Championship Week 2008 seems like a reunion of sorts, with three of the four clubs from last year's semifinal round returning to the same stage this season. Before the Anderson Brewmeisters and Thomas' Bock Boys tee it up again out West, Jody's Colossal Waste of Time will take part in its fourth consecutive Eastern Championship Game. The difference with this game is that the C.W.O.T. aren't hosting it; rather, Jody hits the road to take on the top-seeded and newly crowned Eastern Division Champion Naughty Figs.

The C.W.O.T. are arguably the most competitive franchise in the league's history. They have now reached Championship Week a staggering nine times in twelve seasons. And they've proven they can get the job done here, too, having won five of their previous eight Champ Week appearances. All told, Jody has played in a league-record 18 playoff games. In severe contrast, the Naughty Figs have played in a league-low two thus far. Yet the franchise's third playoff game will undoubtedly be a special one, as they play it as Division Champions. The planets indeed aligned for the Figs this season, who went from three straight playoff-less seasons to going 12-1 and winning the division by five games. Their 12 regular season wins is a league record, as is their 8-0 divisional mark. Of course, these accomplishments will largely be forgotten should they get bounced by the C.W.O.T. at home.

While it's hard to think of anyone giving a 12-1 team trouble – particularly if they were already swept 2-zip in the regular season –  Jody could be quite the test for the Figgies. Jody lost both regular season games by a combined 5 points, and their Week 12 game was decided by a very late Aaron Rodgers interception. The FIgs escaped the Vortex with a win that week, becoming the only team to hand Jody a home loss all season. The Figs know how to play tough at home, too, of course, and their perfect home record remains intact.

As with most games, this one is not short on storylines. For starters, ex-Time Waster Jay Cutler gets one more shot at his former team with a Super Bowl berth on the line, and Aaron Rodgers will get his own shot of redemption after costing his team in Week 12. Jody's high-powered offense versus the Figs' top-rated defense should be a great battle as well, but the most engaging storyline may be this: after all other players have had their say, Jody's John Casey and the Figs' Nick Folk may ultimately decide the game as the two kickers go head-to-head on Sunday night.

The FIgs took the Eastern Division title away from the C.W.O.T. this season, so it only seems fitting the two recent champions duke it out for a berth in Super Bowl XII. It also seems poetic that the 2008 season started for both these teams on this very field. One will see their season finally end here, while the other will head to Tampa.

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The Western Division Champion Thomas' Bock Boys host the Anderson Brewmeisters in a repeat of last year's Western Championship Game. The FLF gods are a generous lot, granting us a brand new playoff chapter in this saucy interdivisional rivalry.

Last year, the six-seeded Brewmeisters blew into Bockville and put a period at the end of the top-seeded Boys' storybook season. Thomas was able to stew over that loss for nearly a year before getting a sliver of revenge during a truly rank 28-27 Neutral Site Week win. The Boys then spent the second half of the season clawing their way back into the Western race, which they literally won in the final minute of the regular season. Now, having watched their Western brethren bow out in Wild Card week, the Bock Boys must topple their beer-themed nemesis – and defending league champion – in order to reach the Super Bowl.

What the Brewmeisters may lack in performance consistency, they make up for in confidence (in spades). No other team has won a title as the No. 6 seed, and Anderson has done it twice. So having to go on the road for Championship Week isn't going to phase the Brew Krew. They already beat Thomas on their own turf last year, and now they're heading back into Bockville fresh off their best performance of the season, a 65-39 pasting of the Hellions. The only glimmer of doubt in the champs' quest to repeat is that volatile inconsistency that has plagued them. One week they're the greatest show on earth; the next they're practically trying out for the Draft Bowl. Peyton Manning and Brian Westbrook can post double-digit numbers all day and all night, but if the supporting cast goes missing once again, Anderson's title de fence could come to an abrupt end. Although lacking any true megastar, Thomas plays a much more consistent game. David Garrard, a last second scratch from last year's matchup, will get the ball this year, and the Bockville faithful can only hope that he can duplicate his heroics from Week 13.

While the Eastern Championship Game will crown its winner by end of play Sunday, this one will likely go into Monday Night, when Brian Westbrook and the Bock Boys' David Akers will provide closing arguments on yet another installment of the growing Anderson-Thomas feud.

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