Welcome back to another season of SFL Power Rankings! I did not expect to be back here writing articles, but character limits were holding me back from expounding on the rises and crests of teams, the big matchups on the horizon or explaining how the hell Alamo City gets the #1 rank with only three 1st place votes. So, without further ado, feast your eyes on the Week 1 rankings and stick around for my ramblings!

VOTING BREAKDOWN

Each week we'll look at how the voter's ballots shook out and breakdown some outliers or curiosities that found within them. This week I saw a healthy mix of rankings for all teams across all voters with a consensus seeming to form. In seasons past the voters were able to see ballots cast in real time but we have now moved to a more private casting of ballots to potentially curb any groupthink concerns or even anxiety over hot takes...although that never did stop Mr. 2-10 himself (a surprise no show) from giving his opinions.

starting strong

#1 Florida Storm (S22 11-1)
The champs start up top with a clean sweep of 1st place votes and look to be on pace to defend another title in a quest for their 2nd(!) 3peat in the progression era and first in the 4k23 era. Recent rule changes that have affected all teams seem to not slow down the Storm as they continue to find new and innovative ways to win games but with enhanced progression rules in play and a new stat cap on Leadership the parity in the league may finally catch up to them. Last season the teams at the top looked nearly inseparable as they entered the postseason and this time around I believe it will be even tougher to crack the elite contenders we see continually rise to the top. Florida should be viewed as a lock for a 1st round bye and a semis appearance at the very least but there are more than a few quality teams on their schedule and it is easy as ever to slip up. Look for a statement game in their home opener vs the rebranded Warriors to show they plan on a wire-to-wire finish in these rankings.

#7 ARIZONA SCORPIONS (S22 5-7)
After 3 straight trips to the postseason and two of them leading to finals appearances the Scorpions tumbled to below .500 and started their offseason early and could only watch as Florida reached the promised land again. But maybe the early start was a needed boon as they were able to pull off some of the more major moves in free agency and bring in some big names like WR Yayo Montana from a partially dissolved and rebranded Alamo City (now Bossier City). The Hall of Famer Eddie Gauge has stepped down into retirement on the field but his coaching staff has increased despite losing fledgling OC Jay Balmer to the Tempo. Will a sole focus on coaching his team lead him back to past glories? Bottom ranked LA is first on the docket to see if the voters have it right.

A POINT TO PROVE

EXPANSION TEAMS
Albuquerque, Nashville and Pittsburgh kick off their seasons in the Pros with the Tempo setting the pace as the highest among them at #19. Pittsburgh has been touted as a team that has pulled in a strong roster despite being a late callup and could make waves in their first season and has bet on themselves by taking one of the top incentives($1M) of winning it all at the season's end. Albuquerque was always seen as the team that would be a shoe in to be called up to the Pros and would have a roster that could compete out of the gate but things seemingly haven't gone as planned for them, but we've seen Swole win with less in the minors. Will that pedigree translate to the big leagues?

#18 ATLANTA SWARM (S22 6-6)
A team thought to be gutted by Albuquerque's promotion, but truly only losing a few to the move, Atlanta's roster looked in dire straits up to roster lock and even now is seen as shaky at best. The major point to prove for them is that they can survive without a culture setter in Joshua "Swole" Williams and continue that legacy with a fresh take on it while also doing the most important thing: winning games.

#25 QUEEN CITY CORSAIRS (S22 4-8)
One of two original SFL teams left and despite the longevity they just can't seem to find their footing in this new era. The roster outlook is bleak from the outside looking in and the talk around the franchise isn't much better. Week 1 will tell a lot of what their story may hold this season but their point to prove is going to be that they can weather any storm that may come their way and hold onto the pieces that they do have so that they can add to them with the upcoming draft. Rebuilding in the SFL is now a true test of patience and willpower but the guys they have over there steering the ship have the drive to keep it steady until the clouds begin to clear.

wEEK 1 PREMIER MATCHUPS

#2 CANTON CLASSICS @ #6 BALTIMORE VULTURES | JULY 14th 1:15 PM EST
This will be the game everyone will be watching to see if Canton can match or at least come close to matching their performances from last season. The Classics outscored Baltimore 50-7 in two matchups with one being a 20-0 shutout in the Quarterfinals. Baltimore will have the slight advantage of being at home for this Week 1 tossup but that may not be enough if Canton's defense continues to farm turnovers all over the field.

#3 MINNESOTA LEGEND @ #13 INDIANAPOLIS RAMBLERS | JULY 13th 5:00 PM EST
The last time these two bitter rivals met at a convention the Legend treated the crowd to a nice 69-24 walloping of the Ramblers. While Indianapolis was able to get one back on them later in the season they were blown out again last season in their only meeting. Once again this will be their only meeting of the regular season and so bragging rights are up for grabs as well as an early divisional win in a new look and competitive Central Division.