Halfway point: Ranking the DII-AA teams

[WesVLT]

Can you believe we're already halfway done with the regular season? The season seems to go by faster every year.

 

Since we now have a decent sample size with which to judge DII's finest, how would you rank them? I'll take a gander.

 

1) Ensworth - The two-time defending state champs have dominated DII competition, hammering McCallie and Baylor.

 

2) Brentwood Academy - The Eagles played very well against a good MBA squad, shutting down an offense that's been pretty effective this year. They have the talent to compete for a title this year.

 

3) MUS - The Owls fared well against Ensworth, coming close in a season-opening loss. QB Jordan Rodgers is an impressive playmaker.

 

4) Christian Brothers - The Purple Wave have all sorts of momentum. Their lowest offensive output of the year is 41 points. The most telling game so far? Their 42-24 victory over a strong White Station team.

 

5) MBA - The Big Red did a great job rebounding from the BA loss. The comeback win over Baylor and the blowout of BGA seem to have raised their confidence level.

 

6) Briarcrest - The Saints are marching so far this year. We'll know a lot more about them in the second half, since they play White Station, Christian Brothers and MUS in consecutive weeks. They went 1-5 down the stretch last year after a 3-2 start.

 

7) Baylor - The Red Raiders have to be disappointed with their recent play in losses to MBA and Ensworth. They'll get a chance to rebound against McCallie this week.

 

8) BGA - The Wildcats started the heart of their schedule with a 41-0 loss to MBA Friday. Last year they started 5-0, then went 2-4 to close the season. This year's 4-1 start has been nice, but now we'll see what this group is made of -- Ensworth and BA are two of the Cats' next three games.

 

9) St. Benedict - Jordan Wilkins and company have lost two straight games after a 2-0 start. Last year they started 4-0 against the same teams, but only won two of their final six games.

 

10) McCallie - Ralph Potter's return has seen a couple nice wins after two tough losses to start the year. The Blue Tornado was impressive against Tyner and Father Ryan after dropping games to McMinn County and Ensworth.

 

11) Father Ryan - This Ryan team lost to Hillwood for the first time since 1991 and lost by double digits to Baylor and McCallie. MBA, BGA, BA and Ensworth are among the final five games. That won't be easy.

 

12) Pope John Paul - Jerry Joslin has a tough rebuilding job on his hands in Hendersonville. The Knights' 62-0 loss to BA was the worst setback in the program's 10-year history.

Edited September 17, 2012 by WesVLT

[Custer]

Agreed.

[RedRobin]

I am with you on Nos. 1-5 and 11-12, but my 6-10 looks like this:

 

6. Baylor

7. McCallie

8. Briarcrest

9. BGA

10.St. Benedict

[shakinthefat]

Agree with WesVLT on rankings. With the TSSAA mindset that it's politically correct to allow ALL DII AA teams into playoff, only the top two teams matter on final standings.

[owlbooster]

I am with you on Nos. 1-5 and 11-12, but my 6-10 looks like this:

 

6. Baylor

7. McCallie

8. Briarcrest

9. BGA

10.St. Benedict

Ditto. I anticipate a BA at MUS semifinal game. Owls haven't done too well in the last two.

[deadaim]

Can you believe we're already halfway done with the regular season? The season seems to go by faster every year.

 

Since we now have a decent sample size with which to judge DII's finest, how would you rank them? I'll take a gander.

 

1) Ensworth - The two-time defending state champs have dominated DII competition, hammering McCallie and Baylor.

 

2) Brentwood Academy - The Eagles played very well against a good MBA squad, shutting down an offense that's been pretty effective this year. They have the talent to compete for a title this year.

 

3) MUS - The Owls fared well against Ensworth, coming close in a season-opening loss. QB Jordan Rodgers is an impressive playmaker.

 

4) Christian Brothers - The Purple Wave have all sorts of momentum. Their lowest offensive output of the year is 41 points. The most telling game so far? Their 42-24 victory over a strong White Station team.

 

5) MBA - The Big Red did a great job rebounding from the BA loss. The comeback win over Baylor and the blowout of BGA seem to have raised their confidence level.

 

6) Briarcrest - The Saints are marching so far this year. We'll know a lot more about them in the second half, since they play White Station, Christian Brothers and MUS in consecutive weeks. They went 1-5 down the stretch last year after a 3-2 start.

 

7) Baylor - The Red Raiders have to be disappointed with their recent play in losses to MBA and Ensworth. They'll get a chance to rebound against McCallie this week.

 

8) BGA - The Wildcats started the heart of their schedule with a 41-0 loss to MBA Friday. Last year they started 5-0, then went 2-4 to close the season. This year's 4-1 start has been nice, but now we'll see what this group is made of -- Ensworth and BA are two of the Cats' next three games.

 

9) St. Benedict - Jordan Wilkins and company have lost two straight games after a 2-0 start. Last year they started 4-0 against the same teams, but only won two of their final six games.

 

10) McCallie - Ralph Potter's return has seen a couple nice wins after two tough losses to start the year. The Blue Tornado was impressive against Tyner and Father Ryan after dropping games to McMinn County and Ensworth.

 

11) Father Ryan - This Ryan team lost to Hillwood for the first time since 1991 and lost by double digits to Baylor and McCallie. MBA, BGA, BA and Ensworth are among the final five games. That won't be easy.

 

12) Pope John Paul - Jerry Joslin has a tough rebuilding job on his hands in Hendersonville. The Knights' 62-0 loss to BA was the worst setback in the program's 10-year history.

Agree