(04-25-2016 07:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  We drop only two spots in Baseball America, from #13 to #15....

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-top-25-april-25/#lHFdkYir39dckcit.97

...but to show how ridiculously fickle and volatile BA's poll is, USM jumps from not rated to #14 in one week after eking out a home series win against us. That's insane.

And we drop one spot in Perfect Game, from #23 to #24, while USM goes from unranked to #21. How in the world do these guys still have FAU ahead of us at #22 after losing two consecutive weekend series to second tier CUSA teams?...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12382

(04-25-2016 08:14 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 07:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  We drop only two spots in Baseball America, from #13 to #15....

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-top-25-april-25/#lHFdkYir39dckcit.97

...but to show how ridiculously fickle and volatile BA's poll is, USM jumps from not rated to #14 in one week after eking out a home series win against us. That's insane.

And we drop one spot in Perfect Game, from #23 to #24, while USM goes from unranked to #21. How in the world do these guys still have FAU ahead of us at #22 after losing two consecutive weekend series to second tier CUSA teams?...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12382

Not excusing it, but FAU did go 3-2 on the week with a win against #1 Miami and a decent FGCU team.

(04-25-2016 08:23 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 08:14 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 07:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  We drop only two spots in Baseball America, from #13 to #15....

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-top-25-april-25/#lHFdkYir39dckcit.97

...but to show how ridiculously fickle and volatile BA's poll is, USM jumps from not rated to #14 in one week after eking out a home series win against us. That's insane.

And we drop one spot in Perfect Game, from #23 to #24, while USM goes from unranked to #21. How in the world do these guys still have FAU ahead of us at #22 after losing two consecutive weekend series to second tier CUSA teams?...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12382

Not excusing it, but FAU did go 3-2 on the week with a win against #1 Miami and a decent FGCU team.

Midweek games NEVER have a great impact on the polls, or they shouldn't. How can you lose back-to-back weekend series vs. UAB and FIU and still be ranked, and ahead of us, no less?

(04-25-2016 09:43 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 08:23 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 08:14 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 07:48 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  We drop only two spots in Baseball America, from #13 to #15....

http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/college-top-25-april-25/#lHFdkYir39dckcit.97

...but to show how ridiculously fickle and volatile BA's poll is, USM jumps from not rated to #14 in one week after eking out a home series win against us. That's insane.

And we drop one spot in Perfect Game, from #23 to #24, while USM goes from unranked to #21. How in the world do these guys still have FAU ahead of us at #22 after losing two consecutive weekend series to second tier CUSA teams?...

http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=12382

Not excusing it, but FAU did go 3-2 on the week with a win against #1 Miami and a decent FGCU team.

Midweek games NEVER have a great impact on the polls, or they shouldn't. How can you lose back-to-back weekend series vs. UAB and FIU and still be ranked, and ahead of us, no less?

I agree with all on here so far that Rice should be ranked (at least) a little bit ahead of USM in the national rankings right now.
But I don't fault BA for moving them ahead of us. I feel that we're a better overall team for the reasons mentioned... it is justifiable to rank them higher for "finally" proving themselves as a team worthy of a national ranking.
Personally I'd put them one or two spots behind us - more or less the average between BA and D1.
FAU I'd keep on the fringes of consideration due to the Miami win - but just outside T25 until they can "prove" themselves against USM or Rice. (Which, I frankly don't see happening...) but that doesn't mean they're not a Top 30 team. If they can win at least a couple games against USM and Rice they're clearly on the inside for at-large. And of course they cannot be ignored for the Conference race. All they need is one hot weekend and they are right back in the middle of things.

(04-25-2016 11:37 AM)owlsfan Wrote:  "Midweek games NEVER have a great impact on the polls, or they shouldn't."

I will bow to your knowledge on the history ("...NEVER have a great impact..."), but beating the then #1 (and now #2) team at their place sure seems to me as if it should have a great impact.

(04-25-2016 03:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 11:37 AM)owlsfan Wrote:  "Midweek games NEVER have a great impact on the polls, or they shouldn't."

I will bow to your knowledge on the history ("...NEVER have a great impact..."), but beating the then #1 (and now #2) team at their place sure seems to me as if it should have a great impact.

Just a historical fact often repeated by the college baseball pundits who vote in the polls. Midweek games carry far less weight than the weekend since the #4 or #5 starting pitchers. Yes, you get the same RPI impact, and it does show up on your overall Top 25/50/100 resume as a win, but that's it. From the polls' perspective, midweek games do not have a great impact. Look at USM just this past week-- they were just 2-2, including a blowout midweek loss at Tulane, but they jumped as much as 10+ spots in the polls. That loss to Tulane was totally ignored by the pollsters.

Quote:Comment From Taylor
Complete disregard of FAU this week? Not even considering them? I get they lost two of three this weekend but come on… beat your #1 ranked team. Hard to believe in any sense that Minnesota is better than Florida Atlantic.

Aaron Fitt:
C’mon, Taylor — FAU has lost two weekend series in the last three weeks, against Charlotte and Marshall — those are bad series losses against teams with losing records. Weekend results matter a lot more than midweek results. Minnesota’s resume is a lot more impressive right now than FAU’s. And yes, I think Minnesota might very well be better than FAU — I trust Minnesota’s pitching a lot more, and its offense is pretty darn good, too. Gophers are a balanced club.

(04-25-2016 03:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Just a historical fact often repeated by the college baseball pundits who vote in the polls.

(04-25-2016 01:56 PM)owlsfan Wrote:  "Midweek games NEVER affect the polls (except when they do affect the polls)."

I really cannot argue with you on this.

(04-25-2016 03:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Midweek games carry far less weight than the weekend since the #4 or #5 starting pitchers. Yes, you get the same RPI impact, and it does show up on your overall Top 25/50/100 resume as a win, but that's it.

(04-25-2016 06:04 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 03:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Midweek games carry far less weight than the weekend since the #4 or #5 starting pitchers. Yes, you get the same RPI impact, and it does show up on your overall Top 25/50/100 resume as a win, but that's it.

I tend to agree with you except when it comes to either a trend of losing results ... i.e. lose 6 of 8 games and you'll drop pretty quickly, or if you run off a streak of, say 11 straight wins, then those midweek games affect polls disproportionately to other midweek games, granting that the bulk of said streak is comprised of weekend games. The subjective nature of polls allows them to run counter to metrics like RPI by emphasizing weekend results. But, it's also prone to other biases, like over-emphasis of early season results (by way of poll "inertia"), and valuing streaks as a genuine sign of some dramatic change in performance as opposed to random occurrences (some streaks are more one than the other).

(04-25-2016 07:38 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 06:04 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(04-25-2016 03:46 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Midweek games carry far less weight than the weekend since the #4 or #5 starting pitchers. Yes, you get the same RPI impact, and it does show up on your overall Top 25/50/100 resume as a win, but that's it.

I tend to agree with you except when it comes to either a trend of losing results ... i.e. lose 6 of 8 games and you'll drop pretty quickly, or if you run off a streak of, say 11 straight wins, then those midweek games affect polls disproportionately to other midweek games, granting that the bulk of said streak is comprised of weekend games. The subjective nature of polls allows them to run counter to metrics like RPI by emphasizing weekend results. But, it's also prone to other biases, like over-emphasis of early season results (by way of poll "inertia"), and valuing streaks as a genuine sign of some dramatic change in performance as opposed to random occurrences (some streaks are more one than the other).

I believe USM is just 4-7 in midweek games, including 2-6 vs. Top 50 teams. However, they've yet to lose on the weekend, largely because we're the only Top 50 team they've faced.