SaberCats No. 1 in First Power Rankings of 2015
Published on May 26, 2015 under Arena Football League (AFL) News Release
CHICAGO - The undefeated San Jose SaberCats (9-0) earned the top spot in the first AFL Power Rankings of 2015, the League office announced on Tuesday.
The SaberCats were certainly challenged by the reigning American Conference champion Cleveland Gladiators (5-4) in Week 9, heading into the locker room down by 10 points at halftime. However, the Pacific Division frontrunners rallied in the final two quarters, scoring 28 points while holding Cleveland to just six in the second half for a 70-58 win. The SaberCats head up to the Pacific Northwest in Week 10 for a 6:00 p.m. ET matchup with the Portland Thunder (3-5) Saturday night on ESPN3.
The Philadelphia Soul (8-1) bounced back from their first loss of 2015 to hand the Tampa Bay Storm (4-5) their worst defeat in the 28-year history of the franchise in a 71-27 blowout last week. Joe Goosby starred as an Ironman in the game, scoring three offensive touchdowns filling in at fullback for the Soul, in addition to making his presence felt on defense and special teams, forcing two fumbles, securing a six-yard pick-six, and blocking a PAT try and returning it for a score. The No. 2-ranked Soul will host the Las Vegas Outlaws (3-5) in the inaugural DraftKings Boardwalk Bowl this Saturday night on CBS Sports Network. Kickoff from Atlantic City, NJ is set for 6:00 p.m. ET Saturday night.
A bye in Week 9 did not hurt the three-time defending ArenaBowl champion Arizona Rattlers (6-2), who came in at No. 3 of this week's AFL Power Rankings. With reigning AFL MVP Nick Davila still on injured reserve, rookie quarterback B.J. Coleman has progressed admirably, seeing an increase in touchdown passes and a decrease in interceptions in each of his three starts this year. Arizona will get back on the field this weekend when the Rattlers travel to Spokane for a matchup with the 3-5 Shock. Kickoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET Saturday night on ESPN2.
It was a tale of two halves for the Cleveland Gladiators, who came in at No. 4 of this week's AFL Power Rankings. The Gladiators appeared to be on their way to handing the San Jose SaberCats their first loss of the season in Week 9, besting San Jose, 52-42, in the first half. However, Cleveland could not muster any offense in the final two quarters of play, managing just six points - with those six coming on their final offensive play of the game. The Gladiators will look to get back on track this weekend as they host the No. 5-ranked team in this week's Power Rankings, the Orlando Predators (5-4).
The Predators head to Cleveland following two consecutive home victories on national television, the most recent being a 69-43 win over the Portland Thunder (3-5) last week. Orlando will need that momentum to carry over this weekend in order to avenge an overtime loss to the Gladiators earlier this season. Kickoff for the rematch at "The Q" is set for 7:00 p.m. ET Friday night on ESPN3.
The AFL Power Rankings are calculated on ArenaFootball.com using a scoring system based on winning percentage, strength of schedule, scoring percentage, and win-streak. This week's complete AFL Power Rankings are listed below.
May 26 AFL Power Rankings
Rank Team W-L Power Last Week
1. San Jose SaberCats 9-0 0.718 --
2. Philadelphia Soul 8-1 0.711 --
3. Arizona Rattlers 6-2 0.707 --
4. Cleveland Gladiators 5-4 0.705 --
5. Orlando Predators 5-4 0.703 --
6. Jacksonville Sharks 4-5 0.702 --
7. Tampa Bay Storm 3-5 0.701 --
8. Las Vegas Outlaws 3-5 0.698 --
9. Portland Thunder 3-5 0.696 --
10. Spokane Shock 3-5 0.696 --
11. New Orleans VooDoo 2-7 0.691 --
12. LA KISS 0-8 0.686 --
Arena Football League Stories from May 26, 2015
- Thunder look to defeat the undefeated, face 9-0 SaberCats - Portland Thunder
- Week 10 Game Preview - Arizona Rattlers
- Shock Kickoff Pre-Game Tailgate Party this Saturday - Spokane Shock
- Thunder QB Darron Thomas Ruled out for Season - Portland Thunder
- Goosby Receives Two AFL Awards in Week 9 - Philadelphia Soul
- Shock Week 10 Game Preview - Spokane Shock
- Meyer and Goosby Earn Weekly Honors - AFL
- SaberCats No. 1 in First Power Rankings of 2015 - AFL
- Storm hosts the New Orleans VooDoo on â??Country Nightâ? Saturday - Tampa Bay Storm
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