1 of 3

Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images

As ever, the Mixed division reflects the highest amount of parity. Three regions look strong across the board, and it really seems as though almost anyone could win the title this October.

Drag’N Thrust and Chad Larson Experience appear poised to come out of the gusty North Central region with the wind at their backs. Both performed well this summer, with Drag’N Thrust adding a World Championship to their 2013 Club title. For their part, Chad Larson Experience made it all the way to the final game of the Triple Crown Tour, and the former champs certainly know how to play well when the stakes are high.

Of course, plenty of other regions boast contenders . The Southwest is as burly as ever, with up to six California teams poised to contend. Former champions Blackbird have regrouped from last year’s stunning upset in the game to go, and the team that vanquished them, 7 Figures, came within a hair’s breadth of capturing this year’s regular-season crown.

The one team atop them, Polar Bears, has an impressive pedigree of its own: With a win in the TCT finals and a second-place finish at Worlds atop four straight USAU finals appearances, they’re no slouch. Mischief, Groove, and perhaps even San Diego’s upstart club, Dorado, all have chances to make waves come the October championships as well—depending, that is, on who qualifies.

With six strong teams and only five bids, someone is going to be spending a cold fall in California.

Speaking of bid allocations, the Northeast region is howling. With just two berths but four contenders in Toronto’s Union and Boston-area stalwarts Slow White, Wild Card and The Ghosts, the regional championships across the country look to be equally tough—and whoever from the cold Northeast emerges will be heading into Club Championships loaded and ready for bear.

Moving from the center ring to those with an outside chance at the title, Bucket enters the consideration. The Atlanta squad’s regular-season record came to rest at 20-0, and there’s no doubt that playing game after game without blinking proves a team’s character. However, Bucket has limited experience outside of the Southeast region and remains a bit more of a mystery than an undefeated team should normally be.

AMP, too, is a bit of dice roll, but they are hard to discount. Though the perennial Mid-Atlantic contender’s results are less than awe-inspiring this year, it’s hard to argue with a team that’s made it to quarterfinals or better seven times in the past decade.

Dark-horse candidates will ride in to play spoiler, though, it’s less likely that any of them will present a serious challenge.

The Northwest teams have seen little play outside their regions, and Cosa Nostra, the team likely to emerge from South Central, has been up and down at best. (Of course, we've underestimated them before.) The Great Lakes region will be a slugfest, and while any one of a number of young teams could emerge, their general inexperience will likely make Frisco an uphill battle for whoever comes out of the Ohio/Michigan area.