Welcome to the ACB Sing-Off Power Rankings! Before we get to the list, a quick review of what these rankings are all about:

•The Power Rankings are concerned with a group’s likelihood of a) surviving for another episode and b) winning The Sing-Off. While overall quality of a group will certainly have an impact on a group’s ranking, it is not necessarily the primary consideration of these rankings.
•The Power Rankings are, in a sense, cumulative. While the most recent performances will affect movement in the rankings, we still have to keep an eye on the bigger picture of how a group is doing (for example, if a group that was previously in last place gives the best performance this week, it doesn’t mean they’ll shoot to number one, but it is likely that they will move up).
•The Power Rankings will be based largely upon my personal opinion, but may also take into account judges’ on-air input, live audience reaction, and Internet buzz. Please note that I have not heard any spoilers, so the content of these rankings is purely conjecture.
•The Power Rankings will only consider active groups—that is, groups that have not yet been eliminated from the show.
•The Power Rankings will appear following each round of competition. A round will be defined as one full cycle of each active group performing.
•The number in parentheses after a group’s name indicates where the group ranked in the preceding round’s list.

1) Pentatonix (1) Pentatonix has received the most consistently positive reviews from the judges week in and week out, and did what many might have thought impossible this week with a tremendously innovative and musical take on the Britney Spears catalog.

2) Vocal Point (3) The war for second place is increasingly one of attrition as good groups get eliminated and great groups have their stamina tested with each passing week of the show. When your group’s weakest performance was still a tearjerker,and you bounce back the following week with something as musically intricate, accessible, entertaining, and fun as Vocal Point’s Elvis medley, you have plenty of reasons for optimism. The Brigham Young boys look poised to work their way into the show’s final voting.

3) Afro-Blue (2) While this was a good week for Afro-Blue, their ultra-jazzy and increasingly complicated sound isn’t winning over casual fans, and the judges called them on it this week. While I don’t think the kids from Howard are on the verge of elimination, as some doom and gloomers on the Internet would have you believe, it is fair to say they’ve slipped a notch in the competition.

4) The Dartmouth Aires (6) A single great performance does not a season make. The Aires turned in their strongest showing of the year so far with their Queen medley, but they have big questions left to answer about their capacity for innovation and sustainability in this competition.

5) Delilah (4) Even after a very good week, the competition is getting nitty gritty enough that I don't think Delilah will ever be truly safe again. The ladies were smart to play mashup weeks on their own terms, going with perfect execution on traditional song choices. That’s enough for them to stay alive for now, but within or two or three weeks things are going to get real dicey for this group, unless they can find a new way to wow us.

6) Urban Method (5) There was a point when Urban Method seemed like a favorite of the judges, but after a dismal showing from the women of the group and a second consecutive week in the bottom two, the Denver crew's shelf life looks like it’s running up. If they get back to their bread and butter rap pedigree and execute the heck out of it, they might be good for another week, but at this point I’d contend that the group’s chances rely more heavily on other groups slipping than on their own success. I think we’ve already seen the best Urban Mehtod has to offer.

Welcome to the ACB Sing-Off Power Rankings! Before we get to the list, a quick review of what these rankings are all about:

•The Power Rankings are concerned with a group’s likelihood of a) surviving for another episode and b) winning The Sing-Off. While overall quality of a group will certainly have an impact on a group’s ranking, it is not necessarily the primary consideration of these rankings.
•The Power Rankings are, in a sense, cumulative. While the most recent performances will affect movement in the rankings, we still have to keep an eye on the bigger picture of how a group is doing (for example, if a group that was previously in last place gives the best performance this week, it doesn’t mean they’ll shoot to number one, but it is likely that they will move up).
•The Power Rankings will be based largely upon my personal opinion, but may also take into account judges’ on-air input, live audience reaction, and Internet buzz. Please note that I have not heard any spoilers, so the content of these rankings is purely conjecture.
•The Power Rankings will only consider active groups—that is, groups that have not yet been eliminated from the show.
•The Power Rankings will appear following each round of competition. A round will be defined as one full cycle of each active group performing.
•The number in parentheses after a group’s name indicates where the group ranked in the preceding round’s list.

1. Pentatonix (1) A good, intense week for Pentatonix. Though I still find their sound a little thin and their main soloist strong but not exceptional, I seem to be in the minority as the Internet is blowing up over them and the judges just can’t seem to get enough. Pentatonix and The Dartmouth Aires are now the only groups not to show up in the bottom four. Couple that with a healthy dose of judge love, and consistent signs of improvement, and Pentatonix have to be considered the favorite to take it all at this point.

2. Afro-Blue (2) Despite a phenomenal showing last week, Afro-Blue still somehow found itself in the bottom two. The group was not daunted, coming back with a version of “Killing Me Softly” that was heavily influenced by the group’s jazz roots, with just enough lip service to The Fugees to make it also fit the hip-hop mold. In my estimation, Afro-Blue has been the most consistently solid group of this season, though I worry they will need to construct or steadier bridge between their musicality and mainstream appeal if they’re going to have a shot at winning this.

3. Vocal Point (3) OK, so Vocal Point turned in what was, musically, its most suspect performance of the season this week. And at their musically weakest they almost made Ben Folds cry. The guys succeeded in showing off their vulnerability this week; as long as they get back to covering their fundamentals in these next couple episodes, they should coast into at least the top five. Incidentally, with a Halloween-themed episode on deck, I’m craving a reprise of their iconic reimagining of “Thriller” (see below).

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHGKVfcklUU]

4. Delilah (8) The ladies emerged from their free fall in the rankings this week to take a stand with Lil Wayne’s “How To Love.” If you read my review of the show or The 3Gs, or my Facebook postings, you already have a sense of how much I dug this. In case you didn’t, the second half of this 13-second video is a good approximation of my reaction:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1_-QP0wJTg]

There are some big question marks hanging over the ladies’ heads about whether they can sustain this level of excellence and make an earnest push toward the finals. For the first time in weeks, it looks like they have a chance.

5. Urban Method (4) On the episode that Urban Method should have owned, an uncomfortable truth came to light—they’ve been rapping every week and have yet to show us they’re anything more than a respectable rapper and a cool sound effects guy. I’ve considered Urban Method the most overrated group this season since episode one, and it looks like the cracks are starting to show for real as they arrived in the bottom four for the first time this week. Can they reinvent themselves enough to stay vital? Or is this the beginning of their end?

6. The Dartmouth Aires (5) Although The Aires have dodged the bottom four bullet every episode, their performances are on a steady decline, and the judges have taken notice. Can the guys reassert themselves and get back in the mix with all-male, on-show rivals, Vocal Point? A Halloween-themed episode should be less restrictive on their style than the last two weeks, so there is hope.

7. The Yellow Jackets (7) The YJs just keep hanging around, but their bottom two sing off against The Collective brought them perilously close to the elimination. The hip-hop theme did not do this group any favors, but it will be interesting to see if they can rebound in earnest. They’ve pulled some rabbits from their hats before; they’re going to need something special to make it to episode 8.

Welcome to the ACB Sing-Off Power Rankings! Before we get to the list, a quick review of what these rankings are all about:

•The Power Rankings are concerned with a group’s likelihood of a) surviving for another episode and b) winning The Sing-Off. While overall quality of a group will certainly have an impact on a group’s ranking, it is not necessarily the primary consideration of these rankings.
•The Power Rankings are, in a sense, cumulative. While the most recent performances will affect movement in the rankings, we still have to keep an eye on the bigger picture of how a group is doing (for example, if a group that was previously in last place gives the best performance this week, it doesn’t mean they’ll shoot to number one, but it is likely that they will move up).
•The Power Rankings will be based largely upon my personal opinion, but may also take into account judges’ on-air input, live audience reaction, and Internet buzz. Please note that I have not heard any spoilers, so the content of these rankings is purely conjecture.
•The Power Rankings will only consider active groups—that is, groups that have not yet been eliminated from the show.
•The Power Rankings will appear following each round of competition. A round will be defined as one full cycle of each active group performing.
•The number in parentheses after a group’s name indicates where the group ranked in the preceding round’s list.

1. Pentatonix (3) This week, Pentatonix put forth its most fully imagined Sing-Off performance to date with “Video Killed the Radio Star.” They’re filling out their sound nicely. The percussion/sound effects guy is getting bolder. Perhaps most importantly of all, the judges are eating up everything Pentatonix does with a spoon. This group has, quite arguably, become the front runner to take the competition.

2. Afro-Blue (1) Despite another top-notch performance, and earning heaps of praise from the judges, Afro-Blue somehow still wound up in the bottom two this week. Granted, with double eliminations, that isn’t as dire as it sounds, but it still makes the audience question if the group really does have a chance of going all the way.

3. Vocal Point (6) The best thing going for Vocal Point is the group’s versatility. No two performances have sounded quite the same from them, their energy has been explosive, and the guys set themselves apart from the pack this week by taking their guilty pleasure seriously and going all out to deliver a memorable performance. Now that the group is complete again, look for them to really start turning heads down the stretch.

4. Urban Method (4) By the judges’ accounts, Urban Method should probably be ranked higher, and hip-hop week certainly favors them. Furthermore, we saw something new and encouraging from the group this week—an ability to let loose and actually have some fun. I still question the longevity of an act this gimmicky, though, and while I’m quite confident they’ll be safe until at least episode 7, I’m very skeptical rappella will make the final three.

5. The Collective (10) Out of the shadows and into the light, The Collective has figured out how to work as a unit at just the right time to make them viable contenders in this competition. No, they don’t have much of a shot at winning The Sing-Off, but against the odds, they’re no longer clear-cut favorites to go home after another episode.

6. The Dartmouth Aires (5) The Aires fell into the guilty pleasures trap this week, settling for a lame performance that befits the lame theme, rather than making the moment their own. Pair this lackluster performance with the judges’ first serious criticisms and the group is looking more vulnerable than it has up to this point. Hip-hop tends to serve all-male groups well, so I expect they’ll be OK for next week, but things could get dicey from there.

7. The Yellow Jackets (8) The YJs dug deep into the collegiate a cappella humor treasure chest this week, combining a cross-gender pop selection with over-the-top choreography, funny accents, and mostly good musicality to remain vital for another episode. It will be interesting to see if the mostly classically-trained musicians can find their groove in hip-hop week. I would rate them higher on this list, but as the field gets smaller, comparisons between The YJs, Vocal Point, and The Aires are only going to grow more inevitable, and I don’t see the boys from Rochester surviving a shoot out.

8. Delilah (7) The ladies returned to the brink of elimination this week and, indeed, a lot of the viewing audience seems to have been in agreement they should have been sent home, rather than North Shore. Hip hop week could be huge for Delilah—if they can pull off the butt-kicking swagger of a Divisi or Noteworthy, this could be an opportunity for them to shock the competition and vault themselves back into the top five. After two straight weeks in the bottom two, though, and an uninspired effort on “What A Feeling,” I am not liking their chances.