Archimedes was a legendary mathematician and inventor. Without him we wouldn’t have the Archimedes screw, odometer, or the phrase “Eureka”. He proved the area of a circle to be equal to Pi times it’s radius squared, came extremely close to estimating Pi, and evaluated the area enclose by a Parabola and straight line. Heck, he even attempted to make a death ray! His division has often turned the death ray of their success on the others, as one of the only two to have won a Championship before.
Last year, the “wall of maroon” paired together on Newton to take it all, and this year 177, 190, and 987 are all in the same division again on Archimedes. A number of other old and new friendships and partnerships are on Archi as well such 93 and 525, 116 and 122, 337 and 357, or 41 and 555. It’ll take some substantial luck for any of these bonds to re-unite and hold up to the firestorm of intense competition on this field. Several of the top contenders are on this field, but the level of play drops off quickly afterwards. Second-round selections will be huge factors, and it will take exceptional scouting to find the “hidden gems” for an alliance to take this division.
The PREDICTIONS:
TIPS:
27 has been absolutely unstoppable at times, but faltered in others. They have been plagued by technical issues, such as a broken intake mechanism and drive shaft in Detroit or a destroyed transmission at GLR. Rush has the potential to perhaps be the most dangerous team in the division if they can stay healthy and find a good partner.
93 has a consistent scoring machine, and after a disappointing loss in the Galileo semi-finals last year they’re hungry. They won’t blow anyone away, but with the right partners they could pull an upset over some of the more hyped teams. I don’t see them being able to make the finals though.
The newest addition to the Hall of Fame hasn’t won a Championship since 2001, but MoE is looking to recapture that magic again this year. 365 upset the Cybersonics in the Philadelphia finals after falling short in Rochester. The Miracle Workerz have an awesome hybrid, recording 3-4 lines and 1-2 balls, and are very hard to defend. They won’t be able to carry an alliance over the likes of the division’s elite, and I don’t know how much room they have for improvement over their performance in Philly, but with an elite partner a return to Einstein is possible.
DARK HORSE:
525 almost took out 217 all the way back in week 1 in St. Louis during the semi-finals. They then partnered with 93 in Minnesota to take the regional in convincing fashion. The are 24-3-1 on the year, and went undefeated in Minnesota. They will hurdle their way into the eliminations easily, and could pull off a huge upset or two over the “big name” teams.
SLEEPER:
The Hard Working Hard Hats produce winning bots year in and year out. 337 won Pittsburgh and made the quarter-finals in Hawai’i in 2008. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them as an alliance captain on Archimedes (they’ve been a championship captain before). They’re not going to overwhelm anyone, but some solid scoring could win them qualification matches.
LOCKS:
Unless you’re just now looking at Chief Delphi for the first time this season, you know that 1024 won three events this year. The Kil-A-Bytes have their best bot yet, and a spectacular hybrid capable of notching six or more lines. They’ve improved their tele-operated scoring greatly too, and were quite impressive in every aspect in Ohio. They had some trouble in the qualification rounds in their first two events, but now that they’re even more consistent, they’ll likely end up as a top 15 seed.
1124 is the only undefeated team at the Championship Event. They have a 14-0 record, but they’ve only attended one regional (Connecticut). The Überbots have a quick hybrid capable of knocking balls that will only get better. They don’t seem like they’re tearing it up while you watch them, but then you glance a the scoreboard and see they’ve put up five hurdles. They’re effective and consistent, but we haven’t seen very much of them and they had some technical and durability issues early on. Their are some question marks, but 1124 will be a top contender and has a terrific shot at improving upon the silver medals they won at Championship last year.
987 is returning their entire drive team that won the Championship last year. They have an astounding 32-2 record, with both of the losses coming in the San Diego finals against 968, 1717, and 294. They’re a hurdling beast, with the ability to remove balls in hybrid and place at the end. Over the past three years the High Rollers have established themselves as an elite member of FIRST, and they win wherever they compete.
Never bet against Beatty, ever. 71 still has a few question marks even after winning West Michigan, namely their hybrid. But 71 didn’t win any events last year and they still ended up inches away from their FIFTH FIRST Championship. Team Hammond will be a massive factor on Archimedes.
