The FAU baseball is ranked no. 22 in the Top 25 poll and the softball team has climbed up to number 10 in the country. It sounds great and it sounds like something special, but really what does this all mean?
Nothing really.
There are 332 or so division I baseball and softball teams in the nation and with every sport some are better teams than others. However, if a team is “good” and in the Top 25 in any poll it hinges on things you might not realize.
The strength of a team’s schedule is important as well as their play against these tough teams. For instance, the FAU softball team has played some top-notch teams like No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 14 Iowa, No. 4 Stanford and No. 23 Florida State. The team has only lost to Oklahoma, which makes a strong case to be ranked among the countries top 25 teams.
Another thing that is taken into consideration is the team’s performance throughout the season as well as their runs-for (runs scored by team) and runs-against (runs scored by the opposition).
The baseball team has defeated no. 21 Rutgers earlier this season and currently sits atop the Atlantic Sun Conference with a 19-game winning streak with a ranking of no. 22 in the Top 25 poll
At any rate, there are a lot of things that are taken into consideration when choosing the Top 25 for collegiate baseball and softball.
Keep in mind that many of these polls are made up of coaches and members of the media who examine all things of a team in which they believe should be considerations for getting a team into the Top 25
Considerations realistically mean jack.
“Fortunately polls don’t matter too much in college baseball because the championship is settled on the field,” Senior Writer of Baseball America John Manuel said. “The NCAA’s RPI is a much bigger factor in analyzing teams than polls are come tournament time.”
RPI rankings are rankings based on schedule and results. The RPI system is used by college football to decide contenders for the national championship bowl game as well as other bowls.
However, the RPI ranking paired up the Miami Hurricanes, clearly the best team in all of football last year, with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team that didn’t even win their conference.
Needless to say, the RPI rankings have been severely scrutinized for its inaccuracies. Which brings us back to the original question: What does being ranked in the Top 25 mean?
“Fans pay way, way more attention to polls than players or coaches. Coaches can use polls as motivation, to tell players they don’t get enough respect, yada, yada, yada.” Manuel, who decides the Top 25 for Baseball America, said. “I’m pretty tired of fans saying it. We only have 25 spots. Does that mean we only “respect” 25 teams? Come on, like I said I am tired of that.”
If we are paying way too much attention to them because they don’t mean anything then why do they exist?
There’s a real simple answer to this actually. The Top 25 exist to give teams and fans somewhat of an idea where their team stands compared to the nation’s most elite teams.
Like I said before, however, wins aren’t everything to pollsters.
“Strength of schedule weighs heavily into a team’s resume for the rankings, Manuel said about the rankings. “That’s why 13-8 Cal State Fullerton might be in the poll when it has played 12 games against Top 25, but a 17-2 Northwestern State team with win against Centenary, Louisiana State-Shreveport and Louisiana-Monroe might not be in (Top 25).”
What this all basically means is that for Florida Atlantic baseball and softball are getting quality wins against strong opponents on their schedule.
Quality wins that should have more meaning then any Top 25 poll made up of faceless coaches and journalist with biases.
