Week 14 is in the books, the regular season is officially over, and the playoff bracket is locked. The Austin Tourists closed things out with a 123–94 win over Rockport, finishing 10–4 and extending their win streak to seven as they head into their title defense. i2^3Σπ wrapped up their season at 8–6 with a 111–100 win over the Tacos, while Michiana picked up a big 128–110 upset over the Lobos. The Jaybirds edged Tortilla Flats 128–121 to finish at 6–8.

None of the results changed the playoff field, but they did finalize where everyone lands. The New Mexico Lobos take the No. 1 seed at 10–4 after winning the West, with the Tourists slotting in at No. 2 after winning the East at the same record. The Robots (8–6) and the Rockport Leatherheads (7–7) take the third and fourth seeds—Rockport finishing with the exact same record Austin had last year before making their championship run.

It’s a familiar-looking postseason field: three of the four teams—New Mexico, Austin, and Rockport—were all in the playoffs last year. The fourth spot this time goes to i2^3Σπ, sliding into the place the Jaybirds held in 2024. This is the Robots’ first trip to the winners bracket. Rockport made their playoff debut last season but ran into the eventual champions, losing to Austin in the semifinals. Austin, meanwhile, has made the postseason every year since the league began, but even that level of consistency is slightly overshadowed by the Lobos, who haven’t just reached the playoffs each season but have appeared in every championship game in HLC history. The two teams met in last year’s title game as well, with Austin edging out New Mexico in a close 286–267 finish.

Rockport and the Robots are still hunting for their first title, and both teams have shown they are capable of putting up big numbers.

Playoff matchups are now set:
Rockport faces the Lobos, and the Robots take on the Tourists.
The consolation ladder features the Jaybirds vs. Michiana
and the Tacos vs. Tortilla Flats, a game that feels like it should come with a side of salsa.

The postseason games begin tomorrow, kicking off a four-week run to the championship with each matchup decided over a two-week window.

Good luck and godspeed, lady and gentlemen!

Anomalous Output Distributions in a Closed Fantasy Ecosystem
Before we close the regular season, we need to acknowledge what future researchers may classify as “The Michiana Phenomenon,” a rare statistical disturbance in which a perfectly respectable fantasy team becomes the league-wide punching bag for everyone else’s record-setting explosions. Despite finishing with 1796.82 Points For (second-highest in the entire HLC behind only 1st place New Mexico) the Muskellunge somehow ended up 5–9 because opponents averaged a league-leading (and not even remotely close) 1840.6 Points Against, a number that suggests some combination of cosmic interference, dark matter, or an angry football god.

And if that weren’t strange enough, preliminary data shows Tortilla Flats may be experiencing a related (though slightly milder) strain of the same anomaly, finishing seventh in the standings despite outscoring five other teams, including two playoff qualifiers. If anyone is collecting material for a future peer-reviewed paper titled Anomalous Output Distributions in a Closed Fantasy Ecosystem, this season may require its own special appendix.

HLC Championships
2022: New Mexico defeats the San Antonio Tacos 194-164
2023: Michiana defeats New Mexico 301 – 298
2024: Austin defeats New Mexico 286 – 267
2025: TBD