Week 12 Rankings (Last Week)

1) Portland 41.5 (1)
2) New Orleans 44.5 (3)
3) Houston 49.5 (T-4)
4) Michigan 54.5 (6)
5) Washington 57.5 (2)
6) Memphis 63 (T-4)
7) (NY) Stars 65.5 (7)
8) Denver 75.5 (8)
9) San Jose 80.5 (9)
10) Florida 89 (11)
11) Baltimore 90.5 (10)
12) Orlando 95.5 (12)
13) New Jersey 100.5 (16)
14) Chicago 111 (13)
15) Detroit 115.5 (14)
16) Oakland 119.5 (15)
17) Jacksonville 126.5 (17)
18) Los Angeles 129.5 (18)
19) Tampa Bay 131.5 (T-19)
20) Cleveland 137 (T-19)
TIE 21) Honolulu 138 (T-19)
TIE 21) Georgia 138 (22)
23) Pittsburgh 139.5 (25)
24) Southern California 147 (24)
25) Shreveport 147.5 (T-27)
26) Boston 148 (26)
27) Birmingham 159 (T-27)
28) Philadelphia 160.5 (30)
29) Charlotte 162 (23)
30) San Antonio 165 (29)
31) Oklahoma 198.5 (31)
32) Arizona 202 (32)

Week 12 Division Rankings (Last Week)

1) Midwest 418 (1)
2) West 438.5 (3)
3) Southeast 442.5 (4)
4) Atlantic 449.5 (2)
5) East 474.5 (8)
6) Southwest 476 (5)
7) South 489 (7)
8) Pacific 495 (6)

I had been planning on doing the rankings for weeks 13-15, but I got behind. I figured you guys care more about the blog than the rankings, so if I let anything slip, it was going to be the rankings. I can still do the missing weeks, but why bother now?

I did just finish the Week 16 rankings so let's see where we all ended the season.

Final 1991 Rankings (Last Rank Week 12)

1) Portland 40.5 (1)
2) New Orleans 43 (2)
3) Houston 51 (3)
4) Michigan 56 (4)
5) (NY) Stars 58.5 (7)
6) San Jose 59 (9)
7) Washington 68 (5)
8) Memphis 71 (6)
9) Denver 72.5 (8)
10) Baltimore 80.5 (11)
11) Florida 89 (10)
12) New Jersey 89.5 (13)
13) Oakland 113 (16)
14) Orlando 114 (12)
15) Chicago 115 (14)
16) Pittsburgh 122 (23)
17) Detroit 128.5 (15)
18) Tampa Bay 129 (19)
19) Jacksonville 132.5 (17)
20) Honolulu 138 (T-21)
21) Cleveland 140 (20)
22) Shreveport 140.5 (25)
23) Southern California 141 (24)
24) Los Angeles 145.5 (18)
25) Boston 146.5 (26)
TIE 26) Birmingham 158 (27)
TIE 26) Georgia 158 (T-21)
28) Philadelphia 159 (28)
29) Charlotte 168 (29)
30) San Antonio 171 (30)
31) Arizona 195 (32)
32) Oklahoma 196.5 (31)

Final Division Rankings (Last Ranking Week 12)

1) West 421 (2)
2) Atlantic 438.5 (4)
3) Midwest 439.5 (1)
4) East 453.5 (5)
5) Southeast 464.5
6) Pacific 483.5 (8)
7) Southwest 489.5 (7)
8) South 499.5 (7)

Playoff teams are the top 10 ranked teams and Pittsburgh was 16th, Tampa Bay 18th.

On the flipside, Florida (11th) and New Jersey (12th) are ranked as playoff teams but did not qualify. Florida was 10-6 and had a fine season but did not qualify because of tiebreakers. New Jersey should have a better record than 7-9 based on stat rankings but the Generals were 2-6 in one score games, and the other 3 losses were to playoff teams: lost by 9 against Baltimore, 12 against Memphis and 14 against New Orleans.

Say what you will about the close losses, but the bottom line is that a true playoff team would have found a way to win more than 2 of 8 close games.