Tucson and Northern Arizona battle for early control of the Superior Division and two very different century marks could fall in Week 2.
One week is enough to create a standings page.
It is not enough to tell us who these teams really are.
Week 2 should help.
Boston, Tucson, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Cedar Rapids and Northern Arizona enter the weekend unbeaten. Six other teams are already looking to make sure an opening loss doesn't become something more concerning.
And for the first time this season, division records begin carrying a little more weight.
All six of this week's games are divisional matchups, including a meeting between the only two unbeaten teams in the Superior Division.
Let's get to it.
Superior Division: No. 1 Tucson vs. No. 2 Northern Arizona
If Northern Arizona wants to make the case that this year really could be different, there are worse ways to do it than ending this streak.
Tucson has beaten the Wranglers six consecutive times dating back to 2022.
Now they meet with both teams sitting at 1–0 and early control of the Superior Division on the line.
The Sugar Skulls arrive after scoring 222.45 points in Week 1, second-most in the entire GLFL. Northern Arizona also won its opener, although its 187.1 points landed just below the league median and earned the Wranglers the dubious honor of becoming our first Lucky Duck.
The projections aren't particularly subtle, either.
Tucson: 201.0.
Northern Arizona: 167.9.
That's a projected difference of 33.1 points. But projections don't know about six-game losing streaks. They don't know about division positioning. And they certainly don't know how badly Jason Richmond would enjoy being the guy who finally ends Tucson's run in this matchup.
This is why we play them.
Tucson would lead Northern Arizona 1–0.
Using each team's actual weekly score against the other, Tucson's 222.45 would have beaten Northern Arizona's 187.1 in Week 1.
One hypothetical game isn't much of a sample. Give us a few weeks.
Erie Division: No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 3 Milwaukee
There may not be a tighter matchup on the board.
Milwaukee enters as a microscopic 1.7-point projected favorite over Cleveland, setting up what could be one of Week 2's best games.
The Gladiators are coming off a 219.25-point demolition of Chicago that snapped a four-game losing streak against the Slaughter. Milwaukee, meanwhile, scored 189 points but lost to Cedar Rapids — while Kenneth Walker III's 44.1 points sat on the bench.
Yes, we're still mentioning it.
History favors Milwaukee here. The Mustangs have beaten Cleveland in five of their last seven meetings.
But Cleveland has something considerably bigger sitting in front of it this weekend.
One more regular-season victory would be the 100th in franchise history.
The Gladiators would become only the fourth GLFL franchise to reach 100 regular-season wins.
Milwaukee would probably enjoy making them wait another week.
Cleveland would lead Milwaukee 1–0.
Cleveland scored 219.25 in Week 1 compared with Milwaukee's 189.0.
The actual Week 2 projection? Almost dead even.
Michigan Division: No. 4 Brooklyn vs. No. 1 Boston
If you haven't checked this rivalry's history lately, you might want to sit down.
From the league's inception through 2021, Brooklyn went an astonishing 11–1 against Boston.
Then Chris Cholka took control of the Brawlers and Brooklyn hasn't beaten them since.
Boston is 5–0 against Brooklyn since 2022.
That's one of the more dramatic reversals you'll find anywhere in the GLFL record book.
The defending champions enter Week 2 after producing a league-best 224.15 points against Miami. Brooklyn managed just 159.6 in its opening loss to Philadelphia.
Yet the projections see something considerably closer this week: Boston by only 2.5 points.
Cory Colvin's Bolts once owned this matchup.
They've spent the Cholka era trying to figure out how to get it back.
Boston would lead Brooklyn 1–0.
Boston's league-leading 224.15 easily clears Brooklyn's 159.6 from opening weekend.
Superior Division: No. 3 Los Angeles vs. No. 4 Vegas
Somebody is leaving Week 2 with a divisional win.
Somebody else could be staring at 0–2.
Los Angeles enters after scoring 180.55 in its opening loss to Tucson. Vegas wasn't far behind at 177.05 but suffered the closest loss of Week 1, falling to Northern Arizona by just 10.05.
The Wildcats are projected 16.4 points higher this week.
There's also a little history potentially waiting for Vegas — although not the kind anybody puts on a banner.
A loss would become the 100th regular-season defeat in Knight Hawks franchise history.
Vegas would become only the third franchise in GLFL history to reach 100 regular-season losses, joining Philadelphia and Cedar Rapids.
There's probably no commemorative T-shirt planned.
Los Angeles would lead Vegas 1–0.
The Wildcats scored 180.55 in Week 1 compared with Vegas' 177.05.
Margin: 3.5 points.
That's considerably tighter than this week's projections suggest.
Michigan Division: No. 2 Philadelphia vs. No. 3 Miami
Philadelphia couldn't have asked for much more from Week 1.
The Soul scored 207.95 behind 60.95 from Caleb Williams, 40.3 from Bijan Robinson and 35.2 from Chris Olave.
Miami's opener was considerably less enjoyable.
The Inferno scored a respectable 183.35 — and had the misfortune of drawing Boston's league-high 224.15.
Now Richard Head's team gets another Michigan Division opponent that broke 200 last week.
Philadelphia enters as a 10.7-point projected favorite and has an opportunity to establish an early foothold near the top of the division.
Miami has an opportunity to make sure 0–1 doesn't become 0–2.
Philadelphia would lead Miami 1–0.
The Soul's 207.95 would have beaten Miami's 183.35 in Week 1.
Erie Division: No. 4 Chicago vs. No. 2 Cedar Rapids
There are two ways Chicago can respond to Week 1.
We recommend the one that involves scoring more than 147.3 points.
The Slaughter finished opening weekend with the lowest score in the league, suffered the largest defeat and became the first franchise eliminated from GLFL Survivor.
Not ideal.
Cedar Rapids had essentially the opposite experience.
The Titans scored 207, beat Milwaukee and opened the season looking very much like a team that intends to make another postseason run.
Cedar Rapids enters Week 2 as an 8.3-point projected favorite.
Chicago doesn't need to solve the entire season Sunday.
But falling to 0–2 inside the Erie Division would make the questions considerably louder.
Cedar Rapids would lead Chicago 1–0.
The Titans' 207 points would have comfortably beaten Chicago's 147.3 in Week 1.
The Gladiators are sitting on 99 all-time regular-season victories. Win No. 100 would put Cleveland into a club that only three other GLFL franchises have reached.
Brooklyn once went 11–1 against Boston. Since Chris Cholka took over? The Brawlers are 5–0. That's not a small shift. That's a complete reversal.
The Sugar Skulls already own six straight victories over Northern Arizona and just scored 222.45 in Week 1. A seventh straight win would leave Tucson 2–0 overall and 2–0 inside the Superior Division.
Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Miami and Vegas all scored at least 177 points last week. Chicago scored 147.3. One loss is nothing. Two starts becoming a trend.
| Matchup | Projection | Division | Week 1 H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland @ Milwaukee | MIL 187.8 – CLE 186.1 | Erie | CLE 1–0 |
| Brooklyn @ Boston | BOS 167.1 – BRK 164.6 | Michigan | BOS 1–0 |
| Los Angeles @ Vegas | LA 179.6 – VEG 163.2 | Superior | LA 1–0 |
| Philadelphia @ Miami | PHI 175.9 – MIA 165.2 | Michigan | PHI 1–0 |
| Tucson @ Northern Arizona | TUC 201.0 – NAZ 167.9 | Superior | TUC 1–0 |
| Chicago @ Cedar Rapids | CR 176.5 – CHI 168.2 | Erie | CR 1–0 |
Week 1 gives us reactions.
Week 2 starts giving us patterns.
A Tucson victory would extend one of the league's longest active head-to-head streaks and give the Sugar Skulls early control of the Superior Division.
Cleveland could make franchise history.
Vegas could make a different kind of franchise history.
Boston has an opportunity to extend one of the strangest rivalry reversals in the league.
And somewhere among Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Miami, Vegas and Chicago, a team that entered the season with expectations is about to wake up Monday morning 0–2.
Now we're starting to learn something.