Club Regionals Preview: NW, SW, SO

Northwest:
Favorite: Seattle Sockeye. Sockeye has had a dream season, picking up a few more star players who seem to have fit right into the system. They beat the defending world champions twice, and they have two losses on universe point (Boston, Jam) and another while short-handed (Johnny Bravo). They are beatable, but they are cut above the rest of the teams in the country. They should come in extremely focused and will not falter at regionals.
Contenders: Revolver has the second seed by virtue of their sectionals win over Jam, and Jam is the only team in the NW with a win over Sockeye. Furious has looked unimpressive all season, except for a dominant performance at Canadian Nationals, where they stormed past an extremely determined and likely UPA quarterfinalist GOAT. Rhino has been lurking in the background all season, but they seem to have cooled off following their finals appearance at Solstice. They are still firmly ahead of Voodoo and YR, two young teams that seem unlikely to break through for a few years.
Qualifiers: Sockeye storms through to the finals, beating a resurgent Furious in the semis, and meeting a Jam team that avenged their sectionals loss to Revolver. In the backdoor, Furious and Revolver roll through YR and Rhino and Furious secures the third bid when they beat Revolver. Revolver comes out as the NW #4 and will be a very difficult draw as the second seed in pool play at Nationals.

Southwest
Favorite: Johnny Bravo has had an extremely impressive summer and fall season. This may finally be the year that they can step up and make a finals appearance at Nationals. They're 4-1 against Jam (1-0 on neutral ground) and 1-1 against Sockeye. They lost to Condors, their regional rival, in their only meeting, but they will be the favorite by virtue of their impressive performances at Colorado Cup and Labor Day. This is a team that has had time to gel and teammates know each other. And having Beau to fall back on never hurts.
Contenders: Barring a monumental upset, Condors are the only other team with a shot at Nationals. SD United, Monster, and Last Call all fell way behind Condors at SoCal Sectionals, and Condors have posted some impressive wins at elite tournaments (Bravo, Boston, Jam). They're a bubble team at Nationals between prequarters and quarters, depending on which Condors team shows up.
Qualifiers: Bravo takes the region in commanding fashion, and Condors are clearly a cut above the rest.

South
Favorite: Last year's surprise semifinalist Chain Lightning remains the favorite from the South. They've added Josh Ziperstein and traveled across the country this summer. They beat Doublewide on their own turf and got experience playing NW teams at ECC, even beating Johnny Bravo in a shortened game. But Chain has not fared as well close to home, falling to Ring, Truck Stop, and Boston. Still, they are the regional favorites, but their Nationals results may end up depending on whether or not they match up favorably against their opponents.
Contenders: Doublewide is the clear choice to take the second bid out of the South, but a new-look Vicious Cycle and the other Florida teams believe that they have a shot at Nationals. DW looked impressive at Labor Day, and their aggressive style may have ruffled some feathers. But South region teams are more used to physical play and will not be intimidated.
Qualifiers: Chain Lightning wins the region in a close game over Doublewide, who win an equally close game-to-go over Vicious Cycle. We'll see whether Doublewide brings the stylish or hideous uniforms to Nationals this year.