The 2010 AFL playoffs are starting on Friday! Today, we are ranking the teams left standing from #1 to #8 in the quest for ArenaBowl XXIII!

Mike Rose is coming off a fabulous month betting Arena Football going 13-6-1 ATS 68% in July. That makes him 40-24-1 ATS 63%  with a ROI of $5090 on the year. Join him as he looks to close the 2010 AFL Betting season out in style with a fantastic run through the Playoffs!
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Spokane Shock (13-3, #1 in National Conference) – The Shock started the season at 2-2 and rolled off 11 straight victories, one of the longest winning streaks in AFL history. Losing the last game of the regular season in Jacksonville was incredibly inconsequential, as the road to the ArenaBowl is going to run through Spokane regardless.

Tampa Bay Storm (11-5, #3 in American Conference) – Few teams in the second half of the season played as well as the Storm did. QB Brett Dietz set a franchise record by throwing for 106 TD passes this season. Tampa Bay finished second in the conference in total defense, and only because it gave up 75 points in a meaningless final game of the regular season.

Jacksonville Sharks (12-4, #1 in American Conference) – Give Jacksonville credit for surviving essentially two games without QB Aaron Garcia. This team played hardnosed ‘D’ all season long and ended up with the best numbers in the game at just 50.4 PPG allowed. The Sharks also went an AFL best 7-1 at home this year, and with the rest of the American Conference coming to play in their home, Jacksonville could be well on its way to the ArenaBowl.

Milwaukee Iron (10-6, #2 in National Conference) – The Iron scored the most points in AFL history this year at 1,043, and a lot of that was thanks to an offensive line that gave up just one sack all season long. Just like Jacksonville, Milwaukee went 7-1 at home this year, but it won’t be able to play in the Bradley Center due to scheduling conflicts. This week’s game against Chicago will be “at home,” but it might not feel that way.

Arizona Rattlers (10-6, #4 in National Conference) – The consummate dark horse to win the ArenaBowl, Arizona is a trendy selection having played Spokane tough twice this year. The Rats have probable Rookie of the Year WR Rod Windsor, who rewrote the record books for receivers on the season. This is a tall task to face the Shock and come away with a win, but ‘Zona is capable.

Tulsa Talons (10-6, #2 in American Conference) – We aren’t high on Tulsa’s chances of winning the ArenaBowl, but what is certainly on its side is the fact that it already knows it can beat Tampa Bay having done it earlier in the year. Still, playing six games in a division which only won a combined 12 games amongst the other three teams isn’t a ringing endorsement.

Chicago Rush (10-6, #3 in National Conference) – If HC Mike Hohensee is winning another ArenaBowl, it’s going to have to come without QB Russ Michna under center. The Rush is in big trouble right now with QB JJ Raterink calling the shots, as they lost their final two games of the season with him under center.

Orlando Predators (8-8, #4 in American Conference) – The Preds are going to have to face Jacksonville this weekend without OL Julius Wilson and WR Bobby Sippio after their role in a fight in the stands last week in Tampa Bay. This team already had enough problems, as QB Nick Hill is probably the worst signal caller in the conference’s playoffs. It should be a short stay in the second season for the black and red.

The AFL betting season enters its eleventh week of play this week with a full slate of games. Check out how we’re ranking the clubs through the first ten weeks of the season!

1: Jacksonville Sharks (7-2 SU, 5-4 ATS) (LW: 3) – There were four 6-2 teams coming into Week 10. Only one lived to make it to 7-2, and that was Jacksonville. The Sharks were probably the least likely club to pull off the feat as well, as the upset in Chicago was a huge one. QB Aaron Garcia became the all-time leader in the AFL in passing touchdowns in the victory in the Windy City.
Up Next: Bye

2: Spokane Shock (6-2 SU, 4-4 ATS) (LW: 2) – The Shock remain in the stalking position in the AFL Power Poll after their bye week. The suddenly surging Predators are on deck, which could set up a big time battle in the Sunshine State.
Up Next: Away @ Orlando

3: Arizona Rattlers (5-3 SU, 5-3 ATS) (LW: 6) – Arizona is now on a three game winning streak that could easily push to five games over these next two weeks. The Rats took a narrow OT win against the Iron last week, but will get a chance to settle down over these next two weeks with cupcakes. They’d better be ready for the end of June and beginning of July though, as in three consecutive weeks, they travel to Jacksonville, Spokane, and Chicago.
Up Next: Home vs. Oklahoma City

4: Milwaukee Iron (6-3 SU, 5-4 ATS) (LW: 1) – Milwaukee tried its best to steal a win in the desert on Saturday night, but when the dust settled, it was Arizona that stayed hot. The Iron is still getting great offensive play, but the defense is still letting the team down too frequently, particularly on the road. Through the end of the month, this team could easily drop to 6-6 or be 9-3.
Up Next: Home vs. Cleveland

5: Chicago Rush (6-3 SU, 4-4-1 ATS) (LW: 4) – The Rush are in dire need of wide receivers, HC Mike Hohensee was quoted on the NFL Network Game of the Week last week as saying that he just doesn’t have enough bodies to play in a game. WR Samie Parker becoming an Oakland Raider didn’t help matters any either.
Up Next: Away @ Utah

6: Tampa Bay Storm (5-3 SU, 2-6 ATS) (LW: 5) – The Storm might have won last week at home against Oklahoma City, but it certainly wasn’t a thing of beauty. Tampa Bay needed a late rally to topple a team that has been awful for a good chunk of the year, especially on the road, and HC Tim Marcum can’t be thrilled with the way that his team looked in victory #203 of his career.
Up Next: Away @ Alabama

And the rest…
7: Orlando Predators (4-4 SU, 4-4 ATS) (LW: 10)
8: Alabama Vipers (5-4 SU, 5-4 ATS) (LW: 8 )
9: Tulsa Talons (5-4 SU, 6-3 ATS) (LW: 7)
10: Cleveland Gladiators (4-5 SU, 6-3 ATS) (LW: 11)
11: Iowa Barnstormers (3-5 SU, 3-5 ATS) (LW: 9)
12: Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (3-6 SU, 5-4 ATS) (LW: 12)
13: Bossier City Battle Wings (3-6 SU, 6-3 ATS) (LW: 13)
14: Dallas Vigilantes (1-7 SU, 1-7 ATS) (LW: 14)
15: Utah Blaze (1-7 SU, 2-6 ATS) (LW: 15)

Chicago Rush vs. Cleveland Gladiators
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NFL Network continues its coverage of the 2010 Arena Football League betting season on Friday night with a showdown between the Cleveland Gladiators (0-1, 0-1 ATS) and the Chicago Rush (1-0, 1-0 ATS) from Allstate Arena.

The boys from the Windy City got the job done at Iowa last week, forcing the Barnstormers into six turnovers and capitalizing for the biggest win of the weekend, a 61-43 decision. QB Russ Michna had an adequate game, but HC Mike Hohensee will tell you that he expects better out of his veteran leader. He went 18/28 passing for 261 yards and six scores, but he also threw an interception and fumbled the ball three times, losing all three.

The story was the defense for Chicago, which stood tall, forcing those six turnovers and stopping the Barnstormers on downs once as well. The Rush also only allowed 21 of their 46 passes faced to be complete. DB DeJuan Alfonso had an interception returned for a touchdown, while DBs Nygel Rogers and Josh Ferguson hauled in two picks apiece.

The Gladiators looked as though they were ready to roll to a huge win at halftime against the Arizona Rattlers last week, as they took a 35-14 lead into the locker room. However, it wasn’t meant to be. The second half started with WR Trandon Harvey returning a kickoff for a touchdown, which started a 21-0 run for Arizona to make the lead disappear in a span of about 12 minutes. Kick coverage was a problem once again in the fourth quarter, when DB Terrance Sanders literally went untouched into the end zone after fielding the ball off of the slack net. Special teams and QB John Dutton both had major problems for the hosts. Dutton may have thrown for 287 yards and seven touchdowns, but his four picks were just too much to overcome. WR Ben Nelson looked great in his first game as a Gladiator, picking up 154 yards and four TDs through the air. DL Anthony Hoke recorded an interception and picked up a sack in his first ever AFL game.

As of the time of this publication, the Rush have dropped from 10.5 point favorites on the opening AFL lines down to eight point choices. Courtesy of Mike Rose at Handicapperspicks.com