It's sort of like that in mine. One conference's playoff teams have significantly lower salaries than the other. It's all about luck of the draw.
Next season should be very interesting, as some teams aren't really doing any training. And at this level of competition, a simple season's worth of training can give you a huge leg up.
The best teams right now, are the ones who are buying short term players on a run for promotion. But who are the best D.IV teams going to be next season? The ones that went all out on arena's and building a bankroll? The ones who are focusing on training? The ones with veteran players who aren't 33+ yet? Some combo of all of the above?
Everyone started on the same foot, and there are wildly different strategies each team is employing. I mean, some have dumped what, 1.2 or 1.3 million into their arenas already?