Isaac’s Week 2 Power Rankings
The Continental Football League officially kicked off this past weekend with some surprising results. The CoFL played two games for Week 1 involving teams from each division. In the North Division, the Cincinnati Dukes took a surprising 28-14 loss to the Indy Bisons. Down in the South was the highly anticipated I-35 rivalry between the San Antonio Toros and Texas Syndicate. The Toros would hold on to win 24-0 in Pflugerville. After evaluating each game so far, here is my Week 2 Power Rankings:
1. San Antonio Toros
The CoFL’s preseason favorites to win the Continental Cup proved to be legit with a 24-0 win over the Texas Syndicate. The Toros went up early and held on until the final whistle. The “Glanville Gang” on defense made every yard for the Syndicates offense seem like a mile. The Toros offensively were good but not great. They scored early but faded down the stretch with some turnovers. At the end of the day, the Toros proved to be the best team by shutting out the Championship contending Syndicate.
The “Stauffer Standout” for the win is the “Glanville Gang.” The Toros defense was the driving force behind the victory. The whole defense stepped up from the defensive line, to linebackers, to defensive backs. The Toros may have a bye week on Saturday but will host a meet up during the Syndicate-Black Gold game.
2. Texas Syndicate
The Texas Syndicate took a Week 1 loss to the Toros in a defensive battle. The Syndicate first drive on offense was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the game, when the Toros blocked the opening punt. Jeremy Hunt and the offense struggled to even gain a singular yard for the entire 60 minutes. The terrible punting led to the Toros getting good field position every drive. The bright spot for the Syndicate was their defense. The Syndicate secondary locked down the Toros receivers for most of the game, including not letting them score in the second half. The Syndicate defense proved they are one of the best teams this season, all they need is the offense to catch up.
The “Stauffer Standout” for the Texas Syndicate is DB Abraham Temoney III. Abraham was a game changer totaling five tackles, three PBU’s, and two picks. The Syndicate play in Midland this weekend in a huge matchup deciding who is second in the South Division behind the Toros.
The Texas Syndicate next played the Tall City Black Gold. This was a close, hard-fought battle. The Texas Syndicate edged out the Black Gold 23-20. Both teams showed competitiveness, but the Texas Syndicate showed they can win ugly on the road and respond to adversity. Now at 2-1, they look like a dangerous playoff contender with improving balance between offense and defense.
3. Ohio Valley Ironmen
The Ironmen are the only CoFL team to not play a snap of football yet, but with a returning roster from last season including MVP candidate Javonte Howard, I trust the Ironmen to continue their dominance in 2026. The Ironmen’s 2025 season was undefeated while outscoring their opponents 166-0. The Ironmen will have their final bye week this Saturday before being on the road to Cincinnati on June 13.
4. Tall City Black Gold
The Black Gold had a bye week due to the Braves cancelling their season. The Black Gold struggled in their preseason game 2 weeks ago to the Texas Herd by only being up 7-0 at halftime. Tall City’s defense kept them in the game until their offense started clicking. Tall City won a hard-fought game against the Texas Herd 26-0 a few weekends ago. I am looking forward to seeing if newly signed QB Chris Barrett can unlock the offense early by scoring some first half touchdowns. The Tall City Black Gold will stay at home to play the Texas Syndicate this Saturday.
The Tall City Black Gold then played the Texas Syndicate. They showed fight and had offensive flashes but suffered slightly for turnover issues and failure to protect the home field. Expect them to rebound strongly with better ball security.
5. Cincinnati Dukes
After a dominating preseason victory, the Dukes were shocked at home, losing 28-14 to the Indy Bisons. The Dukes were never able to recover from a 21-7 halftime deficit. The Indy Bisons D-Line pressured QB Grady Cramer the entire game leading to sacks, overthrows, and turnovers. The Dukes defensively held the Bisons to only seven points in the second half, but it was a little too late. The Indy Bisons may be one of the best semi-pro football teams, but this is an inexcusable loss for the Dukes.
The “Stauffer Standout” for the game is WR Tyrell Sanders. Sanders proved to be the Dukes number 1 wideout by hauling in the lone two touchdowns vs the Bisons. The Dukes play at Mason High School this Saturday vs the Kentuckiana Calvary.
Then the Cincinnati Dukes played the Kentuckiana Cavalry. The Dukes delivered a dominant performance, defeating the Cavalry 54-24. Cincinnati put on a clinic offensively and defensively, building on their strong Week 1 showing. This marked another convincing win for the Dukes in the early season.
Final Thoughts
The CoFL’s has had surprising games from the Dukes losing and the Toros dominating. Overall, this was a high-quality, competitive week that highlighted near-even power between two of the squads, with the Syndicate’s defensive opportunism tipping the scales in a thriller. Both teams remain very much alive in the Southern Division race. For highlights, check United Football Media on YouTube.
All CoFL games are free to watch on the United Football Media YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/@UnitedFootballMedia
To catch all the Toros action on the field, tickets are now available, including fan-ownership options. Fans can also support the team and watch the games on the Toros official YouTube page.
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