predicate.

Two weeks of playoffs have cleared away the chaff, and now we're left with just two contenders for the 2009 Predicup -- neither of whom have finished better than .500, let alone won a playoff game, in the past four seasons. It's a new day in Pigskin!

The #1-seeded Beefalo Balls continued their winning ways after finishing the regular season with eight straight wins, powering through the Chicago Rhyparographers (our 2005 champions, making their second straight trip to the playoffs) by 20 points and defeating the Great Lakes Steamers (the winningest team in Pigskin history, having also made the playoffs for a second straight year) by 10.

They will be challenged by The Defenestrators, who raised many eyebrows by trading away QB Tom Brady back in Week 2. Battling their way to a 7th seed on the strength of a 5-game winning streak to close out the regular season, Miah's team won a squeaker against early-season favorites The Hooligans (co-holders of this year's Silver Streak, and winners of the Smash Hit Tom Memorial Trophy) before shutting down Grim And Frostbitten (winners of their Fried Soup division, but hampered by injury and a terrible game by QB Brett Favre) in a 60-point blowout.

ESPN projects a Beefalo win by 12.8 points as of this writing, but anything can happen this late in the season. The Defenestrators will also have to cope with the loss of Tampa Bay WR Sammie Stroughter, but likely replacement Lee Evans of Buffalo caught a touchdown against New England last week, which is a promising sign.

One thing's for sure -- it's bound to be a heck of a contest!