ArenaFan Power Ranking: Week 5

Mike Delrio
Wednesday April 29, 2015

After the first five weeks of AFL action, San Jose and Philadelphia are the lone remaining undefeated teams and hold the top two spots in this week’s ArenaFan Power Ranking while Arizona, with one loss, is No.3. There was movement in the Nos. 4 thru 6 positions as well as a flip in the No. 9 and No. 10 spots.

Week 5 Power Ranking

1. San Jose SaberCats (5-0) (LW: W vs. PO 64-45) – San Jose has been among the best on both sides of the ball for the first quarter of the season and continues to hold down the top spot in the ranking. That will be put to the test this week when the SaberCats travel to Arizona to face the No. 3 Rattlers.

2. Philadelphia Soul (5-0) (LW: W @ NO 55-42) – Philadelphia continues to challenge for the top spot with a strong defense and the top scoring offense in the league. The Soul are establishing themselves as the best team not only in the Eastern Division, but in the American Conference. Philadelphia will be home against Portland this week.      

3. Arizona Rattlers (4-1) (LW: W @ LA 68-30) – Arizona continues to be among the highest scoring offenses in the league and is on track to play for the conference title. The Rattlers lone loss came in a Week 2 upset against Las Vegas, but since, Arizona has won three straight games. The Rattlers will be home this week against San Jose with an opportunity to stake their claim to the top spot.      

4. Cleveland Gladiators (3-2) (LW: W vs. TB 62-54) – After back to back losses to Philadelphia and Arizona, both higher ranked teams, Cleveland got back in the W column against Tampa Bay. The Glads win combined with Orlando losing to Spokane moves Cleveland up a notch to No. 4. The Gladiators will be on the road this week against Orlando.

5. Orlando Predators (3-2) (LW: L @ SPO 56-55 OT) – Orlando falls a spot from No. 4 to No. 5 after an overtime loss to Spokane last week. The Predators will be battling Jacksonville for the Southern Division title all season, but have an advantage with a win over the Sharks already. Orlando will be home against Cleveland this week.

6. Jacksonville Sharks (1-4) (LW: W vs. LV 60-28) – Jacksonville snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Las Vegas last week. The W helps right the ship, but is not enough to move the Sharks up in the ranking. Jacksonville has a roster full of talent, but that has not resulted in wins before this week-and this week’s is against a first-year team. Jacksonville is on the road against Southern Division rival Tampa Bay this week with an opportunity to put back to back wins together.  

 Have your own opinion about who should be ranked where in the power rankings? You can have your say, too! Vote in our ArenaFan.com Power Poll. Rerank the teams however you see fit every single week. Results will show up on the front page of ArenaFan.com!

7. Las Vegas Outlaws (2-2) (LW: L @ JAX 60-28) – By recent expansion team standards, Las Vegas has already had a respectable year. The team will compete week in and week out, but is not ready to win consistently. The Outlaws will pull off a couple more upsets before the season is over. Las Vegas will host Los Angeles this week.

8. Portland Thunder (2-3) (LW: L @ SJ 64-45) – Portland lacks consistency on offense and that prevents them from putting wins together. Because the National Conference has two spots up for grabs, Portland looks to be a playoff team but must develop the scoring consistency to advance past the opening round. Portland will travel to Philadelphia to play the undefeated Soul.

9. Spokane Shock (1-3) (LW: W vs. ORL 56-55 OT) – Spokane pulled off an upset against Orlando last week to move up a spot in this week’s ranking but have had trouble protecting the ball and must continue to reduce TOs to put some W’s together. Spokane will be on the road against New Orleans this week looking for two straight wins.

10. Tampa Bay Storm (2-3) (LW: L @ CLV 62-54) – Tampa Bay has the potential to be a better than .500 team, but have to reduce turnovers that have made their offense inconsistent. The Storm will battle every week, but turnovers will continue to make W’s hard to come by. Tampa Bay will be home against Jacksonville in a big game for both clubs.  

11. New Orleans VooDoo (1-4) (LW: L vs. PHL 55-42) – New Orleans is improving, but is in the Eastern Division with Philadelphia and Cleveland and are some time away from competing for the division title. They will play spoiler this season as they continue to build for the future. New Orleans is home against Spokane this week.    

12. Los Angeles KISS (0-5) (LW: L vs. ARZ 68-30) – While in their second season, Los Angeles is basically a first-year team as a result of wholesale changes that took place after last season and the on-field product reflects that. Los Angeles should win a few games this season, but to expect more than that that at this point is overreaching. Los Angeles will be on the road against Las Vegas this week.

Week 6 Game of the Week: No. 1 San Jose @ No. 3 Arizona

The team with the higher power ranking won five of six games in Week 5, 21-of-27 for the season.