beat the Bisons in Week 6. A loss by both the 36ers and Hammers also has the Hammers in as even if the Jedi Knights win in Week 14, they lose the points tiebreaker (we assume since they currently sit 130 pts behind the Hammers) to the Hammers and the Hammers win the tiebreaker with the Bisons. So, in closing, the Halas-Noll division winner isn’t set. The 36ers can win it, or possibly not make the playoffs. The Hammers are in the playoffs, but their 1st week bye isn’t assured and may have to play the Faces for the wild card. The Bisons need a win and a 36ers loss to get it. As for the Allen-Walsh division, the Rising Rookie (7-6) win and they win the division. However, if they lose and The HitMen (6-7) win this week, the HitMen take the division with a regular season sweep. Neither can take a wildcard spot with 7 losses.
Lastly in the TLSL we have 2 divisions clinched with the Mayhem (10-3) taking the Ditka Division with their win this week while the Reeves-Levy-Grant was clinched a couple weeks ago by the St. Pete Minutemen (11-2). The Gibbs-Parcels is still up for grabs as are both wildcard spots. The Basket of Deplorables (8-5) have a win and they are division champs scenario as they have a 1 game lead over both the Sea Dragons and Bills Mafia (7-6). A Deplorables loss and wins by Dragons and/or Mafia make things very interesting since all 3 teams split their series in the regular season. The Dragons and Deplorables are both (4-2) in division record while the Mafia ended (3-3) so they are a little behind but not out since even if they don’t win their division the tie-breakers for all the teams that could end up at (8-6) – The Deplorables, The Avengers, The Dawgs, the Bewildered Bruins, Sea Dragons and Bills Mafia all can end up at (8-6). Only the Bruins and Deplorables play each other this week so 1 of those will finish at (9-5). The rest don’t play each other and up to 5 teams could end up at (8-6). How is that for scheduling!? Since we don’t even want to work through a 5-team tiebreaker now, let’s just leave that the best options are that the winner of the Bruins and Deplorables game is in. Either the Deplorables win their division or the Bruins get the 1st wildcard. The rest is a potential fiasco and so as not to make our head hurt we would go through all the scenarios here. Let’s just play the games! Here’s to an exciting final week of the 2025 season. Check back next week for the end of season wrap up.