Austin Begins 2016 on Top of First Poll

This has been a week of unsurprising revelations.

Jon Snow came back to life, Ted Cruz proved to be the most awkward man in America, and the Austin Crows were voted as the #1 team in the country in the first USAFL Top 20 Poll.

Our panelists had little hesitation about this decision, as the Crows swept all nine first place votes to attain a perfect score of 180 points.  The same occurred in the first poll last year, when the New York Magpies accrued the same score months after lifting their second John Harrell Cup in their own right.

But as the Magpies found out in somewhat painful fashion, there is quite a long way to between now and the sunny fields of Florida’s Suncoast in October.  For now, however, it is the blackbirds of Texas who have the target on their back.

*Fort Lauderdale Won Head-to-Head voting over Portland, 5-4.
Others receiving votes: San Diego Lions 9, North Carolina Tigers 8, Tampa Bay ARFC 5, Baltimore-Washington Eagles 4, Des Moines Roosters 2, Seattle Grizzlies 1, Tulsa Buffaloes 1.

The Crows began their season by handily beating the Houston Lonestars as part of the Ruggles Cup festivities in Houston.  They continue to look dangerous under new coach Kenrick Tyrell, and it will take a lot for them to be stopped.

The top eight teams in the poll reflect the group that squared off for the Divvy 1 title some months ago on the scorched (and sometimes frosty) earth of Onion Creek Soccer Complex.  The top six squads, in fact, resemble the final standings of the division at last year’s Nationals, which appears to have been a guide for our panel in making their decisions.

The Orange County Bombers, last year’s runner up, got eight out of nine second place votes, as they work through their SCAFL season before leaving their hangars in search of revenge, and a national championship.  New York, Denver, and Golden Gate assumed their roles in the fringes, and even though only the Roos and Bulldogs will play each other this season, all three will be jockeying for position.

Calgary, who is still a largely unknown quantity outside of what they produce at Nationals every year (and boy do they produce) fell into sixth.  Los Angeles and Dallas, two teams that earned a massive amount of respect last season by playing hard footy and taking down some of the names above them on this list.  With the possibility of Division 2 Champion Quebec moving up, the Dragons and Magpies may be playing this year to remain in Division 1.  But that’s purely up to the committee once we get into October.

Just as in the top eight, teams 9-through-16 represented an entire division at last year’s Nats.  With the exception of Houston placing ahead of Sacramento, those eight sides comprised the final standings from Division 2.

On paper the Quebec Saints’ shutout victory over Sacramento last season in the D-2 Grand Final was the biggest shock of the Nationals carnival last season.  They hung out around #16 in most of the polls in 2015.  But in reality, AFL Quebec is one of Canada’s fastest growing establishments, and their local competition is breeding a side that many will fear to go against, but they’ll be hard pressed by the rest to remain in the top 10.

After Les Saints, there is a cluster of three strong D-2 sides behind them for spots 10-through-12, separated by just three points.  Though the Lonestars and Jackaroos had victories over relatively easy competition (Baton Rouge and Cleveland, respectively) to start the season, both wins were hard fought.  All three sides, including the Suns, will be going for the top seeds in Division 2 come Nationals, and Sacramento will be playing with a particular snarl after making it to the Grand Final and losing last season.

13-through-15 is also packed in tightly, with the 13th ranked Chicago Swans, 14th ranked Boston Demons, and 15th ranked Minnesota Freeze divided by all of five points.  All three teams played inconsistently last season, especially the Freeze, who find themselves in a rebuilding phase.  It’s possible, however, that all three sides will move up by the time summertime hits.

Fort Lauderdale begins the year in their highest ever position, #16, after winning the head-to-head voting tiebreaker over the D-3 champion Portland Steelheads.  The Squids’ split a home-and-home series with instate rival Tampa Bay, which shows the possibility of both teams.  Of the two teams, however, the Steelheads probably have the bigger upside.  Martin Coventry’s club has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years, and their Grand Final victory last season marked their arrival.

Ohio Valley, Philadelphia, and Nashville round out the top ten.  The River Rats’ #18 rank is their highest after being largely ignored by the panelists last season.  Their effort in their loss to Portland in the D-3 final didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the potential of the team.  Nashville “wins” for biggest drop in the rankings after going into Division 3 last year with a skeleton team.  They won their opener in Atlanta waaaaay back on March 5th.  The Kangaroos are better than #20, and they for sure will be moving up in subsequent polls.

Among teams who got votes but not enough to crack the poll; San Diego clocked nine points on the basis of their D-4 title last season combined with a strong SCAFL showing this week; North Carolina went to Atlanta and pulled a General Sherman on the Kookaburras, while Tampa Bay ARFC picked up their first ever league win at home over the Fighting Squids.

NEXT POLL: 5/25/16

Most clubs are focusing on their local competitions in the first months of the season, with more interclub matches to come in June once the regional tournaments get underway.

The biggest non-regionals competition has become the Texas Cup series, and that will kick off this week with Dallas hosting Austin and Houston in the first leg.  All three teams begin the year in the top ten, and it should be a great day of footy in big D.

And that’s it.   Until next poll, keep on kickin’, fans.