Dallas Jackson
Rivals High Senior Analyst

Dallas Jackson is the high school sports expert for RivalsHigh.com. Send him a question or comment at DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him at twitter.com/rivalshigh.

Following the losses by previously ranked No. 2 Cincinnati (Ohio) Elder, No. 3 Valdosta (Georgia) Lowndes, No. 4 Duncan (South Carolina) Byrnes and No. 6 Miami (Florida) Northwestern the battle for the No. 2 ranked team in the country immediately heated up.

This week plenty of teams have a right to stake their claim to the spot (Instant Analysis) but only one will ultimately land there.

The teams given final consideration for the RivalsHigh 100 No. 2 spot were previously ranked No. 4 Byrnes, No. 8 Ramsey (New Jersey) Don Bosco, No. 12 Miami (Florida) Central, and No. 15 Loganville (Georgia) Grayson.

All four have highlights and questions about their squad and as the season progresses this will continue to be a weekly battle and the final standings may not include any of those four teams.

Find out which school got the nod this week when the latest RivalsHigh Top 100 rankings are released on Monday.

Tornadoes sweep away Bulls

Like a scene out of Twister fans in Dade County, Florida saw the previous No. 71 Miami (Florida) Booker T. Washington Tornadoes, in a whirlwind, break a ten-year winless drought against rivals, and former Top 10 team, Miami Northwestern, 35-28.

The win put to rest the argument that Washington did not belong in the nation's elite and cemented their place back in the Top 50. We'll let you know just how high it jumped tomorrow.

The Tornadoes were ranked as high as No. 24 nationally and No. 4 in Florida just three weeks ago. However, they were dropped to No. 13 in the state and out of the national picture in the September 19th rankings. They then were moved back to No. 10 in state and No. 71 nationally last week following losses by other Floridian teams.

This week they will make their return to the Top 50 and No. 1 in 3A, where they look poised to make a run at a state title.

Lutcher (La.) makes a leap

One for the hottest teams in the nation is the Lutcher (Louisiana) Bulldogs. Last week Lutcher made one of the largest jumps toward the Top 50 in the country settling in at No. 57 following a win over Boutte (Louisiana) Hahnville.

This week, after dispatching of Destrehan (Louisiana) High, the Bulldogs have been slotted as the No. 2 team in the state pushing passed West Monroe (Louisiana) High.

Lead by quarterback Gavin Webster the Bulldogs have played the toughest schedule in the state and have come out unscathed. At 5-0 Lutcher is pushing toward a Top 25 spot and possibly jumping past River Ridge (Louisiana) John Curtis for the top spot in the state.

Next in line

There usually is about a 10 percent turnover from week to week in the rankings. This week, however, there will only be four new teams making their debut.

Warner Robins (Georgia) Northside will enter the rankings following their surprising 10-7 win over previously No. 3 Lowndes. Northside already had a win over Columbus (Georgia) Carver on their resume and this week's win puts them toward the top of the state.

Also joining the rankings will be Orlando (Florida) Dr. Phillip's, Montvale (New Jersey) St. Joseph Regional, and Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Marquette University.

There are plenty of other deserving teams who may have to wait another week to gain entrance. The next five that missed the cut were Denton (Texas) Guyer, Hilliard (Ohio) Davidson, La Puente (California) Bishop Amat, San Diego (California) Oceanside, and Frankfort (Illinois) Lincoln-Way East.

Have your voice heard

If you have seen a team that you think should be moved higher or lower in the weekly rankings be sure to have your opinion heard.

The RivalsHigh message board is a great place to sound off on who, in your opinion, is among the nation's elite.

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