No. 1 Pioneers to test the curse in Week 12
June 16, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release
CHICAGO - For the eighth consecutive week there is a new No. 1 team in the af2 Coaches' Poll, as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers earned the top ranking for Week 12, the league office announced today. The Pioneers are in the No. 1 spot for the third time this season, having been ranked No. 1 in Week 6 and 9.
The Pioneers received 269 points with 17 first-place votes to move up from second to first this week. The Birmingham Steeldogs climbed from third to second this week, earning 263 points and five first-place votes. The Florida Firecats catapulted into the third spot after being in sixth last week. The Firecats totaled 205 points with three first-place votes.
In addition to the teams mentioned above, three other teams moved up in this week's poll. The Wichita Stealth moved from 10th to fifth after their big win over Oklahoma City. The Tennessee Valley Vipers bumped up one spot from seventh to sixth and the Hawaiian Islanders improved from 12th to 11th this week.
There are three games between ranked teams on the Week 12 schedule. No. 2 Birmingham renews its rivalry with No. 6 Tennessee Valley on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The No. 3 Firecats take on the No. 10 Cape Fear Wildcats on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET and the No. 5 Stealth host the No. 9 Tulsa Talons on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Each week during the season af2 coaches 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 receives one point. Total points determine the Top 12 list. In the event of a tie in total points, the team with the greater number of first-place votes is ranked higher. The af2 Coaches' Poll is 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.
WEEK 12 TOP 12
1. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (8-2): 269 pts (17); Last week: 2nd
2. Birmingham (8-2): 263 pts (5); Last week: 3rd
3. Florida (7-3): 205 pts (3); Last week: 6th
4. Louisville (7-3): 194 pts; Last week: 1st
5. Wichita (7-3): 164 pts; Last week: 10th
6. Tennessee Valley (7-3): 161 pts; Last week: 7th
7. Oklahoma City (7-3): 135 pts; Last week: 4th
8. Quad City (6-4): 134 pts; Last week: 5th
9. Tulsa (7-3): 127 pts; Last week: 9th
10. Cape Fear (6-3): 123 pts; Last week: 8th
11. Hawaii (6-4): 67 pts; Last week: 12th
12. Bakersfield (6-4): 46 pts; Last week: 11th
Other teams receiving a significant amount of votes this week include Memphis (33 points).
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