Championship Week 2003 kicks off with a rematch of last year's West Championship Game as Thomas' Bock Boys visit Jody's Colossal Waste of Time. Remarkably, this marks the first time in FLF history that two franchises will meet for a second time on the doorstep to the Super Bowl. Last year, the Wild Card C.W.O.T. stunned the Western Division Champion Bock Boys at Bockyard Stadium, 38-37. Coming off a dramatic 51-50 victory over P.W.O.P., Thomas looks to turn the tables on Jody at the Vortex.

The Bock Boys, like the rest of the Western Division, haven't had much luck against the C.W.O.T.. They're 1-4 against Jody overall and have dropped the last three meetings, including this year's Week 2 encounter here at the Vortex. Yet Daunte Culpepper and Priest Holmes are reason enough to believe that Thomas might be able to finally reach the Super Bowl. The two stars have combined for 49 points over the past two weeks -- both victories -- and are itching for another crack at the Colossal Waste of Time.

The Eastern Division Champions are making their fifth Championship Week appearance. They're 3-1 in the previous four, including last year's 38-37 victory in Bockville. The C.W.O.T. enter this year's Championship Week having won six of its last eight regular season games. Arguably the biggest reason for their late season surge is the play of Deuce McAllister, who has demonstrated game-breaking ability down the stretch. Jody's offense has also benefited from the big-play additions of Marc Bulger and Lavernaeus Coles. Of course, longtime Timers Martin Gramatica and the Dolphins defense are still very much in the fold, and could easily help sway the game's momentum into the favor of the Pewter & Black.

All told, Jody is the dominant paper-favorite. Aside for a staggering 29-9 lifetime record against Western teams, the C.W.O.T. are riding a three-game home winning streak. Thomas, meanwhile, has had recent trouble on the road, losing three straight away from Bockville. But as a rematch of last year's closely contested West Championship Game, this one should definitely not disappoint.

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Championship Week continues as the Irwin Hellions travel to En Fuego Field to meet the Western Division Champion Piana Raze. These two franchises met here in the postseason a year ago, but it was only to decide pecking order at the top of the Draft Board. Both the Hellions and Raze rebuilt quickly in 2003, and this week the two Draft Bowl VI alumni are playing for a Super Bowl berth.

The Hellions are 3-1 lifetime during Championship Week, losing only in 1999 to the Abstract Machines (then the Poststructural Spiritualists). Since that loss, the Hellions have won five straight playoff games*, which included two Super Bowl runs and last week's dramatic 21-20 Wild Card victory over the Machines. Quarterback Donovan McNabb has re-emerged to lead the Hellions to a league-best 9 wins. McNabb and runningback Edgerrin James came up big last week, and they'll likely carry the offense against the Raze. Defensively, Irwin's Buccaneer defense seems to have regained its swagger and will look to put the clamps on Jamal Lewis and company.

The Piana Raze are making their first Championship Week appearance since 1998. Unfortunately for the Raze faithful, the team comes into this week's game on a bit of a slide. Before enjoying its bye week, Piana dropped two straight to close out the regular season, including being blow out by the Hellions at Purgatory Field, 42-28. The Raze hope for a much better showing this week, and will likely ride the legs of Jamal Lewis and Tiki Barber to get the job done. Amazingly, those two players are the only holdovers from last season to crack the starting lineup. Jake Plummer and Brad Johnson were brought in midseason to boost the quarterback position, and receivers Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss, and Johnnie Morton were picked up as well. Even their Panther defense and placekicker Gary Anderson are new to the club. But having gone from consecutive Draft Bowl appearances to a division championship, the moves have obviously paid off.

So for the first time since Super Bowl I, the Irwin Hellions and Piana Raze are set to meet on a playoff field. Piana won that game in '97, as they did last year's Draft Bowl. As a result, they now flaunt a perfect 2-0 postseason record over their hellish rivals. Yet Irwin's been here more often and more recently than the Raze, and all previous bets should be considered off. One of the league's best original rivalries is renewed on a grand stage in 2003.

* Editor's Note: While the Draft Bowl is a recognized part of the postseason, it does not count as a playoff game. Draft Bowl wins and losses are reflected in the postseason records, however.

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