Firecats named new number one in week eight coaches poll
Published on May 17, 2006 under arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - The Florida Firecats have taken over the top ranking of the weekly Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 league office announced today. The Firecats collected 254 of a possible 264 points and 17-of-23 first place votes in securing the top position. Florida defeated the Birmingham Steeldogs this past Saturday at home, 62-44, to improve to 5-1. The Firecats, winners of five consecutive games, are just the third team of the 2006 season to obtain the No. 1 spot.
The Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (5-1, 210 points, 2 first place votes) moved up two spots this week from No. 4 to No. 2 on the strength of their recent road win against Midwest Division rival Arkansas, 56-44. The W-B/Scranton Pioneers (5-1, 207 points, 1 first place vote), previously the top-ranked team for the past three weeks, slipped two spots to No. 3. The Pioneers lost their first game of the season this past Saturday at home to the Tulsa Talons, 53-37.
Rounding out the top five in this week's poll are the Bakersfield Blitz (5-1, 205 points, 3 first place votes) and Spokane Shock (5-1, 164 points), both of the West Division. The Week 8 schedule features two matchups of Top 12 teams. On Saturday night, No. 11 Rio Grande Valley plays at No. 12 Amarillo and No. 5 Spokane plays at No. 9 Central Valley.
Each week during the season af2 coaches will vote for the Top 12 teams in the league by ranking them one through 12 on a ballot. Teams ranked first receive 12 points with the point value decreasing by one for each place below first, meaning a team ranked 12th would receive one point. Total points will determine the Top 12 list. In the event of a tie in total points, the team with the greater number of first-place votes will be ranked higher. The af2 Coaches Poll will be announced every Wednesday during the regular season. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team and the poll results have no bearing on postseason qualification.
The complete Top 12 is listed below. The number in parentheses indicates the number of first place votes the team received.
WEEK 8 TOP 12
RANK TEAM PTS
1 Florida 254 (17)
2 Oklahoma City 210 (2)
3 W-B/Scranton 207 (1)
4 Bakersfield 205 (3)
5 Spokane 164
6 Memphis 158
7 Tulsa 120
8 Albany 110
9 Central Valley 95
10 Arkansas 85
11 Rio Grande Valley 82
12 Amarillo 35
Other teams receiving significant votes this week include the Manchester
Wolves (28).
arenafootball2 Stories from May 17, 2006
- af2 alumni receive 2006 AFL honors - af2
- Former Firecat Javarus Dudley Receives AFL Honor - Florida Firecats
- Two former Xplorers receive AFL postseason honors - Memphis Xplorers
- Yard Dawgz receive award for second consecutive week - Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz
- Dusters Announce End of School Blowout Special - Amarillo Venom
- Fire Wire - Louisville Fire
- Firecats named new number one in week eight coaches poll - af2
- Birmingham Steeldogs game notes - Alabama Steeldogs
- Wolves OS Jamaal Perry Drafted By Calgary Of The CFL - Manchester Wolves
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