Power Rankings | BUCS 2018/19 Week Two: 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:
Hull Sharks - Shut out for the third time in a row by the Napier Knights, the Sharks are still looking like contenders in the North, but just can’t seem to find an answer to the Edinburgh-side’s outstanding defence! We’ll see them again in Week Four where they get another chance at piercing the Knights’ shield.
Sheffield Hallam Warriors - A week off sees Hallam drop off people’s radars - we’ll see them again in Week Four versus the Tyrants and a big win should see them right back in the rankings.
Honourable Mentions:
The Coventry Jets might be 0-1 but they started their time in the middle tier with a bang - hopping out to a big early lead over the more established NTU Renegades, coming up barely short of taking the game to Overtime with a closing-seconds score they couldn’t quite convert to tie things up.
Meanwhile, a big win for the Northumbria Mustangs over the Tigers has them knocking on the door of the top ten.
10. Exeter Demons (New Entry)
The Demons upset the stakes with a shutout win over the heavily favoured Bath Killer Bees - an outstanding performance from their defence not only keeping the Bees at bay, but also putting up the lone TD of the game with a pick six.
Our BUCS office will think twice about picking against the Demons when they take on the Stags in Week Four.
9. Southampton Stags (New Entry)
Speaking of the Stags! Our other new entry to the Power Rankings utterly blasted in the Plymouth Blitz in their Division One Debut, blasting the Devon outfit with a 65-point offensive master class.
The win sets up a tasty-looking game this weekend versus the Cobras, with each side coming into the game with great momentum after big wins over the Blitz to open their campaigns.
8. Brunel Burners (Up Two)
The Burners made short work of the Panthers at the weekend, posting up 40 points while allowing the Panthers offence to put up just a single field goal.
As such, we’ll be expecting more of the same on Sunday when the two teams go toe-to-toe for a second weekend in a row.
Looking like the team to beat in the 1A South, but they’ll probably need to take some bigger scalps to climb into the top half of the rankings.
7. Cardiff Cobras (Down Four)
A week off sees the Cobras take a tumble down the rankings - their big win over the Blitz looks perhaps a little less impressive now the Stags have stomped sixty-plus points on them too?
We’ll see these two impressive offences square off this Sunday in our Game of the Week fixture!
6. UEA Pirates (Up Two)
The Pirates made short work of the Immortals, though notably didn’t put up quite as many points as their rivals, the Falcons.
We’ll get the best judge of which of these two contenders is the team to watch in the 1A South East when they meet for the first time in Week Four.
5. Edinburgh Napier Knights (Up Three)
The Knights bounce back up into the top five following their shut out win over the Sharks.
We’d still like to be seeing a bit more from their offence, but big picture they found a way to win a game that seemed utterly deadlocked for the first three quarters and they currently sit alone atop the 1A North with a 1-0 start to the season.
4. NTU Renegades (Down Two)
The Renegades remain undefeated, but boy did they make it hard work for themselves as they trailed heavily through much of the first half.
Still, once they got to grips with the Jets misdirection-heavy offence, they fought their way back into the game - a goal line stand on the 2PAT attempt sealing the deal on the W in a fixture that emphasises just how competitive this conference looks like it’s going to be this year.
They head to a bye, before taking on the Wolves for a second time this season in Week Four.
3. UCLan Rams (Up Four)
A big win for UCLan over the Tyrants has the Rams rocketing up the rankings.
Still, they’ll need results to go their way to hold on to these lofty heights, as they now head to two bye weeks before taking on the Sabres in Week Five.
Scratch that - they’ve brought their fixture hosting the LJMU Fury forwards to this Saturday - the Rams took the game by only a single score when the two teams met in Week One - we’d most likely be looking for improvement to maintain a top three ranking following the weekend!
2. Loughborough Students
Loughborough re-climb the ranks after a much more convincing outing in Week Two, putting up 34-points on a Warwick side that can’t catch a break with their early-season schedule.
The Students have a bye in Week Three, before we get what could be a really interesting showdown in Week Four against a feisty-looking Coventry Jets side.
1. Kent Falcons ( = )
Kent cling onto the top spot - but just barely!
They trailed for much of their early part of their local-rivalry game against the Chargers, before finding their wings in the second half and eventually taking the game 12-21.
Still, a bit of a scare for a side that looked utterly dominant in their opener - perhaps just the test they needed ahead of what is likely to be their most crucial matchup of the season so far - a Week Four Fixture versus the UEA Pirates.
