D1 Baseball Rankings this week

maroonmania

Senior
Feb 23, 2008
11,160
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I can't figure out how Arkansas is staying in the Top 5. They are 12-4 with losses to Ark St (12-5), Tex-Arlington (5-10) and Stetson (6-10). Of course, as soon as I say that they will probably kick our tails in Fayetteville this weekend but still? Strange that LSU would have slid down but not Arkansas.
 
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Xenomorph

All-American
Feb 15, 2007
15,461
9,278
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Top 10 plus SEC schools in Top 25

1. UCLA
2. Texas
3. Mississippi State
4. Georgia Tech
5. Arkansas
6. Auburn
7. USM
8. Georgia
9. Oklahoma
10. NC State
13. LSU
19. Tennessee
21. Kentucky
22. Texas A & M
23. Florida
So... D1 thinks LSU, who's lost 4 of last 5 and has some horrendous losses on their record should be ranked 13 but Ole Miss shouldn't be ranked at all? Also, USC sitting at 15-0 with the current 40th toughest schedule cracks the list at 25?

.......ok.......
 

tenureplan

All-Conference
Dec 3, 2008
8,564
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I can't figure out how Arkansas is staying in the Top 5. They are 12-4 with losses to Ark St (12-5), Tex-Arlington (5-10) and Stetson (6-10). Of course, as soon as I say that they will probably kick our tails in Fayetteville this weekend but still? Strange that LSU would have slid down but not Arkansas.
My thoughts as well.
 
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Dawgbite

All-American
Nov 1, 2011
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Cant See Cheech Marin GIF
 

Willow Grove Dawg

All-Conference
Nov 3, 2016
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So... D1 thinks LSU, who's lost 4 of last 5 and has some horrendous losses on their record should be ranked 13 but Ole Miss shouldn't be ranked at all? Also, USC sitting at 15-0 with the current 40th toughest schedule cracks the list at 25?

.......ok.......
LSU has no business in the top 25 and UPIG should be ranked 20-25
USC should be ranked.
D1 is ranking brands.
 

Pilgrimdawg

All-Conference
Aug 30, 2018
1,736
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So... D1 thinks LSU, who's lost 4 of last 5 and has some horrendous losses on their record should be ranked 13 but Ole Miss shouldn't be ranked at all? Also, USC sitting at 15-0 with the current 40th toughest schedule cracks the list at 25?

.......ok.......
I don’t think that Mississippi should ever be ranked in baseball or anything else, ever. Period. Whatever success they may have, they most likely cheated in some form or fashion to get there.
 

bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
108
USM should be ranked ahead of us. Currently we both have the same record. They’ve had a much harder strength of schedule at thís point. Not to mention they beat us head to head. Doesn’t matter where we’re ranked- Makes no sense that they aren’t ranked ahead of us.
 
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11thEagleFan

All-Conference
Sep 6, 2015
2,953
1,817
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USM should be ranked ahead of us. Currently we both have the same record. They’ve had a much harder strength of schedule at thís point. Not to mention they beat us head to head. Doesn’t matter where we’re ranked- Makes no sense that they aren’t ranked ahead of us.
I get the rationale, but I’m fine with it. Kendall and Aaron have said before that they rank teams primarily based upon where they think they’ll finish, not necessarily where they are or have performed so far. I get that a lot of people won’t like that, but so long as they’re consistent, I’m good with it.
 

bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
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I get the rationale, but I’m fine with it. Kendall and Aaron have said before that they rank teams primarily based upon where they think they’ll finish, not necessarily where they are or have performed so far. I get that a lot of people won’t like that, but so long as they’re consistent, I’m good with it.
If rankings were primarily “where they think they’ll finish”, updated polls would be pointless after preseason. Why bother ranking weekly if it’s just preseason projection with minor tweaks? If D1Baseball ranked where they think they’ll finish, we’d have one poll in January and call it a season. No, they update weekly because losses drop you and wins move you up. We stayed at 3 not because of prophecy. That’s fine, but with us having the exact same record as southern Miss + them having a harder schedule up to this point + them beating us head to head = they should be currently ranked ahead of us right now. Otherwise it’s simply SEC biased. What do you think happens if Southern Miss sweeps their next series and MSU struggles early in SEC?
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
9,067
14,226
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Arkansas actually just lost to Stetson again. They played a 4 game series with Game 4 being midday today.

Bet these poll sites wish they maybe woulda waited a day before they threw them in the Top 5 again.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
57,083
26,683
113
I get the rationale, but I’m fine with it. Kendall and Aaron have said before that they rank teams primarily based upon where they think they’ll finish, not necessarily where they are or have performed so far. I get that a lot of people won’t like that, but so long as they’re consistent, I’m good with it.
I get this to an extent. You don't want to punish a team too much for 1 loss in February or March. But after 4 bad losses, I think you've got to at least move them down to 20+ and let them work their way up. Otherwise you may as well just put out your preseason rankings and then not issue the next one till a month into the season.
 

11thEagleFan

All-Conference
Sep 6, 2015
2,953
1,817
113
I get this to an extent. You don't want to punish a team too much for 1 loss in February or March. But after 4 bad losses, I think you've got to at least move them down to 20+ and let them work their way up. Otherwise you may as well just put out your preseason rankings and then not issue the next one till a month into the season.
Oh I agree with you regarding LSU. I would put them down in the 20s if I ranked them at all. It appears that D1 expects them to rebound. I was mainly referring to the State vs USM ranking. D1 thinks that they are the 3rd and 7th best teams, respectively. It’s not that unusual for the 7th best team to beat the 3rd best team, in any sport.
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
57,083
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Oh I agree with you regarding LSU. I would put them down in the 20s if I ranked them at all. It appears that D1 expects them to rebound. I was mainly referring to the State vs USM ranking. D1 thinks that they are the 3rd and 7th best teams, respectively. It’s not that unusual for the 7th best team to beat the 3rd best team, in any sport.
Yeah. And I can see that one. Yes, USM beat MSU by 1 run in Hattiesburg. But they also have a couple of losses that are worse than our 2 losses.
 

bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
108
Yeah. And I can see that one. Yes, USM beat MSU by 1 run in Hattiesburg. But they also have a couple of losses that are worse than our 2 losses.
…And Southern Miss has the hardest SOS and is ranked #1 in RPI up to this point.
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
9,067
14,226
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…And Southern Miss has the hardest SOS and is ranked #1 in RPI up to this point.

Even though USM’s RPI will be good at year end, RPI and SOS in early March means absolutely nothing. For context, 5 loss Missouri State, who got swept in Oxford, currently has a Top 10 RPI.
 
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bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
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Even though USM’s RPI will be good at year end, RPI and SOS in early March means absolutely nothing. For context, 5 loss Missouri State, who got swept in Oxford, currently has a Top 10 RPI.
We’re not talking about Selection Monday right now. We’re talking about right now- the current poll update, March 9-10, 2026, with both teams at 14-2 and Southern Miss holding the head to head win over MSU.
Right now they have the #1 non conference SOS nationally. Right now, that resume should put them ahead of a team they just beat, SEC rep or not. The poll isn’t projecting April or May- it’s ranking who looks best right now. If it’s not reflecting that, then yeah, it starts looking like a little too much SEC bias baked in. How can you not agree with thís- right now?
 
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thekimmer

All-Conference
Aug 30, 2012
8,244
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LSU has no business in the top 25 and UPIG should be ranked 20-25
USC should be ranked.
D1 is ranking brands.
LSU has no business in the top 25 and UPIG should be ranked 20-25
USC should be ranked.
D1 is ranking brands.
Yes they are ranking brands and will be until about mid-season. That is how it always goes for baseball. For that reason, we made a HUGE splash going from 4 years of unranked to preseason #4. That just shows you the respect a coach like Oak commands and what an impact our massive portal haul made.

Baseball is a quirky game and anything can happen but I think we probably have the deepest offense in CBB. We have enough hitting to field two teams without much drop off.
 
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patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
57,083
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Yes they are ranking brands and will be until about mid-season. That is how it always goes for baseball. For that reason, we made a HUGE splash going from 4 years of unranked to preseason #4. That just shows you the respect a coach like Oak commands and what an impact our massive portal haul made.

Baseball is a quirky game and anything can happen but I think we probably have the deepest offense in CBB. We have enough hitting to field two teams without much drop off.
Offensively, this is by far the deepest MSU team I've ever seen. We have multiple good options at every position.
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
9,067
14,226
113
We’re not talking about Selection Monday right now. We’re talking about right now- the current poll update, March 9-10, 2026, with both teams at 14-2 and Southern Miss holding the head to head win over MSU.
Right now they have the #1 non conference SOS nationally. Right now, that resume should put them ahead of a team they just beat, SEC rep or not. The poll isn’t projecting April or May- it’s ranking who looks best right now. If it’s not reflecting that, then yeah, it starts looking like a little too much SEC bias baked in. How can you not agree with thís- right now?

But I think there is a little bit of projection baked into these polls. It’s not a straight resume ranking, I don’t think D1 or BA is trying to seed the tourney right now either. It’s a combination of resume to date and a general sense of how good they think these teams are. Or at least that’s always been my understanding.
 

NukeDogg

All-Conference
Mar 15, 2022
971
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We’re not talking about Selection Monday right now. We’re talking about right now- the current poll update, March 9-10, 2026, with both teams at 14-2 and Southern Miss holding the head to head win over MSU.
Right now they have the #1 non conference SOS nationally. Right now, that resume should put them ahead of a team they just beat, SEC rep or not. The poll isn’t projecting April or May- it’s ranking who looks best right now. If it’s not reflecting that, then yeah, it starts looking like a little too much SEC bias baked in. How can you not agree with thís- right now?
So if us and USM both keep winning, and then we beat them on March 24, now who ranks higher? Moving teams around based on one single game using midweek pitching has never been what they do. LSU had to lose 4 of them before they even considered raising an eyebrow in their direction.
 
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maroonmania

Senior
Feb 23, 2008
11,160
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…And Southern Miss has the hardest SOS and is ranked #1 in RPI up to this point.
RPI and SOS are fairly meaningless at this early stage. If you don't believe me, look at some of the teams high in RPI at the moment. We did lose to them by 1 run at their place but anyone keeping up with things knows that we were on the road at the Texas tournament, couldn't get a flight back and had to bus to Hattiesburg from Dallas. It was the perfect time to play us and we made some errors that showed we were not very sharp for the game. I mean, if folks think USM is better than us, I have no issue with them being ranked higher but it needs to be more than just based on the results of that one game using midweek pitching.
 
Nov 26, 2024
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I can't figure out how Arkansas is staying in the Top 5. They are 12-4 with losses to Ark St (12-5), Tex-Arlington (5-10) and Stetson (6-10). Of course, as soon as I say that they will probably kick our tails in Fayetteville this weekend but still? Strange that LSU would have slid down but not Arkansas.
Maybe to give us a top 5 matchup
 
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HailStout

Heisman
Jan 4, 2020
5,406
15,216
113
So if us and USM both keep winning, and then we beat them on March 24, now who ranks higher? Moving teams around based on one single game using midweek pitching has never been what they do. LSU had to lose 4 of them before they even considered raising an eyebrow in their direction.
This. Baseball isn’t football.
 
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bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
108
RPI and SOS are fairly meaningless at this early stage. If you don't believe me, look at some of the teams high in RPI at the moment. We did lose to them by 1 run at their place but anyone keeping up with things knows that we were on the road at the Texas tournament, couldn't get a flight back and had to bus to Hattiesburg from Dallas. It was the perfect time to play us and we made some errors that showed we were not very sharp for the game. I mean, if folks think USM is better than us, I have no issue with them being ranked higher but it needs to be more than just based on the results of that one game using midweek pitching.
That’s just a polite way of saying “we weren’t at our best, so the loss doesn’t really count.” Every team has off days, travel issues, midweek arms, whatever. Southern Miss still had to execute, they still had to win the game, and they did. Just like they beat Ole Miss yesterday. You don’t get to asterisk the L because you were “not sharp.” That’s what the game is- who wins when both teams show up that day. Polls are supposed to reflect today, right now, not “what if we weren’t tired.” If polls are resume-based as D1Baseball claims, Southern Miss should be ahead right now. Not in April, not after SEC play- just right now, based on the games played. How can you not agree with thís?
 
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bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
108
So if us and USM both keep winning, and then we beat them on March 24, now who ranks higher? Moving teams around based on one single game using midweek pitching has never been what they do. LSU had to lose 4 of them before they even considered raising an eyebrow in their direction.
I do think there’s SEC bias- a mid-major would be lucky to stay top 25 after 4 losses like LSU had.
 

bulldoghair

All-Conference
Jul 9, 2013
2,593
2,010
108
But I think there is a little bit of projection baked into these polls. It’s not a straight resume ranking, I don’t think D1 or BA is trying to seed the tourney right now either. It’s a combination of resume to date and a general sense of how good they think these teams are. Or at least that’s always been my understanding.
If it’s truly a “combination of resume to date and how good we think they are,” then Southern Miss deserves more credit right now than No. 7. They have the literal win, the #1 non con SOS nationally, 4-0 conference record. That’s not just “resume to date”- that’s a really strong current resume to date plus a team that looks legitimately good. A little projection is understandable- but when the resume and the eye test both lean toward Southern Miss being ahead right now, keeping them at #7 while we stay #3 feels like the projection part is outweighing the actual results a bit too much. But like I said, I think SEC bias is baked in too.
 

MSUDC11-2.0

Heisman
Sep 29, 2022
9,067
14,226
113
If it’s truly a “combination of resume to date and how good we think they are,” then Southern Miss deserves more credit right now than No. 7. They have the literal win, the #1 non con SOS nationally, 4-0 conference record. That’s not just “resume to date”- that’s a really strong current resume to date plus a team that looks legitimately good. A little projection is understandable- but when the resume and the eye test both lean toward Southern Miss being ahead right now, keeping them at #7 while we stay #3 feels like the projection part is outweighing the actual results a bit too much. But like I said, I think SEC bias is baked in too.

The vibe I’ve gotten listening podcasts from the D1 crew is they think USM is overachieving a little right now. Which I get on some level. Very good pitching staff and a veteran team, offense not all that impressive though.
 

greenbean.sixpack

All-American
Oct 6, 2012
8,869
8,177
113
USM should be ranked ahead of us. Currently we both have the same record. They’ve had a much harder strength of schedule at thís point. Not to mention they beat us head to head. Doesn’t matter where we’re ranked- Makes no sense that they aren’t ranked ahead of us.
Only a state fan would want another in state program ranked ahead of us, no matter of wins or losses. Crazy how dumb our fanbase is.
 
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The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
15,561
10,793
113
We’re not talking about Selection Monday right now. We’re talking about right now- the current poll update, March 9-10, 2026, with both teams at 14-2 and Southern Miss holding the head to head win over MSU.
Right now they have the #1 non conference SOS nationally. Right now, that resume should put them ahead of a team they just beat, SEC rep or not. The poll isn’t projecting April or May- it’s ranking who looks best right now. If it’s not reflecting that, then yeah, it starts looking like a little too much SEC bias baked in. How can you not agree with thís- right now?
And "right now", polls and RPI's mean absolutely nothing, that's why football playoff poll doesn't come out for weeks after the season even starts. 39 more games to play, pollsa and rankings are meant to sell magazines and give people in a bar something to talk about. A guest on one of the talk shows last week said every season there have been teams that made the NCAA baseball tournament w/ 5-7 mid week losses. Worry about RPI the last week in May because that's when it comes into play.