Firecats are ranked No. 1, but it's nothing to brag about

Kevin Bouis used to broadcast the weekly rankings, used to jot them on the whiteboard for everyone to see. Not anymore.

Too many times the Florida Firecats have been honored with a spot atop af2’s coaches poll, only to take the field a few days later and perform like nobodies.

It happened more than a month ago, right before Florida flew to Manchester for a showdown with former coach Ben Bennett. The No. 1 ranking was gone almost before the ink could settle, with the Wolves pocketing a 79-62 victory.

It could happen again tonight. The Firecats (8-2), who reclaimed the poll’s top spot this week, wear a bull’s-eye into Birmingham, where the South Division rival Steeldogs (6-5), winners of two straight, wait ready to knock Florida off its pedestal.

This explains the whiteboard strategy. Bouis, the Florida coach, hasn’t spent much time with his index finger in the air. He hasn’t even mentioned it to the players, who now know better than to look for rankings in the conference room.

That’s a thing of the past.

“It’s good to be there,” Bouis said of the No. 1 status, “but we’ve got to take care of business.”

Business can be tough, however, when the entire league is giving chase. Upsets in af2 have come like rainy Florida summers, predictably arriving in places where top-ranked teams take the field.

Ask Memphis. The Xplorers, who occupied the top spot for the first four weeks of the season, reclaimed the honor prior to playing Birmingham seven days ago. They lost, 43-42, on a last-second field goal.

Ask anybody, for that matter, who’s happened to headline the poll. Six times this year the No. 1 ranking has swapped hands, leaving coaches to scratch their heads each Monday when they cast their votes.

Recent weeks have been the worst. Spokane is the only team since early May to hold the top spot for more than one game, but even that was a close call. The Shock nudged by Central Valley, 61-59, before losing to Louisville a week later.

“It’s good to know the coaches see us as a strong contender,” said Florida receiver Brent Burnside, who has played four seasons with the Firecats, “but we try not to look at that stuff. I don’t know what our record is playing as the No. 1 team, but I know it’s not too good. We try not to think about it too much.”

Maybe not, but Birmingham has. Seven days after securing their first defeat of a No. 1 opponent since 2002, and the second such upset in franchise history, the Steeldogs know just where they stand.

Birmingham is in position to do something historic, one win away from making it two in a row against the league’s flavor of the week.

A paper championship.

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” said Birmingham coach Ron Selesky, who took over in the Magic City this spring, becoming just the second skipper in seven seasons. “You could make the argument that we snuck up on Memphis, but that won’t be the case this time. I’m sure Florida will come in with both guns aimed and ready.”

They’d better. The Steeldogs, who went 2-14 last season, have rallied behind their new coach, moving well within range of a playoff berth. The heart-stopping victory at Memphis, sealed by kicker Alex Walls, was the biggest since the 2002 postseason, putting Birmingham on the cusp of its first three-game winning streak in more than two years.

But the Firecats, who see themselves as an ArenaCup hopeful, have just as much to lose, to say nothing of the No. 1 ranking. They lead Memphis by one-half game in the South Division standings, with no room for a letdown. Four of Florida’s final six opponents boast a winning record, meaning the team must pick up wins wherever it can.

“We’re still looking for that perfect game,” Bouis said of the Firecats, who came close last week, closing out a three-game homestand with a 66-54 victory over Macon.

To be perfect, though, will take plenty of focus. Especially in a season such as this, where the loneliest place in the league, it seems, is right there at the top.

Who's No. 1?

The No. 1 ranking in af2’s weekly coaches poll has been a curse as much as a blessing, with the top spot switching hands six times so far this season. Here is a look at how each team has done after attaining No. 1 status.

-- Week 1: Memphis; beat Tenn. Valley

-- Week 2: Memphis; beat Florida

-- Week 3: Memphis; beat Tenn. Valley

-- Week 4: Memphis; lost to Florida

-- Week 5: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; beat Manchester

-- Week 6: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; beat Green Bay

-- Week 7: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; lost to Tulsa

-- Week 8: Florida; lost to Manchester

-- Week 9: Oklahoma City; lost to Bossier- Shreveport

-- Week 10: Spokane; beat Central Valley

-- Week 11: Spokane; lost to Louisville

-- Week 12: Memphis; lost to Birmingham

-- Week 13: Florida; vs. Birmingham