Power rankings tend to walk a tight rope of showing off how teams stack up against each other based on results and player performance but not falling into the trap of just being the season’s standings. I’m pleased to say that through three weeks of play we are holding strong on true Power rankings as not all wins & losses are created equal. Enjoy the nearly full house of ballots submitted below!

voting breakdown

Fort Worth & Florida may be fighting for the top spot but it definitely is not a clear cut 1/2 affair as the Toros fell as far as 4 twice and the Storm were even lower at 6 twice. Baltimore has fallen six spots after seeing 44 points scored on them by the Legend but I believe most voters are wise to the Vultures history and managed to only get one ballot to place them outside of the top 10; a few even kept them within the top 5 despite the result. Personally, I would like to see them falter later in the season to give them less time to figure out what went wrong but that’s just me. Denver is back in the fold but the seesaw is affecting their votes as they have ended up all over the place being as high as 10 and as low as 23. Their matchup with Houston right above them this week is another chance for them to solidify a spot in the rankings but it won’t be an easy game for them; Jeremy may not be as much of a boogyman as he was billed to be. Before we move on, I will point out that there is an anonymous ballot this week. They like D.C. almost as much as Sam Blotner does and have Canton back to preseason rankings form as they start to show that defense again. You can try to guess who it may be and if someone gets it right they will receive a weekend of free best bets from our resident degenerate, Jack Wall. Please reach out to him to submit your one guess for the prize.

charging forward?

#8 Charleston Predators (2-0)
After a convention weekend bye week that saw Jack Brown get inducted into the Hall the Predators rattled off two wins against winless Chicago & Pittsburgh, two teams thought to be having better starts, and find themselves welcoming Florida for their first true test of the season. Charleston has a defense that has let up only 6 & 9 points on the season, an offense that managed to make a generic RB look like a God and the roster depth to be able to keep the Storm’s scouts guessing. Will it be enough to stop the Art show? I’m feeling a low scoring field position battle for this one where kicking & special teams play a vital role. (insert Cliff.mp3 here)

#10 Lexington Miners (2-1)
New name but are they the same enigma? This week vs Bossier City might just be the enigma bowl as I just can’t put a finger on either team. The offense is starting to click for them, Gabe is doing Gabe things and they’re winning the games they should be. It might be time to leave the old moniker in the past with Tulsa but I’ll be sticking to my guns for another week. Bossier stumbling against Denver makes this look like all steam ahead for Lexington to stack wins in these next few weeks but I’m weary based on their history.

brace for impact

#16 Louisiana Revolution (1-1)
I’d need to look back on the old ranking sheets but if there was ever a team that straddled the line from week to week then the Revs would be my guess; They are generally strong enough to make teams work for a victory but just haven’t put it all together to be dangerous. The two superstar back system they have going may be straining their pockets too much to find consistent success and this week they run into a Legend squad who saw Baltimore’s 30+ and raised them a season high 44 points. Was the bye week enough prep time to hold onto a sub 16 ranking?

week 4 premier matchup

#4 Mexico City Aztecs @ #3 Arizona Scorpions(-3.5) | O/U 44.5 | AUGUST 4th 6:30 PM EST
Whew. Both squads are coming off big wins after Mexico City doubled up on Indianapolis 48-24 and Arizona blanked Chicago 31-0 but both are also looking for that first signature win of the season. Here it is. The last time Arizona started 3-0 was back in Season 20 en route to a 9-3 record and a championship appearance and with the roster they pulled together after FA they are looking to match that sort of output. Mexico City hasn’t started 3-0 since all the way back in Season 17 where they also finished 9-3 and were stunned by Baltimore in the semis 44-45. Both teams missed the playoffs last season so this win looks like it can jumpstart both sides towards greatness and it is going to be a battle until the bitter end. I pray for any helpless chair in the Gauge household.