Predictions: The Big Show -- Galileo

[Joe Johnson]

There are just too many teams to pick from. Really. I have managed to whittle my tips & locks down to a manageable list of 12 Teams per Division.

Tips: A team to watch. Should have a pretty good run after lunch on Saturday.

Lock: This is a team that I feel has a better than 50% chance of making it to the finals of their division.

Here we go...

TIPS:
The TechnoKats (#45) have earned the respect over the years and this season. They won in St. Louis and were great in West Lafayette. They should be putting up the tubes again in Atlanta.

I have had a soft spot in my heart for Team Krunch (#79) since I first saw Capt Krunch #1 back at the first TX regional (at Johnson Space Center) -- they were Rookie Allstars & they deserved it. They have kept up their winning ways. They were Regional Chairmans from FL in 2006 and they have done it again in 2007. Oh yeah, they were #15th seed in FL and the #3 draft overall. I suppose they will be in the hunt on Galileo this year.

They were Champs in NJ. They have a seeding record of 15-3-0. The Cybersonics (#103) should have a great run at the Championships. Watch and learn, they'll be putting on a clinic all weekend.

Thunder Chickens (#217) have one of the coolest logos I know of. And their robot is a monster scorer. They were finalist in St. Louis. If they had anyone else that could put up a tube on their alliance they might have won Detroit. The Chickens will make their mark in Atlanta.

Team #703 has 14 wheel drive and gets wherever they want to. They are a ramp only robot but their defense is tenacious. Oh yeah, and they were champs in Grand Rapids. Simplicity works. Try it.

15-3-0 in seeding matches at FL & SC. Finalists in SC. Champs in FL. The TechTigers (#1251) are for real.

They were 1/3rd of "The Triplets" last year. They are 1/2 of "The Twins" this year. Whatever. Just be glad there are fewer of them this year than last #1680 is just plain good.

They earned their nick name, "the Rookie Sensations," not only by having seeding record of 16-2-1 after competing in Waterloo and Toronto but by taking home 2 blue banner. 2 for 2 in Regional competitions. Not too shabby. Can the Rookie Sensations make a splash at the Championships? I bet they can. And more to the point, I bet they will.


LOCKS:
13-2-1 in seeding after competing in NJ & CT. They one the first, they were finalist in the 2nd. They are Team #25, Bristol-Myers Squibb. If they aren't a Lock, nobody is. These guys have a much better than 50-50 shot at the finals of their division. With their record the past two years in Atlanta, you might say they have a 50-50 shot at winning it all. They're brash, they're bold, they're a bit braggadocios, but bottom line, they get the job done and you'd want them on your alliance. It ain't braggin' if you can do it. And these guys prove they can do it, year in and year out.

Ethicon & Bound Brook (#56) may not have the hardware that some other teams have this season, but I like there chances in Atlanta. They had a solid outing in FL and were finalist in NY City. 14-2-0 in seeding matches. They have carried the water sometimes with leaky buckets. Look for them to get all the holes patched and to make a heck of a run after lunch on Saturday.


Division By Zero (#229) is another team without the pedigree of some of the other teams in the division but they had solid outings in Rochester and Long Island (where they were Champs). The trend is good and the team is a well oiled machine. Definitely a Lock.

Frog Force #503 is a real force. They are competing for the Chairman's Award and they have some robot hardware to match. They won Great Lakes. They had a tougher time in Ohio. Even so, they are a lock in my book. Look for great things from Frog Force.



BONUS:
Too many teams in Galileo to keep it to just 12. Sorry I have to add a few.

3 quick bonus teams to mention.

The Huskie Brigade (#65) has a solid machine again this year -- they can really score tubes. Keep an eye on them. They may be available later in the draft than they should be -- take them if you can get them.

It seems strange to put #123 on my Bonus teams since they won 2 Regionals (PITT & Detroit), but they are a team that could fall through the cracks. They ran into seeding problems in Detroit and may not have gone very high in the draft were it not for their co-Champion sliding into a drafting position. They don't look all that robust at times, but I will tell you that they have very clever and sneaky drivers. They have scored under stress in places that I thought impossible. AND Once they pick up a tube they keep it until it goes on the rack -- they score the tubes they pick up -- a definite plus when the defense gets hot and heavy. Keep them on your watch list. They may be available later than they should be.

#2158 AusTIN CANs were my heart pick for TX. They had some tough tough seeding matches and fell through the drafting cracks. This should not happen in Atlanta. I suppose that they will not have lightening strike twice so they should seed okay but if they don't, hopefully some scout will see their potential. This is a heck of a team with a heck of a robot. Well serving of their Rookie All Star Award. Again, if they are available late in the draft give them a hard look before passing them by.

Joe J.

[IndySam]

Great stuff, but I think you should move 45 from Tip to Lock. They have performed well and have had three weeks of build window and practice time since boilermaker. Look out Galileo!

[Rich Ross]

I'll agreee to disagree with Dr J on this one. I'l use the same TIP and LOCK system.

TIPS:
191 The Xcats have had a season that does not reflect their overall achievement. They are a Hall of Fame team, and in addition, they have a Great robot. If they stay consistent, finalists in the division at least.

229: Ever Since JVN left 229, people have started paying significantly less attention to them. Watch for them during alliance selections. They will be an alliance captain and will shock many. Their platforms may come in handy to.

237 is going to be picked up by a good team and will make the semis at least. Their roller is too good, and driving under D will be easier now that they've grown a little more accustomed to it.

540 will fly under the radar a decent amount. IF they can stop themselves from winning my too much (no wraparounds guys) then they will be in the top 12 ranks. They need to play a longterm game though, and keep the low profile that they enter the dome with.

703 will not get past semifinalist unless they prove themselves strategically more (setting picks, stopping spoiler attempts, using their ramps well).


LOCKS:
1902 has a nice schedule ahead of them. The algorithm will make them very very happy. OINK OINK BOOM on einstien.

Stop the presses, its 1251. Something tells me that they will have improved their Ground clearance in some way. Watch for them to be climbing (or be able to climb) more ramps in ATL.

1425 should be capable of being an alliance captain. IF they pick well, they're on einstien.


Scouting will determine the winners of this thing! i guarantee it.


Some popular teams (2056, 25, 1555) will be good, but due to the size of the target on their backs will fall by the wayside. People had better be smart enough to pick them up, or they will be sorry.

I also predict 2 declinations of alliance captains.

Happy Hunting!

[AdamHeard]

There are simply too many good teams to make any guarantees.

Almost anyone could be representing galileo on einstein.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Rich Ross

Stop the presses, its 1251. Something tells me that they will have improved their Ground clearance in some way. Watch for them to be climbing (or be able to climb) more ramps in ATL.

If they've improved it, it was since Friday at Palmetto. (We played a match with them and 337 (I think), and there was some concern about their ability to get up. In the end, they were the ones who got lifted when the ramp went flat, while we climbed.)

I will agree, however, 1902 stands to be a tremendous asset to their partners in qualifying--compare their performance these past two years with your average team in the 1900s--and have a high probability of picking. If they can avoid catching air climbing down from ramps*, Einstein is entirely possible.
*That's not a 2007 reference.

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Billfred

*That's not a 2007 reference.

Luckily for 1902, there's no reason in rack and roll to repeat this.

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

Luckily for 1902, there's no reason in rack and roll to repeat this.

Plus we have solid metal wheels, we learned from last year.

[SSMike]

Originally Posted by Rich Ross

I'll agreee to disagree with Dr J on this one. I'l use the same TIP and LOCK system.

TIPS:
191 The Xcats have had a season that does not reflect their overall achievement. They are a Hall of Fame team, and in addition, they have a Great robot. If they stay consistent, finalists in the division at least.

229: Ever Since JVN left 229, people have started paying significantly less attention to them. Watch for them during alliance selections. They will be an alliance captain and will shock many. Their platforms may come in handy to.

Scouting will determine the winners of this thing! i guarantee it.

I have to agree with you there. For the most part I agree with Dr. J too. But I think that 116, 191, 1126, and 217 have a really good shot to go to the finals. Also look for 903 to fly under the radar.

[Justin]

Close to heading out for ATL but I want to throw this rookie pick onto the pile as well. Team 2079 they were at Boston and they are an incredibly solid Rookie team I will be looking for more big things from them :-)

Here comes Hotlanta!

-Justin

[Squirrel Lord]

Originally Posted by Rich Ross

I'll agreee to disagree with Dr J on this one. I'l use the same TIP and LOCK system.

TIPS:
191 The Xcats have had a season that does not reflect their overall achievement. They are a Hall of Fame team, and in addition, they have a Great robot. If they stay consistent, finalists in the division at least.

229: Ever Since JVN left 229, people have started paying significantly less attention to them. Watch for them during alliance selections. They will be an alliance captain and will shock many. Their platforms may come in handy to.

237 is going to be picked up by a good team and will make the semis at least. Their roller is too good, and driving under D will be easier now that they've grown a little more accustomed to it.

540 will fly under the radar a decent amount. IF they can stop themselves from winning my too much (no wraparounds guys) then they will be in the top 12 ranks. They need to play a longterm game though, and keep the low profile that they enter the dome with.

703 will not get past semifinalist unless they prove themselves strategically more (setting picks, stopping spoiler attempts, using their ramps well).


LOCKS:
1902 has a nice schedule ahead of them. The algorithm will make them very very happy. OINK OINK BOOM on einstien.

Stop the presses, its 1251. Something tells me that they will have improved their Ground clearance in some way. Watch for them to be climbing (or be able to climb) more ramps in ATL.

1425 should be capable of being an alliance captain. IF they pick well, they're on einstien.


Scouting will determine the winners of this thing! i guarantee it.


Some popular teams (2056, 25, 1555) will be good, but due to the size of the target on their backs will fall by the wayside. People had better be smart enough to pick them up, or they will be sorry.

I also predict 2 declinations of alliance captains.

Happy Hunting!

Shhh!
Nobody knows we are in this division evidently, do not ruin it for us!

[Tetraman]

Note the number of teams that score tubes to have ramps. As far as I've seen, there is an overwhelming number of tube scorers or the hybrids that pay more attention to their tube scores.

This brings up, also, the point of how many teams can score autonomously. While the number is still small, there are plenty to go around. And when I say that...I mean Galileo has an upper hand.

Can 3 successful auto-mode scorers defeat a ramp-needy alliance?

[Doug Leppard]

Originally Posted by Tetraman

Can 3 successful auto-mode scorers defeat a ramp-needy alliance?

Which brings to mind, how many of the teams in Galileo can do autonomous scoring?

We can adjust ours to work with others. So who out there besides 1902 has auto mode that works consistantly?

[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by Doug Leppard

Which brings to mind, how many of the teams in Galileo can do autonomous scoring?

We can adjust ours to work with others. So who out there besides 1902 has auto mode that works consistantly?

As far as I can remember, there are about 3 or four. Last I checked, Sparx' worked very well.

[Kristian Calhoun]

Originally Posted by Doug Leppard

Which brings to mind, how many of the teams in Galileo can do autonomous scoring?

We can adjust ours to work with others. So who out there besides 1902 has auto mode that works consistantly?

In my last post, I listed the teams in Galileo that have an autonomous mode that at least attempt to score - whether or not it works consistently is a different story, but at least this narrows down the list of possible teams.

I'd say that 79, 237, 1126, 1425, 1730, 1902, and 2056 all have pretty consistent autonomous modes. 1680 also has one of the more accurate autonomous modes.
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[Tetraman]

Originally Posted by Kristian Calhoun

In my last post, I listed the teams in Galileo that have an autonomous mode that at least attempt to score - whether or not it works consistently is a different story, but at least this narrows down the list of possible teams.

I'd say that 79, 237, 1126, 1425, 1730, and 2056 all have pretty consistent autonomous modes. 1680 also has one of the more accurate autonomous modes.
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Oh wow. If autonomous mode is ever going to shine this year it will have to be in this division.