Now, with a roster that is clicking at the best possible time, and appearing to play at the highest level in recent SaberCats history, San Jose has a golden opportunity to head into the Snake Pit and significantly reduce the pain that has lingered over the past two seasons.

 

Will it be easy? Definitely not. The Rattlers have maintained a perfect 10-0 record at home across the entire season, and if quarterback Nick Davila is playing behind center for the opposing team, a loss is by all means possible.

 

However, if there is a time in this decade where the quest for the franchise's fourth ring is the most doable, it is right here and right now. Back in late June, the Arizona Rattlers' third consecutive championship seemed inevitable, coming off a jaw-dropping 15-0 start, the best in Arena Football League history.

 

But then, on June 27, when the two-time defending ArenaBowl champions came to the Bay Area with the final motive of clinching home-field advantage throughout the entire postseason, the SaberCats forcefully put an end to the monstrous streak, crushing Arizona 62-33. From that point on, the Rattlers were never the same. They went on a 1-3 streak to end the regular season, with their only victory being a 65-55 contest at home over the 5-13 Portland Thunder. In the first round of the postseason, the SaberCats took care of a red hot 11-7 Spokane Shock team, dominating 55-28. The Rattlers, on the other hand, took another stab at the Thunder, but barely squeaked out on top in a 52-48 thriller.

 

While Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy has recently claimed that the struggles throughout the past few weeks have merely been the result of "scaling it back" and "looking ahead" to that postseason matchup against San Jose, it does not dispute the fact that ArenaBowl home-field advantage over the Cleveland Gladiators, who are undefeated in Quicken Loans Arena this season, was still at stake. It also doesn't dispute the fact that Arizona was an offensive miscue away from having its season ended at home to the 5-13 Portland Thunder, a team which the Rattlers should be dominating no matter what, much less in a crucial home playoff game.

 

With all that said, there is no doubt that Arizona will come into Sunday's Conference Championship with its toughest mindset of the season. Playing against a 14-5 team with a legendary defense that as allowed less than 40 points per game on average, the Rattlers will obviously be more prepared than they have been for any other matchup this year.

 

Of course, the SaberCats will be ready as well. They sure looked to be in playoff mode last week against the Spokane Shock, fighting for turnovers at key moments and executing well on offense. With cornerback Clevan Thomas likely to return to the lineup, and San Jose's deadly receiving core on the run, it is possible on paper that the SaberCats perform even better this upcomingSunday against the Rattlers.

 

But they probably won't. Not on the road in the house of the two-time defending ArenaBowl champions. If a victory is in store for San Jose, it will more than likely be a nail-biter, not a blowout like last week against Spokane.

 

While the term "any given Sunday" is a fitting theme for this highly anticipated contest, one thing is certain: it will be a matchup that all AFL fans will have to see. This is more than likely the real ArenaBowl of the season, as the winner will be significantly difficult to halt, even against the 17-1 Cleveland Gladiators. Consider this the most critical game of the 2014 AFL season.

Griffin Aseltine is an 18-year-old high school student and freelance writer who resides in San Jose, California. He has been fond of watching sports ever since experiencing the culture in his area shift a strong focus towards the San Francisco Giants following their World Series victory in 2010. Griffin became a San Jose SaberCats fan on the opening week of the 2012 season and has been a season ticket holder since 2013. He has contributed to First Stop Fantasy as a San Francisco 49ers writer since the start of the 2013 NFL season and has written for ArenaFan since the start of the 2014 AFL season. You can follow Griffin on Twitter @superduperm1.