by Alana Klein

I’m still in the process of figuring out what I can contribute and when is the best time to share said information. That being said, I will probably share my power rankings earlier in the week starting next week. I will, however definitely, make it a separate post than my up-to-date standings/tiebreakers … as those are objective whilst power rankings come from a subjective point-of-view. Along with the rankings, I will briefly describe my rationale behind each selection.

1. Albany (7-0) ↔
   • Oceanside kept it close until the half, but — as has been their identity the past 2 seasons — Albany’s D kept it on lock after coming out after the break.
2. Nashville (5-1) ↑1
   • On a bye.
3. Minnesota (4-2) ↑1
   • Last week, I said that there was definitely a gap between 3 & 4 (then Nashville and Minnesota). After the show that Minnesota just put on, I feel even more confident in that after a slight adjustment to the order. I’m not sure if the Monsters entered the top tier, but there’s plenty of season left.
4. Kentucky (5-2) ↓2
   • That was a “burn the tape” game if I’ve ever seen one. I still believe Kentucky is a really good team, but they definitely need to focus on playing the way they’re capable of.
5. Washington (3-4) ↔
   • Not the prettiest victory and not against a good team, but sometimes you just need to get outta there with a dub.
6. Beaumont (2-4) ↔
   • Idle last week and going up to Albany this week.
7. Michigan (2-5) ↔
   • Idle.
8. Oceanside (1-5) ↔
   • Put up a heck of a fight in Albany and it was close at the half, but the Firebirds D always comes out of the break on a heater.
9. Oregon (1-5) ↔
   • It’s either really lucky or really unlucky that they have Kentucky coming up.

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Playoff projection:

This will not necessarily be in the same order as my power rankings. For instance, I believe that Washington will make up some ground on Minnesota but — as of right now — I don’t think that they’ll eventually overtake them. I feel the same about Beaumont in that they’ll have Michigan nippin’ at their heels.

1. Albany
2. Nashville
3. Kentucky
4. Minnesota
5. Washington
6. Beaumont