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SBNhanced Power Rankings: English Premier League, Week 1

If you're surprised SB Nation has Power Rankings, you haven't been paying attention to the trends. These lists are ubiquitous to the point of obligation. With a President that supports West Ham, I expect WhiteHouse.gov to have their own. It's part of the deal when you register domain names.

Still, there's no part of that deal that says you have to make the same style list as everybody else. As I look at the eight point font at the bottom of these forms, this agreement only requires we use the Premier League clubs and order them. Done, done, and moving on to something better.

Below, you have the Premier League ranked 1-to-20, but from each member of the SB Nation Soccer community, we asked for more. Which teams are title contenders? Which ones are viable Champions League candidates? How about for any European spot? And who should still be worried about relegation?

So here's your list, ordered by the "Overall" column - our actual power rating. That's just the points a club got in polling (20-to-1 points given) divided by the maximum possible (and multiplied by 100, then rounded you nit-picker). The other columns are the percentage of voters who put the club in the given category:

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
1 Chelsea
SB Nation Blog: We Ain't Got No History 99% 100% 100% 100% 0%

All but one voter had Chelsea as the top-ranked team, preventing them from what we'll call "hundreds across." Who knows - this may be the closest a club gets to a perfect vote.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
2 Manchester United
SB Nation Blog: The Busby Babe 95% 100% 100% 100% 0%

The Red Devils did nothing but reinforce the idea they'll be title contenders. Their performance coupled with results at Anfield and Stamford Bridge have convinced some the Premier League's a two-club race.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
3 Tottenham Hotspur
81% 12% 75% 100% 0%

Tottenham failed to get three points from Joe Hart and Manchester City but still got some title support from the electorate. But as I type, Spurs trail in Bern. Perhaps those voters would like to reconsider.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
4 Arsenal
SB Nation Blog: The Short Fuse 78% 75% 100% 100% 0%

One point without Cesc Fábregas at Anfield? Historically, that would be a good result. This year, if seems to have put a dent in Arsenal's profile. The Gunners sit fourth, with some unconvinced they'll challenge for league.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
5 Manchester City
SB Nation Blog: Bitter and Blue 78% 37% 75% 87% 0%

The Citizens were horrible, but we can be certain they won't perform like that every week. When horrible is a managerial choice, it puts a lackluster performance in a different (ironically, positive) context.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
6 Liverpool
78% 12% 100% 100% 0%

Liverpool got a point while playing half the match down a man against one of the most talented teams in the league. They didn't convince while 11-on-11, but the point is something to build upon.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
7 Aston Villa
SB Nation Blog: 7500 to Holte 73% 0% 37% 87% 0%

The nicest surprise of the weekend, Aston Villa showed Martin O'Neill's departure can be weathered. Only the bluest in Birmingham would want to see a club's season crumble before it started. Thankfully, Kevin MacDonald has kept the team on course.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
8 Everton
SB Nation Blog: Royal Blue Mersey 58% 0% 37% 87% 0%

The consensus amongst our electorate: The Toffees' weekend loss as aberrational.  I'm not so sure.  They lost to a team, yet we've gone and given them a higher ranking.  However, considering the nature of Nikola Kalinic's goal, home pitch advantage, small sample size, quality of the team ... OK - I've talked myself into it.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
9 Fulham
SB Nation Blog: Cottagers Confidential 51% 0% 0% 62% 0%

For the third spot in a row, we have a contender for Europe (as we see in column for of People's Exhibit #9) that failed to impress in their season opener.  Thankfully for Mark Hughes, he had David Stockdale in goal, the nominal back-up helping the Cottagers take a point at the Reebok.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
10 Blackburn Rovers
51% 0% 0% 0% 12%

Blackburn's ranked two spots below Everton, who they beat on Saturday, implicitly answering the question "if they played tomorrow, who would you take?"  Not all of us vote by that standard, but that sentiment seems to have won out with Blackburn versus Everton.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
11 Sunderland
46% 0% 0% 12% 0%

 

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
12 Birmingham City
45% 0% 0% 25% 12%

Sunderland and Birmingham City are right next to each other after their 2-2 draw, a possible reflection of the uncertain nature of the match. None of the four goals were scored under "typical" circumstances. We'll have to wait to judge these teams until after they've played more 11-on-11 soccer - matches where the penalty area's size is being correctly judged.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
13 Blackpool
37% 0% 0% 0% 87%

A 4-0 demolishing of Wigan has the Tangerines second in league, and while almost all our voters think the Seasiders are still set for a relegation battle, they impressed enough to move into the middle of our table.  Considering they would have been ranked 20th last week, their SBN trend's better than their EPL's.  After all, they were tied for first in league one week ago.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
14 Bolton Wanderers
32% 0% 0% 0% 50%

Glass half-full: Sometimes you just run into a good goalkeeper. Glass half-empty: Bolton's going to which they got those points when (as half the voters predict) they're fighting relegation.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
15 Wolverhampton Wanderers
31% 0% 0% 0% 62%

Two goals for last season's weakest attack, but how many times can Mick McCarthy rely on David Jones scoring that kind of goal?  I hope the answer is "more than once."

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
16 Stoke City
31% 0% 0% 0% 50%

Tony Pulis can't feel too bad about the Potters' performance.  After the game, he said the team was rocked by Kenwyne Jones's injury (removed in the 14th minute), and Jones's goal certainly added to the "what the what" feeling.  Stoke recovered, finished the match strong, and ultimately looked like the team that safely survived last season.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
17 Newcastle United
23% 0% 0% 0% 75%

It was a rough start for Newcastle, but as Chris Hughton noted post-match, they keep the game reasonably under control, leaving Old Stafford with no reason to dwell on Monday's loss.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
18 West Ham United
23% 0% 0% 0% 87%

An inept performance for West Ham United has to give the Avram Grant advocates second thoughts.  Not only was West Ham decidedly second best, Grant make a number of questionable decisions with his lineup.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
19 Wigan Athletic
12% 0% 0% 0% 87%

The Guardian's Barry Glenndenning called Wigan "diabolical."  I think evil would have beaten Blackpool.

Rank Club Overall Title Champs Europe Relegation
20 West Bromwich Albion
10% 0% 0% 0% 100%

Many a team have met Chelsea's sword and ultimately survived.  The likes of Sunderland and Wigan suffered similar drubbings last season and managed to survive.  There's no reason for Brom or their supporters to drawn hasty conclusions.