Hi all! First of all, I just want to add a little disclaimer here…the following you are about to read does not reflect the feelings or ideas of any of my teams past or present. My predictions in no way are meant to put down any team or division, they are just simply my opinions. In a nutshell, im just trying to have a little fun =)
Ok I have thoroughly reviewed each division and have made some observations due to what I saw. Also for each division I have chosen the team that I think will be most likely to be a division champion. I only pick one because trying to pick alliances is just too goofy. Soooo enjoy, take them as you will, but they are just my opinions.
Archimedes: Definately the ball scoring division of the competition. Teams 45 the Technokats, 47 Chief Delphi, 121 Rhode Warriors, and 224 Piscataway High are just a few of the extremely tough large ball capacity ball scorers. This division will be dominated by these scorers and could very well end up having an alliance of 2 ball scorers winning it all. Should be interesting.
Most Likely to Win - Team 45 Technokats: The Technotank does it all, ball pickup, and a nasty drive train that will serve them well in the finals.
Curie: This division is ruled by a vast majority of two goal grabbers. There are quite a few very powerful and maneuverable two goal grabbers (i.e. 60 Ford Kigman, 237 The Tribe, and 254 the Cheesy Poofs). Add to it, one of the most amazing qualification round robots, team 157 the Aztechs and you have the formula for a division that will be well represented in the final 4.
Most Likely to Win - Team 60 Ford/Kingman: Frankly I have never seen a drivetrain quite like the one these guys have. Not to mention the maneuverability of their arms. They are a force.
Einstein: A division with some solid goal grabbers like teams 192 Gunn Robotics and 312 Baxter Heatwave, and a couple of really solid ball scorers such as team 111 Wildstang and 16 Baxter Bomb Squad. Should be interesting to see who comes out on top in this one as it is very evenly matched.
Team Most Likely to Win - 111 Wildstang: Breat Ball scorer and goal grabber, very powerful and an awsome drive train, they should be tough to beat.
Newton: This division is absolutely stacked! Easily the toughest division to win, and it is gonna be very interesting to see what happens here. With all three goal grabbers in the division the finals could be very different. Dying to see what happens if team 365 MOE and team 71 Beatty cross paths in the elims. Add in some great ball scoring teams like team 175 Buzz and 173 Rage and you have a contender for the national championship.
Team Most Likely to Win - 71 Beatty and Hammond: The way i see it, one of those 3 goal grabbers has got to come out on top, and Beatty is very strong with those nearly immovable legs.
The finals: Out of the 4 teams I picked to win each division I have to go with team 60 Ford and Kingman to take it all. Frankly, I have never seen a robot with such a dominating drive system as these guys have. I would love to see Kingman and Beatty do battle in the finals, either way, this is gonna be an exciting tornement.
Also just a couple more observations…did anyone seem to notice how pretty much the best teams from each big sponsor seemed to get grouped together. Maybe its just coincidence, but it seems kinda odd, especially considering how 5 UTC teams are in the same division. I kinda like it. Also, I find it interesting that all the 3 goal grabbers are in one division, any thoughts on this?
Well I hope you all have fun at nationals, no matter who ends up on top I’m sure its gonna make for alot of excitement.
Good Luck to all teams,
Andy Grady