Well six weeks have passed us by and things are definetly starting to form a clear picture when it comes to the Zeta Power Rankings. A couple shakeups happened throughout the order and the championship contenders are starting to seperate themselves from the rest of the pack. This season is shaping up to be great one in the Zeta conference and the race for the playoffs in beginning in earnest. On to the rankings:
1. Hungary Hungry Hippos
Record: 6-0-0
Previous Rank: #1
High Rank: #1
Low Rank: #1
Their win over the Bears a couple weeks back almost surely cements the Hippos place at the top of the standings. The Hippos are just on another level compared to the other teams in Zeta. Expect them to occupy the top spot until they do battle with Brown Bay in week 11, who may be the only oppenent left with enough firepower to challenge Hungary.
2. Brown Bay Packers
Record: 6-0-0
Previous Rank: #3
High Rank: #3
Low Rank: #4
The Packers are still undefeated this season after narrowly knocking off Targoviste today. Brown Bay is a very good team who will probably find themselves in the top 3 for the rest of the season if they can avoid the upset bug. The Packers still have a couple of big matchups down the road (Hippos,Bears,Chupacabras) so they appear to have their work cut out for them. If they can keep the momentum up, however, expect them to challenge for the top playoff seed.
3. Belgrade Bears
Record: 5-1-0
Previous Rank: #2
High Rank: #2
Low Rank: #3
The Bears fall one spot to their lowest rank of the season. Granted, it is third place but the Bears surely must have been disappointed to be handed a lost by Hungary in week 5. Despite the loss the Bears still have a chance at running the table and making things interesting late in the season if everything goes right for them. They also have a pretty difficult schedule remaining so the Bears will need to continue playing strong football for the rest of the season to avoid taking any more defeats.
4. Athens Gods
Record: 5-1-0
Previous Rank: #4
High Rank: #4
Low Rank: #8
Athens rebounded nicely today to beat Crete and improve to 5 and 1. The Gods are a nice surprise team who will be a force in Zeta but as they showed against Brown Bay they still have some work to do to be an elite team. The Gods are a team that will continue to improve and will begin to start positioning themselves for making a run at a home playoff game.
5. Targoviste Impalers
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #5
High Rank: #3
Low Rank: #5
Targoviste was handed another tough L today but is still in decent shape going forward. They should make the playoffs without a hitch but will have to find another gear if they want to unseat the teams above them.
6. River City Ransom
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #7
High Rank: #4
Low Rank: #7
It can be a little maddening when you try to study River City and guage their strength. They looked good in wins over Barcelona and the Inquisition but were unimpressive in their losses to Targoviste and Athens. As I have mentioned a couple of times before it appears that the Ransom can be a little inconsistent week to week. They still have a quite a few games on tap against the top teams so they will need to make sure and collect wins in the games they are favored in. That being said, RCR is an intriguing team worth watching going forward.
7. Spanish Inquisition
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #8
High Rank: #6
Low Rank: #8
The Inquisition were on cruise control these past two weeks winning both games easily. It would appear that they have one more week to rest up before beginning a very tough strech. The Spanish Inquisition will be battling for a playoff spot with a lot of the other quality teams found in spots 6 through 9. Remember to keep an eye on this team because as Shardaddy likes to say: "NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!"
8. Barcelona Chupacabras
Record: 3-3-0
Previous Rank: #6
High Rank: #6
Low Rank: #8
As it stands right now I have the Chupacabras sqeaking into the playoffs as an eight seed. That would mean a first round date with the Hippos and I am pretty sure Barcelona does not want to start the postseason with that matchup. That means the Chupacabras have to start stringing together wins to move up the standings. That loss to RCR is really hurting them right now but I expect that will regroup and finish strong. Still one might wonder if BigCowboysFan might be starting to sweat a little...
9. Warsaw Sabotage
Record: 3-3-0
Previous Rank: #9
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #13
Despite the odds and the apparent lack of respect they tend to receive the Sabotage are holding their ground at .500 and are finding themselves in a surprising playoff race. The Sabotage are an interesting team who seem to overachieve against other Zeta teams but the fact may be that they are a quality side capable of finishing with a winning record. The next few weeks will determine whether they can keep it up or begin to stuggle some.
10. Bengen Storm
Record: 2-4-0
Previous Rank: #10
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #10
The Storm ran into a spot of trouble and have dropped a couple of games since my last rankings. While they may not actually be the tenth best team on this list they do have two wins which counts for something. That loss to Macedonian is particularly disturbing, however, and hopefully it won't set a trend for the rest of their season.
11. Crete Minotaurs
Record: 2-4-0
Previous Rank: #11
High Rank: #11
Low Rank: #12
Crete are really slumping right now and are not helping their cause by losing close games such as their 2 point loss to Bengen. Their next two games will be tough as well so Crete will be trying hard to break out of their funk.
12. Boston Piggers
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #13
High Rank: #10
Low Rank: #13
The Piggers finally got on the board with a big win over the Maniacs. Having most of the stronger teams behind them, Boston could be poised to move up the rankings by beating some of the weaker teams still on their schedule.
13. Odessa Pipers
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #14
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #14
Odessa also scored their first W against Moscow and are looking to try and right the ship over the course of the rest of the season. With an average strength of schedule left it will be interesting to see how the Pipers do for the rest of the year.
14. Moscow Maniacs
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #12
High Rank: #11
Low Rank: #15
Moscow has been the coldest team in the conference since the last power rankings and have lost four in a row. That win over Macedonian must seem like a million years ago to the Maniacs. After a matchup with RCR the Maniacs can take out their frustrations on the Jazz in a couple of weeks.
15. Macedonian Phalanx
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #15
High Rank: #14
Low Rank: #15
Macedonian had a nice win over Bengen a while back but I don't know how many more wins are in this teams future. Their next win might not come until they matchup with the Jazz much later this season.
16. New Orleans Jazz
Record: 0-6-0
Previous Rank: #16
High Rank: #16
Low Rank: #16
Six straight losses with many more to come.
Well thats it for this week. I know my rankings don't stray to far from the actual standings but I just call it the way I see it. Until next time...
1. Hungary Hungry Hippos
Record: 6-0-0
Previous Rank: #1
High Rank: #1
Low Rank: #1
Their win over the Bears a couple weeks back almost surely cements the Hippos place at the top of the standings. The Hippos are just on another level compared to the other teams in Zeta. Expect them to occupy the top spot until they do battle with Brown Bay in week 11, who may be the only oppenent left with enough firepower to challenge Hungary.
2. Brown Bay Packers
Record: 6-0-0
Previous Rank: #3
High Rank: #3
Low Rank: #4
The Packers are still undefeated this season after narrowly knocking off Targoviste today. Brown Bay is a very good team who will probably find themselves in the top 3 for the rest of the season if they can avoid the upset bug. The Packers still have a couple of big matchups down the road (Hippos,Bears,Chupacabras) so they appear to have their work cut out for them. If they can keep the momentum up, however, expect them to challenge for the top playoff seed.
3. Belgrade Bears
Record: 5-1-0
Previous Rank: #2
High Rank: #2
Low Rank: #3
The Bears fall one spot to their lowest rank of the season. Granted, it is third place but the Bears surely must have been disappointed to be handed a lost by Hungary in week 5. Despite the loss the Bears still have a chance at running the table and making things interesting late in the season if everything goes right for them. They also have a pretty difficult schedule remaining so the Bears will need to continue playing strong football for the rest of the season to avoid taking any more defeats.
4. Athens Gods
Record: 5-1-0
Previous Rank: #4
High Rank: #4
Low Rank: #8
Athens rebounded nicely today to beat Crete and improve to 5 and 1. The Gods are a nice surprise team who will be a force in Zeta but as they showed against Brown Bay they still have some work to do to be an elite team. The Gods are a team that will continue to improve and will begin to start positioning themselves for making a run at a home playoff game.
5. Targoviste Impalers
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #5
High Rank: #3
Low Rank: #5
Targoviste was handed another tough L today but is still in decent shape going forward. They should make the playoffs without a hitch but will have to find another gear if they want to unseat the teams above them.
6. River City Ransom
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #7
High Rank: #4
Low Rank: #7
It can be a little maddening when you try to study River City and guage their strength. They looked good in wins over Barcelona and the Inquisition but were unimpressive in their losses to Targoviste and Athens. As I have mentioned a couple of times before it appears that the Ransom can be a little inconsistent week to week. They still have a quite a few games on tap against the top teams so they will need to make sure and collect wins in the games they are favored in. That being said, RCR is an intriguing team worth watching going forward.
7. Spanish Inquisition
Record: 4-2-0
Previous Rank: #8
High Rank: #6
Low Rank: #8
The Inquisition were on cruise control these past two weeks winning both games easily. It would appear that they have one more week to rest up before beginning a very tough strech. The Spanish Inquisition will be battling for a playoff spot with a lot of the other quality teams found in spots 6 through 9. Remember to keep an eye on this team because as Shardaddy likes to say: "NOBODY EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!"
8. Barcelona Chupacabras
Record: 3-3-0
Previous Rank: #6
High Rank: #6
Low Rank: #8
As it stands right now I have the Chupacabras sqeaking into the playoffs as an eight seed. That would mean a first round date with the Hippos and I am pretty sure Barcelona does not want to start the postseason with that matchup. That means the Chupacabras have to start stringing together wins to move up the standings. That loss to RCR is really hurting them right now but I expect that will regroup and finish strong. Still one might wonder if BigCowboysFan might be starting to sweat a little...
9. Warsaw Sabotage
Record: 3-3-0
Previous Rank: #9
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #13
Despite the odds and the apparent lack of respect they tend to receive the Sabotage are holding their ground at .500 and are finding themselves in a surprising playoff race. The Sabotage are an interesting team who seem to overachieve against other Zeta teams but the fact may be that they are a quality side capable of finishing with a winning record. The next few weeks will determine whether they can keep it up or begin to stuggle some.
10. Bengen Storm
Record: 2-4-0
Previous Rank: #10
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #10
The Storm ran into a spot of trouble and have dropped a couple of games since my last rankings. While they may not actually be the tenth best team on this list they do have two wins which counts for something. That loss to Macedonian is particularly disturbing, however, and hopefully it won't set a trend for the rest of their season.
11. Crete Minotaurs
Record: 2-4-0
Previous Rank: #11
High Rank: #11
Low Rank: #12
Crete are really slumping right now and are not helping their cause by losing close games such as their 2 point loss to Bengen. Their next two games will be tough as well so Crete will be trying hard to break out of their funk.
12. Boston Piggers
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #13
High Rank: #10
Low Rank: #13
The Piggers finally got on the board with a big win over the Maniacs. Having most of the stronger teams behind them, Boston could be poised to move up the rankings by beating some of the weaker teams still on their schedule.
13. Odessa Pipers
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #14
High Rank: #9
Low Rank: #14
Odessa also scored their first W against Moscow and are looking to try and right the ship over the course of the rest of the season. With an average strength of schedule left it will be interesting to see how the Pipers do for the rest of the year.
14. Moscow Maniacs
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #12
High Rank: #11
Low Rank: #15
Moscow has been the coldest team in the conference since the last power rankings and have lost four in a row. That win over Macedonian must seem like a million years ago to the Maniacs. After a matchup with RCR the Maniacs can take out their frustrations on the Jazz in a couple of weeks.
15. Macedonian Phalanx
Record: 1-5-0
Previous Rank: #15
High Rank: #14
Low Rank: #15
Macedonian had a nice win over Bengen a while back but I don't know how many more wins are in this teams future. Their next win might not come until they matchup with the Jazz much later this season.
16. New Orleans Jazz
Record: 0-6-0
Previous Rank: #16
High Rank: #16
Low Rank: #16
Six straight losses with many more to come.
Well thats it for this week. I know my rankings don't stray to far from the actual standings but I just call it the way I see it. Until next time...
