Jul 12th 15:30, by Tim Hanswillemenke
Power Ranking - Bravos back in Top 5, Galaxy fall
A power ranking has each team ranked according to their current strength. After Week 7, the European League of Football starts to take shape when it comes to playoff spots. There were a few teams with bye weeks that will come in fresh this weekend. Where is your team ranked before Week 8 of the 2024 season?
Let’s see where I rank each team going into Week 8 of the 2024 season and why!
Previous Ranking: 1
The Stuttgart Surge come off a bye week and travel to the Raiders Tirol this Sunday. For me, this is my game to watch. Will the Surge be able to win against their Austrian opponent?
Previous Ranking: 3
The Rhein Fire dominated this weekend. It was mainly because of their run game, but they still dominated the Centurions. Their passing game still looks funky at points in the game, but they can always lean on Glen Toonga, their British beast from up north. If you play Rhein Fire and do not find a way to stop their run game, you have no chance of making it a close game.
Previous Ranking: 2
The Vienna Vikings come off an important but close win against the Raiders Tiro. They are 6-0 in the “Battle of Austria” over the last three years, but this was a close one. They fall one spot, but have the go 8-0 after their matchup against the Mercenaries this weekend.
Previous Ranking: 4
After another dominating win, the Paris Musketeers get closer and closer to their first Top 3 appearance. They have everything it takes to be amongst the best in this league. But they still have to prove if they are capable of taking down the Surge, Vikings, or Rhein Fire. Will they beat the up and coming Thunder at home on Sunday?
Previous Ranking: 5
The Madrid Bravos were playing dominant football once again. Quarterback Steve Duncan plays like he never signed with the Bravos mid-season. I really like what I see from the Spanish franchise. Will they be able to take the next step towards the playoffs against the Dragons this weekend?
Previous Rank: 5
The Raiders stay at five despite their loss to the Vikings. The three interceptions by N’Kosi Perry were crucial. One even turned into a pick-six and a 14-point swing. This game was closer than it seemed and closer than a lot of “Battle of Austria” matchups before. Don’t sleep on the Raiders. But despite all the hype, they have a tough task to solve with the Surge coming to town this Sunday.
Previous Rank: 8
The Munich Ravens just had to play two quarters against the Barcelona Dragons to be up by 54 points. You can make the case that a few teams in this league would have been able to do that to the Dragons, but the Ravens are one of those teams. At .500 after Week 7, the Munich Ravens find themselves in an interesting position. A couple more wins and they find themselves in playoff territory. Although a couple of losses will put them out of playoff contention. Let’s see how they maneuver this thin line in the coming weeks.
Previous Rank: 9
The Berlin Thunder dominated the Enthroners this week. They jump up one spot and skip the Frankfurt Galaxy on their way back up the ranking. Although the Thunder were not able to win against a Top 5 team this season yet, they were finally able to shutout a weaker opponent and play dominant football in all four quarters.
Previous Rank: 6
The Frankfurt Galaxy have to fall after this game. It will be interesting to see how their new quarterback Matthew McKay will fare in the European League of Football. He will have his debut with the Galaxy against the Centurions this weekend.
Previous Rank: 10
The QB-carousel combined with the coaching changes does not make it easier for the Panthers at 3-4. Winning against the Prague Lions by just eleven points is not dominant enough to move up the board. Is Matthew Vitale the answer at quarterback or is this turbulent season already over for the Polish franchise?
Previous Rank: 11
The Centurions were manhandled by Rhein Fire in Week 7. There is no way to sugar-code that. They just stay at 11 because of the brutal loss the Sea Devils suffered against the Musketeers. Let’s see how the Hanseatic franchise will be treated by Rhein Fire in Week 8 and we’ll maybe see about a switch of the Centurions with the Sea Devils.
Previous Rank: 12
That was a tough game for the Sea Devils. If they keep losing like this, the Sea Devils stand no chance of entering the Top 10 of my power ranking this season. The Paris Musketeers bulldozed their way to a dominant win against the Hanseatic franchise. Will former Raiders quarterback D’Angelo Fulford be the answer at quarterback?
Previous Rank: 13
The Prague Lions put up a real fight against the Wroclaw Panthers. They just lost with an eleven-point difference which was not expected at all. I know the Panthers are going through some changes, but just looking at the two rosters as they are, the Panthers should have clearly won this matchup. For now, the Czech franchise stays at 13.
Previous Rank: 14
The Enthroners were dominated by the Berlin Thunder. But nothing else was expected in this game. The Hungarian franchise was overpowered on offense, defense and special teams. However, they will stay at 14 because of the opponent they lost against and the three teams that are ranked below them.
Previous Rank: 17
The Helvetic Mercenaries managed to win their first game of the 2024 season. The final score against the Milano Seamen stood at 10-16 which is reason enough to rank them higher than last week. However, it will be interesting to see how they will fare without their former head coach Val Gunn who was released by the team earlier this week.
Previous Rank: 14
The Milano Seamen lost against one of the weakest teams in the European League of Football last weekend. I know they made some changes and managed to win three games this season already. But going down against the Helvetic Mercenaries in Week 7 sets you up to fall in this weeks ranking.
Previous Rank: 16
The Barcelona Dragons gave up the game against the Munich Ravens at halftime last Saturday. There is no way around ranking them at the bottom of this week’s list.
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