Power Rankings | BUCS 2018/19 Week Three: Division One
The BUCS season is upon us, and so our Power Rankings return along with your opportunity to have your say on how things stack up across the three tiers of the University game!
We’re collating this year’s rankings via the highly successful format used this past summer - polling not only our own team of BUCS correspondents but also giving all of our passionate Patreon supporters the opportunity to determine how these rankings stack up!
Each contributor submitted their own picks of who’s top dogs in each tier, and then we tallied it all up to create these amalgamated rankings!
If you want your say on who’s top dog in each tier? You can join our Patreon for just $1 a month and directly contribute to the growth of the game, and DC’s survival!
Head to https://www.patreon.com/dblcoverage to learn more.
Cut:
Exeter Demons - The Demons slipped out of the 10th this week, following a bye. Still, they get a shot at reclaiming a rankings spot when they travel to the up-and-coming Southampton Stags this Sunday.
Honourable Mentions:
The Coventry Jets picked up their first W in the middle tier with a 25-14 victory over the Leicester Longhorns, but remain outside the top ten by the narrowest of margins. We’ll get another great chance to see if they’re rankings-worthy when they host Loughborough this weekend.
10. Cardiff Cobras (Down Three)
The Cobras continue their tumble down the rankings, their narrow loss to the Stags leaving them at 1-1 on the year.
Their old-school SWAC showdown against the Bath Killer Bees has been brought forwards to this weekend - a win surely a great way for the serpents to reclimb the rankings?
9. UEA Pirates (Down Three)
The Pirates sail down the rankings as other outfits come into ascendancy.
They take on the high-flying Kent Falcons this weekend in what is traditionally the marquee matchup of the 1A South East. Having missed out on victory by the narrowest of margins on all three occasions the teams met in 2017/18, the Pirates will be gunning for an upset in their first meeting this season.
8. Edinburgh Napier Knights (Down Three)
The Knights were unhorsed at the weekend when a late charge from the Mustangs finally breached Napier’s defences. The Knights loss means they’ve taken the top of the conference, and reminded us once more that the 1A North looks to be just as contentious as it was last season!
7. NTU Renegades (Down Three)
Another outfit whose star has been dimmed by the rise of others, the Renegades slide to seventh. They take on the Wolves this weekend, having already shut down the Warwick outfit once this season - a 0-18 victory in Week One.
6. Brunel Burners (Up Two)
At 3-0 on the season so far, the Burners rise into the number sixth spot - despite the modest margin of their victory in Week Three.
Having bullied Brighton in Week Two, it seems like the Panthers were more than a match for the London side in this second meeting - a fourth-quarter score the only difference-maker.
The Burners head to a bye before travelling to the Cougars in Week Five - the key contests of the conference last season.
5. Northumbria Mustangs (New Entry)
The Mustangs rise from obscurity into the top half of the rankings! A big win over Glasgow was followed up by a narrow one over the Knights, and suddenly Northumbria sit alone atop the 1A North!
They’ll look to continue building momentum when they take on the Tigers once again in Week Four.
4. UCLan Rams (Down One)
The Rams remain undefeated, though they certainly took a scare in Week Three when the Fury held the lead for the vast majority of the matchup. However, an impressive comeback keeps them on top of the 1A Yorkshire/Lancashire, with three of their five pre-Christmas matchups complete.
They head to a well-earned bye, before taking on the Sabres in Week Five.
3. Southampton Stags (Up Six)
The biggest climbers this week are the Southampton Stags, who impressed in their hard-fought victory over the Cobras. The win moves them to 2-0, ahead of hosting the Demons this Sunday. A third victory would surely go a long way to locking up Division One football for at least another year!
2. Kent Falcons (Down One)
Having just barely hung onto the top spot last week, they were pipped to the post in Week Three.
They’ll face their toughest test of the season so far when they host the Pirates this weekend - would a win be enough to earn the top spot back?
1. Loughborough Students (Up One)
Loughborough return to the top of the rankings once more as they prepare to host the upstart Jets this weekend. Can they keep their perfect record intact?
