Memphis reclaims top spot in coaches poll
June 14, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - The Memphis Xplorers have reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the Weekly Coaches Poll, the arenafootball2 (af2) league office announced today. Memphis collected 255 of a possible 264 points and 16-of-23 first place votes in securing the top position. The Xplorers, who had a bye in Week 11, are 8-2 and tied for the best record in the league. Memphis also held the top spot for the first four weeks of the season.
The Florida Firecats (7-2, 235 points, 5 first place votes) moved up one spot this week from No. 3 to No. 2. The Firecats also enjoyed a bye week in Week 11. The Spokane Shock (8-2, 218 points, 2 first place votes), previously the top-ranked team for the past two weeks, slipped two spots to No. 3. The Shock lost for just the second time in 2006 this past Saturday on the road at Louisville, 79-69.
Rounding out the top five in this week's poll are the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (7-3, 181 points) and the Tulsa Talons (7-3, 175 points), both in-state rivals and Midwest Division foes. The two teams went head-to-head in Week 11 in Tulsa and the Talons prevailed in a classic, 59-58, complete with a last-second finish. The Week 12 schedule features two matchups of Top 12 teams. On Saturday night, No. 10 Louisville plays at No. 12 Albany and No. 6 Bakersfield plays at No. 4 Oklahoma City.
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 12 TOP 12
RANK TEAM PTS
1 Memphis 255 (16)
2 Florida 235 (5)
3 Spokane 218 (2)
4 Oklahoma City 181
5 Tulsa 175
6 Bakersfield 166
7 W-B/Scranton 164
8 Central Valley 98
9 Arkansas 92
10 Louisville 61
11 Green Bay 41
12 Albany 39
Other teams receiving significant votes this week include the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (29) and Manchester Wolves (14).
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