CUDL2026 Recap / Comparisons to the Past

So, what happened?

I’ll keep this short because there is a lot to get into below, but this past week we saw quite the shakeup in the standings. Our 5-way race at the top concluded with wins from Teal over Yellow and Pink over Olive. This allowed Pink to move into 3^rd while Teal jumped all the way up to 1^st. A Disc-iples team, on a bye, unfortunately lost their top spot of the standings. In the bottom half of the standings, the Tugboats held off the Landsharks to keep the 6^th seed, while the Committee for Disc Retention stayed put at 7^th after failing to win in a shootout with the Wind. This was the Wind’s first win of the year and allowed them to avoid joining the short list of winless teams. Unfortunately, The Wind still suffers the fate of being the only team to ever miss out on the playoffs in CUDL history. Speaking of history, let’s move onto our main segment.

Comparisons to the Past

Every previous CUDL article has been based around power rankings or current team analysis. For an end of season recap, and my only article of the year, I wanted to try something different. For that “new perspective”, I thought it would be interesting to examine past CUDL teams and see if we can spot any similarities to this year’s crop. Luckily, I’ve been keeping records and corresponding stats for every year of CUDL since 2023. Unfortunately, that also means we are missing a fair amount of information from 2021 and 2022. Due to that record keeping void, I will keep current team comparisons to any teams from those years minimal. Regardless, I believe that this is a fun experiment and after digging into the past, I was surprised to find out just how frequently history is repeated.

But before we delve into the comparisons, I think it is necessary to explain my methodology.

1. Comparisons will only account for the regular season. I don’t think it is worthwhile for us to include past playoffs when there has not been a single 2026 playoff game played yet. Although, I will still include past playoff performances as a projection/baseline/goal for current teams to look at.

2. Team comparisons are based on a multitude of factors, including, but not limited to: Rank in standings, overall record, offensive performance, defensive performance, momentum heading into playoffs, preferred playstyle, and general league sentiment.

3. The order in which teams are listed is based solely on final seeding, as this is not a “power ranking” and I do not wish, or dare, to create a hierarchy of these teams.

4. To compare offenses and defenses, “Offensive power” and “Defensive power” are used rather than points per game and points against per game. This is because those advanced metrics are adjusted by league average scoring for each year (which varies more than you might expect). With that, keep in mind that the league average for both metrics is 100. For more information on these stats, please visit the stats page. 

   
   

As one final disclaimer, I want to emphasize that while there are many similarities to the past, this is a totally different season with completely different rosters and playstyles from any previous ones. So, if I’m comparing team A to one that won it all or team B to one with a first round exit, that does not imply that I think it will play out that way this year. As proven from last year, as long as you’re still in it, you can never truly be counted out. If you take away anything from this article, I want it to be hope that your team will be taking home all of the glory (no pun intended) on July 25^th.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

1. Teal Scoober Divers (TSD)

My comparison: 2023 Mighty Mighty Tugboats with shades of 2025 Green Eggs & Hammers

*If veiwing on mobile you may need to swipe on the table to view it all

I understand that this is the first team mentioned, but I want to clarify that this is the only comparison in the article where I'll be using two past teams. When searching for historical comparisons for this Teal team, it wasn't easy, and it quickly became apparent just how unique this team is. I was almost stumped until this comparison hit me. I also realized that, for it to work, I had to bend my own rules a little. Even so, everything points to Teal being a blend of, quite literally, the most dominant team and the most underachieving team in recorded CUDL history.

Teal takes things to extremes, which makes perfect sense considering they may have the most talented roster ever assembled in CUDL. With that said, I want to emphasize that this team is much closer to the 8-1 (11-1 including playoffs) 2023 Tugboats than to the only winless team since game scores have been recorded.

My reasoning is that all three teams are offense-first squads that thrive in shootouts and love attacking every area of the field. The chemistry may never have come together for the 2025 Green team, but the strategy was the same: score quickly and, ideally, play from ahead.

I also don't believe comparisons to other elite offenses, such as the 2023 Landsharks (116 Offensive Power) or the 2024 Disc-iples (120 Offensive Power), make much sense here because those teams took more balanced, all-around approaches. They were also more consistent from week to week and didn't possess the same explosive ceiling as the 2023 Tugboats (or even this Teal team).

Teal has shown the ability, especially as of late, to overwhelm opponents offensively, building seemingly insurmountable leads. I think the one place where the "shades of Green" have crept in is when you look at Teal's lows. They suffered a 9-19 blowout loss to Olive the Glory in Week 5, along with ties against the current 7th and 8th-seeded teams in games that, on paper, should have been comfortable wins.

Their highs suggest they're capable of becoming the most dominant team in league history, especially offensively, but their lows can also be concerning given their level of talent. To be clear, Teal had enough talent to go undefeated this season, just as the 2025 Green team had enough talent to win at least a few games and remain competitive.

So, what does this mean for the playoffs? Well, it's as simple as being the offensive powerhouse, talent-laden, No. 1 seed for three straight games, something they've already shown they're capable of doing by closing the regular season with three blowout victories.

2. Disc-iples (12D)

My comparison: 2025 Purple Landsharks with an elite defense

Ah! Disc-iples! If there is anything you can count on year in and year out, it’s that the Disc-iples will be one of the top teams. This is their 4^th year in the league, and they have only ever finished within the top three. With that said, they have never been the team. Within all those top three finishes, they have three 2^nd places and a 3^rd (never a 1^st). They have also never been able to make it past the semifinals despite good seeding each year. It’s incredible what they have been able to accomplish each regular season as shown by their ridiculously impressive, all-time-leading, +101 regular season point differential. Although, I think they would like to show that they are more than just regular season merchants.

Which brings us to the 2025 Purple Landsharks. This team started the year 0-3-1 but turned it around and became one of the top teams last year on the back of the league’s best defense. With late impressive wins over Camo and the Tugboats, they found themselves at the top of a four-way tie for third. This good seeding set them up for a very winnable game against a Red Hammertime team that was missing a large number of players. Despite that, 2025 Purple narrowly pulled out a win. Although, ironically, 2^nd-seeded Disc-iples got knocked out in the first round, setting up an easier semifinal match against a Tugboat team that they had recently beaten. At least that’s what they thought... when the game was said and done, in was a convincing win for the 2025 Tugboats that were on their way to play in their third straight championship game. 

That may seem like a tangent, but for any diehard Disc-iples fan, that story may sound all-too-familiar. In both 2023 and 2024, the Disc-iples squandered great opportunities to win in the semifinals.

The goal for 2026 Disc-iples should be to avoid the same fate they faced in 2023/2024 as well as learning from a similar 2025 Purple team. There is reason to believe that they can. The Disc-iples have had dominant teams in the past, but this year they have gone all in on defense. The Disc-iples defensive power of 135 represents by far the best recorded defense in CUDL history. This defensive approach has led to some closer games than they may be used to, but it has also been the main contributor to their, once again, 2^nd-place finish. They’ve essentially modeled the 2025 Landsharks but are even more effective using their strategy. That strategy is to wear teams down by making them crawl through the league’s best defense and then hit them hard when they make mistakes. With this new approach, Disc-iples may have their best chance yet to finally break through the semis and go for it all. As they say, defense wins championships.

3. Panic at the Disco (PAN)

My comparison: 2023 Disc-iples

This is my favorite comparison out of any, and a large part of why I decided to write this article in the first place. These two teams are particularly synonymous in my mind, despite being a full three years apart. For starters, what the Disc-iples did to end the 2023 season was magical and I did not expect something like that to be repeated for a long time.

In case you need a refresher, the 2023 Disc-iples started 0-3, then went on an absolute tear, winning every game and outscoring opponents by an average of 6.2 points per game. They did all of this while beating the other top 2 in the process. This led to the 3^rd seed and a strong 1^st round win in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they lost a close, tough battle against another juggernaut in the 2^nd seeded Landsharks. Despite the semifinal exit, this is one of the more memorable teams in CUDL history. 

All-in-all, the 2023 Disc-iples team was incredibly scary and impressive, but anything said about them can and should be said about 2026 Pink as well. Pink started 0-3, has won every game since, and has won by large margins (an average of 7.8 points per game to be exact). 2023 Disc-iples and 2026 Pink have also proven to be dominant on both sides of the disc, putting together top of the league units in both areas, which is especially impressive when you factor in the slow starts.

Beyond numbers, the general sentiment leaguewide for both teams is that they are the team you don’t want to face in the playoffs. 2023 Disc-iples were the hottest pick to win it all going into the playoffs, and I believe that the 2026 Panic team should be viewed the same. There’s every reason to expect a Pink vs. Teal final this season, but they’ll have to top the playoff performance of their 2023 Disc-iples counterpart if they want to make it there at all.

*P.S. one other interesting fact was that both teams’ third losses came in tight battles against fellow contenders before winning every game afterwards. Almost like a seatbelt check before takeoff. For 2023 Disc-iples that was an 8-10 loss to the same team that knocked them out in the playoffs (Purple). For 2026 Pink, they better be hoping history doesn't repeat itself with a knockout from Teal after they lost to them 21-23 in the third week of the season.

4. Olive the Glory (OG)

My comparison: 2022 Teal Steal Turtles (no stats – offense and defense estimated)

Unfortunately, we don’t have the stats to back it up, but this may be the best comparison on the entire list, especially when looking at what we do know about these teams.

Regarding the 2022 Teal team, they were winning, and winning big, on their way to a 6-0 start heading into the league-wide bye week. At this point, they had already played each team at least once (6-team league) and no game was particularly close. They looked unbeatable, but then something happened. A current bottom half team in the form of the 2022 Green Eggs & Hammers, did the unthinkable in beating Teal. This put the league on notice with such a statement win. Although, future weeks proved that the game may have said more about Teal than it did Green, as 2022 Teal finished out the last three games, winning none of them. They were still a formidable team that was great both offensively and defensively, but something felt off.

With the framework of 2022 Teal laid out, I can’t stop thinking about the parallels between them and 2026 Olive. Olive started off the year also looking unbeatable, winning their first four games by a combined margin of 32 points. They also already had commanding wins over the Golden Scoobers and Teal Scoober Divers, meaning that their schedule was set to lighten up in the second half. Despite the dominant start and easier end to the year, they managed to not win a single game over the last four weeks. Even more remarkable is that every other team, not named Purple Landsharks, managed to pick up a win in that time frame.

In tandem with 2022 Teal, 2026 Olive has shown that they are a very good team that does not have noticeable weak spots, but, all-the-same, something just feels off. This was everyone’s pick to run away with the #1 seed at the midway point, but now I’m not even sure they’ll win a playoff game. One thing is for sure though; they have a very talented and deep roster that additionally has chemistry. I also know that I do not want to be the team standing across from them if they do manage to figure out whatever may have slowed them down at the end of the regular season.

5. Golden Scoobers (GS)

My comparison: 2025 Disc-iples

From a numbers standpoint, I could not believe how similar last year’s 2^nd seed and this year’s Scoobers were. I’ll admit that I don’t actually remember too much from this Disc-iples team just a year ago, but the numbers were too similar to ignore. Just looking at the numbers, the two teams had the closest possible record (can’t be the same with an unequal number of games), and power metrics that are only one point off from each other in both areas.

Something that was noteworthy about the 2025 Disc-iples was that they were one of the top offensive teams, and for much of the year were the best offense. Admittedly it was a down year for scoring, and we didn’t really see any teams emerge as truly elite, but it was a strong offense nonetheless. Their defense was also good, but not necessarily the team’s focal point. All of this led to a great team, but also one that never separated itself from the pack. While obtaining a 2^nd seed in any year is impressive, the Disc-iples were also only half a game away from being the 6^th seed.

With the crowded field, it led them to face the strongest 7^th seed in history, a test they could not overcome. Ironically, that 7^th seed was the 2025 Golden Scoobers, but now the 2026 Golden Scoobers have seemed to perfectly imitate that 2025 Disc-iples team. In similar fashion, the 2026 Scoobers have a great offense and good defense, but they don’t find themselves in the same place in the standings as the 2025 Disc-iples. Unfortunately for the Scoobers, there is an elite crop of teams this year, but they have found themselves on the outside looking in. They don’t have the same firepower as Teal and Pink, or the elite defense that this year’s Disc-iples have. 

Although there is something that the Scoobers have, and that is a consistently strong team with skill and athleticism throughout the entire roster. If other teams have down weeks, they’ll punish them for it. Even if they don’t, they still have the ability to hang with any team. Either way, they’ll have to be on their A-game because if the last week of the regular season showed us anything, it is that they can’t afford to fall behind against the other top teams.

I do think that it’s worth mentioning that if yellow would’ve won their last game, they would be sitting in 1^st place right now. This is still a dangerous team, and one that I would not put past them to make another surprising championship run.

6. Mighty Mighty Tugboats (MMT)

My comparison: 2024 Green Eggs & Hammers

Not necessarily the comparison that I was expecting, but it was almost perfect, nonetheless. Both teams are nearly identical in record, offense, and defense, but what exactly does that look like? The Green Eggs & Hammers had back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024 of being squarely the 4^th best team. In 2023 they were slightly more offensive focused while in 2024 they were more well-rounded (hence the Tugboats comparison to 2024 Green). They were known for being notably better than the four teams below them, but still unable to touch the three teams above them. This was extremely evident by the stark contrast in overall record when facing these teams. To demonstrate this, they had a 10-3 record versus teams ranked 5^th-8^th in the standings opposed to their 0-9 record against teams ranked 1^st-3^rd.

The 2023/2024 Green teams were solid all-around but had a clear kryptonite in the form of elite teams. Both years they had strong, consistent teams, but their high-end potential was never enough to pull off an upset. It probably didn’t help their case that they were equally decent on both sides of the disc, making it difficult to ever have a true leg up on any juggernaut.

As for the 2026 Tugboats, I actually see a lot of similarities. They have a solid, consistent roster, but lack the star talent to overcome the firepower or defensive prowess of the top teams. If you look at their games, they were able to beat lower ranked Landsharks and Wind while tying the Committee. Meanwhile they have lost to every team ranked 1^st-4^th. 

The one game that should give the Tugboats hope is their close 20-19 upset over the Golden Scoobers (a higher ranked team). They may not have dominated the Scoobers, but they minimized mistakes and converted turnovers. It may not be the most exciting way to play, but I believe Tugboats have a chance if they keep things simple. They are not a superstar team, but their talent is still enough, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that you do not want to play the Tugboats in the playoffs.

7. Committee for Disc Retention (CDR)

My comparison: 2025 Golden Scoobers without momentum

I know what this looks like, and I want to make it clear that I am not saying the Committee for Disc Retention will be the next CUDL champ. Although what I am saying is that these two teams are more similar than you might think.

Everyone paying attention to the playoffs last year will remember the surprisingly impressive run by the Golden Scoobers to take the championship as the 7^th seed. Although, for those paying extra close attention during the regular season, they probably saw this coming. In the last 5 weeks of the regular season the 2025 Scoobers went 3-2, a good showing, but nothing crazy. When you further inspect their losses in that time, you’ll find that the scoobers had close, 1-point losses to the #1 and #2 seeds. You’ll also notice that their wins weren’t blowouts, but they still got the job done against other competitive teams.

A slow start, lack of big wins, and overall low seed throughout the season kept them off people’s radars going into the playoffs. That, with the combination of having surprisingly favorable matchups in the playoffs, set them up for a slurry of upsets and the best champion story in CUDL’s short history. The most interesting thing about the 2025 Scoobers was that they were never “dominant,” but they did prove to be powerful. What I mean by that is that they never crushed another team, not even in the playoffs, but they did show the ability to be the better team against any team. Once everything was in place, no other team proved to be too big of a match for this Scoobers team.

So how does that compare to the 2026 Committee? The answer may not be initially clear, especially after 2 tough losses heading into the playoffs. The Committee clearly doesn’t have the same momentum heading into the playoffs that the 2025 Scoobers did, but they may have a reason for that. In the last two weeks of the season, they played with eight and six people respectively while also missing their captain for a week and numerous talented players in both weeks. In the three weeks prior to those games, they had two ties against two good teams and a comfortable six-point win over the Landsharks. It looked like they were about to round a corner like the 2025 Scoobers before they hit a wall with poor attendance in the last 2 weeks. Fortunately, the Committee for Disc Retention appears to be getting most of their weapons back as they head into playoffs. 

It also can’t be overlooked that in the Committee’s slow start, they managed to lead the Scoobers, Teal, and Disc-iples, but allowed late comebacks on route to a 0-2-1 start. This team may not have the wins to show for it, but just like the 2025 Scoobers, they are contenders from the 7^th seed. Ironically, they will also face the 2^nd seeded Disc-iples to open the playoffs on what they hope to be a deep playoff run.

8. Purple Landsharks (PLS)

My comparison: A weaker 2024 The Wind

There was no great comparison for this one, as this 2026 Purple team is one of the more unique CUDL teams we’ve seen. Most teams with a bad defense have good offenses (due to aggressive offensive playstyles) or are equally bad on the offensive side of the disc. This Purple team is a rare case where the defense is terrible, but the offense is neither good nor bad. The only somewhat comparable team lies in the highly inconsistent 2024 The Wind.

The 2024 Wind team was competitive at times but struggled to maintain any momentum throughout the season (as evidenced by two separate 3-game losing streaks – one to end the year). They were a team that was able to beat the 3 teams below them but lost every other game of the year. They would often find themselves in shootouts and nail-biters, while coming up short a little too frequently. Regardless, there was talent, just not enough to be a consistent force, ultimately placing them in the long list of forgotten first round exits.

As for 2026 Purple, I don’t think it is fair to count them out yet, although we can’t ignore the elephant in the room. That “elephant” is the fact that Purple hasn’t really played with their full roster all year. Ignoring any reasons for absences, Purple has been hamstrung by circumstances.

I firmly believe that if Purple had the roster they were supposed to for much of the season, this would be an entirely different conversation. With their full squad, this team is much closer to the dominant Landshark teams of old rather than this year’s product. It is also worth noting that this is the first year in recorded history that Purple does not have a top three defense (with this year coming nowhere close). The Landsharks likely had lofty plans for a highly effective defense, but the perfectly wrong storm of circumstances has kept them far away from it. 

Going into the playoffs, if this team can get some better attendance, we are looking at a squad that features way more talent and capabilities than the 2024 Wind team. As for the play we have been given this year, 2024 Wind looks to be the ceiling of expectations.

Bonus!

My intention was to write this article for the eight playoff teams, but it wouldn’t be fair to leave out our 9^th-seeded Grey.

9. The Wind (GTW)

My comparison: 2023 Knights of Camolot

This one was also one of the tougher comparisons to make. My initial idea, prior to last week's batch of games, was to compare this Grey team to the winless 2021 Purple team. The comparison to the weakest team in CUDL's inaugural season (and likely the weakest team to date) seemed fitting, but Grey completely upended that comparison this past week.

In a thrilling 23-20 shootout win over the Committee for Disc Retention, Grey proved that there had been a fighting spirit within them all along. Somehow, the league's lowest-scoring offense erupted for 23 points—the second-most scored by any team in a game this season. What this suggests is that Grey likely wasn't firing on all cylinders (or even half, for that matter) throughout much of the regular season.

Because of that performance, I couldn't compare them to the completely uncompetitive 2021 Purple team. At the same time, I also couldn't ignore the rest of the season. That left me with a couple of options, the best of which was the 2023 Camo squad.

That Camo team had its fair share of struggles, but it was ultimately a team that was probably capable of a little more than it achieved. Despite that slight underperformance, Camo was still frequently outmatched by the league's top-tier teams and didn't necessarily specialize in any one area of the game. Even with the impressive finish to their season, I think the same can be said about Grey. There was likely more in them, but their overall talent level, and lack of specialization on either side of the disc, would have held them back from ever becoming a true contender. 

What’s Next?

Wow! That was a lot! I hope you had fun reading because I know I had fun writing. But all of this raises the question of, “what’s next?” Well, the CUDL playoffs kickoff in just a few days, and I am here to tell you that any predictions we make now will be wildly inaccurate. I believe that most people looking at the playoffs with a fair mindset will pick Teal or Pink to win it all, but just like last year, I think that this is actually a very open race. Teal, Disc-iples, Olive, and the Scoobers have all spent time as the #1 seed this year, while Pink has looked incredibly hot ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak. Meanwhile, the Tugboats, Committee, and Landsharks have all shown the ability to hang with that top tier of teams, and that the gap isn’t as large as the standings might suggest. Regardless, I’m going to make some predictions anyway because I think it is fun, and I encourage you to do the same. Best of luck to everyone going forward!

The Call

Quarterfinals

TSD 22 – PLS 13

12D 11 – CDR 12

PAN 17 – MMT 13

OG 15 – GS 12

Semifinals

TSD 16 – CDR 12

PAN 15 – OG 14

Championship

TSD 19 – PAN 17