This is the Top 20 for August 21st, 2014.
This week I again relied on the help of football expert and coach, Vincent Lelard.These rankings are more and more difficult as many of the teams, as you are aware, have finished their seasons. However, displacing them is wrong so we have been bouncing teams around. Danube for example, moved up a couple of spots to number 13. They came third in arguably the toughest league in Europe and would give almost any team a fight.
Right now, the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions seem to have no opposition as they have hit a stride no one can match in Germany. They lead the German league in scoring and overall defense and are second in scoring offense behind Schwabisch Hall by the slimmest of margins. Unless someone derails this train, they will race all the way to the German Bowl. They remain at No. 1. Were Vienna playing, this would be a matchup to see. Cologne continues to fade and has dropped another couple of spots. The Schwabisch Hall Unicorns are also, like the Lions, sweeping away all opposition in the South. The Marburg Mercenaries dropped down again after being run over by the Unicorns. Stuttgart clings to the top 10 but each week they struggle to get by lesser teams. Nevertheless they keep finding ways to win.
Likewise in Sweden, the Carlstad Crusaders are in a class of their own and are getting ready for the playoffs in less than two weeks. Their game against rivals the Orebro Black Knights will be a treat to watch this week and will give us some indication on how the playoffs will go.
In the United Kingdom, the London Warriors, who we have at Number 20, are gearing up for the playoffs this weekend so we will be keeping a close watch there.
Hey write and tell us what you think. We are always listening. We welcome your opinions and suggestions. You may not like the changes and have a different idea. Or you don’t agree at all. But let us know. Send us an email. If coaches wish to contribute, by all means do so. In brackets, we have added each team’s overall record, including IFAF, EFAF and transcontinental play.
If you have more information, along with comments or criticism, we welcome it. Please email me at roger@eurosportsscouting.com or rkelly@americanfootballinternational.com.
| Ranking | Logo | Club | Overall Record | Country | Since last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Braunschweig New Yorker Lions | (10-2) | Germany | Continue marching towards German title trouncing Cologne again, this time 59-7. |
| 2 |  | Raffeisen Vienna Vikings | (9-3) | Austria | Season is over after capturing Austrian title |
| 3 |  | Dresden Monarchs | (6-4) | Germany | Beat Kiel 27-10 |
| 4 |  | Swarco Raiders | (8-3) | Austria | Lost but could have won in Austrian final against Vienna |
| 5 |  | Schwabisch Hall Unicorns | (11-2) | Germany | Whalloped Marburg 49-14 |
| 6 |  | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | (9-4) | Germany | Lost to Dresden 27-10 |
| 7 |  | Berlin Adler | (7-4) | Germany | Idle this week. |
| 8 |  | Prague Black Panthers | (13-6) | Czech Rep. | Won Czech league championship |
| 9 |  | Stuttgart Scorpions | (10-2) | Germany | Squeaked by Rhein-Neckar Bandits 47-41 |
| 10 |  | Vukovi Belgrade | (16-3) | Serbia | Won CEFL championship and had an amazing 16-3 season |
| 11 |  | Carlstad Crusaders | (10-1) | Sweden | Continue their march to a fifth straight Swedish title whalloping STU 80-6 |
| 12 |  | Helsinki Roosters | (11-1) | Finland | Beat TAFT 17-10 |
| 13 |  | Danube Dragons | (3-5) | Austria | Lost to Swarco in Austrian semis 34-0 to end their season. |
| 14 |  | Cologne Falcons | (6-5) | Germany | Thumped by the New Yorker Lions again, this time 59-7. |
| 15 |  | Thonon-les-bains Black Panthers | (10-2-1) | France | Lost in the Champions League semi-finals to Vukovi 19-7 |
| 16 |  | Marburg Mercenaries | (8-3) | Germany | Hammered by Schwabisch Hall 49-14 |
| 17 |  | Basel Gladiators | (12-2) | Switzerland | Won Swiss championship |
| 18 |  | Copenhagen Towers | (8-2) | Denmark | Undefeated in Denmark. |
| 19 |  | Milano Seamen | (11-1) | Italy | Won Italian championship handily |
| 20 |  | London Warriors | (8-0) | UK | Class of football in the UK. Playoffs coming up this weekend. |
