With finals coming up next week and being the procrastinator that I am, I decided to update the power rankings after a single interconference game. While a number of teams impressed me yesterday with their season-opening performances, the rankings will stay fairly stable until I get some real reasons to change them. Again, don't expect these every two days, but I have fun with this so I'll do them as often as RL allows me too. As always, comments, sarcasm, insults, and debate are more than welcomed and are encouraged.
1.) Sportsrant.com Stalkers
The Stalkers eventually pulled away from a decent Lone Star team in the fourth quarter of their week one matchup. While the score was closer than expected IMO and nothing really sticks out to me aboout this game, that's to be expected in the first game of the season against an overmatched opponent. Sportsrant gets to stat-pad tomorrow before they encounter some intriguing opponents in weeks 3-5.
2.) Minneapolis Masterminds
Fasani's 31-32 passing performance has generated a decent amount of chatter on the MM private forum, but week one was business as usual for the most part against MM. While the margin was greater than I had anticipated, first games/interconference games (which are now one in the same) are unpredictable with everyone feeling each other out, so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on blowing out the Spiders just yet
3.)Pensacola Dolphins
Pensacola fell behind early against the Bandits and then never looked back. They showed the ability to succeed both through the air and on the ground, averaging a little under 8 yds/play no matter how they attacked. Barring a serious upset, the Dolphins' schedule looks like it might be a little while before we really find out how good this team is.
4.)Motor City Madmen
These guys really impressed me with how easily they dismantled Chicago. The 58-point fourth quarter might have inflated the stats just a tad, and you can't be very good if you allow a team in your league to average 16 yds/car (I was "shocked" when I saw that
). There was a part of me that thought about moving them over the Dolphins and into the three spot, but I'll give them another game or two to prove themselves even further.
5.)St. Louis Sidewinders
Another very impressive win by one of the newcomers to USA A#2. The Blitz hung with them for a quarter and then proceeded to get trounced by the Sidewinders. Jaraxle put up a Fasani-like completion percentage through the air while they still managed over 9 yds/car on the ground in a sloppy game that saw 9 forced fumbles between both teams and seven turnovers by Washington. St Louis and Motor City is my game of the "week" for Tuesday.
6.)Tampa Bay Krakens
I have the Krakens making a 4-spot jump in my rankings after a more detailed analysis of the composition of their roster. I'm not gonna say much more about it, but they are more than on the radar over at MM headquarters.
7.)Rutgers Silent Willies
I really love this team and probably have a bias towards them to some degree, but against a team with inferior levels and reeling from an ownership change within the last week, the Silent Willies needed a solid 3rd quarter to pull away and get an opening win. However, the amount of yards their defense gave up worries me, and to say their air attack was subpar is an understatement. A matchup with the Krakens gives my rankings an early test tomorrow afternoon.
8.)Detroit Rampage
Maybe I'm looking a bit too much into things, especially since Fort Meyers doesn't impress me very much, but between the Rampage taking care of business and my new respect for Tampa, Detroit jumps similar to the Krakens. I have them over O'ahu at the current moment, and am impressed that they forced nine turnovers, but tomorrow will give me a much clearer picture of whether or not I am overestimating Detroit's potential.
9.)Corona Del Mar Cougars
Amidst all the switching around them, the Cougars manage to stay in the same spot that had them last time. They manhandled a team that they should have and impressed with their aerial display, but have yet to show me that they deserve to jump into a playoff ranking. This is a team that I will be rather intrigued to see perform over the course of season 9. I wish them all the luck in their final fourteen games, and hope they fall flat on their faces tomorrow
.
10.)O'ahu Night Marchers
Four places is a big drop, and they did unfortunately draw the best Western team IMHO, so while the Night Marchers share a bias within me similar to Rutgers, they have an absolutely brutal opening schedule. These guys could honestly open 0-6 and I would in no way feel as if they were underperforming. Let's hope that they don't endure a roster-wide morale hit like that and prove me wrong, starting with their upcoming matchup against Detroit.
11.)Cincinnati Norris Ninjas
Sorry to say, but I am terribly unimpressed with their opening loss to Brockton. They threw well enough and Bludgeon helped keep them in the game but their ground game just failed them repeatedly, and settling for short FGs is often the difference in tight games. They have a couple of easier games to regroup with before they hit some of the heavier hitters in the conference and show us all what they are made of.
12.)Orange County Farmers
There might be a huge gap between 11 and 12, unless I'm reading into things the wrong way. OCF got pounded as was expected considering the results of the scrimmage that had already taken place against their week one opponent. I previously incorrectly thought they had been demoted, but it looks like they might have to settle into their role last season as the best of the worst of USA A#2 if things keep heading the way they seem to be.
13.)North Texas Cowboys
These guys might be better than I think, but I'll let them prove it to me before I place them any higher in these rankings. .2 yds/car is not gonna cut it in any game, and the passing game didn't do much more to help North Texas out. A relatively easy opening schedule puts them probably at 2-3 before they hit the teeth of their schedule and things start to get ugly. Or will they?
Rebuilding
14.)San Antonio
15.)Florida
16.)Seattle
1.) Sportsrant.com Stalkers
The Stalkers eventually pulled away from a decent Lone Star team in the fourth quarter of their week one matchup. While the score was closer than expected IMO and nothing really sticks out to me aboout this game, that's to be expected in the first game of the season against an overmatched opponent. Sportsrant gets to stat-pad tomorrow before they encounter some intriguing opponents in weeks 3-5.
2.) Minneapolis Masterminds
Fasani's 31-32 passing performance has generated a decent amount of chatter on the MM private forum, but week one was business as usual for the most part against MM. While the margin was greater than I had anticipated, first games/interconference games (which are now one in the same) are unpredictable with everyone feeling each other out, so I wouldn't put too much emphasis on blowing out the Spiders just yet
3.)Pensacola Dolphins
Pensacola fell behind early against the Bandits and then never looked back. They showed the ability to succeed both through the air and on the ground, averaging a little under 8 yds/play no matter how they attacked. Barring a serious upset, the Dolphins' schedule looks like it might be a little while before we really find out how good this team is.
4.)Motor City Madmen
These guys really impressed me with how easily they dismantled Chicago. The 58-point fourth quarter might have inflated the stats just a tad, and you can't be very good if you allow a team in your league to average 16 yds/car (I was "shocked" when I saw that
). There was a part of me that thought about moving them over the Dolphins and into the three spot, but I'll give them another game or two to prove themselves even further.5.)St. Louis Sidewinders
Another very impressive win by one of the newcomers to USA A#2. The Blitz hung with them for a quarter and then proceeded to get trounced by the Sidewinders. Jaraxle put up a Fasani-like completion percentage through the air while they still managed over 9 yds/car on the ground in a sloppy game that saw 9 forced fumbles between both teams and seven turnovers by Washington. St Louis and Motor City is my game of the "week" for Tuesday.
6.)Tampa Bay Krakens
I have the Krakens making a 4-spot jump in my rankings after a more detailed analysis of the composition of their roster. I'm not gonna say much more about it, but they are more than on the radar over at MM headquarters.
7.)Rutgers Silent Willies
I really love this team and probably have a bias towards them to some degree, but against a team with inferior levels and reeling from an ownership change within the last week, the Silent Willies needed a solid 3rd quarter to pull away and get an opening win. However, the amount of yards their defense gave up worries me, and to say their air attack was subpar is an understatement. A matchup with the Krakens gives my rankings an early test tomorrow afternoon.
8.)Detroit Rampage
Maybe I'm looking a bit too much into things, especially since Fort Meyers doesn't impress me very much, but between the Rampage taking care of business and my new respect for Tampa, Detroit jumps similar to the Krakens. I have them over O'ahu at the current moment, and am impressed that they forced nine turnovers, but tomorrow will give me a much clearer picture of whether or not I am overestimating Detroit's potential.
9.)Corona Del Mar Cougars
Amidst all the switching around them, the Cougars manage to stay in the same spot that had them last time. They manhandled a team that they should have and impressed with their aerial display, but have yet to show me that they deserve to jump into a playoff ranking. This is a team that I will be rather intrigued to see perform over the course of season 9. I wish them all the luck in their final fourteen games, and hope they fall flat on their faces tomorrow
. 10.)O'ahu Night Marchers
Four places is a big drop, and they did unfortunately draw the best Western team IMHO, so while the Night Marchers share a bias within me similar to Rutgers, they have an absolutely brutal opening schedule. These guys could honestly open 0-6 and I would in no way feel as if they were underperforming. Let's hope that they don't endure a roster-wide morale hit like that and prove me wrong, starting with their upcoming matchup against Detroit.
11.)Cincinnati Norris Ninjas
Sorry to say, but I am terribly unimpressed with their opening loss to Brockton. They threw well enough and Bludgeon helped keep them in the game but their ground game just failed them repeatedly, and settling for short FGs is often the difference in tight games. They have a couple of easier games to regroup with before they hit some of the heavier hitters in the conference and show us all what they are made of.
12.)Orange County Farmers
There might be a huge gap between 11 and 12, unless I'm reading into things the wrong way. OCF got pounded as was expected considering the results of the scrimmage that had already taken place against their week one opponent. I previously incorrectly thought they had been demoted, but it looks like they might have to settle into their role last season as the best of the worst of USA A#2 if things keep heading the way they seem to be.
13.)North Texas Cowboys
These guys might be better than I think, but I'll let them prove it to me before I place them any higher in these rankings. .2 yds/car is not gonna cut it in any game, and the passing game didn't do much more to help North Texas out. A relatively easy opening schedule puts them probably at 2-3 before they hit the teeth of their schedule and things start to get ugly. Or will they?
Rebuilding
14.)San Antonio
15.)Florida
16.)Seattle
Last edited Apr 27, 2009 16:30:09
