The Gauchos earned a 1st round bye then beat the Bayhawks with a last minute TD to win by 3 in their first playoff game. Then they would have to play the 2nd seed Jaguars. The Jaguars would tie the game with less than 2 minutes left and force a punt to get the ball back with just under a minute. The Jaguars were called for a false start backing them to the 4 yard line. On the next play the backup DE for the Gauchos goes right past the missed block by the RT and Jaguars QB Greg Roy was sacked for a safety before he had time to think giving the Gauchos a 2 point win.


The Owls also started with a 1st round bye. Their first game would be over the Stampede. The Owls had a 3 point lead with 1 minute left but the Stampede had the ball 1st and goal from the 3 when the Stampede threw an INT giving the Owls the 3 point win. Their next game would be against the 1 loss Kings. The Owls managed to hold the Kings scoreless for most of the game but with 17 seconds left the Kings scored a TD to tie the game. The Owls got a stop and kicked a 44 yard FG for the win in OT.

Heading into the Ultimate Showdown the Gauchos had won their 2 games by a combined 5 points. The Owls had won their 2 playoff games by a combined 6 points. The Owls had a 3 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Gauchos scored 3 TDs in the 4th but missed and extra point. The Owls scored 2 TDs and a FG in the 4th which left the game tied so they headed to OT. The Owls got the first shot at it but had to punt followed by a Gauchos punt and another Owls punt. The Gauchos moved the ball into Owls territory on the next possession but then ran backwards on 1st and 2nd down. The Gauchos now faced a 3rd and 15. The Owls were closing in quick on the MVP candidate QB Robert Williams all he could do was dump it off to his RB and he got 17 yards a few plays later they kick a FG for the 3 point win. The Gauchos won 3 playoff games by a combined 8 points.

The Gauchos join the Strongbows in the hall of champions. Both games were decided by 3 points.