ArenaFan Power Ranking: Week 6
Mike Delrio
Friday May 8, 2015
The Week 6 ArenaFan Power Ranking remains unchanged from last week’s among the top seven teams but there was some shuffling from No. 8 to No. 11 as two teams, Tampa Bay and New Orleans, moved up and two teams, Portland and Spokane, dropped.
Week 6 Power Ranking
1. San Jose SaberCats (6-0) (LW: W @ AZ 56-34) – San Jose has one of the top scoring offenses in the league (56.2 PPG) combined with the best scoring defense (37.2) and looks to have a clear path to the National Conference title game where they will likely face Arizona-a team they beat convincingly last week. San Jose will be home against Las Vegas this week.
2. Philadelphia Soul (6-0) (LW: W vs. PO 52-35) – Philadelphia has put 357 points on the board this season, good for a 59.5 PPG average, to lead the AFL in scoring and looks to be not only the top team in the East, but the best in the American Conference after six weeks of the 2015 season. Philadelphia has already beaten Orlando and Jacksonville from the South Division as we well as Cleveland and New Orleans from the East this season and will play the Predators and Sharks in consecutive weeks beginning this week when Orlando visits the city of brotherly love.
3. Arizona Rattlers (4-2) (LW: L vs. SJ 56-34) – Arizona is one of the two best teams in the National Conference and should make another appearance in the conference championship where they will likely face San Jose-the better of the two teams at this point. The Rattlers will play New Orleans this week.
4. Cleveland Gladiators (4-2) (LW: W @ ORL 56-55 OT) – Cleveland has both the offense and defense to challenge Philadelphia for the East title, but the Soul beat the Glads by 15 points back in Week 4 and have the advantage. Cleveland is home against Jacksonville in Week 7.
5. Orlando Predators (3-3) (LW: L vs. CLV 56-55 OT) – Orlando is among the top scoring teams in the league with 336 points but has a defense that has allowed almost as many points (326), which explains the .500 mark. The Predators will be in the thick of the division battle and have an advantage over preseason favorite Jacksonville as a result of a one-point win in Week 2. Orlando will try to snap a two-game losing slide when they travel to Philadelphia this week.
6. Jacksonville Sharks (1-5) (LW: L @ TB 63-28) – Jacksonville has gone from a team projected as a contender for the conference title to one trailing both Tampa Bay and Orlando in the Southern Division by two games, and the Sharks have lost to both already. Jacksonville needs to put some wins together to stay in the chase for the division crown. The Sharks travel to Cleveland this week.
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 (3-2) (LW: W vs. LA 49-16) – Las Vegas is having an impressive inaugural season which could see the Outlaws finish near .500 their first year in the league. With six games remaining against the top four teams in this week’s ranking, look for Las Vegas to play spoiler. The Outlaws will visit San Jose this week.
8. Tampa Bay Storm (3-3) (LW: W vs. JAX 63-28) – Tampa Bay is good enough to challenge for the Southern Division title, but will have difficulty stringing wins together without protecting the ball better. Tampa Bay is on a bye week before traveling to Orlando for a big division game in Week 8.
9. Portland Thunder (2-4) (LW: L @ PHL 52-35) – Portland’s offense is near the bottom (10th) in the AFL in scoring and shows no signs of improving much on that over the season. The Thunder must develop scoring consistency to compete week in and week out. Portland is on a bye week.
10. New Orleans VooDoo (2-4) (LW: W vs. SPO 66-63) – New Orleans continues to show improvement but is not ready to compete with Philadelphia and Cleveland in the Eastern Division. The VooDoo will be home against Arizona on Saturday.
11. Spokane Shock (1-4) (LW: L @ NO 66-63) – Spokane will have trouble putting points on the board consistently all season and because of that will be playing from behind often. The Shock will be home against winless Los Angeles this week and must find a way to pick up a W to avoid falling to the bottom of the ranking.
12. Los Angeles KISS (0-6) (LW: L @ LV 49-16) – Los Angeles continues to have serious injury issues that has contributed to the team’s lack of success on the field. The KISS should win a few games this season, but to expect more than that would be overreach. Los Angeles will go on the road to play Spokane this week.
Week 7 Game of the Week: No.6 Jacksonville @ No. 4 Cleveland
The team with the higher power ranking won four of six games in Week 6, 25 of 33 (75%) for the season.
Mike began his third season reporting on the Georgia Force in March, 2012. Coverage includes weekly game previews and recaps, exclusive interviews and AFL news. Mike has been a Gwinnett County resident (the home of the Force) for two decades and provides coverage of the counties other pro sports franchises, the Gwinnett Braves (Braves Triple-A affiliate) and the Gwinnett Gladiators (ECHL, player development deals with both the Phoenix Coyotes and Buffalo Sabres) as well.
