Europe’s Top 20 – Week of September 10th, 2014
This is the Top 20 for September 11, 2014
Playoff football has proven why the elite teams rise to the occasion. Each league seems to have one team totally dominant. The Carlstad Crusaders bulldozed their way through the Swedish league, looking stronger as the season progressed and won the championship in a runaway. They could play even with any team in the Top 10.The same could be said for the Braunschweig New Yorker Lions as they seem almost invincible. But the playoffs are always the playoffs, a new season. Although they have beaten their toughest opponents in Germany easily it seems, one can never know. They led the German league in scoring and overall defense and finished second in scoring offense behind Schwabisch Hall by one point a game. 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 has picked up their game at the right time beating both Kiel and the Berlin Adler. They have popped up. The Schwabisch Hall Unicorns, like the Lions, swept away all opposition in the South. The Marburg Mercenaries have not looked good for the past month. They slid down again. Stuttgart fell too after another bad loss to the Unicorns.
In the United Kingdom, the London Warriors, who we have at Number 20, have qualified for the BritBowl in two weeks.
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 [email protected] or [email protected].
| Ranking | Logo | Club | Overall Record | Country | Since last week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Braunschweig New Yorker Lions | (13-2) | Germany | Look almost invincible in Germany |
| 2 |  | Raffeisen Vienna Vikings | (9-3) | Austria | Season is over after capturing Austrian title |
| 3 |  | Dresden Monarchs | (9-4) | Germany | Finished 2nd in German North after beating Dusseldorf 56-7 |
| 4 |  | Swarco Raiders | (8-3) | Austria | Lost but could have won in Austrian final against Vienna |
| 5 |  | Schwabisch Hall Unicorns | (12-2) | Germany | Dominated the Stuttgart Scorpions |
| 6 |  | Cologne Falcons | (6-6) | Germany | Beat two tough opponents to make playoffs, Kiel and Berlin Adler |
| 7 |  | Carlstad Crusaders | (13-1) | Sweden | Dominated Swedish league and won championship easily |
| 8 |  | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes | (10-5) | Germany | Faded and finished 4th in German North |
| 9 |  | Stuttgart Scorpions | (10-2) | Germany | Lost badly again to the Unicorns |
| 10 |  | Helsinki Roosters | (14-1) | Finland | Advanced to Finnish final beating Butchers 32-0 |
| 11 |  | Prague Black Panthers | (13-6) | Czech Rep. | Won Czech league championship |
| 12 |  | Vukovi Belgrade | (16-3) | Serbia | Won CEFL championship and had an amazing 16-3 season |
| 14 |  | Berlin Adler | (8-6) | Germany | Lost two of final three including playoff clincher to Cologne |
| 15 |  | Thonon-les-bains Black Panthers | (10-2-1) | France | Lost in the Champions League semi-finals to Vukovi 19-7 |
| 15 |  | Danube Dragons | (3-5) | Austria | Lost to Swarco in Austrian semis 34-0 to end their season. |
| 16 |  | Copenhagen Towers | (9-2) | Denmark | Undefeated in Denmark. |
| 17 |  | Basel Gladiators | (12-2) | Switzerland | Won Swiss championship |
| 18 |  | Marburg Mercenaries | (9-5) | Germany | Lost two in a row fading in German South |
| 19 |  | Milano Seamen | (11-1) | Italy | Won Italian championship handily |
| 20 |  | London Warriors | (11-0) | UK | Class of football in UK. Advanced to the final. |
