Conference play started this week and trends begin to emerge within Zeta. A few teams bounced back from tough week 1 games with big wins and a couple dropped games that could be a sign of things to come. We only have four undefeated teams left in the conference and two of them are match-up against each other in week 3. On to the rankings.
1. (0) Amsterdam Smugglers 2-0
Amsterdam sits comfortably at the top spot again this week after an easy game against the Paris Elves. The Smugglers didn't expect much resistance and none emerged. The combined score of their two games is 194-0. So they haven't faced much competition in their debut games in WE BBB #14. We will have a chance to see how much farther they are ahead of the rest of the conference when they take on Madrid. No one else besides the Metalheads and the Blaze probably have much of a chance of keeping it close with this juggernaut, so the rest of the conference will be watching closely.
2. (0) Madrid Matadors 2-0
The Matadors played a strong game against a decent Budapest team. Clearling, winning a close game at Zurich in week 1 gave them a lot of confidence to come back to Madrid and extend that streak to two. They will be hard pressed to keep their win streak rolling though as they head to Amsterdam to take on the best Zeta has to offer. I don't know if they will be able to get it done, but I know that they will give it their best. Whatever the result, this game will have large implications on how things stand in this conference.
3. (0) Barcelona Blaze 1-1
Not surprisingly, the Blaze torched Zeta's worst team for 198 points. It must have been quite the juxtaposition to take the field against the best that Alpha has to offer then the worst in Zeta in the next week. They will definitely be in the hunt for a home playoff spot and a their week 3 game against Nashua will be a big game for both clubs. It will be a good test for Barcelona to see how they do against what should be a Zeta playoff team but not one of the elite. The score of this game will say a lot about what the Blaze are capable of.
4. (+2) Lexington MetalHeads 1-1
The Heads absolutely creamed Porto, which while may not seem that impressive, it was something that they couldn't get done a season ago. They took their offensive frustration from last week out on the poor Thunder. When I said that Xavier Van Alstyne started his campaign to make a repeat appearance at the Pro Bowl, I failed to mention that he was merely easing the car into gear before he put the petal to the metal. He EXPLODED this week for 726 yards and 16 TDs. His first 6 touches of the game were for TDs. He'll have another chance to put up numbers with the Ligers slated as their next opponent.
5. (+3) Mannheim Sharks 2-0
The Sharks have picked up two easy wins against too average teams but they have talent and cheap wins are something to be valued, not looked down on. The creamed Liverpool this week as expected but things get tougher next week with Budapest due up. Week three is their change to turn some heads in Zeta and prove that they will be competitive this season. For right now, they should enjoy being undefeated and take it one week at a time.
6. (+3) Nashua Pride 1-1
Nashua jumps up 3 spots this week after a 48-0 beating of Zagreb. It was an impressive bounce back after their disappointing week 1 loss. The also answered my questions about their defense by forcing Zagreb to put a big goose egg up on the scoreboard. They don't get any rest though as they come back home to face Barcelona and then travel to Lexington the week after that. We will see what they are made of early on.
7. (+5) Indianapolis Stampede 1-1
Indy has been on a roller coaster so far in the season 7 power rankings. They dropped from number 7 to number 12 after a disappointing loss to Subotica in week 1 but they bounced back up to number seven after a narrow victory over the Mammoths this week. They have an easy game in week 3 against the Warriors, so they should climb back over .500 before they have another test against Budapest. They have to make sure they don't get caught looking to far ahead though and keep their foot on the gas against Liverpool, wouldn't want to see those CPU teams sneak up on anyone again this season.
8. (-4) Jersey Mammoths 1-1
The Mammoths suffer a drop after failing to capitalize on their week one momentum. They just fell short in a tightly fought game against the Stampede. The performed well but I am afraid that is going to be the story for this team in season 7. They will play hard and compete but not be able to get over the hump. Their week 3 game will be very big for their playoff hopes as undefeated Western Rome comes to town. If they drop this on, it will be difficult to imagine them beating any of the decent teams in Zeta.
9. (+1) Western Roman Empire 2-0
The Empire might feel that their ranking is too low since they are one of the four undefeated teams in the conference but they haven't really played anyone so far. They'll get a little more respect if they can take down Jersey in week 3 and extend their win streak. They would be in a good position to stay undefeated the following week against Liverpool, but I don't really see them notching the win in Jersey. This team will beat the bad ones, but they won't crack the playoffs and are a level below the second tier teams in this conference.
10. (-3) Budapest Tizenhetedikkerület 0-2
It is looking more like Budapest is a Paper Tiger and are outclassed by most teams in this league. I really thought they had a chance to hang with the Matadors but instead they just rolled over. Their offense has been non existent and they have given up 110 points so far. It is not the way they wanted to start the season even though they faced a tough start. They need to get things back on track against the Sharks this week or they will be putting themselves in a hole that might be tough to climb out of.
11. (-6) Zagreb Scorpions 1-1
I praised Zagreb last week for their impressive showing against Cashville in week 1 and then they promptly disappeared the following week against a beatable opponent. Nashua absolutely crushed them and confirmed my preseason's doubts about their ability to get back into the playoffs. They responded well when I criticized them and then folded after reading some positive press clippings, so maybe this drop will light a fire under them against Barcelona in two weeks. Luckily for them they have a game before that against Natal to get their rhythm back.
12. (-1) Paris Elves 1-1
Paris was crushed by Amsterdam as expected and now we have a chance to see if they will handle their business against the bottom feeders in week 3. They head to Porto for what should be an easy win. Those are the games they are going to need to win if they want to stay off the bottom of the pile.
Still Defeated -
Liverpool Warriors
Porto Thunder
Natal Hellboys
LAZER LIGERS
I am not going to separate these guys until they start beating each other and I really don't have much to write about them in general. They will need to pull some upsets or distinguish themselves in some way to get some more face time in these rankings.
1. (0) Amsterdam Smugglers 2-0
Amsterdam sits comfortably at the top spot again this week after an easy game against the Paris Elves. The Smugglers didn't expect much resistance and none emerged. The combined score of their two games is 194-0. So they haven't faced much competition in their debut games in WE BBB #14. We will have a chance to see how much farther they are ahead of the rest of the conference when they take on Madrid. No one else besides the Metalheads and the Blaze probably have much of a chance of keeping it close with this juggernaut, so the rest of the conference will be watching closely.
2. (0) Madrid Matadors 2-0
The Matadors played a strong game against a decent Budapest team. Clearling, winning a close game at Zurich in week 1 gave them a lot of confidence to come back to Madrid and extend that streak to two. They will be hard pressed to keep their win streak rolling though as they head to Amsterdam to take on the best Zeta has to offer. I don't know if they will be able to get it done, but I know that they will give it their best. Whatever the result, this game will have large implications on how things stand in this conference.
3. (0) Barcelona Blaze 1-1
Not surprisingly, the Blaze torched Zeta's worst team for 198 points. It must have been quite the juxtaposition to take the field against the best that Alpha has to offer then the worst in Zeta in the next week. They will definitely be in the hunt for a home playoff spot and a their week 3 game against Nashua will be a big game for both clubs. It will be a good test for Barcelona to see how they do against what should be a Zeta playoff team but not one of the elite. The score of this game will say a lot about what the Blaze are capable of.
4. (+2) Lexington MetalHeads 1-1
The Heads absolutely creamed Porto, which while may not seem that impressive, it was something that they couldn't get done a season ago. They took their offensive frustration from last week out on the poor Thunder. When I said that Xavier Van Alstyne started his campaign to make a repeat appearance at the Pro Bowl, I failed to mention that he was merely easing the car into gear before he put the petal to the metal. He EXPLODED this week for 726 yards and 16 TDs. His first 6 touches of the game were for TDs. He'll have another chance to put up numbers with the Ligers slated as their next opponent.
5. (+3) Mannheim Sharks 2-0
The Sharks have picked up two easy wins against too average teams but they have talent and cheap wins are something to be valued, not looked down on. The creamed Liverpool this week as expected but things get tougher next week with Budapest due up. Week three is their change to turn some heads in Zeta and prove that they will be competitive this season. For right now, they should enjoy being undefeated and take it one week at a time.
6. (+3) Nashua Pride 1-1
Nashua jumps up 3 spots this week after a 48-0 beating of Zagreb. It was an impressive bounce back after their disappointing week 1 loss. The also answered my questions about their defense by forcing Zagreb to put a big goose egg up on the scoreboard. They don't get any rest though as they come back home to face Barcelona and then travel to Lexington the week after that. We will see what they are made of early on.
7. (+5) Indianapolis Stampede 1-1
Indy has been on a roller coaster so far in the season 7 power rankings. They dropped from number 7 to number 12 after a disappointing loss to Subotica in week 1 but they bounced back up to number seven after a narrow victory over the Mammoths this week. They have an easy game in week 3 against the Warriors, so they should climb back over .500 before they have another test against Budapest. They have to make sure they don't get caught looking to far ahead though and keep their foot on the gas against Liverpool, wouldn't want to see those CPU teams sneak up on anyone again this season.
8. (-4) Jersey Mammoths 1-1
The Mammoths suffer a drop after failing to capitalize on their week one momentum. They just fell short in a tightly fought game against the Stampede. The performed well but I am afraid that is going to be the story for this team in season 7. They will play hard and compete but not be able to get over the hump. Their week 3 game will be very big for their playoff hopes as undefeated Western Rome comes to town. If they drop this on, it will be difficult to imagine them beating any of the decent teams in Zeta.
9. (+1) Western Roman Empire 2-0
The Empire might feel that their ranking is too low since they are one of the four undefeated teams in the conference but they haven't really played anyone so far. They'll get a little more respect if they can take down Jersey in week 3 and extend their win streak. They would be in a good position to stay undefeated the following week against Liverpool, but I don't really see them notching the win in Jersey. This team will beat the bad ones, but they won't crack the playoffs and are a level below the second tier teams in this conference.
10. (-3) Budapest Tizenhetedikkerület 0-2
It is looking more like Budapest is a Paper Tiger and are outclassed by most teams in this league. I really thought they had a chance to hang with the Matadors but instead they just rolled over. Their offense has been non existent and they have given up 110 points so far. It is not the way they wanted to start the season even though they faced a tough start. They need to get things back on track against the Sharks this week or they will be putting themselves in a hole that might be tough to climb out of.
11. (-6) Zagreb Scorpions 1-1
I praised Zagreb last week for their impressive showing against Cashville in week 1 and then they promptly disappeared the following week against a beatable opponent. Nashua absolutely crushed them and confirmed my preseason's doubts about their ability to get back into the playoffs. They responded well when I criticized them and then folded after reading some positive press clippings, so maybe this drop will light a fire under them against Barcelona in two weeks. Luckily for them they have a game before that against Natal to get their rhythm back.
12. (-1) Paris Elves 1-1
Paris was crushed by Amsterdam as expected and now we have a chance to see if they will handle their business against the bottom feeders in week 3. They head to Porto for what should be an easy win. Those are the games they are going to need to win if they want to stay off the bottom of the pile.
Still Defeated -
Liverpool Warriors
Porto Thunder
Natal Hellboys
LAZER LIGERS
I am not going to separate these guys until they start beating each other and I really don't have much to write about them in general. They will need to pull some upsets or distinguish themselves in some way to get some more face time in these rankings.
