+- International Simulation Football League (https://forums.sim-football.com)
+-- Forum: Community (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Media (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=37)
+---- Forum: Graded Articles (https://forums.sim-football.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: "Week 8 Power Rankings" (/showthread.php?tid=1434)
"Week 8 Power Rankings" - Apache_Chief - 06-25-2017
![[Image: 7XFRe2R.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7XFRe2R.png)
NSFL Week 8 Power Rankings
#1 - Colorado Yeti
NSFC || 6W 2L || 3-1 Home Record / 3-1 Road Record || Conference Record 5-2 || Division Record 5-2 || One Game Losing Streak ||
Game Record:
Hawks: W 23-20
Wraiths: W 13-10
@Wraiths: W 20-16
Hawks: L 39-24
Otters: W 30-16
@Hawks: W 27-21
@Hawks: W 31-7
@Wraiths L 29-7
The Yeti currently sit atop the mountain with a one game lead to have the best record in the league. When you look at the stats, there is nothing that really stands out, and yet they keep finding a way to win. Many of their games are within a one score margin, and one could argue that they’re just getting lucky when they win. But the fact is, just because none of their stats are the top, it doesn’t mean they’re at the bottom either. On the defensive side of the ball, they are comfortably sitting near the top in sacks, passes defended, interceptions, and defensive TD’s. The Yeti have put together a good defense, and should it stay that way, along with their modest passing game and heavy but successful run game, they will continue to come out ahead in these close games.
#2 - Orange County Otters
ASFC || 5W 3L || 3-1 Home Record / 2-2 Road Record || Conference Record 3-1 || Division Record 3-1 || Two Game Winning Streak ||
Game Record:
Outlaws: L 27-12
@Hawks W 13-10
SaberCats W 23-10
@SaberCats W 17-6
@Yeti L 30-16
@Wraiths L 16-13
Wraiths W 24-0
Sabercats W 35-7
The Otters barely snuff out the Outlaws who share the same rank, but the fact is, they're on a hot streak. The Otters don't have a lot of defensive records, and are in fact the worst when it comes to pass defense and tackles. Despite this, they have allowed the least amount of points in the league. Some credit for that could go to sharing a division with the SaberCats who have the worst scoring offense in the league, but they've still allowed 20 less points scored on them than the next team. Their worst loss was a 14 point defeat at the hands of the first place Yeti, who have proven themselves the #1 Team in the league, which might suggest the Otters still have some work to do if they want to best the Yeti. The Otters have won their last two games in a dominant fashion scoring 59 points and only allowing 7 combined. With arguably the best run game and the second best passing game, the Otters could very easily be on the rise in the coming weeks.
#3 - Arizona Outlaws
ASFC || 5W 3L || 3-1 Home Record / 2-2 Road Record || Conference Record 3-1 || Division Record 3-1 || One Game Losing Streak ||
Game Record:
@Otters: W 27-12
@SaberCats: L 24-10
@Hawks: W 21-13
Wraiths: W 14-13
@Wraiths: L 27-21
SaberCats: W 23-3
SaberCats: W 20-12
Hawks: L 34-31
The Arizona Outlaws only fall below the Otters on this list because it’s hard to pinpoint how good they truly are. They boast arguably the best secondary in the league as well as having a top tier passing game, and their rushing game isn’t that bad either. The Outlaws are in a similar boat to the Otters in that they share a division with the last place SaberCats, however, they lost in their first meeting. While they’ve grown a lot since then, the top teams should be able to beat those at the bottom, and a 14 point loss doesn’t help this idea. Despite this, this is one of the top teams in the NSFL, and should they keep up their great all around play, they could easily prove that they’re better than the Otters, and in time, maybe even the Yeti.
#4 - Yellowknife Wraiths
NSFC || 4W 4L || 4-1 Home Record / 0-3 Road Record || Conference Record 1-2 || Division Record 1-2 || One Game Winning Streak ||
Game Record:
SaberCats: W 27-14
@Yeti: L 13-10
Yeti L 20-16
@Outlaws L 14-13
Outlaws W 27-21
Otters: W 16-13
@Otters: L 24-0
Yeti: W 29-7
The Wraiths currently sit in the middle of the standings, and actually are on a slight rise. After starting out 1-3, the Wraiths have won three of their last four games. The Wraiths are ranked second-to-last in every offensive category, which means that to win games, they have to rely more on their defense to carry them. The defense the Wraiths have put together is pretty potent, and their rushers create a lot of disruption be it in their 413 tackles or their 35 total sacks. The secondary, while not being a contender for the best, is not something to laugh at with a total 24 passes defended, ranking third in the league. A big concern for the Wraiths is also their Away game record. They have yet to win an away game, and that is not something that will take you to the playoffs and beyond. It doesn’t help that these away losses are to the best teams in the league, as again, if you want to compete, you have to be able to take a game of the big dogs in their home. If the Wraiths can find a way to get their offense into motion, they could really be a threat to the teams ahead of them on this list.
#5 - Baltimore Hawks
NSFC || 3W 5L || 1-4 Home Record / 2 - 1 Road Record || Conference Record 1-3 || Division Record 1-3 || One Game Winning Streak ||
Game Record:
@Yeti: L 23-20
Otters: L 13-10
Outlaws: L 21-13
@Yeti: W 39-24
SaberCats: W 30-17
Yeti: L 27-21
Yeti: L 31-7
@Outlaws: W 34-31
The Hawks sit in fifth place, one game below the Wraiths. They lead the league in Tackles and Interceptions, but beyond that, there’s a lot that could be improved. The passing game is in the middle of the pack and the run game, while near the top in TD’s, is lacking in the yards department. Essentially, the offense makes sense for where they stand in the rankings, right on the tail of the Wraiths. Individually, the Hawks have a lot of talent, with their offensive stars, and even their defensive stars fighting for spots at the top of their positions, so it really begs the question of why they’re ranked where they are. Good news for Hawks fans though, like i’ve mentioned, is that they’re still in the fight for a playoff spot. If they can figure out their offensive struggles and address them, they could easily turn things around.
#6 - San Jose SaberCats
ASFC || 1W 7L || 1-1 Home Record / 0-6 Road Record || Conference Record 1-5 || Division Record 1-5 || Six Game Losing Streak ||
Game Record:
@Wraiths: L 27-14
Outlaws: W 24-10
@Otters: L 23-10
Otters: L 17-6
@Hawks: L 30-17
@Outlaws: L 23-3
@Outlaws: L 20-12
@Otters: L 35-7
Finally on the power rankings is the San Jose SaberCats. On both sides of the field, the SaberCats are struggling. Least amount of points scored, as well as second highest points allowed, something obviously isn’t working here. Now, to their credit, one could argue that the SaberCats have one of the hardest schedules in league, if not the hardest. Only two of their eight games were home games, and they are 1-1 at home. It’s well known that away games are harder, and hopefully we can see a resurgence in the Cats when they are on their home stretch where their home games are. The obvious advice as well is to work on the offense and the scoring, as well as find what the problem is on defense. There’s no real answers to the SaberCats woes, only time will tell if they can come back from this slump.
[This is my first real write up, wanted to give it a go. Hopefully you enjoy it, it's nothing too exciting. Any critiques are welcome, and sorry if you felt I missed something on your team]
Code:
Requested media $600,000 bonus/min 400 words"Week 8 Power Rankings" - theFlock - 06-25-2017
Great write-up! Love that you included Home/Away record and current streak. It was a nice bit of info, and it explained pretty clearly why the Otters were above the Outlaws.