Jody's Colossal Waste of Time and the Western Division Champion Thomas' Bock Boys will meet up in Tampa this week to determine the 2008 League Champion at Super Bowl XII. The wild card C.W.O.T. upset the 12-1 Naughty Figs last week to earn their record sixth Super Bowl berth, while the Bock Boys knocked off the three-time and defending League Champion Anderson Brewmeisters in the Western Championship Game. This is Jody's second consecutive appearance in the Super Bowl – a franchise first, actually – yet the C.W.O.T. are still winless after five previous attempts. While this is just the second Super Bowl appearance for Thomas, Jody must be jealous of their success rate; the Boys won their only other appearance, besting the Piana Raze at the end of the 2003 season to earn a prized Lombardi trophy.

This will be the third playoff meeting between the two clubs, and first since 2004. The wild card Bock Boys upset the Time Wasters at the Vortex during Championship Week 2003, and then Jody returned the favor a year later, knocking off Thomas in Bockville during Champ Week 2004. Both clubs won their respective divisions last year, earning playoff byes before being eliminated by the eventual champion Brewmeisters in successive weeks. The Bock Boys successfully defended their Western Division title to earn another bye, whereas Jody – despite posting with the same 7-6 record as last year – finished five games back of the Figs in the East.

The overall series between Thomas and Jody has been remarkably even, with C.W.O.T.'s 37-16 Week 5 win being the difference in the 6-5 series score. The two clubs were relatively slow out of the gate, each going 2-2 heading into that matchup. Unhappy with their start, the Bock Boys traded Calvin Johnson to the C.W.O.T. in Week 4 in exchange for Carson Palmer. Despite scoring only a single point against his former team in Week 5, Johnson has emerged as a young star for the C.W.O.T.. Palmer, meanwhile, got one start (and zero points) for Thomas before being essentially lost for the year due to lingering injuries.

That Week 5 victory was the first of four in five games for Jody, who ran out to an impressive 6-3 record. The Pewter & Black ran into hard times thereafter, losing three straight before salvaging a Week 13 win over Anderson to clinch their playoff spot. Yes, they're in the Super Bowl, but Jody has also posted only the third-best raw score in each of the previous playoff rounds. The Machines and Figs – both riding hot coming into the postseason – posted each week's low score, allowing for an untested C.W.O.T. squad to advance.

Perhaps Thomas will fall victim to the same performance free fall, but it seems unlikely. The Boys ripped off five straight wins following that early loss to Jody before losing two clutch games down the stretch. Suddenly needing a Week 13 win just to make the playoffs, Thomas put forth its best effort of the regular season, clipping P.W.O.P. by a single point to not only make the playoff field but to make it as Western Division Champions. Then, after an off week, Thomas topped that Week 13 effort with an amazing performance against the Brewmeisters in Championship Week. It certainly appears the Bock Boys are peaking at the right time.

As per tradition, let's see how they match up.

QUARTERBACK

Each team has only one available signal caller for Super Bowl XII, so there's no drama here. Third-round pick Aaron Rodgers will lead the C.W.O.T. offense, and the first-year FLFer has done an amazing job, putting up the second-most points at his position through 15 weeks. David Garrard will lead the Bock Boys, and after nearly costing his team a playoff spot for 50 minutes in Week 13, he's come on large to get his club to Tampa. Garrard, coincidentally, is the cheapest QB on Thomas' roster. Carson Palmer and Derek Anderson – two "studs" brought in at the cost of Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss – sit above him on the payroll, but both have been out with injury for quite some time. Jody's lone (and inactive) backup, J.T. O'Sullivan, was originally drafted by Thomas but let go in time for Jody to snag him and use him against his former club in that Week 5 win. Advantage: Jody

RUNNING BACKS

On paper and in reputation, Jody certainly has a decided advantage in the ground game. Yet the season has taken its toll on the C.W.O.T.'s bruising rushers, as Steven Jackson, Frank Gore, and Earnest Graham have all missed action due to injury. Thomas' running corps isn't nearly as deep but is just as banged up. Marion Barber carried the load for most of the season, but he missed last week's game against Anderson and is doubtful for this one. That leaves former FLF superstars Jamal Lewis and Ricky Williams to shoulder the load. Advantage: Jody

RECEIVERS

What's up is down and down is up for the C.W.O.T. receivers. HIgher-dollar pass catchers such as T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Antonio Gates have fallen on hard times, while younger players such as Calvin Johnson and Roddy White have provided the necessary explosiveness. With Barber limited, Thomas may opt to go for a run and shoot offense, and he'll have his choice of several good-but-not-spectacular receivers. What makes this matchup most intriguing is that both Donald Driver and Greg Jennings are likely to start for Thomas, which could neutralize a big day from Aaron Rodgers. Advantage: Even

KICKER

The C.W.O.T.'s John Carney and Thomas' David Akers are third and fourth in kicker points, respectively. That sounds about even to me, no? Advantage: Even

DEFENSE

Jody's Bears defense crushed Thomas' Cowboys squad 22-12 in their Week 5 meeting, but over the course of the season, the Boys' 'Boys hold a 30-point advantage over Da Bears. Tilting the scale even more in Thomas' favor is are the recent performances of the two units. The Bears have posted scores of 5, 10, and 11 in the past three weeks, whereas the Cowboys have thrown up 20, 19, and 26 in that same time frame. Perhaps the single most interesting NFL-angle for this game is Monday Night Football, when the Bears host the Packers. Turnovers by Driver or Jennings would be 5-point plays, but interceptions by Rodgers would nearly be cancelled out. As spectators, we can only hope the game is close heading into Monday. Advantage: Thomas

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