Kentucky Holds Off Minnesota as the Top Four Continue Their Seven-Week Run
The top of the AF1 continues to show remarkable stability.
For the last seven weeks, the same four teams have occupied the league’s top tier: Albany, Nashville, Kentucky, and Minnesota. While positions have shifted slightly during that span, no team has broken into the group and none have fallen out.
Week 9 brought another test of that structure as Kentucky and Minnesota finished in a statistical tie for the No. 3 spot. In the end, the Barrels retained their position through the rankings’ point differential tiebreaker, keeping the top four intact for another week.
AF1 Fan Zone Week 9 Power Ranking
Albany Continues to Set the Standard
The Albany Firebirds once again earned unanimous No. 1 honors after a dominant 45-12 victory over Beaumont.
The Firebirds controlled the game from start to finish, further reinforcing their position as the league’s clear frontrunner. Week after week, Albany continues to answer every challenge, and the voters once again responded with a unanimous selection at the top of the ballot.
Kentucky and Minnesota Can’t Be Separated
The closest race on the board came between Kentucky and Minnesota.
Kentucky’s 40-17 victory over Oregon appeared to solidify the Barrels’ hold on No. 3, but Minnesota’s hard-fought 40-37 win over Oceanside kept the Monsters right alongside them in the eyes of the voting panel.
When the ballots were counted, Kentucky and Minnesota finished in a statistical tie. The panel was split evenly between the two teams, with Kentucky ultimately holding onto the higher position through the point differential tiebreaker.
For the second straight week, Minnesota has made a serious push toward the No. 3 spot, suggesting the gap between the two teams may be smaller than the rankings indicate.
Nashville Passes Another Test
The Nashville Kats remained firmly at No. 2 after a 68-51 victory over Michigan.
While the final score shows a comfortable margin, the Arsenal challenged the Kats throughout much of the contest and once again demonstrated why they remain one of the more difficult teams in the league to evaluate.
For Nashville, however, the result was another reminder that the gap between the league’s top tier and the rest of the field remains significant.
Michigan Climbs While Beaumont Slides
The only movement in this week’s rankings came between Michigan and Beaumont.
Michigan climbed one spot to No. 6 after a competitive performance against Nashville, while Beaumont dropped to No. 7 following its lopsided loss to Albany.
The switch reflects more than just wins and losses. Michigan continues to earn respect by remaining competitive against some of the league’s strongest opponents, while Beaumont struggled to gain traction against the AF1’s top-ranked team.
Oceanside Continues to Close the Gap
While Oceanside remained at No. 8, the Bombers may be inching closer to the teams ahead of them.
A three-point loss to Minnesota showed Oceanside can compete with one of the league’s established top-four teams. Although the result didn’t produce movement in the rankings, it did reinforce the growing sense that the gap between Oceanside and Beaumont is shrinking.
If that trend continues, the race for No. 7 could become one of the most interesting storylines in the coming weeks.
Voting Notes
Three positions were unanimous this week, with Albany remaining the clear No. 1 team in the league, Nashville locking down No. 2, and Oregon once again earning every No. 9 vote.
The closest battle on the board came at No. 3, where Kentucky and Minnesota finished in a statistical tie. The voting panel was split evenly between the two teams, with Kentucky ultimately retaining the higher position via the point differential tiebreaker.
The voting for Washington and Michigan was remarkably similar. Both teams received a combination of 5th and 7th place votes, with Michigan adding a single No. 6 vote. More than anything, the ballots reflected how tightly packed the middle tier has become, with voters struggling to create meaningful separation between the two clubs.
Bottom Line
The AF1’s top tier is firmly established.
The last seven weeks have featured the same four teams at the top of the rankings: Albany, Kentucky, Nashville, and Minnesota. This week, Kentucky and Minnesota couldn’t even be separated by the voting panel, requiring a tiebreaker to determine the No. 3 spot.
Meanwhile, the battle behind them remains fluid. Michigan and Washington continue to trade punches, Beaumont is trying to hold off Oceanside, and every week seems to produce another shift in the middle of the standings.
At the top, the names never change.
Below them, everything is still up for grabs.
Official AF1 Fan Zone weekly power rankings data