Hedgehog’s Power Rankings – The Inter-Conference Edition (Week Sixteen)
Introduction
Sorry I didn’t get these rankings out for Week Fifteen but I was having a little too much fun this last weekend. These Week Sixteen Rankings take into account the games from Weeks 13-16 and any movement in the “Last Week” indicator reflects the change in position from Week Fourteen to Week Sixteen. I will be changing the format again for this week in particular. Instead of having a block of text for the top twelve teams then snippets of commentary for the rest, I will be focusing my commentary for the playoff teams only. Teams Ranked #17-32 will have a barebones ranking order. And I'll be repeating the process as the playoffs continue, focusing on those still alive in each subsiquent rankings.
It's Playoff Time. For the Western Conference, the final couple teams secured their spots for the tourney. Who was in the Eastern Conference was settled Week Fifteen; this last game was to see where the teams were in the pecking order. There were a few good games this week including a shock victory by the Warriors and a comeback win at Cheyenne Mountain won by the Hillbillies. Those two victors push the West over the East this season: Western Conference teams winning nine (9) games, the Eastern Conference seven (7).
Movers and Shakers:
Best Risers: (+3) Cold Lake Wolverines
Biggest Drops: Calgary Wrestlers and Revelstoke Revolution (-4)
Week Sixteen Power Rankings
The Top Eight
1.-xy (1/-) – Saskatchewan Sasquatches – (16-0)
- I could think of another superlative for this team but I’m running out of ideas here. The Sasqutches walk over the Bloodweiser Bugle All-Stars 66-10 to go undefeated through the entire season, running the table on every Western Conference team it faced. The defending champions have the easy road in defending their crown, the only team to come close to toppling the Sasqutches – the ISJ – are not in the big dance this season. They’ll come in as huge favorites in their match against the Beavers next week and will then have a sterner challenge from the winner of the Vinland Vikings/Manitoba Icemen game.
2.-xy (2/-) – Sudbury Spartans – (14-2)
-As probably predicted by just about everyone, the Spartans annihilated their inter-conference opposition, the Saskatoon Guerlliaz; the scoreline: 61-7. This, by the numbers, is the best team overall in the Eastern Conference: #2 in pass yards and rush yards and the worst team in the league to score against. The #2 seed due to getting beaten by the Queen City Black Cats, the Spartans should make quick work of the Red Deer Blue Elk in a likely repeat of their regular season meeting (Spartans winning, 38-0).
3.-xy (4/+1) – Queen City Black Cats – (14-2)
-The Black Cats end the season on a high-note, defeating the Husker Maniacs and then shutting out the Revelstoke Revolution 56-to-nothing. And they retain the #1 spot in the playoffs due to a win against the Sudbury Spartans. The#1 rushing team in the league looks to run the Montreal Canadiens off the field next week. And it looks like all signs point in that direction: at the last meeting between these two the Black Cats blanked the Canadiens 41-0 and ran for 356 yards.
4.-xy (5/+1) – Vancouver Vindicators – (13-3)
-An easy last duo of opponents gives the Vindicators the #2 spot in the playoff seeding for the Western Conference. The second toughest defense in the Western Conference goes toe-to-toe against the Winnipeg Warriors next week in the first round, a tough challenge considering what the Warriors just accomplished defeating the Hashishim. The Vindicators are second best in pass yards given per game (175.8 yds/game) and tied for first place with passing touchdowns given. Why focus on that? The Warriors have one of the best passing games in Canada A6.
5.-xy (7/+2) –Hillsburgh Hillbillies – (13-3)
-The tight comeback win against the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force solidifies home-field advantage for this team and the #4 spot heading into the first round. This team shouldn’t be breathing too easy, however, as they could have easily lost this game as well: that high scoring game hinged on that wild forced fumble taken all the way back for a TD. Next week they face the Calgary Thunder, the second best rushing team in the division, in what will be an interesting and even matchup. The result of their last meeting: the Hillibillies lost by 10.
6.-xy (3/-3) – Halifax Hashishim – (11-3)
-The Hashishim entered Week 16 the #2 seed but losing the #7 seed in the Western Conference by 11 drops them three spots here in my rankings. The Hashishim need to fix their pass D pronto: they gave up 402 yards passing last game including a long bomb in the second quarter. And they face a team that could do just that to them in the form of the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force, who possesses the top WR in touchdowns received. The result of their last meeting with the CM Air Force was a 17-30 loss where the Hashishim couldn’t run the ball effectively and were beaten in the air, just as the Warriors did.
7.-x (9/+2) – St. John’s Salty Dogs – (12-4)
-The first games for this team must seem like a whole other season ago as they go into the playoffs with eleven straight wins. Their last opponents, the Thunder, are a running team, and the Salty Dogs just outran them going 230 yards rushing with four TDs gained on the ground. Next up for this team will be the Husker Maniacs, who defeated the Salty Dogs in Week 4 10-28. This team has the offensive tools in place: #2 in pass yards and #3 in rush yards gained for their division. But can the Salty Dogs cover their sole chink in their armor for the first-round? They are the 4th worst team in pass yards given.
8.-xy (8/-2) – Nebraska Husker Maniacs – (12-4)
-The Husker Maniacs are lower than the Salty Dogs here due to worst recent game performance (their Week 15 loss to the Queen City Black Cats is factored in). The Husker Manaics take the last slot for home-field advantage thanks to the CM Air Force loss and to winning in the shootout against the Manitoba Icemen. For their efforts, the Salty Dogs are their next opponent in one of the highlight Eastern Conference Playoff games this first round. Both teams can pass but will the superior run game of the Salty Dogs matter more? Or will the Husker Maniacs #3 pass offense in yards gained overpower the #4 worst defense in pass yards allowed.
The Lower Eight
9.-x (8/-1) – Cheyenne Mountain Air Force – (12-4)
-Tough loss for this team. The Air Force drops a spot in these rankings as they lose home-field advantage in the last minute thanks to the Hillbillies. The Air Force tends to shoot down opposing pass games than be a force in the air itself: best the in conference in pass yards given and second in pass TDs allowed. They gave the Hashishim their first loss of the season by stopping their run and forcing them to pass; which is probably the plan next week as they go visit the Halifax Hashishim in the first round.
10.-xy (11/+1) –Vinland Vikings – (12-4)
-The Vikings finish out their season vs. the worst team in the league and go 12-4 in the process. One of the best rushing teams in their division on both sides of the ball, it’s been in the pass game where deficiencies rise. They’re in the bottom half of their division in pass yards and TDs gained, and again in pass yards and TDs given. They face the Icemen next week, the first team to have given the Vikings a serious challenge in the season and who has a respectable pass unit.
11.-x (10/-1) – Manitoba Icemen – (11-5)
-The Icemen will be looking to avenge their loss to the Husker Maniacs by beating the Vinland Vikings next week. They passed the ball well in the last game but somehow couldn’t string their drives for touchdowns until the 3rd quarter. Of playoff bound teams, they have the 4th best pass offense but the second worst pass D in yards given up. Look to this team to try and throw it up the field against the Vikings next week, a team they lost to by a touchdown.
12.-x (13/+1) – Calgary Thunder – (10-6)
-In the pass-leaning Western Conference this team is the one their few rush-focused teams (the other big name is the Vinland Vikings). The Thunder was outclassed in Week 16 as they trailed in every offensive category you’d want to do well on, their running hobbled to the least yards produced in the past 6 games. Looking forward to next week will be the Hillsburgh Hillbillies, who the Thunder defeated them in the last meeting. Can the Western Conference’s #2 offense in rush yards go 2-for-2 against the Inbreds?
13.-x (12/+1) – Red Deer Blue Elk – (10-6)
-There were two teams that came back from the brink this season in the Eastern Conference. You know about the Salty Dogs. The Red Deer Blue Elk is that other team. Going 6-2 in the past eight games nets them the #7 playoff spot this season and an extremely challenging road ahead for their championship aspirations. This above-average team, who boasts a good pass D on the numbers, better has a huge surprise in store next week for the first round. Otherwise, they will be one-and-done against the Spartans, who blanked the Red Deer Blue Elk in Week 13.
14.-x (12/-2) – Montreal Canadiens – (10-6)
-If I could, I’d rank the floundering Canadiens a spot lower. They limp into the first round of the playoffs with no momentum, losing two straight on 30+ point deficits. This team has two highlights this season, the Week One victory against the now much stronger Salty Dogs and the Week Ten upset against the Husker Maniacs. This slightly above-average team gets in part due to the lack in quality of the rest of the Eastern Conference and their respectable pass defense (#4 in pass yards given in the division, #7 in pass TDs allowed). A big challenge awaits them next week; they face the top seeded Queen City Black Cats, who humiliated them 0-41, next.
15.-x (16/+1) – Winnipeg Warriors – (9-7)
-Of all the playoff teams this season, the Warriors are the most interesting. In most regards, this team is either average or above-average with their passing game being the standout unit of this team - #2 in pass yards and #3 in passing TDs. A team that I like and the most likely to pull upsets their victory against the Hashishim was good in a couple aspects: they come into the playoffs in a high-note and they were able to stop the #4 rushing offense in yards gained. We know this team can throw the ball, but can they stop the run again twice in a row? Their first-round opponents, the Vancouver Vindicators, ran it at the Warriors successfully in their last meeting. The Vindicators won that: 27-14.
16.-x (17/+1) – Saskatchewan Beavers – (9-7)
-The Beavers round out our playoff teams this season. One of the streakier teams in the big dance, their mid-season winning streak was bookended by 3+ game long losing streaks. They have quite possibly the most challenging of tasks this first round: beating the Sasquatches. Can this run favored team (#3 in rush yards in the Western Conference) move the ball effectively against a team that’s allowed opponents the least number of yards on the ground? The Beavers are longshots to win the Second Battle of Saskatchewan: the First Battle of Saskatchewan had the Sasquatches beating the Beavers by 20.
The Rest of the League
17. (19/+2) – Iqaluit Arctic Wolves – (8-8)
18. (21/+3) – Cold Lake Wolverines – (7-9)
19. (15/-4) – Revelsoke Revolution – (7-9)
20. (20/-) – Flint Tropics – (7-9)
21. (22/+1) – In San Jose Pimpin Ain’t Easy – (6-10)
22. (18/-4) – Calgary Wrestlers – (6-10)
23. (24/+1) –Destruction Bay Dragons – (5-11)
24. (23/-1) – Saskatoon Guerrillaz – (5-11)
25. (25/-) –Portsmouth Cavaliers – (4-11)
26. (26/-) – Toronto Smoke – (3-13)
27. (28/+1) – Quebec Boreal – (3-13)
28. (27/-1) –Barkmere Bulldawgs – (2-14)
29. (30/+1) –Kelowna Outlaws – (2-14)
30. (29/-1) – Bloodweiser Bugle All Stars – (1-15)
31. (31/-) –Castlegar Crusaders – (0-14)
32. (32/-) – Peterborough Preachers – (0-14)
-x – Clinched Playoff Berth
-y – Has Home-Field Advantage
Introduction
Sorry I didn’t get these rankings out for Week Fifteen but I was having a little too much fun this last weekend. These Week Sixteen Rankings take into account the games from Weeks 13-16 and any movement in the “Last Week” indicator reflects the change in position from Week Fourteen to Week Sixteen. I will be changing the format again for this week in particular. Instead of having a block of text for the top twelve teams then snippets of commentary for the rest, I will be focusing my commentary for the playoff teams only. Teams Ranked #17-32 will have a barebones ranking order. And I'll be repeating the process as the playoffs continue, focusing on those still alive in each subsiquent rankings.
It's Playoff Time. For the Western Conference, the final couple teams secured their spots for the tourney. Who was in the Eastern Conference was settled Week Fifteen; this last game was to see where the teams were in the pecking order. There were a few good games this week including a shock victory by the Warriors and a comeback win at Cheyenne Mountain won by the Hillbillies. Those two victors push the West over the East this season: Western Conference teams winning nine (9) games, the Eastern Conference seven (7).
Movers and Shakers:
Best Risers: (+3) Cold Lake Wolverines
Biggest Drops: Calgary Wrestlers and Revelstoke Revolution (-4)
Week Sixteen Power Rankings
The Top Eight
1.-xy (1/-) – Saskatchewan Sasquatches – (16-0)
- I could think of another superlative for this team but I’m running out of ideas here. The Sasqutches walk over the Bloodweiser Bugle All-Stars 66-10 to go undefeated through the entire season, running the table on every Western Conference team it faced. The defending champions have the easy road in defending their crown, the only team to come close to toppling the Sasqutches – the ISJ – are not in the big dance this season. They’ll come in as huge favorites in their match against the Beavers next week and will then have a sterner challenge from the winner of the Vinland Vikings/Manitoba Icemen game.
2.-xy (2/-) – Sudbury Spartans – (14-2)
-As probably predicted by just about everyone, the Spartans annihilated their inter-conference opposition, the Saskatoon Guerlliaz; the scoreline: 61-7. This, by the numbers, is the best team overall in the Eastern Conference: #2 in pass yards and rush yards and the worst team in the league to score against. The #2 seed due to getting beaten by the Queen City Black Cats, the Spartans should make quick work of the Red Deer Blue Elk in a likely repeat of their regular season meeting (Spartans winning, 38-0).
3.-xy (4/+1) – Queen City Black Cats – (14-2)
-The Black Cats end the season on a high-note, defeating the Husker Maniacs and then shutting out the Revelstoke Revolution 56-to-nothing. And they retain the #1 spot in the playoffs due to a win against the Sudbury Spartans. The#1 rushing team in the league looks to run the Montreal Canadiens off the field next week. And it looks like all signs point in that direction: at the last meeting between these two the Black Cats blanked the Canadiens 41-0 and ran for 356 yards.
4.-xy (5/+1) – Vancouver Vindicators – (13-3)
-An easy last duo of opponents gives the Vindicators the #2 spot in the playoff seeding for the Western Conference. The second toughest defense in the Western Conference goes toe-to-toe against the Winnipeg Warriors next week in the first round, a tough challenge considering what the Warriors just accomplished defeating the Hashishim. The Vindicators are second best in pass yards given per game (175.8 yds/game) and tied for first place with passing touchdowns given. Why focus on that? The Warriors have one of the best passing games in Canada A6.
5.-xy (7/+2) –Hillsburgh Hillbillies – (13-3)
-The tight comeback win against the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force solidifies home-field advantage for this team and the #4 spot heading into the first round. This team shouldn’t be breathing too easy, however, as they could have easily lost this game as well: that high scoring game hinged on that wild forced fumble taken all the way back for a TD. Next week they face the Calgary Thunder, the second best rushing team in the division, in what will be an interesting and even matchup. The result of their last meeting: the Hillibillies lost by 10.
6.-xy (3/-3) – Halifax Hashishim – (11-3)
-The Hashishim entered Week 16 the #2 seed but losing the #7 seed in the Western Conference by 11 drops them three spots here in my rankings. The Hashishim need to fix their pass D pronto: they gave up 402 yards passing last game including a long bomb in the second quarter. And they face a team that could do just that to them in the form of the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force, who possesses the top WR in touchdowns received. The result of their last meeting with the CM Air Force was a 17-30 loss where the Hashishim couldn’t run the ball effectively and were beaten in the air, just as the Warriors did.
7.-x (9/+2) – St. John’s Salty Dogs – (12-4)
-The first games for this team must seem like a whole other season ago as they go into the playoffs with eleven straight wins. Their last opponents, the Thunder, are a running team, and the Salty Dogs just outran them going 230 yards rushing with four TDs gained on the ground. Next up for this team will be the Husker Maniacs, who defeated the Salty Dogs in Week 4 10-28. This team has the offensive tools in place: #2 in pass yards and #3 in rush yards gained for their division. But can the Salty Dogs cover their sole chink in their armor for the first-round? They are the 4th worst team in pass yards given.
8.-xy (8/-2) – Nebraska Husker Maniacs – (12-4)
-The Husker Maniacs are lower than the Salty Dogs here due to worst recent game performance (their Week 15 loss to the Queen City Black Cats is factored in). The Husker Manaics take the last slot for home-field advantage thanks to the CM Air Force loss and to winning in the shootout against the Manitoba Icemen. For their efforts, the Salty Dogs are their next opponent in one of the highlight Eastern Conference Playoff games this first round. Both teams can pass but will the superior run game of the Salty Dogs matter more? Or will the Husker Maniacs #3 pass offense in yards gained overpower the #4 worst defense in pass yards allowed.
The Lower Eight
9.-x (8/-1) – Cheyenne Mountain Air Force – (12-4)
-Tough loss for this team. The Air Force drops a spot in these rankings as they lose home-field advantage in the last minute thanks to the Hillbillies. The Air Force tends to shoot down opposing pass games than be a force in the air itself: best the in conference in pass yards given and second in pass TDs allowed. They gave the Hashishim their first loss of the season by stopping their run and forcing them to pass; which is probably the plan next week as they go visit the Halifax Hashishim in the first round.
10.-xy (11/+1) –Vinland Vikings – (12-4)
-The Vikings finish out their season vs. the worst team in the league and go 12-4 in the process. One of the best rushing teams in their division on both sides of the ball, it’s been in the pass game where deficiencies rise. They’re in the bottom half of their division in pass yards and TDs gained, and again in pass yards and TDs given. They face the Icemen next week, the first team to have given the Vikings a serious challenge in the season and who has a respectable pass unit.
11.-x (10/-1) – Manitoba Icemen – (11-5)
-The Icemen will be looking to avenge their loss to the Husker Maniacs by beating the Vinland Vikings next week. They passed the ball well in the last game but somehow couldn’t string their drives for touchdowns until the 3rd quarter. Of playoff bound teams, they have the 4th best pass offense but the second worst pass D in yards given up. Look to this team to try and throw it up the field against the Vikings next week, a team they lost to by a touchdown.
12.-x (13/+1) – Calgary Thunder – (10-6)
-In the pass-leaning Western Conference this team is the one their few rush-focused teams (the other big name is the Vinland Vikings). The Thunder was outclassed in Week 16 as they trailed in every offensive category you’d want to do well on, their running hobbled to the least yards produced in the past 6 games. Looking forward to next week will be the Hillsburgh Hillbillies, who the Thunder defeated them in the last meeting. Can the Western Conference’s #2 offense in rush yards go 2-for-2 against the Inbreds?
13.-x (12/+1) – Red Deer Blue Elk – (10-6)
-There were two teams that came back from the brink this season in the Eastern Conference. You know about the Salty Dogs. The Red Deer Blue Elk is that other team. Going 6-2 in the past eight games nets them the #7 playoff spot this season and an extremely challenging road ahead for their championship aspirations. This above-average team, who boasts a good pass D on the numbers, better has a huge surprise in store next week for the first round. Otherwise, they will be one-and-done against the Spartans, who blanked the Red Deer Blue Elk in Week 13.
14.-x (12/-2) – Montreal Canadiens – (10-6)
-If I could, I’d rank the floundering Canadiens a spot lower. They limp into the first round of the playoffs with no momentum, losing two straight on 30+ point deficits. This team has two highlights this season, the Week One victory against the now much stronger Salty Dogs and the Week Ten upset against the Husker Maniacs. This slightly above-average team gets in part due to the lack in quality of the rest of the Eastern Conference and their respectable pass defense (#4 in pass yards given in the division, #7 in pass TDs allowed). A big challenge awaits them next week; they face the top seeded Queen City Black Cats, who humiliated them 0-41, next.
15.-x (16/+1) – Winnipeg Warriors – (9-7)
-Of all the playoff teams this season, the Warriors are the most interesting. In most regards, this team is either average or above-average with their passing game being the standout unit of this team - #2 in pass yards and #3 in passing TDs. A team that I like and the most likely to pull upsets their victory against the Hashishim was good in a couple aspects: they come into the playoffs in a high-note and they were able to stop the #4 rushing offense in yards gained. We know this team can throw the ball, but can they stop the run again twice in a row? Their first-round opponents, the Vancouver Vindicators, ran it at the Warriors successfully in their last meeting. The Vindicators won that: 27-14.
16.-x (17/+1) – Saskatchewan Beavers – (9-7)
-The Beavers round out our playoff teams this season. One of the streakier teams in the big dance, their mid-season winning streak was bookended by 3+ game long losing streaks. They have quite possibly the most challenging of tasks this first round: beating the Sasquatches. Can this run favored team (#3 in rush yards in the Western Conference) move the ball effectively against a team that’s allowed opponents the least number of yards on the ground? The Beavers are longshots to win the Second Battle of Saskatchewan: the First Battle of Saskatchewan had the Sasquatches beating the Beavers by 20.
The Rest of the League
17. (19/+2) – Iqaluit Arctic Wolves – (8-8)
18. (21/+3) – Cold Lake Wolverines – (7-9)
19. (15/-4) – Revelsoke Revolution – (7-9)
20. (20/-) – Flint Tropics – (7-9)
21. (22/+1) – In San Jose Pimpin Ain’t Easy – (6-10)
22. (18/-4) – Calgary Wrestlers – (6-10)
23. (24/+1) –Destruction Bay Dragons – (5-11)
24. (23/-1) – Saskatoon Guerrillaz – (5-11)
25. (25/-) –Portsmouth Cavaliers – (4-11)
26. (26/-) – Toronto Smoke – (3-13)
27. (28/+1) – Quebec Boreal – (3-13)
28. (27/-1) –Barkmere Bulldawgs – (2-14)
29. (30/+1) –Kelowna Outlaws – (2-14)
30. (29/-1) – Bloodweiser Bugle All Stars – (1-15)
31. (31/-) –Castlegar Crusaders – (0-14)
32. (32/-) – Peterborough Preachers – (0-14)
-x – Clinched Playoff Berth
-y – Has Home-Field Advantage
Last edited Sep 3, 2008 03:07:04
