Week 12 Power Rankings

It's Tuesday after another week of football and this means that all of the major sports sites reveal their "Power Rankings".

One of the top sources for this leaderboard of sorts is ESPN. Below is the link for their updated week #12 rankings:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2008&week=12&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab5pos1

This week Miami has climbed three spots to the number 12 position and the comment next to them is:
[They're barely winning, but they're winning. The Dolphins have won four in a row. Only the Titans and Giants have longer streaks.]

FoxSports also has their version and it's link is below as well:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/powerRankings

On their site, they have Miami pegged at only 15, having moved up only one spot after the close victory over Oakland this past week.

I'm not sure why I find myself fixated on this simple opinionated ranking system but I always like to see where my team stacks up from week to week and how much they jump or drop based on their past performance in conjunction with others.

Miami (after this four game win streak) has been moving on up the charts and is now in serious conversation about contention for the playoffs and better yet, the division.

Now, to the ranking itself. Number 12? Is that fair? Is it too high or two low? Should Miami be above or below certain teams that are currently listed where they are? All I know is that having been listed as number 15 on the Fox site is certainly an injustice to the team and to the validity of their system but once again, this comes down to the opions of a few select sports writers, so it's easy to see how they can play out sometimes.

Here's a quick breakdown of some of the teams ahead of and behind Miami.
11: The Cowboys
10: The Patriots
  9: The Redskins
  8: The Colts
  7: The Cardinals
  6: The Jets
and at number 05: The Bucs

Just behind Miami are:
13: The Ravens
14: The Falcons
15: The Broncos
16: The Packers

As for the Fox site, all of the teams listed above with exception of the Broncos, were put ahead of Miami. It's a tough system to figure out sometimes but I'm sure there is going to be much discussion as to as to how they are aligned right now.

So, check them out and read some of the remarks. I'm sure there will be some good discussions to follow. I'm sure I'll enjoy reading some of the insight as to where Phinsiders see the team at the moment in reference to these rankings and what list you might make up instead.

All I know is that after this weekend's enormous game, things should be shaken up a bit and if all goes well in Phin-land, the NFL will have no choice but to take notice and realize that this team is for real and is going to be team to be reckoned with come the end of this season and hopefully....the playoffs.