The 2017 college baseball season has headed into April and – as in recent years – it has been a tumultuous year throughout much of the country, with numerous teams climbing well beyond preseason prognostications … while plenty of other squads have work to do in order to avoid what would be a disappointing season. CB360’s exclusive Composite National Rankings (CNR) now include an expanded 24-element formula, with links to all of these elements included below (as are the full updated Top–50, plus various notes and lists).
>>> Scoreboard pages also will be posted on CB360 for results involving the current CNR Top–50, including for this past midweek and the current weekend (April 7–9).
Once-beaten Oregon State is the clear #1 in the CB360 Top–50, for the 4th straight week, after opening the season at #8 in the CNR and then spending the next three weeks at #5. The Beavs have a full 5-point cushion (98.09–93.09) on current No. 2 North Carolina, which opened the season at #12 before settling into the top-10 (UNC has improved on its season-best #3 spot from a week ago).
Only four teams have maintained a top–10 spot within the CNR throughout the 2017 season: Oregon State, current #3 Louisville, [6] Arizona and [7] TCU. Louisville opened the season at #7 in the CNR and spent three weeks at #2, before dropping back a couple spots but now back to #3. Arizona sat at the bottom of the CNR preseason top–10 and ultimately climbed as high as #3 for a couple weeks, before sliding back to 9th but now at #6. CNR preseason #1 TCU, in search of a rare 4th straight College World Series appearance, occupied the CNR #1 position for the first month of the season and later slipped out of the top–10, at #14, for one week (then back to 8th and now 7th).
The rest of the CNR current Top–10 includes: [4] Texas Tech, which held down the #2 spot for the past couple weeks (the Red Raiders opened 2017 outside the CNR top–20, at #21) … [5] Clemson, which maintained its position from last week, after opening the season at #13 in the CNR but cracking the top–10 a couple weeks ago, at #8 … a pair of newcomers to the top–10 who were not even CNR preseason top–50, in [8] Kentucky (up from #12) and [9] Oklahoma (#14 a week ago) … and [10] South Carolina, down from #6 the past two weeks (SC also was CNR preseason #6, before four straight weeks in the teens of the CNR).
It took Kentucky a month into the 2017 season before cracking the CNR Top–50 (at #43), then ascending to #19, then #12 and now #8. Oklahoma slid into the Top–50 (#48) after Opening Week, followed by CNR spots of 27–24–30–21–14 and now #9.
• PLENTY OF TOP–10 MEMBERSHIP (“Flavors Of The Week”) – Only eight weeks into the 2017 season, a whopping 21 different teams have spent time within the CNR Top–10: the current #1–#10 teams, plus five other preseason Top–10 squads: Florida, LSU, Florida State, Vanderbilt and Coastal Carolina … along with these six teams: Virginia, Texas A&M, Baylor, St. John’s, Cal State Fullerton and Florida Gulf Coast. Five different CNR Top–10 teams this season were not even among the preseason Top–10: current #8 Kentucky and [9] Oklahoma, plus St. John’s (now #13), FGCU (now #19) and Baylor (now #31), while current #11 Wake Forest also was not a CNR preseason Top–50 team.
… The current CNR Top–10 includes three ACC teams, all in the top-5 (#2 UNC, #3 Louisville & #5 Clemson) plus three as well from the surging Big 12 (#4 Texas Tech, #7 TCU and #9 Oklahoma), along with the Pac-12 duo of [1] Oregon State and [6] Arizona, and “only” two SEC teams among the Top–10: [8] Kentucky and [10] South Carolina.
• PROJECTED REGIONAL #1 SEEDS/HOSTS – Based on the current CNR, the 16 projected NCAA Regional hosts would include four from the ACC (UNC–LOU–CLEM–Wake Forest) … four as well from the SEC (UK–SC–Florida–Ark.) … the three Big 12 (TT–TCU–OU) … the Pac-12 pair (Ore St–Ariz) … and one each from the Big East (St. John’s), Big West (Cal State Fullerton) and Conference USA (Southern Miss.).
• COMING & GOING (and returning) – There are two “1st-time” newcomers to the CNR Top–50, with [46] Connecticut and [47] Minnesota … while four others are back in the Top–50, after earlier struggles (three of the four were preseason Top–50): [35] Maryland, [39] Southeastern Louisiana, [45] Georgia Tech and [49] Sam Houston State. Maryland opened the season at #31 in the CNR, then was #45 after Opening Week before dropping from the Top–50. … One month into the season, Southeastern Louisiana had cracked the Top–50 (at #47, then a couple weeks at #31, then outside the Top–50 but now back at #38) … another Southland Conference team, Sam Houston State, was #35 in the preseason CNR (then #43, then three weeks out, then back for a week at #47, then out again, now back at #49) … and Georgia Tech was a Top–50 teams for the first month of the season (preseason #28) and now has returned, at #45, after three weeks outside the Top-50. … The six teams that have fallen outside the CNR Top–50 in the most current update include: [24] Missouri, [31] Michigan State, [37] East Carolina, [39] Kent State, [44] Louisiana Tech and [50] Tennessee.
>>> CONFERENCE CALL – Here is the current CNR Top–50 breakdown, by conference (nearly half, 24, are from the SEC/ACC/Big 12 and 32 of the 50 are from these five leagues: SEC/ACC/Big 12/Pac-12/AAC):
• 10 SEC teams (1 top-8; 4 top-16; 7 top-25) – (8) Kentucky, (10) South Carolina, (12) Florida, (15) Arkansas, (18) LSU, (23) Vanderbilt, (24) Auburn, (30) Mississippi State, (34) Texas A&M and (48) Ole Miss
• 7 ACC teams (3 top-5; 4 top-16; 6 top-25 ) – (2) North Carolina, (3) Louisville, (5) Clemson, (11) Wake Forest, (17) Virginia, (22) Florida State & (45) Georgia Tech
• 7 Big 12 teams (2 top-8; 3 top-16): – (4) Texas Tech, (7) TCU, (9) Oklahoma, (28) West Virginia, (31) Baylor, (38) Oklahoma State & (43) Texas
• 4 Pac-12 teams (2 top-8; 2 top-16): – (1) Oregon State, (6) Arizona, (33) Stanford & (41) Oregon
• 4 American Athletic Conf. teams (1 top-25) – (21) Houston, (27) South Florida, (29) Central Florida & (46) Connecticut
• 3 Big Ten teams (1 top-25) – (20) Michigan, (35) Maryland & (47) Minnesota
• 3 Southland Conf. teams – (36) McNeese State, (39) Southeastern Louisiana & (49) Sam Houston State
• 2 Big West teams (1 top-16; 2 top-25) – (14) Cal State Fullerton & (25) Long Beach St.
• 2 Conference USA teams (1 top-16) – (16) Southern Mississippi & (40) Old Dominion
• 1 each (5 teams) – Big East (#13 St. John’s) … Atlantic Sun (#19 Florida Gulf Coast) … Mountain West (#26 New Mexico) … West Coast (#32 San Diego) … Missouri Valley (#37 Missouri State) … Horizon (#42 Wright State) … SoCon (#44 Mercer) … and America East (#50 Binghamton)
… Conference Notes:
• The Pac-12 opened the season with the most teams (9) in the CNR Top–50 among all conferences … but only four of those teams (Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford & Oregon) are in the midseason Top–50, as Washington, ASU, UCLA, USC & Cal all sit outside the current Top–50 despite being preseason Top–50 (they were, respectively, #24–34–43–44–45 in the initial CNR).
• Here was the preseason breakdown, by conference, of the CNR Top–50:
>> (9) Pac-12…(8) ACC…(7) SEC…(4) B12+BW…(3) AAC+CUSA+B1G…(2) SBC+SLC
…(1) MVC+CAA+WCC+MWC+HL
• After opening the season with only four CNR preseason Top–50 teams (TCU, OK St, TT & Texas), the Big 12 is much better positioned at the midseason point, with seven in the current CNR Top–50 (the above four, plus Oklahoma, WVU and Baylor.
*** CB360’s CNR FORMULA currently includes the following 24 elements: ***
• National Coaches Poll (USA Today/ESPN; 50 total teams)
• National Collegiate Baseball Writers poll (56 total teams)
• DIBaseball.com top-25
• Baseball America top-25 poll
• Collegiate Baseball magazine top-25
• Perfect Game top-25
• Official NCAA RPI (top-60 teams)
• Warren Nolan RPI (top-60 teams)
• Boyd’s World Pseudo-RPI (top-60 teams)
• Boyd’s World Iterative Strength Ratings (ISR; top-60 teams)
• Sagarin power rankings (top-60 teams)
• Massey overall computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• D1Baseball.com Midseason Projected NCAA Field-of-64 (top-48 teams; #1-#3 seeds)
• Baseball America Midseason Projected NCAA Field-of-64 (top-48 teams + next-8)
• Warren Nolan Power Index (NPI; top-60 teams)
• Warren Nolan ELO Chess-based Ratings (top-60 teams)
• Massey Power computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Bennett Rank computerized power rankings (top-60 teams)
• RoundTable power rankings (top-60 teams)
• Moore computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• DISportsNet computerized rankings (top-60 teams)
• Max. 2.0-pt bonus for top-60 scoring teams (max 1.0) & top-60 “defense” (low runs allowed/gm; max 1.0), per Massey
• Assorted Conference preseason coaches polls (bonus points, max. 1.0 on 100-pt scale)
> SEC … ACC … Pac-12 … Big 12 … Big Ten … Big West … C-USA
AAC … MVC … Mt West … Sun Belt … Colonial … WCC … Southland
BIG EAST … Horizon … Atlantic Sun … Mid-American … America East
>>> COMPOSITE NATIONAL RANKINGS (CNR) CRITERIA: The CB360 Composite National Rankings, back for the 9th season in 2017, center around an in-depth statistical formula created in 2009 and enhanced over the years by CB360 co-founder Pete LaFleur (who also compiles a similar CNR for affiliate site CollegeSoccer360.c0m). Teams receive points based on their standings in each poll/rating/projection (60 pts for #1; 59 for #2, etc.). For polls involving voting points (coaches and CB) and most of the various RPI-type ratings, the CNR adjusts to reward teams that have larger margins in the voting/point totals (whereas two teams with nearly the same voting-point total will be closer in the CNR allotment for that poll). Note that strength-of-schedule typically is factored into RPI formulations … thus the actual SOS numbers are used only early in the season (SOS are not used in the CNR when RPI already are in the mix). For the NCAA field projections, teams are awarded CNR points based on their respective seedings, “last in” and “last out,” etc.
The polls/ratings/projections are averaged, with 37-40 points (pending bonus pts, see below) typically then added to each total in order to yield the 100-point benchmark. Early in the season (projected SOS; and preseason conference coaches polls) and late in the season (final-10 games), a maximum bonus/penalty of 2.0 (SOS & conf. poll) or 0.5 points (final-10) is factored into the formula (in that case, 38.0, or 39.5, rather than 40, is added to the poll/rating/projection avg.). The current midseason CNR in 2017 includes a max. of 3.0 bonus points: max. 1.0 for preseason conference coaches poll; max 1.0 for current national scoring leaders; and max 1.0 for national “defense” leaders (low runs allowed/gm).
__________________________________
• THAT’S WHY THEY PLAY THE GAMES – Seven current CNR Top–25 teams were nowhere to be found in the CNR Preseason Top–50: [8] Kentucky, [9] Oklahoma, [11] Wake Forest, [13] St. John’s, [15] Arkansas, [19] Florida Gulf Coast and [24] Auburn (plus #27 South Florida). Current #4 Texas Tech had climbed into #2 spot the past couple weeks after opening the season at No. 21 in the CNR.
On the flip side, several preseason top–10 teams have tumbled significantly: Coastal Carolina (CNR preseason #9; now out of the top-50) … Vanderbilt (started at #4; fell to #29 but now #23) … Florida (#2 to #23, but now back knocking on the top-10 door at #12) … Florida State (#4, but recent slippage has the ‘Noles at #22) … and LSU (#3, but similar slump and now #18).
In addition to Coastal Carolina, six other teams that opened the season among the top-25 in the CNR already have tumbled out of the top-50: [14] NC State, [17] Louisiana (Lafayette), [18] East Carolina, [19] Miami, [23] UCSB and [24] Washington.
Less than half (21) of the CNR preseason Top–50 have remained in the Top–50 all season:
> preseason #1 TCU
#2 Florida
#3 LSU
#4 Florida State
#5 Vanderbilt
#6 South Carolina
#7 Louisville
#8 Oregon State
#10 Arizona
#11 Cal State Fullerton
#12 North Carolina
#13 Clemson
#15 Oklahoma State
#16 Virginia
#20 Texas A&M
#21 Texas Tech
#22 Stanford
#25 Mississippi
#30 Houston
#41 New Mexico
#42 Southern Mississippi
… And only 58% (29 teams) of the CNR preseason Top–50 are in the current Top–50: the above 21, along with preseason #27 Long Beach State, (28) Georgia Tech, (31) Maryland, (32) Mississippi State, (33) Texas, (35) Sam Houston State, (47) Oregon and (48) Wright State.
… While only a dozen teams have stayed in the CNR Top–25 all season: Oregon State, UNC, Louisville, Texas Tech, Clemson, Arizona, TCU, S.C., Fullerton, UVa, LSU and FSU.
… And only nine have been CNR Top–20 all season (the above 12, except for TT, UVa & FSU).
… Finally, as noted in the early parts of the text on this page, the only teams to stay in the CNR Top–10 all season: Oregon State, Louisville, Arizona and TCU.
>>> Click on the below links for earlier CB360 content: <<<
• CB360 Top–50 Results (some links to be added):
April 7–9 | April 3–6 | March 31–April 2 | March 27–30
March 17–19 | March 3–5
Feb. 27–March 2 | Feb. 23–27 | Feb. 21–23 | Feb. 16–20
• CB360 Top–50 Releases:
2017 Preseason Composite National Rankings – in-depth release, with historical/archival content
Week–2 Update
Week–3 Update
Week–4 and 5 Update
Week–6 & 7 Update
____________________________________________
CB360 Composite Top-50 National Rankings #8 (April 6, 2017)
(rank) Team – voting pts (prev. weeks/most recent first)
1. Oregon State – 98.09 (1 … 1 … 1 … 5 … 5 … 5 … #8 preseason)
2. North Carolina – 93.09 (3 … 7 … 9 … 13 … 7 … 8 … 12)
3. Louisville – 92.86 (4 … 5 … 2 … 2 … 2 … 4 … 7)
4. Texas Tech – 92.39 (2 … 2 … 4 … 6 … 10 … 16 … 21)
5. Clemson – 91.99 (5 … 8 … 17 … 12 … 16 … 19 … 13)
6. Arizona – 91.41 (9 … 3 … 3 … 4 … 6 … 7 … 10)
7. TCU – 90.81 (8 … 14 … 5 … 1 … 1 … 1 …1)
8. Kentucky – 85.94 (12 … 19 … 43 … – … – … – … –)
9. Oklahoma – 84.12 (14 … 21 … 30 … 24 … 27 … 48 … –)
10. South Carolina – 81.90 (6 … 6 … 18 … 18 … 13 … 11 … 6)
11. Wake Forest – 81.89 (16 … 23 … 33 … 42 … – … – … –)
12. Florida – 81.40 (23 … 28 … 14 … 16 … 4 … 2 … 2)
13. St. John’s – 81.35 (10 … 11 … 10 … 11 … 20 … – … –)
14. Cal State Fullerton – 80.60 (15 … 4 … 13 … 17 … 15 … 13 … 11)
15. Arkansas – 80.19 (17 … 26 … 37 … 23 … 25 … 39 … –)
16. Southern Mississippi – 80.14 (22 … 20 … 42 … 49 … 35 … 44 … 42)
17. Virginia – 75.99 (21 … 16 … 11 … 7 … 9 … 10 … 16)
18. LSU – 73.20 (13 … 10 … 8 … 8 … 3 … 3 … 3)
19. Florida Gulf Coast – 72.63 (7 … 12 … 15 … 43 … – … – … –)
20. Michigan – 70.58 (29 … 24 … 19 … 30 … 43 … – … 40)
21. Houston – 70.29 (11 … 22 … 29 … 26 … 28 … 25 … 30)
22. Florida State – 69.24 (18 … 17 … 6 … 3 … 8 … 9 … 4)
23. Vanderbilt – 68.78 (26 … 29 … 25 … 22 … 14 … 6 … 5)
24. Auburn – 68.29 (28 … 30 … – … – … – … – … –)
25. Long Beach State – 66.048 (32 … – … – … – … – … 38 … 27)
26. New Mexico – 63.62 (30 … 35 … 24 … 28 … 49 … 32 … 41)
27. South Florida – 63.26 (20 … 18 … 27 … 31 … 46 … – … –)
28. West Virginia – 63.12 (34 … 38 … – … – … – … – … –)
29. Central Florida (UCF) – 62.24 (41 … 42 … 36 … 45 … 33 … – … –)
30. Mississippi State – 62.17 (48 … – … – … – … 39 … 34 … 32)
31. Baylor – 62.16 (19 … 9 … 7 … 10 … 31 … – … –)
32. San Diego – 61.56 (43 … 36 … 32 … 44 … – … – … –)
33. Stanford – 60.88 (25 … 25 … 22 … 15 … 17 … 22 … 22)
34. Texas A&M – 60.73 (47 … 46 … 16 … 9 … 12 … 14 … 20)
35. Maryland – 56.84 (– … – … – … – … – … 45 … 31)
36. McNeese State – 55.75 (40 … 48 … 49 … – … – … – … –)
37. Missouri State – 55.62 (45 … 37 … 28 … 21 … 37 … 49 … –)
38. Oklahoma State – 54.92 (33 … 27 … 39 … 36 … 21 … 17 … 15)
39. Southeastern Louisiana – 54.68 (– … 31 … 31 … 47 … – … – … –)
40. Old Dominion – 52.84 (35 … – … – … – … – … – … –)
41. Oregon – 52.36 (36 … 41 … 38 … – … – … – … 47)
42. Wright State – 51.45 (42 … 44 … – … – … – … 40 … 48)
43. Texas – 50.22 (38 … – … 34 … 46 … 19 … 28 … 33)
44. Mercer – 49.89 (49 … 34 … – … – … – … – … –)
45. Georgia Tech – 49.73 (– … – … – … 34 … 30 … 24 … 28)
46. Connecticut – 49.43 (– … – … – … – … – … – … –)
47. Minnesota – 49.21(– … – … – … – … – … – … –)
48. Mississippi – 48.32 (27 … 15 … 20 … 19 … 11 … 12 … 25)
49. Sam Houston State – 47.96 (– … 47 … – … – … – … 43 … 35)
50. Binghamton – 47.59 (46 … 39 … 45 … 48 … – … – … –)
> next five: Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, Morehead State, Kent State & Washington
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-7:
[24] Missouri – 68.14 (24 … 13 … 26 … 37 … 47 … – … –)
[31] Michigan State – 61.08 (31 … 33 … 40 … 32 … 42 … 47 … –)
[37] East Carolina – 55.75 (37 … 45 … 12 … 14 … 24 … 26 … 18)
[39] Kent State – 55.24 (39 … 50 … 46 … – … 48 … – … –)
[44] Louisiana Tech – 52.87 (44 … 40 … 21 … 20 … 34 … 46 … –)
[50] Tennessee – 49.58 (50 … 32 … 23 … 25 … 38 … – … –)
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-6:
[31] Southeastern Louisiana – 61.22 (31 … 31 … 47 … – … – … –)… has returned to current top–50
[43] Washington – 55.49 (43 … 50 … 33 … 23 … 21 … 24)
[47] Sam Houston State – 53.67 (47 … – … – … – … 43…35)… has returned to current top–50
[49] Louisiana-Lafayette – 52.48 (49 … 35 … 29 … 22 … 18 … 17)
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-5:
[34] Texas (34 … 46 … 19 … 28 … 33)…has returned to current top–50
[41] Utah (41 … 38 … 45 … – … –)
[44] Coastal Carolina (44 … 35 … 29 … 23 … 9)
[47] Charlotte (47 … 41 … – … – … –)
[48] Dallas Baptist (48 … 27 … 26 … 29 … 29)
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-4:
[34] Georgia Tech (34 … 30 … 24 … 28)… has returned to current top–50
[39] North Carolina State (39 … 18 … 15 … 14)
[40] Kansas State (40 … 50 … – … –)
[50] South Alabama (50 … – … 41 … –)
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-3:
[32] UC Santa Barbara (32 … 30 … 23)
[36] Miami (36 … 20 … 19)
[39] Mississippi State (39 … 34 … 32)…has returned to current top–50
[40] UCLA (40 … 35 … 43)
[41] Virginia Tech (41 … – … –)
[44] Arizona State (44 … 37 … 34)
[48] Kent State (48 … – … –)
• Dropped Out of Top–50 After Week-2:
[27] Rice (27…#26 preseason)
[31] Florida Atlantic (31…38)
[33] UNC Wilmington (33…37)
[36] USC (36…44)
[38] Long Beach State (38…27)…has returned to current top–50
[40] Wright State (40…48)… has returned to current top–50
[41] South Alabama (41…–)
[42] Nebraska (42…46)
[43] Sam Houston State (43…35)… has returned to current top–50
[45] Maryland (45…31)… has returned to current top–50
[50] Pepperdine (50…–)
Dropped Out of CNR Top–50 After Opening Week:
[36] Tulane
[39] Gonzaga
[40] Michigan… has returned to current top–50
[45] California
[47] Oregon… has returned to current top–50
[49] Southeastern Louisiana… has returned to current top–50
[50] Cal Poly