Spokane Vs. Tampa Bay for 2010 Arena Bowl Title

The 2010 Arena Bowl will be Spokane vs. Tampa Bay. The 2010 Arena Bowl start time is 5 p.m. PST, and the Spokane vs. Tampa Bay match-up is one that both cities have been waiting for. This is the first year of this current Arena Football League, but last season the Spokane Shock won the AF2 championship before that league was combined into this one. Now the Spokane Shock will look to bring back-to-back championships to the city, and all they have to do is win one more game against the Tampa Bay Storm. On paper, the teams are pretty evenly matched, and that could lead to a very competitive game at the 2010 Arena Bowl on Friday, Aug. 20.

To get to the 2010 Arena Bowl, the route didn't seem that tough for Tampa Bay, as they beat two of the weaker teams in the Arena Football Playoffs. In the first round, Tampa Bay beat the 10-6 Tulsa Talons to advance to the American Conference Championship Game. There they played the 8-8 Orlando Predators, who had knocked off the No. 1-seeded Jacksonville Sharks in a first round upset. That game finished 63-62 in favor of Tampa Bay, punching their ticket for Friday's game against the Spokane Shock.

For the Shock, they beat the 10-6 Arizona Rattlers in the first round of the National Conference Playoffs by a score of 57-49. In the National Conference Championship, they beat the 11-5 Milwaukee Iron 60-57, in a game that many considered to be between the two best teams remaining in the Area Football Playoffs. Spokane had finished with the best record in all of Arena Football at 13-3, so they clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs and earned the right to host the 2010 Arena Bowl in Spokane. They also played in a tougher division, so they come into Friday's game against the 11-5 Storm as the favorite.

Kick off for the 2010 Arena Bowl is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST, and it should be a busy day in downtown Spokane. The Spokane Arena is surely going to be loud on Friday night, and the city is hoping for a repeat performance from last year, where they won the AF2 Championship and lit off fireworks to celebrate the title. Can Spokane repeat as champions in two different Arena Football leagues? Or is this the chance for the Tampa Bay Storm to prove that they aren't there to just play second-fiddle to the best team in Arena Football this season? We find out tonight!

References:

Arena_Football_Standings

Arena_Football_Schedule