Football rankings: There is no method behind the madness

There has been a change at the top.

Chandler, the preseason No. 1, is back on top of the MyNewsMesa.com 6A Conference rankings after an impressive win over No. 3 Perry.

The move comes despite a win by Mountain Pointe, the previous No. 1. The Pride trailed Highland at halftime before scoring twice in the second half for a 14-13 win.

Mountain Pointe beat Chandler in September when the Wolves were missing their quarterback and a few other starters.

So the debate is do you rank teams based on how they are playing currently – meaning if they played today who would win – or do past results override such thoughts.

Some also say a win is a win so a No. 1 team can’t be displaced if it wins.

Honestly, no rules apply in these rankings. It’s a just a feeling; an opinion. It’s the way we’ve always approached it.

So for now, Chandler is No. 1 team in 6A and Mountain Pointe is No. 2.

No movement in the Mesa Seven as all four of the games went as expected.

The big game of the week is Desert Ridge, ranked No. 5 overall and No. 1 Mesa, at Mountain Pointe on Thursday.

6A Conference rankings

1. Chandler 6-2 (No. 2 last week)
2. Mountain Pointe 6-1 (2)
3. Perry 6-1 (3)
4. Hamilton 6-1 (4)
5. Desert Ridge 6-1 (5)
6. Pinnacle 5-3 (6)
7. Highland 5-2 (7)
8. Red Mountain 5-2 (9)
9. Desert Vista 5-2 (8)
10. Skyline 5-3 (10)
11. Horizon 6-1 (12)
12. Mountain View 3-4 (11)
13. Gilbert 3-4 (13)
14. Cesar Chavez 4-3 (14)
15. Desert Mountain 4-3 (15)

Mesa Seven

1. Desert Ridge 6-1, 2-0 (1 last week) – Jaguars might be catching Mountain Pointe (Thursday night) at the right time.
2. Red Mountain 5-2, 2-0 (2) – The Mountain Lions are surging; just how far will it take them?
3. Skyline 5-3, 3-0 (3) – The Coyotes have a bye week to prepare for next week’s EV Region title game against Red Mountain.
4. Mountain View 3-4, 0-2 (4) – Disappointing performance at home in a rivalry game.
5. Mesa 3-5, 1-1 (5) – Jackrabbits overwhelmed by Skyline; now prepping for Red Mountain.
6. Westwood 4-4, 1-2 (6) – The Warriors have matched the win total of the previous two years combined.
7. Dobson 3-4, 0-2 (7) – The Mustangs need something positive to happen.

– Jason P. Skoda is a senior writer for MyNewsMesa.com. Send Mesa-based story ideas to jskoda@mynewsmesa.com.