AFL Power Rankings: 2006 Week 9
John Hoh
Thursday March 30, 2006
The playoff races are starting to take shape. There are a few “bubble” teams, while Arizona, Dallas, Austin, Nashville, and Colorado appear to be locks to make “the Dance.”
Herein are the 2006 week 9 Power Rankings. And remember, these are only my opinions and are not scientific. Any attempt to use this information for betting purposes is solely at the gambler’s discretion.
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous Rank | Next Up |
| 1 | Dallas Desperados (DAL) | 7-2 | 1 | CLB |
| | Tough home loss to the Philly Soul a setback. Columbus comes to town on a streak having beaten the defending champions. What once looked like a “gimme” could end in the same result as this game did last year in Dallas. | |||
| 2 | Nashville Kats (NAS) | 6-3 | 4 | @COL |
| | Nashville owns the home field edge in the American Conference. Tilt at Colorado could be key in determining Central Division crown and home field in the playoffs. | |||
| 3 | Austin Wranglers (AUS) | 6-3 | 3 | @PHI |
| | Tough loss to the Predators. Must now Wrangle in the Soul to keep spirits high. | |||
| 4 | Colorado Crush (COL) | 6-3 | 2 | NAS |
| | Who saw the freight train from Columbus coming? Visiting teams aren’t supposed to come to Denver and win like that. A follow-up game against the Kats won’t be any easier—and is suddenly key to the divisional race and home field advantage in the playoffs. | |||
| 5 | Arizona Rattlers (AZ) | 5-4 | 6 | @SJ |
| | Rattlers now have command in the Western Division and are only a game out of contention for home field advantage. | |||
| 6 | Columbus Destroyers (CLB) | 5-4 | 7 | @DAL |
| | Columbus goes into the Mile High city and Destroys the Crush in a crushing win. Now hope to repeat last year’s history at Dallas. | |||
| 7 | Georgia Force (GA) | 5-4 | 9 | @KC |
| | Force gets much needed win over the Storm. Trip to Kansas City should be a breather, but the Force shouldn’t overlook a team that could finish the season with some wins before all is said and done. | |||
| 8 | Orlando Predators (ORL) | 5-4 | 6 | CHI |
| | Predators split with the Lone Star state. Host Chicago in the Jungle. | |||
| 9 | Tampa Bay Storm (TB) | 5-4 | 5 | UT |
| | Loss to Georgia hurts Tampa Bay. Next host Utah which is scarier than its record indicates. | |||
| 10 | New York Dragons (NY) | 5-4 | 10 | GR |
| | Dragons have trouble in win over Kansas City. Next host a Grand Rapids game that can be unbeatable when they play cohesively. | |||
| 11 | Philadelphia Soul (PHI) | 5-4 | 11 | AUS |
| | Philly beats Dallas to stay somewhat close in the Eastern Division race. Austin is an equally challenging test for this inconsistent team. | |||
| 12 | Chicago Rush (CHI) | 4-5 | 10 | @ORL |
| | Chicago beats division rival to stay pace in the playoff race. Game in the Jungle at Orlando another challenge altogether. | |||
| 13 | Las Vegas Gladiators (LV) | 4-5 | 16 | LA |
| | Gladiators have solid position for the playoffs. Even have a chance to catch the Rattlers. Home game against LA is key. | |||
| 14 | Los Angeles Avengers (LA) | 3-6 | 12 | @LV |
| | Avengers lose critical conference game to Arizona. Now travel to Vegas to gamble they can keep their playoff hopes alive. | |||
| 15 | Grand Rapids Rampage (GR) | 3-6 | 14 | @NY |
| | Lose a critical conference game to the Rush. Travel to New York could help this team as New York is unsettled at QB. | |||
| 16 | San Jose SaberCats (SJ) | 3-6 | 16 | AZ |
| | San Jose loses the cat fight and now seeks to prevent being snake-bitten. | |||
| 17 | Utah Blaze (UT) | 3-6 | 17 | @TB |
| | Blaze beginning plans for next year and player acquisitions. No doubt Coach White will keep the team focused on winning games this year. Win at Tampa Bay could be a boost to morale. | |||
| 18 | Kansas City Brigade (KC) | 1-8 | 18 | GA |
| | Kansas City played a close game in New York. Game at Georgia likely won’t be as close, unless Georgia looks past the Brigade and toward next week’s tilt against the Wranglers. | |||
John L. Hoh, Jr., is a free-lance writer from Milwaukee who grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, as an avid Dolphins fan. He followed Arena Football since its inception, at one point watching tape-delayed games on low-powered WAV-TV in Waukesha. His happiest day was when Milwaukee was awarded the Mustangs franchise; his saddest when the Mustangs were contracted out of the league. John is married to his wife Maija (13+ years) and has a young son, Matthew. John pines for the return of the Arena Football League to Milwaukee.
