Posted on 5/1/2008 6:48:11 PM

AFL Arena Football Betting – Power Poll

By Mike Rose

(CURRENT) (TEAM) (W/L OVERALL & W/L FOR WEEK) (ATS RECORD) (LAST WEEKS RANK)

1) Philadelphia Soul (9-0/1-0) (6-3 ATS) (LW: 2) The Soul let it be known last Monday night that they are the team to beat this 2008 AFL season. What they did to Dallas might be considered illegal in some states. The defense dominated limiting the Desperados to a paltry 256 total yards and DB Eddie Moten had a monster game intercepting Dallas QB Clint Dolezel three times. QB Matt D’Orazio did another fantastic job filling in for the injured Tony Graziani throwing for 194 yards on 20-of-29 throwing and six TDs. The offense is still the #1 ranked unit in the league (65 PPG) with him at the helm, and it had no problems picking apart what was thought to be a stout Dallas attack. Graziani is said to be giving it a go this week, and he should have fun toying with Cleveland’s 15th ranked “D” that’s allowing opponents to tally close to 61 PPG. The Soul’s won 4 of its L/5 on the road SU, and they own some major advantages on both sides of the ball.

2) Chicago Rush (7-2/1-0) (4-4 ATS) (LW: 4) With it’s 65-52 road victory at Colorado last week, Chicago now has a comfy four-game lead over the Crush in the Central Division and look to have the #1 seed in the American Conference all but wrapped up. That’s simply remarkable considering its only Week 10, but it doesn’t say much about the conference they compete in. Last week’s cover snapped a three-game losing streak ATS for the Rush, and they’ll look to keep playing at a higher level at Tampa Bay for ESPN2’s Monday night telecast. They’ve been a stellar wagering proposition in this spot over the L/3 seasons, as they’re 6-1 SU and 7-1 ATS on Monday nights. They’re 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS on the road this season, but they best not overlook the (3-5) Tampa Bay Storm who pulled out a big win at Orlando last week.

3) Dallas Desperados (7-1/0-1) (5-3 ATS) (LW: 1) The Desperados offensive deficiencies this season burst to the forefront last Monday night against Philadelphia. They couldn’t do anything right! The game started off entirely on the wrong foot when QB Clint Dolezel’s first pass was intercepted by the Soul’s Mike Brown allowing Philly to get on the board first. The 29-point thrashing was the worst loss suffered by the Desperados since the Dolezel era began in Dallas. They now stand 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS on the year, and sit two games in back of the Soul in the Eastern Division of the National Conference. They’ll look to bounce back this week against another division rival, Columbus. The good news for them is that they’ve owned the Destroyers winning 7 of the L/8 SU and 5 of the L/7 ATS. Including last weeks humiliation, the Desperados are 7-1 SU their L/8 on the road and 16-4 ATS their L/20.

4) New Orleans Voodoo (7-2/1-0) (7-2 ATS) (LW: 5) After watching New Orleans suffer through a gut wrenching 2007 season, it’s a breath of fresh air to see Head Coach Mike Neu’s club at the top of the standings in the Southern Division. With Orlando losing last week, they’re now the top seed in the Southern Division after picking apart the winless Utah Blaze 70-56. The 14-point victory saw them barely cover the 13.5-point spread, and they now sit at 7-2 ATS on the year and a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS in “The Graveyard”. They boast the 4th ranked offensive attack in the league averaging just over 59 PPG, and the 5th ranked stop unit that’s only allowed its opponents to average 48 PPG. This weekend’s trip to Georgia is the start of an important three-game stretch within the Southern Division. The VooDoo’s dropped four straight to the Force, which includes a pair of beatdowns last season. Look for them to pack their “A” games with them in this crucial Southern division showdown.

5) Orlando Predators (6-3/0-1) (5-3-1 ATS) (LW: 3) Even though The Preds were at home last week, they entered a hornets nest taking on an ornery Tampa Bay club that had lost five games in a row. They failed to cover the six-point spread losing 48-41 in the I-4 battle, but the final score was a lot closer than what really transpired on the field. As noted last week, the Preds are of a different variety this year, but they’re still nasty to say the least. Only now, the offense is stacked (ranked 5th scoring 57 PPG), and the defense is middle of the road (ranked 9th allowing 56 PPG). They’ll welcome in the (5-4) San Jose Sabercats this week in a game that has them favored by 2.5-points. They’ll have to be on top of their game though since the Sabercats are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their five franchise meetings.

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