1. Evil Geniuses (9-1-0)

Although EG has had a number of teams right on their heels, they have continued to prove they are the best team in North America and the top team in the league. With a 9-1 record, they have yet to show any signs of struggle as their only loss came without their star Jordan "n0thing" Gilbert in the lineup. EG is 4-0 in the past two weeks and looks to be on cruise control for the rest of the season, getting ready for the LAN Finals in March. If EG was to suffer another loss this season it would have been from rivals, compLexity in week 4 but EG once again proved they are the better team beating them 16-10. Although many have stated that Excello is the best team in the league, all I can say is wait till the playoffs.

2. Excello (9-1-0)

Excello has been this season's breakout team, I don't think Nostradamus could have predicted them to be 9-1 by week 6, but yet here they are. Many have stated that Excello's success is due to them playing "online", but whether those acquisitions stand any ground or not, one thing is sure, Excello has arrived. Currently riding the longest winning streak in the division, at seven games, they look ready to take down anyone who crosses their path. With three of their members holding the top 3 spots in AK-47 frags for this season, Excello is ready guns blazin' and all to make some upsets in the playoffs. Excello has a very hard week in head of them, facing both compLexity and Pandemic on de_nuke will test every aspect of their game.

3. Do Work (6-4-0)

Do Work aka Immortal-7 aka DINC aka Infamy, has gone through more name changes than wins they have this season, but they still continue to be one of the top teams in the league. With one of the most stable and skilled rosters in the league, Do Work comes rolling into week 6 with a 6-4 record, although they are much better than that. Last week, they suffered two losses on de_dust2 to Pandemic and Loaded, but I blame it on the randomness of dust2. If Do Work can keep their roster together and practice a little more, they will have the potential to finish out the season 12-4. They face off against YummY and Blight this week, both of whom should pose no threat to their ranking.

4. compLexity (4-5-0)

I would have never thought coL would be sitting at 4-5 in week 6, fighting for a spot in the LAN Finals, but here they are. I know they have had some roster issues in the past week, having to use a ringer in their last match, although it was their first win in three matches. There has been some controversy surrounding coL by ex-Gravitas star Derrick "impulsive" Truong, joining their roster last week, but according to coL leader Andrew "Irukandji" Timmerman it was because they needed a ringer for their match. Whether or not impulsive joins coL, something needs to happen to reignite the flame. Although they are only 4-5, I am giving them the benefit of the doubt because of their skill level, and are still in my eyes a favorite to win the finals, with plenty of time to turn around and finish with a respectable record.

5. Pandemic (6-3-0)

I was very skeptical of their roster at the beginning of the season, although it looks as if they finally found their chemistry together as they are on a five game winning streak, with only one team managing to gain double digit rounds on them. Their roster is a deadly mix of three Texans, one Canadian and NoA allstar Mike "method" So, which is a recipe for disaster for opposing teams. After a rocky start and some roster changes, including the addition of veteran Garret "Grt" Bambrough, I like the way they are playing and I see no reason for them not to finish in the top five. Pandemic faces Excello and Loaded this week on de_nuke, their match vs. Excello is my personal MOTW, in a classic battle of Old School vs. New School.

6. 9StorM (6-4-0)

One of my favorite teams this season, 9StorM continues to prove to be one of the up and coming talents in North America. With a roster full of both old and new school players, 9StorM has a unique play style which makes them a joy to watch play. If they can keep their roster stable, I see no reason for them not to make the playoffs, but it will not be easy with many teams right on their tail. 9StorM looked very solid last week, beating YummY and putting twelve rounds on EG on de_dust2. 9StorM has a pretty easy week, facing off against the now defunct Dynamic team, and (IMO) their rivals Undertow, who I think stacks up against them in skill perfectly, which should produce a great match.

7. YummY (Frag Dominant ) (5-5-0)

YummY has yet to gain any real momentum as they are struggling to produce two wins a row, yet they still pose a huge threat to any team who stands in their way. I was really hoping by this point YummY would have broken their dreaded .500 mark and jumped to top five in the rankings, but they have yet to do anything that impressed me so far. YummY are one of those teams that play much better on LAN than online, and have no shortage of talent and if they make the LAN Finals are a team that can easily make many upsets. This week they face Exigent who should be a walk over win and Do Work, who will be a real test of this team's dedication and talent.

8. Undertow (4-6-0)

Undertow features a whole new roster, than the one they won ESEA-Main with last season, they picked up extremely talented players in Kyle "minikerr" Kerr and Ricky "sLip" Cohen. This new roster change seems to be the exact spark that they needed to finally make some noise in the rankings. They are 3-1 in the past two weeks and only look to be getting better. They seem to be back in their Season 4 championship form, and are my personal darkhorse team for this season. They are still a new team, and need to improve on their chemistry and should use this season to do exactly that. Although I believe they can still make a comeback and make the playoffs, I think it will next season where Utow finally breaks through and establishes themselves a legitimate threat. If they keep playing with the same skill and energy they have been, look for them to make some upsets in the closing weeks and possibly even a playoff berth. As they face EG and 9StorM next week, they better bring their A-game to avoid falling to 4-8.

9. Blight Gaming Canada (4-6-0)

Blight really came out swinging in the first two weeks of the season, but the flame has pretty much died out. Last week they went 0-2, losing to Dynamic and Pandemic, and are holding on to a five game losing streak in total. This team is very capable of pulling off upsets though, their roster has been together for a while now and are pretty much veterans in the Invite division by this point. They have made a few roster adjustments which I like as they do seem to be improving, as the Canadian WCG Champions have much to prove. Blight faces off against Loaded and Do Work this week on de_nuke, a very though week for them.

10. Loaded (3-7-0)

Loaded has been the biggest flop this season, after strong performances in the LAN Finals last season and at WCG, they looked to be one of the top teams this season, but proved to be otherwise. Granted they do have one forfeit loss, and don't seem to be trying as hard as they can, they still are looking very weak and not like their former selves. With the addition of Scott "evolution" Cavallero, I thought they would easily be a top five team, but at the beginning of week 6 they sit at number ten in the standings and rankings alike. After a six game losing streak stretching from week 2 to week 5, they managed to pull out a win against #3 ranked Do Work. Loaded seemed to be in their old form against Loaded which gives me hope that they can turn it around and be in the running for the playoffs, because something tells me Loaded wouldn't be ranked ninth on LAN. This is very important week for Loaded, two losses will basically end their change at the playoffs, although two wins could easily put them back in the running, but both Pandemic and Blight stand in their way.

11. Exigent (0-10-0)

What to say about Exigent? I think they should be removed from the division and be replaced by a team that actually tries and wants to be there. Judging from last season, one would expect Exigent to be a mid-tier team but it seemed as if they just cut the cord to their competitive side and just faded out. I really hope they can start to actually try and not just go for the most MP5 kills instead. They would be ranked in their normal 12th place, but since Dynamic is now dead they have finally moved up a spot, maybe it's the spark they need.

12. Dynamic (3-7-0)

After ESEA went out on a limb to promote Dynamic to the Invite division, what did they do? They die. It finally seemed as if Dynamic had gained some momentum and finally started to win some matches, but I guess they had some internal conflicts which led to their collapse.