Dallas Fuel vs Florida Mayhem

There's only one way in which this particular clash can pan out, and that's with the Dallas boys getting their hands raised. We cannot envision any other scenario -- the gap between them and their forthcoming opponents is simply far too big. Now, all of that being said, the Mayhem are not to be trifled with. They've already accomplished far more than anyone thought they would and they've obviously made waves with the meagerest of means.

They're feisty as heck and will never go down without a fight. Sadly, they're neither consistent nor capable enough to truly stand a chance against the Overwatch League creme de la creme. They sure will try, though, but eventually, once the dust settles, they will *not* be the last ones standings.

We'd also be remiss if we didn't say that Dallas sort of dropped the ball, too. They didn't have the easiest of opponents in the Los Angeles Gladiators, but we still expected a slightly better showing what with them having such a high skill ceiling and some of the very best players around. They'll bounce back, there's no doubt about it, but at this level and against the teams they'll face, they cannot afford to make any mistakes whatsoever.

The fact that they're now in the lower half of the bracket is a baffling development in and of itself, and much of the same can be said for the San Francisco Shock as well. It seems that the shift to playing in front of a live audience affected these teams far more than we ever could have imagined. Regardless, they're still amongst the biggest favorites to win this year's Kickoff Clash and if they play their cards right and come out the gates swinging they'll no doubt do justice to our expectations.