Italy: Week 8 Power Rankings offer a few surprises
The Italian Football League has reached its 8th week of action with the top teams beginning to emerge.
The Legnano Frogs five straight wins which include a victory over the reigning champion Parma Panthers have seemingly been enough for voters to keep them them ahead of the unbeaten Firenze Guelfi. The Ancona Dolphins and Parma along with the Torino Giaguari, all have four wins and still trail.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the Power Rankings, voted on by the IFL Commission,
1 Legnano Frogs – 5-0
Although the Frogs have been idle since March 22, their unbeaten record and 24-21 win over the defending champion Parma Panthers on March 1 keeps them atop the rankings as the second half of the season looms.
2 Firenze Guelfi – 7-0
Firenze has looked impressive with seven straight wins in which they have averaged 50.5 points a game. They steamroller opponents with the leading quarterback in the country, Andrea Fimiani.
3 Ancona Dolphins – 4-1
Ancona’s only loss came at the hands of the Frogs but they downed the Panthers allowing them to leapfrog the defending champions into 3rd place. They get a chance to atone for that only loss in the return matchup with Legnano this coming weekend.
4 Parma Panthers – 4-2
The Panthers were surprised by Legnano 24-21 and also by the Dolphins which bumped them down to 4th. With the final five games of the season remaining, they have a chance to climb back up the rankings.
5 Torino Giaguari – 4-1
Torino’s four wins have come against the winless Marines and Aquile as well as the 1-2 Skorpions who squeaked by the Aquile and the Albisola Pirates. Their lopsided loss to Firenze has kept them at 5th.
6 Ferrara Aquile – 2-4
Although the Aquile dropped their opening four games, they have now been on a roll winning two straight in lopsided fashion beating both the Pirates and Skorpions handily. The return of quarterback Aaron Allen has turned the team’s fortunes around and they have climbed a spot in the rankings.
7 Milano Rhinos – 3-3
The Rhinos three wins have been against the lowly Bologna Warriors (twice) and Bergamo Lions but that has earned them 7th.
8 Varese Skorpions – 2-4
After winning their opening game against Ferrara, the Skorpions have not looked good losing three in a row by lopsided scores as well as suffering an ugly loss to the Aquile. This has kept them at 8th in the rankings.
9 Lazio Marines – 1-4
The Marines 14-6 victory over the Aquile has moved them up from 11th to 9th despite an ugly 42-12 to the Skorpions 41-12 loss to Varese.
10 Albisola Pirares – 1-4
The newcomers to the IFL have now lost three in a row after winning their first ever game in the top league – 24-17 over the Lazio Marines. They have dropped a spot in the rankings but with two of their losses coming against Firenze who they don’t face again, they might have a chance now to climb.
11 Bologna Warriors – 1-5
Bologna’s sole victory against the winless Bergamo Lions has kept them out of the cellar. That win was their first since May 28, 2023.
12 Bergamo Lions – 0-6
Bergamo have four games left but their only chance of finishing with at least one victory will come when they face the Warriors on May 17. Otherwise they will remain the leading candidate for relegation.
