Owls: Cool team. I think it'd be better off without the helmet stripe as they're too similar of colors. The Old English style logo feels more baseball to me, so I hope they'll continue to evolve their logos.

Dragons: Sharp color scheme. Red and gold always looks good, and it looks great here. I think the helmet logo version would look better outlined in white.

Racers: Super unique color scheme, especially for a team named Racers, but it works.

Bulls: Best-looking uniforms in the league. Nice color scheme. I really want to love this team but the logo falls flat for me. It needs more going on with it. The angle really threw me off. I think it needs to be rotated back about 30-45 degrees. Right now without a body it just looks like it's tipping over, imo. 

Lumberjacks: The home set is fantastic. I think the two colors are too similar though, one needs to be lightened/brightened for better balance, evidenced by the sleeve stripes on the away set. I like the logo and identity though.

Good start to the league. I'll probably support the Knights in these early days.

Now that I've gotten all 8 looks, I think the Mariners are going to be team.

The inaugural Escalian Football League game kicked off on 20 August 1960 with a game between the Duvall Dragons and Adelaide Owls at National Stadium in Adelaide. The Owls slaughtered the struggling Dragons squad 33-6 in front of nearly 42,000 eager fans, proving that the fledgling league has great potential. Predictably, the Owls dominated the league, having a winning record against every team except for the Lumberjacks, posting a 0-1-1 record against them. A trade with the struggling Mariners in week 5 brought star LB Phillip Keyes to bolster the defense in exchange for a first and a third round pick in the inaugural rookie draft the next season. The ‘Jacks were the surprise of the season, being carried by the legs of rookie RB Eddy Belmont, who easily won the first Most Valuable Player award as well as taking the Most Outstanding Rookie award by default. Augusta failed to get anything going, falling flat on their faces, though they did show flashes of potential this year. Duvall placed where they were predicted to fall, squarely in last place.  In the North Division, everything went against the predictions. Instead of Hadley and Ellesby being the one-two of the division, Hadley struggled out of the gate with QB Jack Reuter and WR Lambert Hollman being injured within the first few weeks and unable to improve after they came back, and Ellesby’s defense was a shell of its former self, trading away Keyes for draft stock and achieving a mediocre 5-5 record. In their place, Orcaster and Kierport took charge of the division. The Racers' chemistry didn’t die off with the shift in leagues, and RB Amaro Zimmerman had his best season since his sophomore outing. Kierport’s unique option playstyle with RB Derrick Acker and QB Paul Dane helped them to rise above the falling teams in their division.

Awards:
Most Valuable Player: RB Eddy Belmont (NOR)
Most Outstanding Offensive Player: RB Amaro Zimmerman (ORC)
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: LB Phillip Keyes (ADL/ELB)
Most Outstanding Rookie: RB Eddy Belmont (NOR)
Most Outstanding Coach: Emil Haden (NOR)


Playoff Preview:

Kierport Knights @ Orcaster Racers
These two teams split their head to head record, so whoever wins is up in the air. Will it be the Knights’ option duo of Dane and Acker? Or will it be the well-roundedness of the Racers that brings them to the first Escalian Cup?
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Kierport will trample Orcaster's defense with their one-two punch 28-7 KIE

Norfolk Lumberjacks @ Adelaide Owls
Although the ‘Jacks swept the Owls this season, those were without the acquisition of Phillip Keyes, who has taken over as the leader on the defense after lackluster production in Ellesby. Will the Rogues of Sherwood stop the rookie phenom of Belmont? Or will he run over them like past contests?
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: With the addition of Keyes, Adelaide will finally come out on top in a close fought game. 24-16 ADL

Kierport Knights @ Orcaster Racers
These two teams who were in a dogfight the whole year got to settle their terms with a punched ticket to the first ever championship game, and their veracity showed early.  In the first quarter, the two teams went three and out after three and out for half of the quarter. It was only after ORC K Art Landau nailed a 51 yard field goal did the momentum begin to pick up. Immediately after Orcaster’s drive, Kierport mounted a journey to the endzone on the legs of RB Derrick Acker, ending the first quarter ahead of the Racers.
END OF Q1: 7-3 KIE
The momentum the Knights gained in the first carried over into the second, scoring another touchdown on their next drive. Orcaster seemed to still be on the starting block, not reaching the end zone for the entire half, but Landau did land another two field goals to make the game 10-9. Before the half ended, Kierport launched a two minute drill to score a touchdown, on a spectacular 34 yard run by QB Paul Dane.
END OF Q2: 17-9 KIE
It only took a half, but once the second half kickoff reached the hands of ORC S Bennett Saunders, the Racers took the green flag of the race. On the kickoff, Saunders caught the ball at the 19 yard line, found an opening, and found his way to the 11 before being taken down. Unfortunately, that drive would only result in a field goal, but the surge in motivation helped the defense stop the two headed monster of Acker and QB Paul Dane of the Knights. A few drives later, the Racers found their way to the end zone for the first time in the game, a short run in by RB Amaro Zimmerman.
END OF Q3: 20-19 KIE
The fourth quarter would be a grudge match to see who would come out ahead. A defensive battle ensued: neither team wanted to give up a single inch. The only score so far  would be a field goal for the Knights midway through the quarter to make the game 23-19. The defensive battle continued, until a key turnover caused by ORC star DB Devon Augustine with 3:35 left in the game. On the play, Dane attempted to hand the ball off to Acker, but a miscue caused the handoff to be botched, with Augustine (who was moving with a blitz on the outside) pouncing on the loose ball at Kierport’s 37. In an epic turn of events, the next play saw Zimmerman take the handoff, and run 63 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Orcaster would hold on to their lead, and advance to the championship game.
FINAL: 26-23 ORC

Norfolk Lumberjacks @ Adelaide Owls
Most experts predicted that this game would either be NOR RB Eddy Belmont running over Adelaide’s defense, or a low scoring game with no clear victor. The first quarter made it seem like the latter would happen, as Belmont could not find the openings like he normally could, and the ‘Jacks only managed to score a single field goal while keeping the Owls shutout for the quarter.
END OF Q1: 3-0 NOR
The teams traded punt after punt for most of the quarter, until a crucial turning point with 5:46 left in the half. On that play, Belmont took a handoff to the inside, only for ADL DT Al Berry to break free from blocker and stop him in his tracks, tackling him so hard that Belmont fumbled the ball, for LB Phillip Keyes to recover for a touchdown (the Owls would miss the PAT though). Unfortunately for the ‘Jacks, Belmont suffered a hip injury on the play that sidelined him for the rest of the game. 
END OF Q2: 6-3 ADLWhen the second half came, Adelaide stepped on the gas while Norfolk couldn’t restart their engines with the lack of their star player. The Owls’ offense finally got some production, finding the endzone for the first time in the game with a stellar 29 yard pass from QB Jeff Watson to WR Ray Rowe. The ‘Jacks could only manage a field goal as their offense could not keep up their past production.
END OF Q3: 13-6 ADLThe final quarter was nothing special. Neither offense could get anything going, as the Rogues of Sherwood shut down the ‘Jacks, while Norfolk limited the Owls to only 2 field goals. As the final seconds counted down, the Owls swarmed the field to celebrate their birth in the championship game
FINAL: 19-6 ADL
Championship Preview:

Orcaster Racers @ Adelaide Owls
At last, the day has come. On one hand, we have the well-rounded, dark horse contender of Orcaster. At the beginning of the season, most predicted that the Racers would sit at the bottom of the North Division with their lost chemistry, but they found the lost magic to sit one win away from the title. On the other hand, we have the juggernaut Adelaide Owls. Defeating their one true foe in convincing fashion, they will fight tooth and nail to become Escalia’s first professional football champion.
Escalian Sports Magazine Prediction: Although this match may seem to be lopsided in Adelaide’s favor, this game will be a close fight, with Adelaide coming ahead. 17-14 ADL

I wasn't expecting the Knights to do so well, so that was nice but definitely disappointing to fall just short in the playoffs. Nice work on the season and playoff graphics and write-ups.

I really like your usage of jersey numbers to also indicate the score. Nice touch that I don't recall seeing before.