Just in time for football season, we’ve created a mock league you can follow based on the country’s top shale plays.
All you have to do is visit Canary’s Facebook page each week to see how these match-ups turn out, and return to this site to check out your favorite plays’ football stats.
So what’s it going to be? Do you see yourself as a Marcellus Mountain Dwellers fan or do you relate more to Bakken Force?
To help you get to know these plays better, we’ve provided a brief summary of their accomplishments, along with the cities and colleges in their areas.
Bakken
If you like a little magic in your football teams, Bakken Force (named in honor of the Minot Air Force base) might be for you. The Bakken shale play literally has transformed North Dakota and breathed new life into its economy. Local businesses are scrambling to keep up.
How’s this for an impressive conversion: The Williston McDonald’s recently started paying new workers $15 an hour — as well as a $500 immediate signing bonus and full medical benefits. And Williston General Motors dealership is now the No. 1 seller of Corvettes in the upper Midwest.
Oil production in Bakken is expected to continue to increase to reach 211.4 million barrels in 2020.
If you’re a fan of Bakken, you may be familiar with Williston and Watford City. Your nearest pro-football team would be the Greenbay Packers.
Nearby colleges:
- North Dakota
- Williston State College
Bakken Force Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
Barnett
For those of you who want a team with a legacy behind it, consider the awe-inspiring Barnett Shale Storm.
Barnett has been described as the birthplace of the shale revolution: it was the first unconventional shale formation to yield large amounts of natural gas, showing that shale gas could be produced profitably through horizontal drilling and fracking.
Barnett contains an estimated 40 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas reserves.
Barnett is home to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, and home of the Dallas Cowboys pro team.
Area colleges:
- Texas Christian University
- University of North Texas
- University of Texas (Dallas and Arlington)
- Southern Methodist University
Barnett Shale Storm Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Marcellus
UPDATE: Marcellus was dominant on the field in its recent challenge against Utica Power. The play stood out in economic scores by boosting Pittsburgh employment to 1,157,258 in 2012 and putting it on course to grow by about 69,000 to 1,226,036 by 2025.
If size matters to you, you should know the Marcellus play, represented by the mighty Marcellus Mountain Dwellers, is considered the second-largest natural gas field in the world. The field is situated in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.
Estimates for the recoverable natural gas in Marcellus are about 489 trillion cubic feet, possibly enough to provide 20 years of consumption for the entire country.
Marcellus fans, your nearby communities include Harrisburg, Pa.; Charleston, W.V.; Louisville, Ky.; and Lexington, Ky., and your pro-teams are the Pittsburg Steelers..
Area colleges:
- West Virginia University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Penn State University
- University of Kentucky
- University of Louisville
Marcellus Mountain Dwellers vs. UTICA W 31-24
Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
25 42 59 346 8.2 5 0 2 36 109.8 6 28 0 2 0
Eagle Ford
If you’re a Texan at heart, the unstoppable Eagle Ford Vaqueros won’t disappoint.
With an estimated 502.2 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas, you’ll be sure to top the scoreboards for decades to come.
Eagle Ford already has injected billions of dollars into the South Texas economy.
Eagle Ford fans, your closest cities are El Paso, San Antonio, and Houston, and your pro-team is the Houston Texans.
Area colleges:
- Rice University
- University of Houston
- Houston Baptist University
- University of Texas at El Paso
Eagle Ford Vaqueros Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Fayetteville
Got a little country in you? The Fayetteville Ozarkans could be your choice. The Fayetteville play has been creating exciting opportunities in scenic northwest Arkansas, generating a healthy $18.5 billion in economic activity between 2008 and 2011.
The Fayetteville play is projected to hold as much as 18 trillion cubic feet in recoverable natural gas.
Fayetteville is good to its neighbors, too. The shale play also has led to a number of energy-related projects in Arkansas, including the construction of the Fayetteville Express Pipeline for transporting natural gas, a $1 billion investment in Arkansas.
Communities in the area include Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas, and Conway.
Area colleges:
- University of Arkansas
- University of Central Arkansas
Fayetteville Ozarkans Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Haynesville
Feel right at home in the bayou? Does your heart swell with southern pride? We recommend the Haynesville Southerners in northwest Louisiana.
This play, possibly the largest natural gas field in the US, could hold as much as 30 to 40 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. In fact, the play is expected to out-produce Barnett in less than five years.
Haynesville even is the subject of a film, the 2009 documentary, “Haynesville: A Nation’s Hunt for an Energy Future.”
If you’re in Haynesville, you’re nearest community is Shreveport, and you might be a fan of the New Orleans Saints.
Area colleges:
- Louisiana State University in Shreveport
- University of Louisiana
- Tulane University
- Louisiana Tech University
Haynesville Southerners Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Niobrara
Are you up for something new? The fierce Niobrara Boulders may intrigue you.
Niobrara is new kid on the block among shale plays, but expectations for energy production here are high, and some producers have nicknamed it NeoBakken.
Samson Oil & Gas was among the first operators to establish a position in the Niobrara, but it quickly gained company. Oil & Gas Journal estimates 7 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil are here.
Niobrara is near the Denver area and is home to Denver Broncos fans.
Area colleges:
- University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Niobrara Boulders Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Permian Basin
What’s deep in the heart of Texas? The Permian Razor Rabbits, of course!
Drilling in the West Texas-based Permian Basin, 250 miles wide and 300 miles long, dates back to 1921.
This Lone Star State phenomenon accounted for 18 percent of total US crude oil production last year. Shale plays there: Spraberry, Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, Glorieta, Yeso, and Delaware formations — have all contributed.
Nearby communities include Midland, Odessa and Carlsbad.
- Area colleges: University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Permian Razor Rabbits Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
Utica
UPDATE: Utica appeared positioned to win during its first two quarters with the Marcellus Mountain Dwellers, but lost momentum during the second half. Adding insult to injury, the team received a penalty for illegal dumping late in the 4th quarter. Positive note: impressive economic scores: reducing Ohio’s unemployment rate from 10.6 four years ago to 5.7 percent in July.
Don’t think for a second that the Midwest doesn’t have bragging rights here. Utica Power is a bright light in Ohio.
Want a play that can make a difference?Thanks to production in the Utica, Ohio is expected to gain 204,000 jobs, add $22 billion to its economy and add about $12 billion in related employee wages through 2015.
The 170,000-square-mile field, also in Pennsylvania, could hold as much as 8.2 billion barrels of oil and about 15.7 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas reserves.
Nearby communities include Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, and Utica is Cincinnati Bengals country.
Area colleges:
- Ohio State University
- Ohio University
- University of Cincinnati
- University of Pennsylvania
- Penn State University
Utica vs. Marcellus, L 24-31
Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
16 27 69.7 162 6.0 5 0 3 14 88.8 — 28 0 1 1
Woodford
If you’re a fan of Oklahoma’s longstanding legacy in oil and gas, you may want to learn more about the Woodford Tornadoes.
Woodford is one formidable play, one of the most complexin North America in terms of geology and mineralogy.
Natural gas production there began in the late 1930s, and the first horizontal wells were drilled around 2004-2005. These days, there are nearly 2,000 wells in production: about 475 vertical and 1,500 horizontal.
An estimated 70 billion barrels of oil are believed to be there.
Woodford is near Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Area colleges:
- Oklahoma State
- University of Oklahoma
- University of Tulsa
Woodford Tornadoes Recent Games
WK OPP RESULT Passing Rushing Fumbles
Comp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Sck SckY Rate Att Yds TD Fum Lost
1
2
3
4
This is cute and a good way to better understand the shale plays. Nice!