Updated QPRs and Teams of the Week

Since I didn't have a chance to update QPRs after Saturday's games, I'm combining those with my weekly teams and games of the week. So here is where things stand after six weeks, and my thoughts on how we got there:

Teams of the week

• Division I: After an up-and-down first five weeks, Essex can claim a signature win after knocking off Middlebury 17-0 on Friday night. Jordan Hines' 85-yard interception return for a touchdown got the Hornets started, and Essex completely neutralized the Tigers' ground game in a victory that leaves both teams 4-2. EHS finishes with trips to Brattleboro and South Burlington, and if the Hornets take both, they will likely take a top-four seed into the playoffs.
• Division II: For two and a half quarters, Fair Haven's trip to Mt. Mansfield was a battle. Then the Slaters ran off 34 unanswered points to coast to a 48-12 victory that all but locked up the division's playoff teams. FHU (5-1) joins Burr and Burton, Bellows Falls and Burlington as teams at 4-1 or 5-0 in league play, and with every other D2 team having at least four league losses, it would take a big surprise down the stretch to prevent those from being the four teams playing in Week 10.
• Division III: The defending champions from Otter Valley have taken their lumps in losses to Woodstock and Windsor this fall, but they responded with a big win of their own when they topped U-32 26-15 in a rematch of last year's final. The Otters (4-2) have climbed into fourth in the standings with the win, though there are more tests -- against Mt. Abraham and Mill River -- between OVU and home-field advantage in the quarterfinals.

Game of the week

• Rice 7, St. Johnsbury 0: I'm sure there have been bigger upsets in Vermont high school football than this one, but I can't think of any from the last decade. The Green Knights (2-4) kept giving the ball to Jack Fitzgerald and the result was a ball-controlling 200-yard performance that included the game's only score. Add in a strong defensive showing that included two interceptions, and all of a sudden Rice is up to seventh in the standings. The bad news? The teams behind Rice have winless opponents left on their schedules so the Green Knights will need to pull another upset against Middlebury this week to be sure of a playoff berth.

Week 7 Game to Watch

• Hartford at St. Johnsbury (1 pm Saturday): The Hilltoppers have an immediate chance to bounce back as Hartford visits in a battle of 5-1 teams that is likely to decide the top seed in Division I. The Hurricanes have overpowered their Vermont opponents -- their only loss is to Massachusetts' Catholic Memorial -- with a relentless, multi-pronged attack. St. Johnsbury had been averaging more than 41 points per game before it ran into Rice. Collin Urie, who was 9-for-27 with two interceptions in the loss, will need to return to form for SJA to keep pace with the Hartford attack.

THE QPRS

Division I

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including losses for Rutland and Hartford), are ignored)

1. Hartford (5-1* overall, 5-0 D1), 66 points, 13.2 QPR
2. St. Johnsbury (5-1 overall, 5-1 D1), 78 points, 13 QPR
3. CVU (5-1 overall, 5-1 D1), 72 points, 12 QPR
4. Essex (4-2 overall, 4-2 D1), 56 points, 9.33 QPR
5. Middlebury (4-2 overall, 4-2 D1), 48 points, 8 QPR
6. Rutland (3-3* overall, 3-2 D1), 34 points, 6.8 QPR
7. Rice (2-4 overall, 2-3 D1), 30 points, 5 QPR
8. Brattleboro (2-4 overall, 2-4 D1), 28 points, 4.67 QPR
9T. Colchester (2-4 overall, 2-4 D1), 24 points, 4 QPR
9T. BFA-St. Albans (2-4 overall, 2-3 D1), 24 points, 4 QPR
11T. South Burlington (0-6 overall, 0-6 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR
11T. Mt. Anthony (0-6 overall, 0-6 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division II

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)

1. Burr and Burton (6-0 overall, 6-0 D2), 68 points, 11.33 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (6-0 overall, 5-0 D2), 45 points, 9 QPR
3T. Burlington (5-1 overall, 4-1 D2), 36 points, 7.2 QPR
3T. Fair Haven (5-1 overall, 4-1 D2), 36 points, 7.2 QPR
5. Mt. Abraham (2-4 overall, 2-4 D2), 16 points, 2.67 QPR
6. Mt. Mansfield (2-4 overall, 1-4 D2), 9 points, 1.8 QPR
7T. Milton (2-4 overall, 1-4 D2), 7 points, 1.4 QPR
7T. North Country (2-4 overall, 1-4 D2), 7 points, 1.4 QPR
9. Lyndon (0-6 overall, 0-6 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division III

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams are ignored)

1. Windsor (6-0 overall, 6-0 D3), 58 points, 9.67 QPR
2. Woodstock (6-0 overall, 6-0 D3), 56 points, 9.33 QPR
3. Mill River (4-2 overall, 4-2 D3), 32 points, 5.33 QPR
4. Otter Valley (4-2 overall, 4-2 D3), 28 points, 4.67 QPR
5. BFA-Fairfax (3-2 overall, 3-1 D3), 19 points, 3.8 QPR
6. U-32 (3-3 overall, 3-3 D3), 21 points, 3.5 QPR
7. Oxbow (2-4 overall, 2-3 D3), 12 points, 2 QPR
8T. Spaulding (1-5 overall, 1-5 D3), 5 points, 0.83 QPR
8T. Springfield (1-5 overall, 1-4 D3), 5 points, 0.83 QPR
10T. Missisquoi (0-5 overall, 0-5 D3), 0 points, 0 QPR
10T. Poultney/MSJ (0-6 overall, 0-5 D3), 0 points, 0 QPR

How do these numbers work? Teams receive 10 points for a win over a D1 opponent, 7 points for a win over a D2 opponent and 5 points for a D3 opponent. Teams also receive 2 points for every game won by the teams they have beaten. QPR is total points divided by games played.