The rankings are finally...

...in from all three news services I follow.

In the Tribune Mike Helfgot elevated Lyons over Glenbard West after the Lions upset the Hilltoppers, 21-7, in Glen Ellyn. And Mount Carmel dropped out of his top ten after the Caravan was upended in a last-second thriller at St. Rita, 31-28.

Beth Long of the Sun-Times did much the same while MaxPreps swapped out Lincoln-Way East in favor of St. Charles East.

(In case you can't read, Loyola, Homewood-Flossmoor, Brother Rice, Neuqua Valley and Barrington are common to all three.)

So what does all this mean? Well, for starters, it makes this Saturday's contest in Wilmette between the visiting Mustangs of St. Rita and host Loyola (above) that much more interesting. The Ramblers, as I mentioned yesterday, are a steamroller. But can they go undefeated again? (That's really hard to do.) Or can they go unblemished until at least Week Nine when they travel to Brother Rice? Is Rita, who lost to St. Patrick and St. Laurence and only narrowly defeated Providence (and Mount Carmel), for real? Or was last Friday night just a fluke? Could they knock off the big, bad Ramblers in Wilmette? Probably not. But it may be worth the drive.

Neuqua, meanwhile, will have a big test at unbeaten Naperville North this Friday. It will be my Game of the Week.

Brother Rice, for its part, hosts Mount Carmel (3-2). Can the Crusaders hand the Woodlawn squad their third loss of the season? Or will the Caravan spoil the Mount Greenwood school's perfect record?

Elsewhere, Glenbrook North should extend its record to 6-0 at Maine East (1-4). But will Montini (2-3) end undefeated De La Salle's Cinderella run? And what about Oswego (5-0) at Oswego East (5-0)? Shouldn't that be my Game of the Week?

Here are some other tilts that will sorely test undefeated teams in Week Six:

Prairie Ridge (5-0) vs. McHenry (4-1),
IC (5-0) hosts Riverside-Brookfield (4-1),
Rolling Meadows (5-0) vs. Prospect (3-2),
Palatine (5-0) vs. Fremd (3-2),
Lemont (5-0) at Hillcrest (4-1),
Bradley-Bourbonnais (5-0) at Lincoln-Way Central (4-1),
West Aurora (5-0) at Huntley (3-2),
Hinsdale Central (5-0) vs. Glenbard West (4-1), and
Barrington (5-0) vs. Schaumburg (4-1).
(The Broncos have to face Hoffman Estates (4-1) and Palatine (5-0) after that. Killer schedule!)

Which of these teams will emerge undefeated at 6-0?

Oh, and what the heck:

Marist (4-1) at St. Patrick (4-1) should be good too.

Now on to the rankings (all teams undefeated unless otherwise noted):

Tribune:

1. Loyola
2. Homewood-Flossmoor
3. Brother Rice
4. Lincoln-Way East (4-1) 
5. Neuqua Valley
6. Palatine
7. Barrington
8. Prairie Ridge
9. Lyons
10. Glenbard West (4-1)

Sun-Times:

1. Loyola
2. Homewood-Flossmoor
3. Brother Rice
4. Neuqua Valley
5. Lyons
6. Oak Park and River Forest
7. Lincoln-Way East (4-1)
8. Marist (4-1)
9. Glenbard West (4-1)
10. Barrington

MaxPreps:

1. Loyola
2. Brother Rice
3. Prairie Ridge
4. Homewood-Flossmoor
5. Neuqua Valley
6. East St. Louis
7. Palatine
8. IC Catholic
9. St. Charles East
10. Barrington