Here’s a quick rundown (scroll down) of the CB360 Composite National Rankings (CNR) Top–50, taking into account various polls and rankings for games played through March 22, 2015.
– front page photo of Andrew Stevenson courtesy of LSU Athletics
(CLICK HERE for the preseason top-50, with complete release, historical notes, etc.
… week-2 update … week–3 … week–4 … week–5 … week-6)
The current CNR formula includes nine elements – primarily six regular national polls/rankings (USA Today coaches; NCBWA writers; Baseball America; DIbaseball.com; Perfect Game; and Collegiate Baseball magazine). Midseason RPI, a composite from Warren Nolan and Boyd’s World (ISR), also now has been factored in – on a limited basis (as the season progresses, and the sample size grows, the RPI will hold a larger pct. within the CNR format). The current formula also still includes a max 1.0-point bonus for projected conference finish (this component will drop out of the formula in a couple weeks, as others are added).
The CNR Top-50 – which made its debut on CB360 in 2009 – can serve as a snapshot for teams that project for making the NCAAs (as at-large entrants, if they don’t win their conference automatic bids). In the past, the weekly top-50 also has included a listing of other projected NCAA qualifiers, for conferences that don’t feature any teams in the top-50 … and those teams also are included at the bottom of this page, based on a composite of various preseason conference predictions.
See previous CNR releases (linked above) for in-depth criteria, poll history, etc. Additional week-7 CNR summary notes may be added to this page later in the week, while the customary midweek and weekend CB360 Scoreboard pages (for Top–50 and conference favorites) also will return this week.
CB360 Composite National Rankings #6 (top-50, plus projected NCAA field-of-64)
(March 24, 2015)
(rank) Team – voting pts (previous weeks … 2015 preseason)
1. LSU – 98.10 (#3 after week-5 … 4 … 6 … 7 … 5 … #5 preseason)
2. Texas A&M – 97.28 (5 … 8 … 22 … 24 … 24 … 33)
3. Vanderbilt – 96.94 (4 … 5 … 3 … 3 … 1 … 1)
4. TCU – 96.50 (1 … 1 … 2 … 2 … 3 … 3)
5. Florida – 95.43 (2 … 3 … 5 … 4 … 4 … 4)
6. UCLA – 93.40 (7 … 10 … 4 … 5 … 6 … 6)
7. Florida State – 90.44 (12 … 15 … 21 … 22 … 16 … 13)
8. Louisville – 90.02 (13 … 18 … 23 … 20 … 10 … 10)
9. UCF (Central Florida) – 88.75 (11 … 9 … 14 … 19 … 33 … 38)
10. Arizona State – 88.67 (14 … 14 … 16 … 13 … 17 … 15)
11. South Carolina – 87.03 (6 … 7 … 8 … 10 … 12 … 11)
12. Miami – 84.32 (19 … 21 … 17 … 14 … 11 … 18)
13. Texas – 83.90 (16 … 16 … 12 … 9 … 8 … 9)
14. USC – 83.31 (10 … 11 … 24 … 37 … – … –)
15. UC Santa Barbara – 80.26 (17 … 17 … 19 … 17 … 21 … 25)
16. Houston – 78.54 (21 … 22 … 9 … 6 … 7 … 8)
17. Virginia – 78.28 (8 … 2 … 1 … 1 … 2 … 2)
18. Illinois – 74.63 (22 … 23 … 37 … 27 … 30 … 37)
19. Maryland – 72.54 (31 … 29 … 18 … 21 … 20 … 20)
20. Oklahoma State – 71.28 (26 … 32 … 20 … 18 … 13 … 7)
21. Dallas Baptist – 70.69 (27 … 27 … 25 … 25 … – … 50)
22. Oregon State – 70.11 (28 … 25 … 28 … 28 … 38 … 31)
23. Oregon – 69.49 (18 … 6 … 10 … 15 … 18 … 21)
24. California – 69.35 (30 … 41 … 44 … – … – … –)
25. North Carolina – 68.85 (23 … 13 … 15 …12 … 14 … 12)
26. Rice – 68.70 (9 … 12 …. 13 … 11 … 15 … 14)
27. Texas Tech – 62.21 (15 … 19 … 7 … 9 … 17)
28. Indiana – 61.06 (29 … – … – … 49 … 32 … –)
29. Nevada – 57.06 (32 … 28 … 35 … 40 … – … –)
30. Florida Atlantic – 56.81 (20 … 26 … 26 … 36 … – … –)
31. Nebraska – 55.12 (48 … – … – … 42 … 36 …. 26)
32. Missouri – 54.44 (35 … – … – … – … – … –)
33. Arizona – 49.95 (41 … 37 … – … – … – … –)
34. Oklahoma – 48.31 (47 … – … – … – … – … –)
35. Georgia Tech – 47.66 (24 … 31 … 29 … 32 … 34 … 39)
36. San Diego – 45.01 (36 … 38 … 45 … – … – … –)
37. UNC Wilmington – 45.01 (42 … 40 … – … 50 … – … –)
38. San Diego State – 44.74 (39 … 33 … 27 … 33 … – … –)
39. Mississippi State – 44.20 (25 … 20 … 11 … 16 … 19 … 19)
40. Cal State Northridge – 43.15 (43 … 44 … – … – … – … –)
41. Alabama – 43.05 (38 … 47 … 41 … 31 … 29 … 35)
42. Coastal Carolina – 42.78 (– … – … 49 … – … – … –)
43. Wright State – 42.21 (– … – … – … – … – … –)
44. Notre Dame – 41.66 (33 … 39 … 33 … – … – … –)
45. Mississippi – 41.34 (– … 46 … 30 … 26 … 28 … 24)
46. Duke – 41.27 (– … – … – … – … – … –)
47. Old Dominion – 38.57 (– … – … – … – … – … –)
48. Stanford – 36.27 (40 … 34 … 34 … 44 … 26 … 22)
49. College of Charleston – 36.08 (– … _ … 39 … 30 … 42 … 34)
50. New Mexico – 35.50 (46 … 35 … 42 … – … – … –)
• 17 Other Projected 2015 NCAA Tournament Teams (conferences not in top–50):
(based on composite preseason projections; to be updated throughout season):
Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun) … Louisiana -Lafayette (Sun Belt) … Sam Houston State (Southland)
St. John’s (BIG EAST) … Western Carolina (SoCon) … Sacramento State (WAC) … Kent State (Mid-American)
Southeast Missouri State (Ohio Valley) … Bucknell (Patriot League) … Bryant (Northeast)
Alabama State (SWAC) … Columbia (Ivy League) … Virginia Commonwealth (A-10)
Stony Brook (America East) … Bethune-Cookman (MEAC) … Canisius (MAAC) … Oral Roberts (Summit)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–6:
34. Campbell – 50.45 (43 … – … – … – … –)
37. Tulane – 46.98 (42 … 31 … 39 … – … –)
44. Milwaukee – 44.14 (– … – … – … – … –)
45. Cal State Fullerton – 43.63 (24 … 40 … 43 … 22 … 16)
49. East Carolina – 41.89 (– … – … – … – … –)
50. Central Arkansas – 41.69 (– … – … – … – … –)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–5:
30. Auburn – 54.27 (38 … – … – … –)
36. Arkansas – 48.48 (32 … 35 … 25 … 36)
45. Georgia Southern – 43.11 (– … – … – … –)
46. Mississippi – 42.03 (30 … 26 … 28 … 24)
47. Kennesaw State – 41.93 (46 … 23 … 23 … 23)
47. Louisiana-Lafayette – 41.93 (– … – … 45 … 44)
50. Georgia – 41.75 (– … 29 … – … –)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–4:
36. Long Beach State – 48.09 (– … – … –)
39. College of Charleston – 45.83 (30 … 42 … 34)
43. Baylor – 42.80 (34 … 43 … –)
47. Columbia – 42.46 (– … – … –)
48. Arkansas State – 42.40 (– … – … –)
49. Coastal Carolina – 42.40 (– … – … –)
50. Clemson – 42.30 (48 … 44 … 27)
– Dropped Out of the Top-50 after Week–3:
29. Georgia – 50.50 (– … –)
38. UNLV – 42.27 (40 … –)
41. Grand Canyon – 41.57 (– … –)
42. Nebraska – 41.36 (36 … 26)
45. Tennessee – 39.02 (41 … 30)
46. Liberty – 38.57 (27 … 29)
47. Loyola Marymount – 38.52 (35 … 32)
49. Indiana – 38.04 (32 … –)
50. UNC Wilmington – 38.01 (– … –)
Dropped Out of Top-50 after Week–2:
31. Florida International
37. Cal Poly (#28 preseason)
39. UC Irvine (41)
45. Louisiana (Lafayette) (44)
46. Sam Houston State (47)
47. Washington
48. Pepperdine (45)
49. St. John’s (40)
50. Fresno State
Note: the following teams dropped out of the top-50 after being in the preseason CNR – (42) Kent State, (43) Wichita State, (46) Ball State, (48) San Diego and (49) Kentucky (also #50 Dallas Baptist, which later returned to the top-50, as has USD).