They're 6-1, undefeated in their subregion, and they trailed the No. 7 team in the state by only three points deep into the fourth quarter.

So why can't the White County Warriors get any respect?

To be fair, the Warriors aren't that far from top-10 recognition; they fell just one spot outside the Class AAA rankings in this week's Georgia Prep Poll, conducted by The Associcated Press.

But despite six straight wins, they're nowhere to be found in either the AJC poll or any of the three computer power rankings used by Georgia High School Football Daily's composite rankings. 

Why? The best guess here is margin of victory. Forty-point wins impress voters, almost regardless of the competition. The ability to impose eight touchdowns on your opponent grabs our attention, even if that opponent regularly surrenders five to seven touchdowns.

54-14 just looks like the product of a top 10 team. 21-14, not so much. What logic is applied here is admittedly flawed, and the computers are just as guilty as the human voters. 

So while White County has been clawing its way to a possible berth in the region title game, it has been largely ignored outside of northeast Georgia, because four of the Warriors wins have come by seven or less. Only one win has come by a margin of more than 14.

The Warriors can take solace in the fact that these rankings don't matter beyond their service as midweek talking points. And if they win this week, chances are good they'll get another crack at a top 10 team before the playoffs: a rematch against Gainesville in the 8-AAA championship game on Nov. 5.

Here's my top 10 for this week (White County, by the way, slid in at No. 9):

Rank, team, previous

Class AAAAA

1. Camden County (1)
2. North Gwinnett (2)
3. Stephenson (3)
4. McEachern (4)
5. Lowndes (5)
6. Grayson (6)
7. Valdosta (9)
8. Woodstock (10)
9. Etowah (-)
10. East Coweta (-)

Game of the Week: Stephenson at East Coweta. I've had Stephenson ranked higher than just about everybody all season long. Even now, at 7-0, the Jaguars come in behind one-loss teams McEachern and Lowndes in the AP poll. Stephenson can prove it deserves its spot in my top 3 with a win over unbeaten East Coweta.

Class AAAA

1. Northside Warner-Robins (1)
2. Tucker (2)
3. Clarke Central (3)
4. Kell (4)
5. Griffin (5)
6. Flowery Branch (6)
7. Starr's Mill (8)
8. Chattahoochee (10)
9. Lovejoy (-)
10. Thomas County Central (9)

Game of the Week: Griffin vs. Dutchtown. Week by week, Flowery Branch has been creeping its way toward the top five, because while Griffin hasn't lost yet, it has looked vulnerable in a couple of close wins. Dutchtown isn't ranked, but the Bulldogs are undefeated. They need a win Friday to prove they're a contender on a statewide level.

Class AAA

1. Sandy Creek (1)
2. Peach County (2)
3. Cairo (3)
4. Baldwin (4)
5. Carrollton (5)
6. St. Pius X (6)
7. Gainesville (8)
8. Washington County (10)
9. White County (-)
10. Grady (-)

Game of the Week: Grady at St. Pius. Grady hasn't had the most challenging schedule, but the Grey Knights have been winning in impressive fashion (53.8-4.0) during a five-game winning streak. A win over St. Pius would do more than announce their legitimacy, it would signal the coming of a potentially dangerous playoff team. It won't be easy or expected, though. Since a loss to Westminster in its season opener, St. Pius has looked like one of Class AAA's best.

Class AA

1. Carver-Columbus (1)
2. Buford (2)
3. Calhoun (3)
4. Cook (4)
5. Swainsboro (5)
6. Jefferson County (6)
7. Dublin (7)
8. North Oconee (10)
9. Elbert County (-)
10. Dade County (-)

Game of the Week: Calhoun at Dade County. Calhoun has been cruising along in the top three without much of a challenge this season. If they're going to get one, it ought to be this week. Dade County is coming off three consecutive 42-0 wins, giving the Wolverines five shutouts in seven games.

Class A

1. Wesleyan (1)
2. Clinch County (2)
3. Savannah Christian (3)
4. Wilcox County (4)
5. Johnson County (5)
6. Charlton County (6)
7. Lincoln County (7)
8. Eagle's Landing Christian (8)
9. Marion County (9)
10. Darlington (10)

Game of the Week: Darlington at Trion. This is a game to pay attention to primarily because of what Darlington did last year in the playoffs. After entering the postseason with a 6-4 record, the Tigers advanced all the way to the semifinals, and this year's team is playing better defensively. Trion is 6-1 and handed Darlington its only region loss last season.