Week 14 Ranks: A New Number 1

A new number 1? Aren't the Patriots 13-0? They are, but the Colts have recovered enough to leapfrog them using my ranking method. I'll admit, I think I put too much on strength of schedule and that's something that I'll tweak for next year (unless everyone absolutely hates these ranks, then I'll just stop all together). There is some method to this madness though. The Patriots in recent weeks have played some tougher games against relatively week opponents, while the Colts are getting healthy and have been getting increasingly impressive wins. Also, keep in mind that any good power ranking should factor in recent success more than the whole season (they tell you who is the best right now). The Colts nearly beat the Pats a few weeks ago, and if they were to have a rematch, I think it would be another close game. Looking at the rest of the top 5, Dallas also fell a spot after a narrow win (should have lost if the whole fundamental of falling on the ball was actually taught in the NFL) while Green Bay and Jacksonville still fill the 4th and 5th spots, with Seattle and Minnesota (who would have thought this early in the season?) coming on strong. The bottom 5 teams remained the same, with Atlanta dropping 2 more spots all the way to 31. They join the Dolphins as the 2 bottom ranked teams that had shady college coaches bail on them in favor of SEC schools. I'm definitely looking forward to the first Saban-Petrino post game midfield meeting next year....

Saban: Hey man, nice job screwing over the Falcons
Petrino: I learned from the master. I thought it was awesome how they replaced you with a former Indiana coach and then went 0-16. The Falcons are 0-7 so far under Gerry DiNardo, so I'm hoping to follow in your footsteps.
Saban: Well I wish you the best of luck in that and in the GalleryFurniture.com bowl
Petrino: Thanks, I know you'll get even with Louisiana-Monroe this year, and if you don't, you can always leave and coach there.

This week's biggest gainers were the Redskins and Saints, who got back into the NFC playoff race after wins over fading/abandoned teams. The biggest losers were the Cardinals, who missed a key opportunity to get into playoff position (no surprise there), the Eagles, who are basically done, and the Rams, who are coming back to Earth after winning 3 of 4 much faster when tied to the dead weight that is known as Brock Berlin. On to the ranks...

1. Colts - 84.78 - +2
2. Patriots - 83.49 - -1
3. Cowboys - 79.64 - -1
4. Packers - 74.13 - Even
5. Jaguars - 70.78 - Even
6. Seahawks - 68.92 - +2
7. Vikings - 67.03 - +2
8. Giants - 64.16 - +3
9. Steelers - 62.07 - -3
10. Buccaneers - 61.32 - -3
11. Chargers - 60.27 - -1
12. Browns - 56.02 - +2
13. Texans - 51.54 - +3
14. Titans - 48.67 - +1
15. Bills - 46.56 - +4
16. Redskins - 46.46 - +8
17. Saints - 46.21 - +9
18. Bengals - 46.18 - Even
19. Eagles - 46.09 - -6
20. Cardinals - 44.99 - -8
21. Broncos - 42.49 - -1
22. Bears - 40.64 - -5
23. Raiders - 37.98 - -1
24. Lions - 36.62 - +1
25. Panthers - 36.64 - -2
26. Jets - 34.24 - +1
27. Rams - 33.48 - -6
28. Ravens - 28.49 - Even
29. Chiefs - 27.69 - +1
30. 49ers - 27.33 - +1
31. Falcons - 23.09 - -2
32. Dolphins - 15.82 - Even