June 17, 2026
By Adam Ruffner

Week 8 introduced a lot of chaos. Oakland lost their undefeated status, and along with it the top spot in the rankings. Boston re-emerged from their two-game trip through New York and DC with firm grip on first place in their division, while Pittsburgh suffered a 22-goal road loss on Saturday, before turning around and taking over third place in the Central Division on Sunday with their win. We're officially in the final month of the regular season, and with only Oakland clinching a playoff spot so far, 11 of the 12 seeds need to be filled. 

THE BACK 12

• It’s obvious to state at this point, but Salt Lake is in a precarious spot in the West Division standings. Their loss at Seattle put them in third place for the first time since they entered the league in 2022, and ended their four-year run of 10+ win regular seasons as well. And to throw some salt in the wound they now have a short week turnaround with a road doubleheader. First up on Thursday night is a Madison team that matches up extremely well with the Shred, followed on Friday by a date with the top squad in the league at Sea Foam Stadium. Salt Lake is still one of the best teams inside the red zone (16-of-17 at Seattle, first overall in UFA this season at 90 percent conversion rate), and Jordan Kerr continues to spam lefty forehands through thimble-size gaps with ruthless efficiency. But the rest of the offense is unreliable at best in recent weeks, and the Shred’s once potent deep attack (second in the league last season in hucks per game) has started to fizzle, with just 12 huck completions combined in their two most recent losses.

• Madison made some key second half defensive adjustments to disarm the Jake Felton-Elliot Hawkins connection that was lighting up the Radicals through the first two quarters—namely doubling Hawkins downfield—and it resulted in another one-goal win against the sparky-but-flailing AlleyCats. The victory ended a short two-game skid, and more importantly positioned Madison even more securely in the second spot in the Central Division standings, especially with rivals Indy, Chicago, and Pittsburgh all suffering defeat. The offense once again failed to hit a 50 percent success rate (fifth time in six games), but they’re not turning the disc over with any kind of frequency, so Madison can keep margins close even as execution errors continue to plague the start of their games. Nico Ranabhat quietly continued his All-UFA campaign with three assists and nearly 400 receiving yards while completing 41-of-42 throws; according to Shown Space, Ranabhat is 16th in the league in 2026 in total adjusted contribution, ahead of players like Thomas Edmonds, Miles Grovic, and Daniel Ritthaler.

• It’s going to be a real “Unknowable Force meets Strange Object” clash this coming Friday in the second meeting between the Sol and Growlers, because this San Diego group is one of the most confusing teams in several seasons. Brandon Van Deusen has to earn some kind of endurance ribbon for his singular work stabilizing SD’s O-line backfield through weeks of lineup rotations/injuries, and now the team adds last year’s top rookie scorer Jonathan Lyle for the finishing kick in their schedule. Max Gibson monster smashed the Apex on defense, and single-handedly shifted the comeback and San Diego’s playoff chances after three losses in their prior four games. This team is star performances and crazy (and I mean crazy—like have we considered Kevin Stuart’s forehead vein, guys?) celebrations held together by duct tape, but they are starting to make it work in a wide open battle for the third spot in the South. 

22.Vegas Bighorns (-)
Record: 0-7
Last result: 34-12 (L) vs Minnesota
Next game: June 19 at Atlanta

21. Oregon Steel (-)
Record: 0-8
Last result: 25-18 (L) vs Salt Lake
Next game: June 19 vs Toronto

20. Houston Havoc (-1)
Record: 1-6
Last result: 32-11 (L) at Carolina
Next game: June 20 vs San Diego

19. Montreal Royal (-2)
Record: 1-6
Last result: 22-21 (L) at Philadelphia
Next game: June 19 vs Philadelphia

18. Philadelphia Phoenix (+2)
Record: 1-5
Last result: 22-21 (W) vs Montreal
Next game: June 19 at Montreal

17. Chicago Union (-1)
Record: 1-4
Last result: 22-18 (L) at Pittsburgh
Next game: June 20 at Indianapolis

16. Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (+2)
Record: 2-5
Last result: 22-18 (W) vs Chicago
Next game: July 5 vs Minnesota

15. Indianapolis AlleyCats (-)
Record: 1-4
Last result: 18-17 (L) at Madison
Next game: June 20 vs Chicago

14. Colorado Apex (-2)
Record: 3-6
Last result: 22-21 (L) vs San Diego
Next game: June 26 vs Oakland (Friday Night Frisbee)

13. San Diego Growlers (-)
Record: 3-4
Last result: 22-21 (W) at Colorado
Next game: June 19 at Austin

12. Salt Lake Shred (-3)
Record: 4-3
Last result: 20-19 (L) at Seattle
Next game: June 18 vs Madison (Free on YouTube)

11. Madison Radicals (-)
Record: 3-2
Last result: 18-17 (W) vs Indianapolis
Next game: June 18 vs Salt Lake (Free on YouTube)

THE TOP 10

10. Toronto Rush (-)
Record: 4-3
Last result: 33-11 (W) vs Pittsburgh
Next game: June 19 at Oregon

Even without rookie firestarter Max Pettenuzzo in the lineup, the Rush racked up 33 goals against Pittsburgh, the most for Toronto since 2018. The Rush tallied 22 breaks on the game, tied for the second most in a game this season, and rookie Eric Zhuang had his fifth game with multiple blocks in his last six starts; Zhuang enters Week 9 tied with Carter Lankford and Lander Decraene for second in the UFA. Now Toronto’s playoff hopes rest on a first-ever Pacific Coast road trip, and the Rush essentially need a 2-0 weekend to stay competitive in the East Division. This team has had some high octane moments on offense for an almost entirely new starting seven, and Martin Gallant looks like he ate a Mario star in the open field at times. But Toronto still has some work to do establishing consistency if they want to upend the divisional hierarchy/blockade and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. 

9. Seattle Cascades (+5)
Record: 4-2
Last result: 20-19 (W) vs Salt Lake
Next game: June 20 vs Toronto

The Cascades simply couldn’t be denied victory at home over Salt Lake, and similarly their first entry into the top 10 this season. There’s still some disconcerting indicators for a team currently in line to host a playoff game—the Cascades have failed to hit an 80 percent red zone success rate in five of their six games, and currently rank fourth worst in the league—but they’re a scrappy group of playmakers on offense who are learning to limit their turnovers, while the Seattle defense generates pressure with their “faceless mob” single coverage and effective, situational double teaming. Garrett Martin is having his most efficient season as a pro, Conor Belfield remains the most underrated striker/attacker in the West (if not the league), and there’s generally more cohesion with Spencer Lofink grounding the offensive attack after missing the majority of 2025. A win over Toronto coupled with a winless Shred road trip would really catapult this Cascades team in the standings.

8. Atlanta Hustle (-)
Record: 4-4
Last result: 29-14 (W) vs Houston
Next game: June 19 vs Vegas

Alec Wilson Holliday is the living embodiment of the “it became personal with me” mentality this season, and the 2024 league leader in goals is at the top of the list again after his 11-goal eruption in Week 8. And for a team that has lacked energy the past few games, Wilson Holliday’s high-efficiency spark (38 total scores this season compared to just two total turnovers) has come at a perfect time. The Hustle have a lot of options at receiver, but Wilson Holliday certifying himself as the unquestionable WR1 of the group has helped simplify the offensive system in the wake of Brett Hulsmeyer’s injury. 

7. Austin Sol (-)
Record: 7-0
Last result: 27-11 (W) at Vegas
Next game: June 19 vs San Diego

Even though they already have an overtime win over the Growlers, this coming Friday’s matchup would be a true “revenge game” for the Sol. After suffering a season-ending loss at home to San Diego in the first round of last year’s South Division playoffs, Austin has a chance to put a leash on the Growlers’ postseason ambitions in 2026. Evan Swiatek was absent from last year’s loss, the pressure he can create as a scorer and facilitator could be the deciding factor again; Swiatek finished with a game-high nine scores when Austin battled San Diego 12 days ago. One big leverage point to watch for this Friday: The Sol love to pound the rock inside the red zone, and the Growlers coverage is very porous inside the 20-yard line. 

6. DC Breeze (-1)
Record: 6-3
Last result: 27-18 (L) vs Boston
Next game: July 3 at Philadelphia

I, for one, did not see that loss coming for the Breeze. The offense largely held serve, but after three straight games with nine or more break scores, the DC defense could only muster one against the reigning champs last Saturday. More disconcerting is the downward trend in takeaways, as DC hasn’t had a double-digit block performance since swatting a season-high 17 blocks against Colorado on May 15, and are on the verge of slipping outside the league’s top 10 in blocks per game with back-to-back five-block performances. Without the presences of Wiebe van den Brink and Charlie McCutcheon (and the still sidelined Jasper Tom), the lack of backfield pressure was evident against the Glory passers, and could be a problem for DC in their regular season finale against Atlanta. 

5. Carolina Flyers (+1)
Record: 7-2
Last result: 32-11 (W) vs Houston
Next game: June 20 vs Vegas

The Flyers put up 30-plus for the second straight game, and currently lead the league in scoring at nearly 26 per game. The Carolina D-line is cashing in breaks at a historic clip, and if the season finished today, their 12.1 breaks per game mark would rank fourth all-time. The Flyers employ three different double-digit block getters this season with big men Cooper Williams, Drew Swanson, and Matt Tucker while no other team has more than one such player in 2026. All of these counting stats will surely increase after their next matchup against the Bighorns, and the Flyers will likely be challenging the all-time high of 12.6 per game set by Toronto in 2014. 

4. New York Empire (-1)
Record: 6-2
Last result: 17-15 (L, OT) vs Boston
Next game: July 1 at Philadelphia

This league is really decided by inches and glances—just imagine how different the UFA landscape would look right now if only New York had knocked down Thomas Edmonds’ buzzer-beater at the end of regulation. But after a second sour loss at home this season—and the second straight game with lackluster offense after their record-setting start—the talent-rich Empire clearly have some kinks to work out before the playoffs hit. One issue is that New York’s deep attack can become single-dimensional and overly reliant on Alex Atkins, and giving him headaches disrupts the whole system; Boston was super effective at getting into the MVP candidate’s headspace last Friday, and the Empire as a team completed a season-low five hucks. Don’t look past a potential offensive lineup shakeup heading down the stretch. 

3. Oakland Spiders (-2)
Record: 7-1 (Clinched playoff berth in West Division)
Last result: 19-18 (L) vs Minnesota
Next game: June 26 at Colorado Friday Night Frisbee)

After steamrolling through West Division competition the first seven weeks of the season, the Spiders suffered their first setback and dropped their final home game of the regular season. As a testament to their early season successes, Oakland still clinched a playoff spot in the loss, and became the first franchise this season to punch their ticket to the postseason. But Minnesota exposed some potential flaws in the Spiders, namely their ability to generate big plays. Oakland was able to generate just three huck completions on the night, and missed a few deep looks late in the game. The problem is two-fold: the lack of explosives allows opposing defenses to “settle in” and defenders to cinch in a bit, tightening lanes; no big plays also meant that, in the fourth quarter, as Minnesota continued to land uppercuts, Oakland could only trade out with body blows, and eventually succumbed to the three-time reigning Central Division champs. Pretty much every champion with the exception of New York over the past decade has had to endure one gut-punch regular season loss, and this could very well be Oakland’s moment. 

2. Boston Glory (+2)
Record: 8-1
Last result: 27-18 (W) at DC
Next game: June 20 vs Philadelphia

What a response from the reigning champs, as they went from being on the verge of slipping into third place to re-establishing their firm grip on first in the East with two big road wins. Tobe Decraene has already eclipsed most of his regular season counting stats from a season ago when he won MVP, and he still has three more games to go. But the real development to watch, and improvement following their Week 7 loss to New York, has been the movement and play of Boston’s backfield, which has re-energized this team’s potent continuation game. Without veterans Ben Sadok and Ned Dick in the lineup, the Glory offense recalibrated around the near-flawless passing of Thomas Edmonds and Ryan Dinger, and added a deep dimension back to the attack; Boston connected on 17-of-20 (85%) from range in Week 8, with Dinger and Edmonds combining for five hucks, 179 completions, and one throwaway; the rock solid play of the Dinger-Edmonds duo allows for more freedom for Decraene to interchange between backfield space and attacking downfield, which has in turn reopened the Simon Carapella-to-Orion Cable continuation look that was so effective for Boston in last year’s playoffs. 

1. Minnesota Wind Chill (+1)
Record: 7-0
Last result: 34-12 (W) at Vegas
Next game: June 19 vs Salt Lake (Friday Night Frisbee)

The “prove it” champs since they won the title in 2024 stepped up once again in the battle of the undefeateds last Friday night, with Will Brandt walking down another elite defense for the game-clinching score. Minnesota just has hitters, whether it’s Brandt and his newfound dual-threat abilities, white-hot Gordon Larson throwing beads, Bryan Vohnoutka being fearless in crunchtime, or Greg Cousins coming up with every clutch-ball you throw his direction. And what’s most impressive about Minnesota’s flawless start to their schedule is that they still have four of their five remaining regular season games in front of their swelling, league-record home crowds.