D1 poll-5 April 2011

[sluggers]

1 Alabama (29) 37-2 749 1
2 Georgia 32-4 717 2
3 Arizona St. (1) 35-3 664 4
4 Michigan 33-3 654 3
5 Texas 31-3 607 8
6 UCLA 26-5 592 7
7 Washington 27-3 575 6
8 Arizona 32-6 547 9
9 Tennessee 29-6 468 11
10 Florida 30-7 452 5
11 Nebraska 30-4 447 13
12 California 22-7 423 10
13 Stanford 24-7 383 12
14 Oklahoma 29-10 350 15
15 Oregon 29-6 339 14
16 Missouri 28-5 303 16
17 Baylor 28-6 293 17
18 Kentucky 25-7 239 24
19 Louisiana-Lafayette 27-5 233 18
20 Texas A&M 30-8 168 21
21 Oklahoma St. 29-9 146 19
22 Auburn 29-7 107 22
23 Fresno St. 22-8 88 NR
24 Texas Tech 36-4 82 23
25 Georgia Tech 31-6 61 25

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Arizona swept 3 from Stanford. Alabama beat up on South Carolina for 3 games...

Florida dropped 3 to Kentucky--so Florida has now lost six in a row. (So, of course Florida has to be rated higher than Kentucky! It just makes sense! Who cares who won or lost?)

Apparently, UT-Martin's bus got lost and they ended up in Georgia, where UTM's softball was totally thrashed.

Michigan lost to Indiana (how did that happen?)

Arizona State dropped one to California.

Texas beat Texas State and Oklahoma State...hey, does Texas State field a softball team? Texas won't play any real competition until the end of the year when they play Missouri for the bragging rights to the Big 13, err...Big 21, uh Big 12...oh, you know, whatever conference Texas is in. So, expect for Texas to creep up into the Number 2 or 3 spot.

Of course, Arizona, UCLA and Arizona State will keep playing great competition and keep getting better. Then, when one of these schools wins the championships, the rest of the country can whine about the unfairness of the bats, or the balls, or the umpires, or the lack of a good bar in Oklahoma City.

 

[absdad]

Arizona swept 3 from Stanford. Alabama beat up on South Carolina for 3 games...

You're not surprised at all, by those 6 games.. are you??

Florida dropped 3 to Kentucky--so Florida has now lost six in a row. (So, of course Florida has to be rated higher than Kentucky! It just makes sense! Who cares who won or lost?)

Florida dropped, and Kentucky rose up. Losing to a team, doesn't mean you necessarily drop from the poll. SoS of your opponents plays a big part in it.

Michigan lost to Indiana (how did that happen?)

One of the upsets of the week.

Arizona State dropped one to California.

NOT a surprise. ASU won't be going to OKC in May.

Texas beat Texas State and Oklahoma State...hey, does Texas State field a softball team? Texas won't play any real competition until the end of the year when they play Missouri for the bragging rights to the Big 13, err...Big 21, uh Big 12...oh, you know, whatever conference Texas is in. So, expect for Texas to creep up into the Number 2 or 3 spot.

Dunno why everyone bags on TX. They have arguably the best pitcher in D1. Their problem last year was their offense didn't produce. They don't seem to have that problem this year.

Missouri is the red-headed stepchild of D1 softball. Nobody can figure out how they manage to be there, day in and day out. Even after the run rule regional game against UCLA in 2009, knocking them out. Or last year when they WHALLOPED the Tide at home. Yes, at home. Went most of the season without Thomas in the circle.

Of course, Arizona, UCLA and Arizona State will keep playing great competition and keep getting better. Then, when one of these schools wins the championships, the rest of the country can whine about the unfairness of the bats, or the balls, or the umpires, or the lack of a good bar in Oklahoma City.

UCLA won't be in OKC, they're a shell of last year. Langenfeld is gone, no more UCLA. Might as well throw Washington out there too... no Lawrie, no WCWS.
Hawaii... who? New bat regs, and suddenly they are nobody. Another NON-surprise there.

In the end, polls are opinions. And fairly meaningless. RPI is a better indicator.

I don't think the PAC10 will be nearly as exciting as they've been in years past. SEC will be making the big impact this year. My predictions..

Tennessee
Georgia
Alabama
Missouri
Arizona (maybe)
Texas
Nebraska
Florida

 

[sluggers]

RPI's are a little misleading as well. With an RPI, a loss in January to Timbuktu U. counts the same as a loss in May to Timbuktu U. In the early season, coaches are trying kids at new positions and letting pitchers go longer.

Also, the end of the season in college sports insulates teams...they end up playing conference games. The SEC's top teams will not improve as much as the PAC-10's top schools because of the competition level. Similarly, Texas is playing mediocre talent. They aren't being pushed to improve.

Actually, I'm not a PAC-10 lover. It is just that I've seen this dynamic play out year after year. Last year's collapse by Alabama showed what happens when good teams play weak schedules--they get over-rated and then don't know how to react when their opposition doesn't quit.

 

[MsDinosaur]

Missouri is the red-headed stepchild of D1 softball. Nobody can figure out how they manage to be there, day in and day out. Even after the run rule regional game against UCLA in 2009, knocking them out. Or last year when they WHALLOPED the Tide at home. Yes, at home. Went most of the season without Thomas in the circle.

Mizzou just doesn't get much attention outside of the Midwest. They probably never will, but I'm hoping that things will change if they can get further than two and done in the WCWS this year.

On a brighter note, however, when I was looking at the Tivo schedules, I saw that MU's 4/17 game against Oklahoma is going to be televised on one of the ESPN stations that I receive. WooHoo!

It's not that I have anything against the SEC, the PAC-10, the WAC or the Big Ten (I wish the Big Twelve had its own channel like the Big Ten does), but I'd really like to be able to occasionally watch Big Twelve teams like Missouri without having to wait for the WCWS. I'm in the middle of Big Twelve country, trying to tivo college softball as often as I can and so far this season, I've seen 2-3 SEC games, a WAC game and 2-3 Big Ten games. Hundreds of channels and it's hard to find any softball at all...